Pops With a Pop Star

There would appear to be a clear divide between fine art and pop art in music. But singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who performs with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra tonight, doesn’t see one. Taking a cue from her idols Elton John, Patsy Cline and Queen, Carlile has been working with orchestras around...

By Kiernan Maletsky

November 11, 2010

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There would appear to be a clear divide between fine art and pop art in music. But singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who performs with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra tonight, doesn’t see one. Taking a cue from her idols Elton John, Patsy Cline and Queen, Carlile has been working with orchestras around the country for a couple of years now.

“I always thought that I would play shows with the symphony orchestra,” says Carlile, who is probably best known for her song “The Story.” “When I write songs and I think of music, I hear stringed instruments and dark horns.”

Her blissful melodies and aching lyrical stories have made her a TV-soundtrack staple. Among her collaborators are the Indigo Girls, T Bone Burnett and Rick Rubin.

The concert will feature Carlile's usual band as well as the CSO. These arrangements of her songs were done with the help of renowned Elton John collaborator Paul Buckmaster. “Symphony shows right now are my passion,” says Carlile. “They feel like the truest form of expression for my music.”

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Boettcher Hall, in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Tickets start at $63. For more information, go to www.coloradosymphony.org.
Sat., Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., 2010

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