Jump to the MahlerFest 38 Introduction by Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director
11 events found.
Pre-Season Recital and Cocktail Party: Roots of Resistance
Academy - Mapleton Hill
311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United States
FREE EVENT FOR DONORS.
Tallā Rouge with special guest Sophia Szokolay perform and The Academy provides hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
Full Calendar of All Public Events, Open Rehearsals, Dinners, Educational Programs, & Other Social Events
Download a calendar of all public events or see listings of open rehearsals, educational events, and dinners & other social events.
Opening Night: Death Goes on Strike
Mountain View United Methodist Church
355 Ponca Place, Boulder, CO, United States
Viktor Ullmann, a German-speaking, Austro-Hungarian Jew like Mahler, wrote this satirical opera while imprisoned in the Theresienstadt ghetto. Ullmann was killed in Auschwitz, but the manuscript was saved by the camp's librarian who survived the war.
$5 – $45
Estranged Passengers – In Search of Viktor Ullmann
Academy - Mapleton Hill
311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United States
Viktor Ullmann composed our opening night opera in the Theresienstadt ghetto.
This FREE event will feature the movie "Estranged Passengers - In Search of Viktor Ullmann" with an introduction by Ryan Hugh Ross who will be performing in the opera and is an expert on surpressed composers.
Songs of Protest and Defiance
Canyon Theater at the Boulder Public Library
1001 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO, United States
FREE EVENT - From the battle cry of “La Marseillaise” in the French Revolution to the unforgettable strains of “We Shall Overcome” in the Civil Rights era, when we raise our voices in the most important protests, we do so in song. Our assembled team of world-class singers present an afternoon of song like no other.
Guided Hike
THIS EVENT IS FULL!
FREE EVENT - Registration Required
Join Boulder-based naturalist Suzanne Michot and symposium speaker Jeremy Barham for this gentle, two- to three-mile hike to learn about the Boulder natural environment as well as Mahler's connection to nature.
Chamber Music: Determination & Defiance
Roots Music Project
474 Pearl Street, Suite V3A, Boulder, CO, United States
SCHULHOFF | String Sextet
SHOSTAKOVICH | String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108
BLOCH | Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello
WALKER | Raise the Roof!
McKee | Escape
Erwin Schulhoff incorporated jazz in his compositions as the ultimate protest music of the 1920s. Dmitri Shostakovich, similarly defiant, used recurrent themes and sharp transitions to capture the tightening of a society closing in on itself.
$5 – $45
Rhythm, Roots, & Resonance
Roots Music Project
474 Pearl Street, Suite V3A, Boulder, CO, United States
UPDATED PROGRAM
The Jones/Butterfield Duo performs music that is informed by a collective study of roots, jazz, rock, and classical practices, as well as various world music traditions.
$5 – $45
MahlerFest 38 Symposium
Academy - Mapleton Hill
311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United States
FREE EVENT - Speakers at the symposium and other events throughout the festival will include Kalanit-Liat Chalstrom, Leah Claiborne, Marilyn McCoy, and Ryan Hugh Ross. Lunch is free but reservations are required for sandwiches.
Celebrating Peace
Macky Auditorium
1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO, United States
MAHLER | Todtenfeier
PRITCHARD | Seven Halts on the Somme, Concerto for Trumpet and Strings
KORNGOLD | Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40
Korngold, whom Mahler referred to as a “musical genius,” refused to write concert music while Hitler was in power. After the war, he composed his only symphony, a celebration of peace and hope for the future, dedicated to FDR.
$5 – $85
Resistance
Macky Auditorium
1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO, United States
MARTINU | Memorial to Lidice
STILL | Dismal Swamp
MAHLER | Symphony No. 6 in A-minor
Where there is resistance, there is hope. Of all of Mahler's symphonic protagonists, it is the hero of his Sixth who fights the most bravely, even when all hope seems lost.
$5 – $85
MahlerFest 38 Introduction by Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director
Pre-Season Recital and Cocktail Party: Roots of Resistance
Academy - Mapleton Hill 311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United StatesFREE EVENT FOR DONORS.
Tallā Rouge with special guest Sophia Szokolay perform and The Academy provides hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
Full Calendar of All Public Events, Open Rehearsals, Dinners, Educational Programs, & Other Social Events
Download a calendar of all public events or see listings of open rehearsals, educational events, and dinners & other social events.
Opening Night: Death Goes on Strike
Mountain View United Methodist Church 355 Ponca Place, Boulder, CO, United StatesViktor Ullmann, a German-speaking, Austro-Hungarian Jew like Mahler, wrote this satirical opera while imprisoned in the Theresienstadt ghetto. Ullmann was killed in Auschwitz, but the manuscript was saved by the camp's librarian who survived the war.
