Presented during the bicentenary of Ludwig van Beethoven's death, this concert celebrates the humanity, imagination, and emotional power that keep his music alive more than two hundred years later. Symphony No. 8 shows Beethoven at his most playful and inventive, while the dramatic Egmont tells a story of courage and sacrifice with extraordinary intensity. Together, these works reveal Beethoven not as a distant historical monument, but as a composer who still speaks directly to resilience, individuality, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Join us one hour before the concert at our Stories Behind the Sound to hear from guest artists and learn more about the evening's program.
*Program and artists subject to change.
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
Egmont (incidental music), Op. 84
With spirit and sensitivity, soprano Chelsea Helm brings a versatile voice to the concert stage. An active choral artist, Ms. Helm appears regularly with Seraphic Fire, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, True Concord Voices & Orchestra, and Conspirare, with whom she was nominated for a GRAMMY® award for Best Choral Album. Last season she was also heard with Kinnara, the Carmel Bach Festival, the American Soloists Ensemble, and Voices of Ascension, and this season she makes ensemble debuts with the Concordia Chamber Players, The Thirteen, and Spire Chamber Ensemble.
As an oratorio soloist, she recently made her international debut performing Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony at the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. Her latest concert appearances around the United States have included the Brahms Requiem, Haydn’s Theresienmesse and Paukenmesse, the Bach B Minor Mass, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Verdi Requiem in a new chamber arrangement.
This year Ms. Helm presented art song recitals in New Mexico, Virginia, and Utah. A Michigan native, she is now based in New York City.
