Spring at the Colburn School brings a vibrant lineup of performances showcasing the extraordinary artistry of its students, faculty, and guest artists.
From the elegance of the Colburn Baroque Ensemble to the sweeping power of the Colburn Orchestra performing Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, April and May offer a rich range of musical experiences.
Highlights also include an exploration of Beethoven’s final Sonata with pianist Jeremy Denk, a program of quintets with the Colburn Chamber Players, a dazzling program with the young conductorless chamber orchestra Academy Virtuosi, and the prestigious McAllister Honors Recital.
Discover these inspiring performances and experience the remarkable talent that makes Colburn a center for musical excellence.
A full list of all Colburn events can be found in our events calendar.
Colburn Baroque Ensemble
Saturday, April 4 at 7 pm
Zipper Hall
Pay what you can
The Colburn Baroque Ensemble presents orchestral suites and concertos from the late Baroque era. Featuring talented student soloists from the Conservatory, the Baroque Ensemble explores the dizzying kaleidoscope of textures and harmonies in mid-eighteenth-century orchestral music, as displayed in works by Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and more.
Lyrical Legends: Beethoven and Rachmaninoff
Sunday, April 19 at 3 pm
Fred Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks
Tickets: $35.40
Yehuda Gilad, Conductor
Aleksandra Melaniuk, Conductor, Salonen Conducting Fellow
HyeJin Park, Piano
After a fiery overture by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, this concert centers on two of classical music’s greatest voices. While at its core an elegant and charming Classical-era composition, Beethoven’s second piano concerto includes delightful and innovative surprises that harken to his later Romantic roots. Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, on the other hand, is Romantic through and through. This orchestral masterwork is teeming with achingly beautiful melodies, luscious orchestral colors, and vivid emotions.
The Colburn Orchestra is generously underwritten by Eva and Marc Stern.
The Final Sonata: Jeremy Denk on Beethoven
Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm
Thayer Hall
Tickets: $15, $25, $40
MacArthur Genius Grant-winning pianist Jeremy Denk is considered “among the most entertaining of concert pianists… insightful in his interpretations, entertaining to watch, and engaging in his stage banter” (Star Tribune). Experience his talent and charm firsthand as he leads a dynamic exploration of Beethoven’s last sonata, written after he had become completely deaf. Part performance and part discussion, this engaging examination of Piano Sonata No. 32 will delve into work’s boundary-pushing orchestration, innovative musical structure, and vivid emotions.
Jeremy Denk’s 2026 Colburn School residency is generously supported by Dot and Rick Nelson.
Academy Virtuosi
Friday, April 24 at 7 pm
Zipper Hall
Pay what you can
Academy Virtuosi is a conductorless chamber orchestra comprised of talented musicians from Colburn’s Music Academy and guided by Music Academy Director and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Concertmaster Margaret Batjer. The ensemble has performed with renowned violin soloists Anne Akiko-Meyers and Ray Chen; was featured on Unite for Ukraine, a benefit concert presented by North America’s top music programs and conservatories; and has received side-by-side coachings with the Sphinx Virtuosi. In this program they will bring to life a rich program of chamber works.
Quintet Conversations: From Mozart to Modern, with Jeremy Denk, Piano
Featuring William May, Bassoon
Sunday, April 26 at 4 pm
Thayer Hall
Tickets: $25, $40
Jeremy Denk, a MacArthur Genius Grant-winning pianist that “you want to hear no matter what he performs” (New York Times), joins Colburn faculty and students in this program of electric quintets. Opening the concert is Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, a work that masterfully balances the piano against oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon in what the composer described as “the best thing I have written in my life.” Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet, composed in 1918 in the shadow of World War I, starts on an eerie tone before modulating towards a brighter, more symphonic end. In between these masterworks is Valerie Coleman’s Tzigane, a “passionate journey through woodwind virtuosity” inspired by Ravel’s similarly named Hungarian rhapsody for violin.
Jeremy Denk’s 2026 Colburn School residency is generously supported by Dot and Rick Nelson.
McAllister Honors Recital
Sunday, May 17 at 1 pm
Zipper Hall
Pay what you can
Selected through a rigorous and competitive audition process, top students from the Community School take the stage in a recital showcasing solo and chamber music.