Drink Cocktails While Colorado Symphony Musicians Feed Their Souls

The Colorado Symphony veers toward the epic. Whether it’s recycling the familiar repertoire of the three Bs — Bach, Beethoven and Brahms — or collaborating with newer musicians including the Flaming Lips, DeVotchKa, Elephant Revival and Gregory Alan Isakov, audiences can expect sweeping performances in weighty locations. This February, the...

By Kyle Harris

December 16, 2016

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The Colorado Symphony veers toward the epic. Whether it’s recycling the familiar repertoire of the three Bs — Bach, Beethoven and Brahms — or collaborating with newer musicians including the Flaming Lips, DeVotchKa, Elephant Revival and Gregory Alan Isakov, audiences can expect sweeping performances in weighty locations.

This February, the orchestra is trying something new: going small.

Chief Artistic Director Anthony Pierce invited musicians to curate a program of chamber music, and instead of the traditional sit-and-listen symphony experience, the audience will be invited to sip cocktails and mingle as the musicians perform in the Ellie Caulkins Studio Loft on February 9.

Pierce says the event, geared toward young professionals, will give musicians a refreshing break from playing the usual “war horses,” like Beethoven’s Ninth, and hopes this will “feed [the musicians'] souls with some more challenging music” by living composers.

The lineup includes Mariel, a cello-and-marimba duet by the Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov. Hannah Collins and Michael Compitello, of New Morse Code, perform it in the video below.

Also on the bill: Maria Newman's Pennipotenti. This piece, inspired by birds from the American Northwest, will be performed by flutist Cathy Peterson, violinist Erik Peterson and viola player Phillip Stevens playing as the Ivy Street Ensemble.

"It's a chance for us to really be creative," Pierce says. "We're excited. The players are excited."

Tickets start at $10, a lower price point than the Colorado Symphony's usual fare.

Kyle Harris has been Westword’s Culture Editor since 2016, writing about the arts, music and film.

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