Schedule

Music Director Peter Oundjian opens the season with two powerful celebrations of freedom and humanity.
Gabriela Ortiz’s Yanga honors the revolutionary leader who founded the first free African settlement in the Americas, while Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony culminates in the timeless “Ode to Joy.”
Together, these works are set to deliver an electrifying call for freedom, unity, and hope.

Featured Artists:
Colorado Symphony Chorus, Taylor Martin, director
Colorado Symphony Percussion Section
Karen Slack, soprano
Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano
Issachah Savage, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone

Issachah is thrilled to sharing in the opening night performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra's 26/27. As a native Philadelphian this performance is extremely special to me. Come experience the transcendent power of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, a masterpiece that overflows with beauty, humanity, and hope. Under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this inspiring performance features vocalists; Leah Hawkins, J'anai Bridges, Issachah Savage and Ryan Speedo Greene in the universally cherished “Ode to Joy.” The evening opens with Orbis by Joe Hisaishi, a luminous choral work conceived as a contemporary companion to Beethoven’s monumental symphony, creating a compelling musical journey that bridges past and present.

MacArthur Fellow Rhiannon Giddens and acclaimed composer Michael Abels bring Omar, their powerful and deeply human operatic masterpiece, to Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Inspired by the remarkable memoir of 19th-century Islamic scholar Omar ibn Said, Omar traces an extraordinary journey from West Africa across the Atlantic to enslavement in South Carolina. Through resilience, intellect, and faith, Omar’s enduring voice emerges in a series of writings that illuminate both the hardships he endured and the strength of the human spirit.

In director Kaneza Schaal’s striking and evocative production, the focus remains firmly on Giddens and Abels’ Pulitzer Prize-winning score—a richly textured fusion of hymns, spirituals, bluegrass, and other musical traditions. The result is a profoundly moving work that explores identity, faith, freedom, and belonging, while telling a story that is at once deeply personal and fundamentally American. Under the baton of conductor, Kazem Abdullah, the opera feature a world-class cast:

Issachah Savage - Omar
Kearstin Piper-Brown - Julie
Zoie Reams - Fatima
Kyle Ketelsen - Johnson/Owen

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Ring in the New Year together with one of the world’s great musical touchstones. Beethoven’s Ninth, crowned by the exultant “Ode to Joy,” offers a powerful message of hope, unity,and shared humanity. Guest conductor Peter Oundjian returns to the BSO, bringing his natural rapport to a performance that gathers voices and players in a collective, uplifting celebration

Cast:
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
Issachah Savage, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Baltimore Choral Arts Society, chorus

Program:

VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja: Anthem of Unity
BEETHOVEN Elegaic Song
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 “Choral”

Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Anthony Blake Clark, music director

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In Wagner’s Tannhäuser, a sweeping exploration of desire, faith, and redemption; a human struggle to reconcile earthly passion with the longing for spiritual grace. Thrilled to make his house debut at Opéra de Rouen Normandie in the title role. Issachah is privileged to join maestro Pierre Dumoussaud, stage director and set designer David Bobée, and an exceptional cast, in bringing one of opera’s most profound and transformative works to life. Wagner’s exploration of love, redemption, and the search for belonging remains as compelling today as ever.

Tannhäuser - Issachah Savage
Vénus - Dorottya Láng
Élisabeth - Magdalena Hinterdobler
Wolfram - Samuel Hasselhorn
Hermann - Ain Anger
Walther - Jonathan Abernethy

‍Heinrich - Florian Panzieri
Reinmar - Tomislav Lavoie
A young shepherd - Théo Imart
A Pope - Thierry Mettetal

Normandy Rouen Opera Orchestra
Accentus Choir / Normandy Rouen Opera Orchestra

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A Song Flung Up to Heaven Presents: When A Caged Bird Sings by Dr. Nkieru Okoye; Celebrateing 65 years of The Washington Chorus

"When A Caged Bird Sings", a powerful musical ceremony blending the spirit of the Black church with the emotional depth of opera. At its heart is Cerise, a modern Black heroine whose journey is one of resilience, healing, and transformation. Through gospel-inspired choruses, soaring operatic solos, and rich symphonic accompaniment, the work tells the story of a family and community united by faith, hope, and love. As prayers become praise and struggle gives way to triumph, Cerise emerges.

Dr. Eugene Rodgers, Conductor
Denyce Graves, Narrator
Angela Brown, Soprano
Christie Dashiell, Mezzo-Soprano
Issachah Savage, Tenor
Michael Preacely, Baritone
Cyrus Chestnut, Pianist

Exigence Vocal Ensemble

A raging storm drives the mysterious fugitive Siegmund to the isolated home of Hunding, where a chance encounter ignites an irresistible connection with Hunding's wife, Sieglinde. As dark secrets emerge, the strangers discover they are bound by blood, destiny, and a love that defies every law. When Hunding reveals that Siegmund is the enemy he has sworn to kill, dawn promises a deadly duel. But before fate can claim him, Siegmund seizes the legendary sword Nothung from the ancient ash tree—a feat no other warrior could achieve. Together, the twins abandon the world they know, fleeing into the night as passion, prophecy, and the gods themselves begin to shape their destiny.

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Matthias Pintscher, music director and conductor
Natalya Romaniw, soprano
Issachah Savage, tenor
John Relyea, bass

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Experience the breathtaking power of Verdi's Requiem—a masterpiece of soaring beauty, dramatic intensity, and profound emotional depth that remains one of the greatest choral works ever written.

Michael Francis, conductor
‍Felicia Moore, soprano
‍Michelle DeYoung, mezzo
Issachah Savage, tenor
‍Peixin Chen, bass