Artist Series 90th Season Balances Past Masterworks and Future Innovation

Tradition has its roots in innovation, especially when it comes to the arts.

In assembling the lineup for the 90th season of CU Presents’ Artist Series, director Rudy Betancourt wanted to explore that link between established masterworks and the bold reinvention that’s always marked great art. For Betancourt, who will begin his second season as the Artist Series director in the fall, that throughline is critical to understanding the history of the concert series as well as its future.

“Across the seven performances this season, we’ll experience different performing arts forms—from dance to music to dramatic monologue. We’ll be spotlighting music from the Baroque and modern eras, we’ll be taking well-established cultural heritage and mixing it with technology. We’ll be making it evident that there is an evolving relationship between tradition and innovation.” 

Adds Betancourt, “This season, we are combining innovation with respect for the past in order to create a new tradition.”

Indeed, over nearly 100 years, the Artist Series has mixed the old and new, the cutting edge and the undisputed classics. For its 90th season, Betancourt builds on that foundation, relying partly on the works of Ludwig Van Beethoven as a connecting thread.

The season kicks off with Pinchas Zukerman and Shai Wosner performing Beethoven’s violin sonatas. Victor Quijada’s dancer-athlete troupe returns in November for a dynamic performance by RUBBERBAND. Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar and Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande will celebrate the holiday season with “Campana Sobre Campana: Christmas in México!” in December. Australia cirque troupe Circa will unite with pianist Vitaly Starikov to perform Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” in time for Valentine’s Day 2027.

In March, renowned actor John Malkovich will lead “Roll Over Beethoven,” a theatrical portrait of the late composer from a crucial stage in his life. April will feature a performance from percussion ensemble Third Coast Percussion and Pulitzer Prize-finalist composer/performer/electronic musician Jlin. And the 90th season will wrap with a visit from jazz masters Stanley Clarke and Hiromi celebrating the music of Chick Corea and beyond.

It’s a lineup that fuses classical masters, contemporary dance icons and a towering figure from the stage and screen. For Betancourt, these diverse experiences point to a common theme of artistic progress, struggle and disciplined reinvention.

“The theme of the season from a high altitude is transformation through artistic reinvention,” Betancourt notes, specifically highlighting the reappearance of Beethoven throughout the series. In addition to the season debut—featuring Zukerman, a returning master musician performing the violin sonatas—and “Roll Over Beethoven” which will frame the composer’s loss of hearing in a dramatic framework, there are other nods to the late composer woven throughout the season. 

Just as Beethoven had to evolve over his creative life—most notably, dealing with the loss of his hearing—the artists featured in our 90th season have drawn from established norms to create new directions. It’s a season that offers what it means to make art—discovering and rediscovering the intricate balance between respect for the past and an unyielding commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s next.

Artist Series 2026-27 Season

Pinchas Zukerman & Shai Wosner

Beethoven Violin Sonatas

Oct. 8, 2026, Macky Auditorium

Legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman and acclaimed pianist Shai Wosner open the Artist Series’ 90th season with a celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s anniversary featuring a program of the composer’s violin sonatas. With a celebrated career encompassing five decades, Zukerman reigns as one of today’s most sought-after and versatile musicians—violin and viola soloist, conductor and chamber musician. He is renowned as a virtuoso, admired for the expressive lyricism of his playing, the singular beauty of his tone and impeccable musicianship which can be heard throughout his discography of over 100 albums for which he received two Grammy Awards and 21 nominations.

RUBBERBAND

Ever So Slightly Redux

Nov. 8, 2026, Macky Auditorium

Victor Quijada is back with 10 dancer-athletes in top form. “Ever So Slightly” explores the behavioural mechanisms and reflexes we develop against the ceaseless flow of irritants that bombard us in our daily lives. Most of us long for calm and resilience, but how do we get to a zone where noise and aggression no longer have a place? Simultaneously delivering delicacy, brutality, finesse and high-voltage action, the choreographer conveys all the energy contained in urgency, revolt, chaos and flight.

Christmas in Mexico!

Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar & Ballet Folklórico del Río Grande

Dec. 18, 2026, Macky Auditorium

Celebrate the season with “Campana Sobre Campana: Christmas in Mexico!” featuring Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar and Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande. Named for the beloved Andalusian carol, this festive program blends cherished Mexican holiday traditions with dazzling music and dance. Experience the joy of Las Posadas, the wonder of the Reyes Magos and the excitement of breaking piñatas as the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey comes to life onstage. Vibrant, heartwarming and rich with cultural spirit, “Campana Sobre Campana” brings the magic of Christmas in Mexico to Boulder.

J.S. Bach's “The Art of Fugue”

by Circa

Feb. 13, 2027, Macky Auditorium

Dive into an extraordinary multiartform experience where the meticulous intellect of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” meets the breathtaking physicality of contemporary acrobatics. This work is a celebration of human potential, pushing the limits of both mind and body. The complex structure and intellectual depth of “The Art of Fugue” are brought to life by pianist Vitaly Starikov (2025 Cliburn Competition Silver Medalist) while Circa’s ensemble, led by Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, responds with dynamic choreography that defies gravity and captivates the senses.

Roll Over Beethoven

John Malkovich & Orchester Wiener Akademie

March 21, 2027, Macky Auditorium

Internationally acclaimed actor John Malkovich brings his charismatic stage presence to this vivid theatrical portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. “Roll Over Beethoven” draws on the emotional force of the composer’s letters to reveal a man caught between resignation and rebellion, love and fury. Across eight psychologically driven episodes, Malkovich gives voice to a Beethoven who moves between eruptive anger, biting wit, intimate reflection and yearning lyricism. Martin Haselböck and the period‑instrument Orchester Wiener Akademie heighten every emotional turn with musical excerpts from Egmont, “The Creatures of Prometheus” and Beethoven’s symphonies.

Jlin + Third Coast Percussion

Vernacular

April 2, 2027, Macky Auditorium

Grammy Award-winning percussion ensemble Third Coast Percussion (TCP) and Pulitzer Prize-finalist composer/performer/electronic musician Jlin join forces in a program that explores the evolution of their decade-long partnership. In a collaboration that could only have originated in Chicago, this event delivers a fresh sound to the world’s concert halls as TCP’s contemporary classical training meets Jlin’s visceral, innovative electronic music practice.

Audiences will experience Jlin performing electronic renditions of her compositions alongside acoustic realizations of the pieces performed by TCP. A brand-new work commissioned by 92NY brings together all five musicians in a live performance, conjuring an entirely new sonic universe.

Stanley Clarke + Hiromi

A Celebration of the Music of Chick Corea & Beyond

April 17, 2027, Macky Auditorium

NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy Award winner Stanley Clarke joins visionary pianist Hiromi for a heartfelt tribute to Chick Corea. The program features Corea’s works and new compositions inspired by the late, legendary keyboardist—a 27-time Grammy winner with deep musical ties to both artists. Clarke and Corea were longtime collaborators in the pioneering fusion group Return to Forever and Hiromi’s own decades-long connection with Corea began when he invited the then 17-year-old pianist to perform with him in Tokyo.

Honoring those shared histories, Clarke and Hiromi are joined by the acclaimed PUBLIQuartet whose inventive improvisation and boundary-pushing approach to contemporary classical, jazz and world chamber music bring an expansive new dimension to this tribute.