Colorado Symphony to Present Masterworks Edition of PORGY AND BESS

Colorado Symphony Music Director Andrew Litton and George Gershwin go way back. As conductor, performer and recording artist, Litton has carried his love of Gershwin with him to every podium. He's recorded Gershwin's music with the Bournemouth Symphony, the Bergen Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony. In May, Litton closes the Colorado Symphony's 2013/14 season with a blockbuster rendition of Porgy and Bess, featuring Gordon Hawkins in the role of Porgy. (Hawkins recently won audiences in the title role of Opera Colorado's Rigoletto.) Litton invites you to Catfish Row - and into the Porgy and Bess Concert Suite, his 1996 arrangement of Gershwin's classic opera.

Take a trip to Catfish Row, home to the cast of characters who populate Gershwin's beloved folk opera, Porgy and Bess. Andrew Litton will conduct his own edition of this American classic, which is as famous for its historical significance as for songs including "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "I Loves You Porgy." With world-class vocalists and the Colorado Symphony Chorus, this production will make you rise up singing.

This Masterworks also features the Beethoven Triple Concerto in C major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, featuring Litton on piano, Colorado Symphony Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams and principal cellist Silver Ainomäe.

The concert of Porgy and Bess features:

Janice Chandler Eteme, soprano (Bess)
Gordon Hawkins, baritone (Porgy)
Karen Slack, soprano (Serena)
Howard Haskin, tenor (Sportin' Life)
Andrew Litton, conductor/piano
Yumi Hwang-Williams, violin
Silver Ainomäe, cello
Colorado Symphony Chorus, Duain Wolfe, director