Joseph Haydn’s The Creation
featuring Voices West
From darkness and chaos to light and life, experience one of the most uplifting works ever written. In this special collaboration between Symphony of the Rockies and Voices West, Haydn's monumental masterpiece unfolds with soaring choruses, brilliant orchestral colors, and moments of profound beauty. A celebration of creation, hope, and the wonder of the natural world, The Creation remains one of classical music's most joyful and inspiring achievements.
Friday, October 16, 2026 7:30PM
Bethany Lutheran Church
4500 E Hampden Ave, Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113
Can’t make it to this performance? Enjoy the same concert on October 18th in Boulder!
Featured Soloists
Kristina Butler | Soprano
Gabriel
Soprano Kristina Butler is passionate about storytelling through music, with performances spanning opera, concert, recital, and contemporary music. Her operatic roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Lady Valerie in Cabildo, and Littler Daughter in Proving Up.
As a concert soloist, Kristina has appeared in Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, and Vivaldi’s Gloria at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder. She was a finalist in the 2025 Colorado Bach Ensemble Competition and a recipient of the 2025 Lynn-Craig Living Music grant through CU Boulder’s American Music Research Center.
A 2021 Fulbright Research Grant recipient, Kristina traveled to Ecuador, where she produced the new-music album Sueños de Zazá with collaborators at the Universidad de las Artes in Guayaquil. She holds degrees in Music and Spanish from St. Olaf College and a Master of Music from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Cody Laun | Tenor
Uriel
Colorado native Dr. Cody Laun maintains an active career in opera, concert, and chamber music throughout the region and across the country. He has appeared with Opera Colorado, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Idaho, Inland Northwest Opera, Mobile Opera, Fort Collins Symphony, Natchez Festival of Music, Opera Mississippi, Bravo! Vail, Crested Butte Music Festival, Denver Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony, and Symphony of the Rockies, among others.
His competition honors include awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, NATSAA, and the Madame Rose Palmai-Tenser Competition.
In addition to performing, Cody is a dedicated voice teacher whose students have performed with companies in the United States and abroad and earned recognition in numerous vocal competitions. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and Affiliate Professor of Voice at Colorado Christian University.
When he isn’t performing or teaching, Cody enjoys hiking, gluten-free baking, exploring Colorado, and spending time with his wife and two children.
Oliver Poveda Zavala | Bass-Baritone
Raphael
Ecuadorian-Argentine bass-baritone Oliver Poveda Zavala recently completed the Artist in Residence program with Opera Colorado. During the 2025–2026 season, he appeared as Samuel and the Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, and Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata. His earlier Opera Colorado credits include Bartolo in The Barber of Seville and Benoit in La bohème.
Oliver made his professional debut with Central City Opera in 2024 and has also performed with Opera in Williamsburg and regional Colorado companies.
A graduate of the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, Oliver is a two-time winner of the Ann Logan Craft Competition and a finalist in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.