Beethoven X Beyoncé

Beethoven X Beyoncé

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Presented by Steve Hackman
Featuring the Chicago Philharmonic

Nov 20, 2025 | 7:30 PM | Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Performance Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including intermission

Audience Advisory: This performance contains strong language

About the Show:

This newest fusion production by Steve Hackman combines pop’s Queen B with classical music’s King, for a fantastical trip through an imaginary music festival curated by those two artists: Beethoven and Beyoncé. Intent on redefining art music for the 21st century, Steve Hackman is at once a composer, conductor, producer, DJ, arranger, songwriter, singer, and pianist — creating original, modern music rooted in elevated classicism.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, the orchestral repertoire’s most joyful and exuberant celebration of dance, is the canvas onto which fifteen of Beyoncé’s most popular songs across her prolific catalog are interwoven — including “Who Run the World (Girls),” “Crazy in Love,” “Sorry,” “Formation,” “Cuff It,” “Single Ladies,” and, of course, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The genre-blending production reaches its emotional peak when two of the most recognizable melodies from each composer are intertwined: “Halo” and the hauntingly beautiful second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh.

Three powerhouse female soloists, as well as a guest drummer, guitarist/keyboardist, and bassist, join forces with the Chicago Philharmonic, “one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras” (Chicago Tribune) and a Harris Theater Resident Company. A bold and thrilling performance, the effect of this blend has audience members dancing in their seats.
“Among the most daring and innovative modern experiments in avant-classical” — Seen and Heard International