Rite & Rach

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring & Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3

featuring Jiarui Cheng, piano 

Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3

Carter Pann Tiny Tattoo

Mikhail Glinka Overture to Ruslan & Lyudmila

Devin Patrick Hughes, conductor

Enter a world of savage beauty and stunning virtuosity as Symphony of the Rockies presents Rite & Rach.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Jiarui Cheng brings breathtaking power and nuance to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a piece so technically demanding and emotionally explosive, it has earned legendary status among pianists. Cheng was awarded the Gold Medal in the 2024 International Keyboard Odyssiad® & Festival, U.S.A. in the Professional Young Artist Concerto Division, a distinction that highlights his exceptional technical mastery and artistic depth. Cheng has performed across China, Europe, and the U.S., including critically acclaimed appearances with the CIM Orchestra and Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra.

Then, experience the raw, primal force of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, a groundbreaking ballet score that shocked the world and forever changed the course of music.

With pounding rhythms, pagan rituals, and a finale that will leave you breathless, Rite & Rach is more than a concert, it’s an eruption of sound, soul, and spring.

The evening opens with Mikhail Glinka’s *Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmilla, a whirlwind of virtuosity and brilliance that helped ignite the Russian orchestral tradition later carried forward by Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky. Carter Pann’s Tiny Tattoo brings the program firmly into the present—bold, rhythmically charged, and packed with color—offering a modern jolt of energy that bridges past and present with wit and swagger.

Don’t miss this visceral, unforgettable performance.

Can’t make it to this performance? Enjoy the same concert Sunday in Boulder!