Colorado Symphony Offering Acoustic Concerts at Red Rocks in July

This is not a drill: The Colorado Symphony will offer the first large-scale concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre since Winter on the Rocks. The five shows — the first entirely acoustic concerts on the main stage of the venue in decades — will start Wednesday, July 29, and run through Sunday, August 2, with Christopher Dragon conducting a group of twenty musicians playing a repertoire of classics.

The announcement comes days after the nonprofit orchestra announced that its planned schedule through October 31 — including several Red Rocks gigs — had been scrapped based on city guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19.

But for these newly scheduled performances, the orchestra has made specific accommodations for Denver's rules. Not only will the number of musicians be limited, but so will audience members, and they will be required to sit at least six feet apart (households will be allowed to sit together). The shows will also be only 75 minutes in length, without intermissions.

Here are the rest of the rules from the City of Denver, which runs Red Rocks (though they, along with other concert details, could change):

Facial coverings are required to be worn by all patrons in order to enter the venue and are required to be worn while moving throughout the venue in a socially distanced manner.

Physical distancing of at least six feet is required between disassociated groups from the time of arrival until departure.

If you are feeling sick, do not attend the concert.

Ticket purchase information may be used for contact tracing in the event it is needed for your safety.

Performance details and guidelines may be subject to change.

For guidance on masks and facial coverings per state guidelines, please visit click here and visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre's Welcome Back information here. 

The Colorado Symphony announcement was made a day after Governor Jared Polis, flanked by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, declared a statewide mask mandate to stop an uptick in COVID-19 cases. "We're really on the knife's edge," said Polis.

On July 14, Hancock paused requests for new variances to statewide rules and regulations, of the sort that allowed museums and the Denver Zoo to reopen. On Wednesday, Polis followed suit by putting a pause on taking new variance requests. Red Rocks itself reopened several weeks ago.

So far, though, outdoor events have not been shown to be major sources of viral spread. In fact, Colorado is currently in what Polis has dubbed the "Safer at Home and in the Great, Vast Outdoors" phase of the fight against COVID-19.

Although these concerts are a rare offering, ticket costs are relatively low at $65 (plus fees). They're currently on sale at  AXS; for more information, go to the Colorado Symphony website.