Estranged Passengers – In Search of Viktor Ullmann
Academy - Mapleton Hill 311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United StatesViktor Ullmann composed our opening night opera in the Theresienstadt ghetto.
This FREE event will feature the movie "Estranged Passengers - In Search of Viktor Ullmann" with an introduction by Ryan Hugh Ross who will be performing in the opera and is an expert on surpressed composers.
Songs of Protest and Defiance
Canyon Theater at the Boulder Public Library 1001 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO, United StatesFREE EVENT - From the battle cry of “La Marseillaise” in the French Revolution to the unforgettable strains of “We Shall Overcome” in the Civil Rights era, when we raise our voices in the most important protests, we do so in song. Our assembled team of world-class singers present an afternoon of song like no other.
Guided Hike
THIS EVENT IS FULL!
FREE EVENT - Registration Required
Join Boulder-based naturalist Suzanne Michot and symposium speaker Jeremy Barham for this gentle, two- to three-mile hike to learn about the Boulder natural environment as well as Mahler's connection to nature.
Chamber Music: Determination & Defiance
Roots Music Project 474 Pearl Street, Suite V3A, Boulder, CO, United StatesSCHULHOFF | String Sextet
SHOSTAKOVICH | String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108
BLOCH | Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello
WALKER | Raise the Roof!
McKee | Escape
Erwin Schulhoff incorporated jazz in his compositions as the ultimate protest music of the 1920s. Dmitri Shostakovich, similarly defiant, used recurrent themes and sharp transitions to capture the tightening of a society closing in on itself.
Rhythm, Roots, & Resonance
Roots Music Project 474 Pearl Street, Suite V3A, Boulder, CO, United StatesUPDATED PROGRAM
The Jones/Butterfield Duo performs music that is informed by a collective study of roots, jazz, rock, and classical practices, as well as various world music traditions.
MahlerFest 38 Symposium
Academy - Mapleton Hill 311 Mapleton, Boulder, CO, United StatesFREE EVENT - Speakers at the symposium and other events throughout the festival will include Kalanit-Liat Chalstrom, Leah Claiborne, Marilyn McCoy, and Ryan Hugh Ross. Lunch is free but reservations are required for sandwiches.
Celebrating Peace
Macky Auditorium 1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO, United StatesMAHLER | Todtenfeier
PRITCHARD | Seven Halts on the Somme, Concerto for Trumpet and Strings
KORNGOLD | Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40
Korngold, whom Mahler referred to as a “musical genius,” refused to write concert music while Hitler was in power. After the war, he composed his only symphony, a celebration of peace and hope for the future, dedicated to FDR.
Resistance
Macky Auditorium 1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO, United StatesMARTINU | Memorial to Lidice
STILL | Dismal Swamp
MAHLER | Symphony No. 6 in A-minor
Where there is resistance, there is hope. Of all of Mahler's symphonic protagonists, it is the hero of his Sixth who fights the most bravely, even when all hope seems lost.
MahlerFest 38 is a celebration of defiance, protest, resistance, and remembrance through music. This year’s festival is centered around Mahler’s Sixth Symphony—a work that embodies the struggle against inevitable fate with courage and determination. From its thunderous hammer blows to its soaring themes, the symphony is a powerful tribute to those who fight against all odds, whether on the battlefield, in moments of personal adversity, or through acts of quiet defiance. The festival’s lineup explores this theme across a range of musical expressions, from Viktor Ullmann’s darkly satirical opera The Emperor of Atlantis, written in the Theresienstadt internment camp, to Erwin Schulhoff’s String Sextet, infused with the energy of protest and the aftermath of war. Through these works, MahlerFest 38 offers a reflection on art’s ability to inspire, commemorate, and push back against despair.
The festival also showcases a rich and diverse repertoire beyond Mahler, including Bohuslav Martinu’s Memorial to Lidice, a poignant tribute to a Czech town destroyed during World War II, and William Grant Still’s Dismal Swamp, a moving musical journey from oppression to freedom. Korngold’s triumphant Symphony in F-sharp, written as a post-war statement of hope and gratitude, highlights the weekend’s orchestral offerings. Alongside these major symphonic works, MahlerFest 38 will feature a protest song recital, an adventurous chamber music program, and a late night folk/roots music performance. With these bold offerings, we invite audiences to experience the indomitable spirit of music and its enduring power to illuminate the human experience, even in the darkest times.
See all of the MahlerFest 38 Artists here.