Sylvester Eaves didn't know that his son, Marquise, was interested in playing music until he accompanied the 11-year-old and a group of his friends to a
Colorado Symphony performance at Boettcher Concert Hall last September.
"The next day my son asked me if he could take piano lessons," says Sylvester. "I was blown away. We scraped our money together and went out and found a teacher; she told my wife that he is doing exceptionally well and seems to be a natural. By going to the Symphony, my son was able to identify his talent."
Marquise and forty of his classmates from Hillcrest Academy in Denver's north Park Hill neighborhood were among more than 10,000 young people who participated in
Colorado Symphony Kids, our newly expanded education initiative, last year. For many young people, a trip to the Colorado Symphony is a first opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of downtown Denver's performing arts district. For others, like Marquise, it's a chance to experience the transformative power of live music for the first time.
"You never know what dreams may dream," his father writes. "We might have the next Beethoven on our hands."
Engaging young people through education is just one of the ways we're shaping the future of the Colorado Symphony. Activating potential audience members from diverse cultural, geographic and socio-economic pockets across the state is essential to the Symphony's success as a modern and responsive arts institution. Who knows where the collaborators, partners, donors, volunteers, advocates and even musicians of tomorrow will come from?
The Colorado Symphony is in the midst of the most dynamic, daring season in its history, with a depth of programming that spans classical music from the Baroque period to the present day. Perennial favorites -- including Masterworks, Pops, Family and Holiday concerts -- are joined by new offerings, including the Sacred Series, which brings early religious music to Denver's historic Montview Presbyterian Church. The familiar names of Haydn, Handel, Beethoven and Brahms grace this season's programs, as do those of
Devotchka,
The Airborne Toxic Event and New Orleans' one and only
Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
The Colorado Symphony's current season demonstrates our commitment to making world-class music accessible, engaging and relevant to the public we serve -- especially those we haven't traditionally seen at Boettcher Concert Hall.
Cultural Connections
Music is for everyone, no matter their background. So believed songwriter Woody Guthrie, who heralded the everyman in hundreds of songs, many of which are now classics of the American folk canon. In September, the Symphony honored Woody's 100th birthday, as well as his inclusive worldview, with A Tribute to Woody Guthrie, conducted by multi-instrumentalist and composer David Amram.
Amram took Woody's music to the people with a series of educational and outreach events, including film screenings, school visits and a free performance on the 16th Street Mall. More than 400 community members -- among them, low-income children and adults, social service workers, teachers and youth mentors and adults with physical and mental disabilities -- attended a free dress rehearsal at Boettcher Concert Hall, which culminated with a touching sing-a-long of Guthrie's iconic "This Land is Your Land."
Illuminating the influence and breadth of Latin music, the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration at Boettcher has been a highlight of every season since 2002. Last year, the Symphony ramped up the festivities with a free community concert in Civic Center Park, which married classical music with mariachi and other sounds from Mexico and points further south. In September, the Symphony, in partnership with
NEWSED Community Development Corporation, the
Mexican Consulate and the Mexican Cultural Center, hosted Denver's first concert commemorating "El Grito de la Independencia," Mexico's annual celebration of independence from the Spanish, achieved in 1810.
This month, the Colorado Symphony plans to expand its outreach to Denver's Latino community with a Spanish-language version of Peter and the Wolf¸ Sergei Prokofiev's classic symphony for children, and Carnival of Animals, by Camille Saint-Saens. Scheduled for March 17, this new entry in the Family series will be the Symphony's first-ever Spanish-language production.
Growing Young Minds with Music
Music has a unique power to inspire and delight young people -- and can have a transformative and positive impact on their academics, behavior, relationships and career readiness.
Through the Colorado Symphony Kids program, we enhance the education and well-being of students from the seven-country metro area by offering a continuum of engagement that is unique among arts providers in Colorado.
Colorado Symphony Kids invites elementary, middle and high school schools to attend a year-round selection of youth concerts, which are targeted to specific grade levels and align to Colorado state standards in number of subject areas, including music, math and social studies. Having doubled the number of youth concerts in the 2012/2013 season, we're on track to reach 40,000 students this season.
Sometimes we invite young people to attend open dress rehearsal -- like we did last February, when more than 700 middle and high school students had a chance to watch DeVotchka and the Colorado Symphony run through a full program in preparation for a public performance.
The Colorado Symphony Kids experience doesn't end after a trip to Boettcher Concert Hall. During in-school visits from members of the orchestra, students interact directly with players and their instruments and directly experience the benefits of music education in a familiar environment.
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