The Colorado Symphony had to cancel upcoming performances due to the coronavirus outbreak. But, that didn't stop the Colorado Symphony from putting on a show. Almost 50 members of the orchestra recorded their parts of Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" at home, then the parts were all mixed together to create an ensemble performance of the piece from Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 9." The result was a very beautiful rendition of the well-loved piece. Despite not being able to be in the concert hall, the music still played—and it was beautiful.

They can't play together for now - so musicians with the Colorado symphony had to get creative for their latest performance. Chief Artistic Officer Anthony Pierce discusses why Beethoven's Ode to Joy is the perfect hymn to bring joy during a time of crisis. 

Nothing can stop the musicians of the Colorado Symphony from playing. The nonprofit orchestra had already released a moving,. online rendition of Ludwig Van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." Now four of its horn players — Michael Thornton, Carolyn Kunicki, Kolio Plachkov and Matthew Eckenhoff — have joined forces (from an appropriate distance) to play a hilarious, and dare we say "horny," version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police.

As musicians around the world grapple with how to keep the music going during uncertain times brought on by the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Colorado Symphony has raised the bar. As four-piece rock bands meet up for remote live streams, and songwriters debut new music from their living rooms, 49 members of the Colorado Symphony logged into Skype to perform Ludwig Van Beethoven‘s “Ode To Joy” from Symphony No. 9. While the video appears to show all of the members playing simultaneously, each musician actually recorded his or her own part separately to send off for post-production mixing. 

If you’ve ever tried to have a jam session over video chat, you’ll need to step up your game after what the Colorado Symphony just made. “We hope that this small tribute stands as a reminder that community is powerful and together, despite the anxiety and separation, we will come back stronger than before,” the symphony orchestra wrote in the video description.