Vocal concerts are typically a scarce commodity among Denver’s classical music offerings, but not this fall.
Three singers with international reputations — soprano Dawn Upshaw, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and bass Hao Jiang Tian — will perform distinctive programs in a range of local settings.
Upshaw, one of the most adventurous classical performers, will join music director Jeffrey Kahane and the Colorado Symphony for a gala season-opening concert Friday and two subsequent performances Sept. 13-14 in Boettcher Concert Hall (303-623-7876 or ).
She will perform a typically varied program that will range from operatic arias by Mozart and other major composers to Broadway tunes by the likes of Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart and the underappreciated Vernon Duke.
Von Stade, now something of a grande dame in the American operatic world, will headline another gala concert. This one, under the auspices of Opera Colorado, will take place Sept. 26 in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, with noted composer and pianist Jake Heggie as her accompanist (303-357-2787 or ).
Also known for her versatility, the popular singer’s program, titled “Passion Knows No Boundaries,” will have its own share of variety, diverging from art songs by Ned Rorem and Franz Schubert to Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” and “Send in the Clowns.”
In conjunction with the recent publication of his autobiography, “Along the Roaring River: My Wild Ride From Mao to the Met,” Tian will look back at his life and career with a program of conversation, music and video clips.
The event, part of the University of Denver’s Lamont Distinguished Alumni Series in conjunction with Asian Performing Arts of Colorado, will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts (303-871-7720 or ).
Here is an overview of 10 other fall classical events worth considering:
• Tuesday, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Lawrence Leighton Smith, conductor, Andre Watts, pianist, Rachel Barton Pine, violinist, Pikes Peak Center, 866-464-2626 or tickets . Two respected soloists take part in this all- Beethoven program, featuring three of the composer’s most celebrated works.
• Saturday, Robert Gardner, baritone, Augustana Arts, Augustana Lutheran Church, 866-464-2626 or ticketswest . The 2007 winner of the Lili Boulanger Memorial Award will perform a selection of Charles Ives’ inventive, entertaining songs.
• Sept. 18, Takács Quartet, Marc-Andre Hamelin, pianist, Lakewood Cultural Center, 303-987-7845 or . This renowned quartet is always worth hearing, but the collaboration of Hamelin for Schubert’s Piano Quintet only adds to the appeal.
• Sept. 19-21, Colorado Symphony, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor, Jonathan Biss, pianist, Boettcher, 303-623-7876 or colorado . The CSO opens its planned presentation of all of Mahler’s symphonies with the composer’s first foray in the medium, a work carrying the sobriquet “Titan.”
• Sept. 24, Sejong, Friends of Chamber Music, Newman Center, 303-388-9839 or friendsof . This New York-based string ensemble will present a highly varied program, including works by David Diamond, Astor Piazzolla and Antonin Dvorak.
• Oct. 15-16, London Symphony Chorus, Lamont Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Golan, conductor, Newman Center Presents, Newman Center, 303-871-7720 or . mancenter. The celebrated British ensemble returns for a performance of Verdi’s Requiem, one of the greatest choral works of all time.
• Oct. 20 and 21, Colorado Chamber Players, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and pianist, Broomfield Auditorium (866-464-2626 or ticketswest .) and Lakewood Cultural Center (303-987-7845 or .). Kahane joins this local chamber ensemble as it marks its 15th anniversary with a characteristically eclectic program.
• Oct. 23, Eighth Blackbird, Lincoln Center Classical Music Series, Griffin Concert Hall, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 970-221-6730 or . This chamber ensemble has built its rising reputation on a new and unconventional repertoire.
• Nov. 8, Kronos Quartet and “Alternative Radio,” Newman Center Presents, 303-871-7720 or . Always up for the unconventional, the Kronos will join David Barsamian, host and creator of Alternative Radio, for an evening of civic engagement and world music.
• Nov. 8, 11, 14 and 16, “Madama Butterfly,” Opera Colorado, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 303-357-2787 or . This version of Puccini’s celebrated classic incorporates striking sets and costumes created for the San Francisco Opera.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
