Over recent years, vocalist Devin DeSantis has become synonymous with the Colorado Symphony’s annual holiday concert experience — A Colorado Christmas. As a Colorado native, DeSantis grew up in Boettcher Concert Hall as a proud member of the Colorado Children’s Chorale and started his solo career with the Colorado Symphony at the age of 11 in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. So it should come as no surprise that he was thrilled to celebrate Christmas with the Colorado Symphony and audiences across the state once again in 2020. We sat down with Devin to discuss the formative experiences that shaped his career, Colorado Christmas memories, and what audiences can expect from this year’s virtual Colorado Christmas experience.

Around Colorado, temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing, and the Colorado Symphony continues to #PlayOn, amid a constantly evolving and ever-changing landscape. An eventful autumn culminated in the organization receiving a special variance for no-audience concert rehearsals and recordings indoors at Boettcher Concert Hall. This variance was achieved through the tireless efforts from Colorado Symphony Association (CSA) staff and musicians and will allow the orchestra to record content to be distributed through Virtual Stage in the coming months. 

The Colorado Symphony’s Concertmaster, Yumi Hwang-Williams, discusses her return to the concert stage this summer at Red Rocks, quarantine activities, filming Colorado Symphony education content alongside her daughter, and much more.

“When there’s a point where circumstances get too much to bear, emotions be they high or low, music can step in to fill the gaps and allow our brains and hearts to process, release, transport, and transform. We intend to keep forging ahead to continue providing as much live music as possible safely and responsibly until this pandemic subsides.”

The impact of COVID-19 has affected millions of people around the world. But despite the enormous challenges, the Colorado Symphony has continued to #PlayOn. However, with no way to know when we’ll be able to perform again with our full ensemble, or when we’ll be able to fill a concert hall with patrons again, the immediate future of the organization is being threatened. In response to this threat, we've started the Play On Recovery Fund to help bridge the financial gap until we can perform in full again. Now more than ever, your investment can make a huge difference in our community. We ask you to consider joining this mission by making your own investment in music, helping to preserve the future of live symphonic music for generations to come. 

The Colorado Symphony’s Resident Conductor Christopher Dragon has navigated a busy schedule of late, conducting nearly 20 summer performances at Red Rocks as part of the Acoustic on the Rocks series. We talked to him about the challenges of quarantining, newfound cooking recipes, his percussion debut at Red Rocks, and much more. 

“I don’t think I can put into words how much I needed these concerts at Red Rocks. It had been over five months since my last time on the podium and each performance was special as I was just so thankful to be back making music with my colleagues.”