A new composition has been installed in the 10-bell chime of the Denver City and County Building.
“Ascent,” by artist Kevin Padworski, will be played on significant and special days for the City of Denver.
“The goal of the composition was to capture the essence of the people the music aimed to represent — the people of Denver,” Padworski says. “With a quickly growing population, full of diversity and a multitude of backgrounds, I sought to create the music that would evoke this catalytic energy. The task of composing for bells combined with a limitted set of pitches was a unique and exciting challenge and privilege.”
Padworski visited the building multiple times to play and hear the bell tower. He planted himself “on location” downtown so he was surrounded by people he could draw the music from. The composition features ascending musical lines that represent the city — its growth, the people, the topography of the state and hope in its future.
“Bells have such an iconic and timeless sound, and it is my hope that this new music can be heard in a new way to serve and inspire the people of this city,” Padworski said.
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Margaret is a veteran Denver real estate reporter and can be contacted
here.