Beethoven X Coldplay
Item details
Date
Friday, Jun 26, 2026 7:30PM
Location
Powell Hall
Name
Beethoven X Coldplay
Description
📍 This event takes place at Powell Hall
Steve Hackman, conductor
Repertoire to be announced.
Classical genius meets pop brilliance. Composer-conductor Steve Hackman transforms Beethoven’s Eroica into a sweeping oratorio, interweaving Coldplay’s greatest hits—“Yellow,” “Viva la Vida,” “The Scientist,” and more—with Beethoven’s emotional third symphony. Performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed guest vocalists, this powerful concert reimagines Beethoven’s struggles and triumphs through the lens of 21st-century rock. Don’t miss this boundary-breaking performance that proves great music transcends time.
A few things to know:
- Beethoven X Coldplay marks the SLSO’s third collaboration with composer-conductor Steve Hackman. Previous performances include Brahms X Radiohead in February 2024, and Beethoven X Beyoncé in January 2025.
- Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, known as Eroica (Italian for heroic), is one of the most influential compositions in the history of Western music. Pushing the boundaries of symphonic structure, emotion, and complexity, Eroica announced the shift from the Classical into the Romantic period.
- Beethoven initially dedicated the symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he admired as a symbol of democratic ideals of the French Revolution. He later withdrew his dedication in 1804 when Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor in the same year.
Notes
https://slso.org/event/beethoven-x-coldplay/