On Sept. 12, 2001, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma was scheduled to perform Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Colorado Symphony. The day prior to the performance, the United States was shaken by the events of 9/11, one of the most tragic losses of life in American history.

Colorado Symphony cellist, Margaret Hoeppner, vividly remembers Ma’s performance that night. Instead of playing the planned Dvořák piece, Yo-Yo Ma decided to play Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a composition written in the aftermath of World War I. As the Colorado Symphony’s longest tenured member with 62 seasons under her belt, the performance after 9/11 is Hoeppner’s most powerful, moving memory as a part of the orchestra. 

“Ma’s performance brought the audience and the orchestra a sense of solace and some comfort during that terribly difficult time. For me it was a sense that life will go on and that we will recover from this horrible tragedy,” said Hoeppner. “Because of the beauty of his performance, it gave us all hope. It gave me hope that we would survive and that this is something we would recover from.”

For the 2023-2024 Centennial Season of the Colorado Symphony, Yo-Yo Ma will return to Denver to play Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the same piece that brought comfort to concert-goers in the wake of 9/11. Ma will perform along with the Colorado Symphony at 7 p.m. on May 5 at Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. This is one of more than 150 performances offered by the Colorado Symphony throughout the season.

The Colorado Symphony is celebrating 100 years of symphonic music in Colorado. The 2023-2024 season is highlighted by a trio of must-see performances featuring Audra McDonald, Renée Fleming and, of course, the legendary Yo-Yo Ma. Led by Principal Conductor Peter Oundjian, Colorado Symphony patrons will be treated to a schedule teeming with incredible programming, renowned guest artists and revered symphonic works all season long. To kick off the centennial season, the Colorado Symphony will perform Beethoven’s Fifth along with several other works on Sept. 15-17.

“This centennial season will highlight the best of the Colorado Symphony,” said Oundjian. “We’re doing some really huge projects. We will keep doing programs that I think will engage people enormously. We are going to keep people excited with every performance.”

History of the Colorado Symphony

The Colorado Symphony has a rich history that dates back to 1922 when its predecessor, the Civic Symphony Orchestra, formed in Denver. Prior to 1922, there were several semi-professional music acts scattered across Denver, but no formal orchestra. At the height of the Great Depression, Helen Marie Black, publicist for the Civic Symphony Orchestra, helped form the Denver Symphony Orchestra in 1934. Her goal was to consolidate the local musicians, boost audience attendance and guarantee union wages. The orchestra held its first concert at the Broadway Theater in Denver on Nov. 30, 1934, led by Conductor Horace Tureman.

After a 55-year run, the Denver Symphony Orchestra disbanded in 1989 as the result of financial hardship. It filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 4 of that year. Musicians left the Denver Symphony Orchestra for the newly-formed Colorado Symphony, which played its first concert on Oct. 27, 1989. The following year, the two groups merged to form one organization.

Since its inception in 1989, the Colorado Symphony has had five recorded principal conductors, beginning with Marin Alsop in 1993. The current principal conductor, Oundjian, has served in the role since 2022.

One hundred years ago, the symphony in Colorado was different than it is today. From a small group of semi-professional local musicians, the Colorado Symphony has grown in size and in the diversity of its members. The Symphony currently has 80 full-time musicians, representing more than a dozen countries around the world.

The Colorado Symphony today

Denver is a vibrant city full of people who yearn to experience the arts. From taking in contemporary paintings at the Denver Art Museum to seeing hip hop concerts at Red Rocks, and from watching classic works performed by the Colorado Ballet to laughing at stand-up acts at Comedy Works, locals love to get out and experience the best of Colorado arts.

“Twenty years ago, people said Colorado was just a great place for the mountains — a great place for sport. That is what people were interested in. I feel there has been a huge shift in what people in Denver want,” Oundjian said. “We had the biggest crowds ever at Boettcher Concert Hall last year. Nobody moves to Denver to just sit inside and watch TV. Colorado is all about getting out there.”

Throughout the 100 years of symphonic music in Colorado, performances and offerings have shifted and grown to meet the needs and wants of the changing audience. The Colorado Symphony not only performs classical works from composers like Mozart, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, but it also performs contemporary pieces, pop songs and soundtracks from fan-favorite films.

This year the Colorado Symphony will have several performances outside of the classical genre. These include “Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert,” “Disney in Concert: Time Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Home Alone in Concert.” There will also be performances for children like the “Halloween Spooktacular,” “Elf in Concert” and “Peter and The Wolf & The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.”

“In the last 10 years, there has been a tremendous shift from the Colorado Symphony. It is one of the great leaders in the evolution of programming. They collaborate with musicians from every possible musical genre and from film,” said Oundjian. “We have absolutely cutting-edge music, world premieres and also the beautiful performances of the great classics. Sometimes we perform these classics juxtaposed to a contemporary piece. We try to keep the program very alive so that the people are attracted to as much of it as possible. You’re not going to appeal to every person in Denver, every night. We try to present, over the course of the season, all of the great elements of the musical art form.”

Oundjian said the Colorado Symphony’s milestone could not have been reached without the longstanding and overwhelming support of the community.

“This season carries special significance as we celebrate 100 years of music and look ahead to the next century of music making in Colorado,” said Oundjian. “This celebration belongs as much to you and our state as it does to our orchestra, and we can’t wait to share the excitement with you all season long.”