Colorado Symphony Blog

In February, the Colorado Symphony welcomed Lyle Wong into the fold as the organization’s new Principal Orchestra Librarian. Lyle follows in the distinguished footsteps of Joanne Goble, who retired from the position after serving as the Colorado Symphony's Principal Orchestra Librarian since 1988. Prior to joining the Colorado Symphony, Lyle held several music librarian positions including with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Orchestra of the Americas, Breckenridge Music Festival, and most recently at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as their Principal Orchestra Librarian.

Among the many celebrated works of Ludwig van Beethoven, the Missa Solemnis is perhaps his most mysterious. The composer himself regarded it as his greatest composition, a culmination of his life-long desire to join music and philosophy, while the French composer, theorist, and teacher Vincent d’Indy wrote, “We stand in the presence of one of the greatest masterworks in the realm of music.” This is a true companion piece to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that sheds light on Beethoven's spiritual worldview.

Colorado Symphony concertgoers will experience a taste of the theater this January when the orchestra performs Leonard Bernstein’s Facsimile January 24-26 at Boettcher Concert Hall along with dancers from Colorado Ballet. Facsimile depicts "three insecure people", two men and a woman, who are involved in a tumultuous love triangle and are desperately and vainly searching for real interpersonal relationships.

To commemorate Beethoven’s 250^th birthday, the Colorado Symphony will celebrate his unmatched brilliance with a series of musical performances in Boettcher Concert Hall and across Colorado throughout 2020, bringing the full orchestra and chamber ensembles to underserved communities in the state where access to live symphonic music is often difficult or impossible to realize. The yearlong initiative will bring Beethoven's music to over 100,000 Colorado residents throughout the state.

The Colorado Symphony had the recent opportunity to spend a day at Denver Zoo, serenading the animals and curious Zoo patrons alike. This collaboration between the Colorado Symphony and Denver Zoo illustrates a harmonious partnership forged by a shared sense of community, and stands as a striking example of how two seemingly different cultural organizations can collaborate to do something fun, positive, and memorable.