A preview by Betsy Schwarm Choral Christmas concerts often rely on old favorites.  There’s comfort to be found in hearing them, much like the comfort of a cup of hot chocolate or a favorite sweater.  Moreover, most of the old favorites became favorites for good reasons, whether from excellence of craftsmanship or associated memories.  What’s […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando I de’ Medici, and Christina of Lorraine were married in Florence in May, 1589, and it must have been a heckuva party. For starters, there was a five-act play performed in the Medici Theater for the newlyweds and gathered guests. Sprinkled between each act were […]

A preview by Betsy Schwarm “Liebe macht das Lied unsterblich!” = “Love makes the song (or melody) immortal!”  The exclamation point is on the original inscription, so let’s carry it into the translation, and be grateful that Prussian composer Louis Lewandowski’s family chose those words for his gravestone.   Lewandowski (1821 – 1894) spent his career […]

A preview by Nicolette Vajtay “Short stories are a perfect little snapshot of life on planet Earth,” said Artistic Director of Stories on Stage, Anthony Powell, as we chatted over Zoom about the upcoming virtual performance of Harmony of the World. From the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, author […]

By Marc Shulgold “We live in unusual times,” Tom Morgan observed, quietly stating the obvious. As the founder and longtime music director of the Ars Nova Singers, the 59-year-old conductor has spent much of the past year keeping his group together while nimbly navigating through the ups and (mostly) downs of the Covid-19 pandemic. Glad […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold Cynthia Katsarelis acknowledges that the title of her orchestra’s season-opening concert offers a unifying, uplifting theme: “Rainbow Strings! A Concert of Hope.” But then she offers a caution. “This is not a social statement program.” Maybe, maybe not. Once it become apparent, there’s no ignoring the music’s subtext when her […]

By Betsy Schwarm In troubled times, music can be the perfect balm:  soothing the soul and heartening one for the future.  Alas that, for the past year and a half, live music experiences have been all too rare, for performers and audiences alike, though encouraging developments await!  The new season for the Denver area’s St. […]

Reprinted from The Denver Post by Lisa Kennedy By LISA KENNEDY |  lkennedywriter@gmail.com | The Denver PostPUBLISHED: August 12, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 12, 2021 at 7:41 a.m.0 It seems so obvious in retrospect, the pairing of a talented Denver-based rapper with an ace local theater company on an original production. But then, that’s how the best no-brainers […]

Review by Elyn Joy Few would deny the strangeness of this past year. Through it, we’ve come to know well the feeling of isolation. We’ve learned how to reconcile the hidden, sequestered parts of ourselves with the human need for expression and connection—even if through the grate of Zoom-land. Likewise, some of the most gifted musicians of the Baroque era found themselves quarantined from the spotlit musical world (for other reasons, but still). Yet at the Colorado […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold There were no Baroque-trumpet fanfares when musical life resumed in May 2021 for the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado (BCOC). A socially distanced audience in the Lakewood Cultural Center cheered the onstage arrival of musicians for the first concert  in – well, it seemed like forever. Perhaps aware of the […]