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Health & Safety
performance connecting Colorado and national communities, while providing music to a separated, frustrated, and grieving community. A handful of small socially distanced ensembles gathered to record performances in recognizable areas around Denver including Civic Center Park, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Colorado State Capital Building Rotunda, Denver Performing Arts Complex Galleria, and Boettcher Concert Hall, creating an event that was uniquely Colorado.
The performances featured Colorado Symphony ensembles alongside collaborative cultural partners including Colorado Ballet, Opera Colorado, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, with special guest speakers Governor Jared Polis and Mayor Michael Hancock. The Colorado Symphony was also joined by renowned vocalists Rajdulari, Kira Dills-Desurra, and Michelle DeYoung for performances of Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Star-Spangled Banner, and God Bless America respectively. Anchors Anne Trujillo and Shannon Ogden emceed the event which aired live on KMGH Denver7 on July 3 and was replayed on the Colorado Symphony’s YouTube channel on July 3 and 4. The virtual event was designed specifically to help those most impacted by the pandemic. All proceeds from the virtual event went to support the Center for African American Health, The Center on Colfax, Civic Center Conservancy, Food Bank of the Rockies, Food For Thought Denver, and Rose Andom Center through event partner Community First Foundation. In all, $19,715 was raised and donated to these organizations. In July 2020, COVID-19 restrictions from the City of Denver loosened to the point where limited capacity outdoor events could take place, which led to a pair of July collaborations with the Botanic Gardens for their Evenings al Fresco series. At the end of July, the Colorado Symphony became the first ensemble to perform in Red Rocks Amphitheatre since the start of the pandemic with the debut of “Acoustic on the Rocks” — a series of 18 performances featuring ensembles of 20 Colorado Symphony musicians conducted by Resident Conductor Christopher Dragon in front of limited and socially distanced crowds. Each of the performances could accommodate 175 patrons spread throughout the seating bowl and each sold out within a matter of hours. These once-in-a-lifetime, live acoustic performances at Colorado’s most iconic outdoor venue brought live music back to Red Rocks, providing a small sense of normalcy to an otherwise turbulent summer. By the end of
summer, the Colorado Symphony had set a record as the musical outfit with the most Red Rock shows in any single season, a fitting demonstration of the organization’s commitment to the community. The Colorado Symphony also held three cello quartet performances in the Denver Performing Arts Complex Galleria, again with socially distanced crowds. In total, the Colorado Symphony was central to 25 in-person performances from July through October 1, 2020, placing the organization at the forefront of an effort to bring live performing arts back to Denver. The holidays felt and sounded a bit different around Colorado in 2020, as colder temperatures prevented the organization from hosting outdoor performances. The CSA was also unable to host their annual collection of holiday programming including audience favorites Holiday Brass and A Night in Vienna. However, the Colorado Symphony would not be deterred, determined to bring comfort, joy, and Christmas spirit to families and concertgoers across the state. With guidance from UCHealth and without the presence of audiences, Colorado Symphony musicians gathered in Boettcher Concert Hall for the first time since March, using socially distanced orchestra seating and wearing masks. Joined by Colorado native Devin DeSantis, the orchestra recorded a virtual Colorado Christmas performance which debuted on the CSA’s virtual content platform, Virtual Stage, on December 18, 2020. The CSA partnered with UCHealth again, along with the virtual reality company Rendever, to bring Colorado cancer patients a special virtual concert presentation of their September 2020 performances of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at Red Rocks. Rendever utilized virtual reality cameras and recording equipment positioned directly within the orchestra, creating a captivating virtual concert experience that put patients inside the orchestra with the use of virtual reality headsets. The Colorado Symphony Education Department was also hard at work, developing a groundbreaking virtual program that could be utilized by teachers in their virtual classrooms. Taking inspiration from the anthem of hope from which it derives its name, the CSA developed their 2020/21 education curriculum around the theme of “Lift Every Voice”, delivering a message of unity, social justice, and creative selfexpression through an inclusive virtual concert experience featuring uplifting repertoire from a diverse array of composers and artistic performers.
