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Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director

616.485.3913 (m) – 303.308.2477 (o)

DENVER, Oct. 21, 2026 – The Boettcher Foundation has committed $2 million to the Colorado Symphony for the planned renovation of Boettcher Concert Hall, providing a leading investment toward the Symphony’s future fundraising efforts.

The commitment represents an important early step as the Colorado Symphony works toward raising philanthropic support to complete the funding for the planned $120 million renovation. The broader fundraising effort has not yet been formally announced, but the Boettcher Foundation’s investment provides an important foundation for that effort and reflects the Foundation’s longstanding connection to the hall that bears its name.

The planned renovation will transform the 48-year-old concert hall with upgraded acoustics, a new education center, and improvements to the lobby, restrooms and other areas of the building. The project is designed to create a more welcoming, accessible, and vibrant home for the Colorado Symphony while expanding opportunities for education and community engagement and a world-class performance space for the symphony’s musicians.

“We believe in investing in the people, places, and institutions that help Colorado thrive,” said Katie Kramer, president & CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “Our commitment reflects both the significance of this project and our belief in the power of the arts to bring people together, inspire creativity, and strengthen communities. We’re proud to make this investment in Colorado’s cultural future and help ensure that the promise of this remarkable place continues to be realized for generations to come.”

The Boettcher Foundation’s commitment builds on a relationship that began nearly 90 years ago. Since 1938, the Boettcher Foundation has granted approximately $7.4 million to support the Colorado Symphony, making it the most-supported cultural organization in Boettcher’s history. The Foundation also contributed $2 million toward the original construction of Boettcher Concert Hall in the 1970s.

Built in 1978 as America’s first concert hall designed in-the-round for a symphony orchestra, Boettcher Concert Hall was made possible in part through the generosity and vision of the Boettcher family and Foundation. The Boettcher Concert Hall name, protected in perpetuity under a previous Denver City Council resolution, will continue to identify the interior concert hall itself and remain prominently displayed inside the building at all times.

“The Boettcher Foundation’s $2 million commitment is an extraordinary vote of confidence in the future of the Colorado Symphony and in what this project will mean for Denver and Colorado,” said Colorado Symphony President & CEO Daniel Wachter. “This is an important first step in our philanthropic effort, and we’re grateful to the Boettcher Foundation for helping us open this next chapter. Together, we’re creating a home that will welcome more people, inspire new generations, and allow the Colorado Symphony to continue growing its impact for decades to come. Beyond the renovation itself, the displacement period ahead presents an extraordinary opportunity to bring the Colorado Symphony to new audiences across Denver and Colorado — and we intend to make the most of it.”

The Boettcher Foundation’s investment follows an agreement between the City and County of Denver, Denver Arts & Venues, and the Colorado Symphony that established a path to complete funding for the renovation. Denver City Council approved new naming opportunities for the venue, enabling the Colorado Symphony and Denver Arts & Venues to pursue separate naming opportunities, i.e. for the building’s external façade, as well as the stage, seating, lobby, education center, and other interior spaces.

Last fall, Denver voters approved the $950 million Vibrant Denver Bond program, which includes $20 million in initial funding for the Boettcher Concert Hall renovation. The City of Denver has committed a total of $105 million toward the approximately $120 million project, with the Colorado Symphony responsible for raising at least $15 million through naming opportunities as part of a more comprehensive philanthropic campaign.

The City of Denver has awarded the renovation project to Tryba Architects + LMN in partnership with Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks. Construction is targeted to begin in June 2028 and conclude in fall 2029.

The planned renovation will also launch an extraordinary chapter in the Colorado Symphony’s history. During the approximately 15-month construction and displacement period beginning in June 2028, the Symphony will bring its vision beyond Boettcher Concert Hall, turning Denver’s neighborhoods, iconic outdoor venues, and communities across Colorado into its concert hall. This Home-Away-from-Home period is an opportunity to deepen the Symphony’s roots across the state and meet audiences where they are, while the hall is reimagined for its next century — truly earning the name Colorado Symphony.

The Boettcher Foundation’s $2 million commitment marks the first leading philanthropic investment toward the Symphony’s renovation-related fundraising effort and an important early milestone in securing the resources needed to bring the project to completion.

For more information about the Colorado Symphony, please visit coloradosymphony.org.

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For more information or to request interviews, please contact:

Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director

ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org - 303.308.2477 (o)

For high-resolution, downloadable images of the Colorado Symphony, contact: ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org

Support for the 2026/27 Colorado Symphony Season is provided by: The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Denver Arts & Venues, Boettcher Foundation, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, CU Anschutz, The Schoen Foundation, and the Colorado Symphony Guild.

Tickets to Colorado Symphony events are available online at coloradosymphony.org/tickets, by phone at 303.623.7876, and in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street. The Box Office is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to each performance.

Founded in 1937, the Boettcher Foundation believes in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans. We build up and connect doers and difference makers from across the state, investing in the people, programs and organizations that make Colorado stronger. By developing leaders and fostering meaningful connections, we create a foundation for transformational impact and community building across Colorado.

One of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization performing more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. Led by Peter Oundjian as its Music Director as of the 2025/26 season, the Colorado Symphony is home to eighty full-time musicians representing more than a dozen nations and regularly welcomes the world’s most celebrated artists from across musical genres. The orchestra celebrated its Centennial during the 2023/24 concert season and now serves more than 340,000 people each year through live performances at Boettcher Concert Hall, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, and other venues throughout Colorado’s Front Range. Boettcher Concert Hall, which opened in 1978, was the first in-the-round symphonic venue built in the United States. In November 2025, voters passed the Vibrant Denver Bond, which allocates $20 million to the future renovation of the concert hall. In August 2026, Denver City Council approved a funding agreement between the City of Denver, Denver Arts & Venues, and the Colorado Symphony that establishes the foundation for Boettcher Concert Hall’s future. Guided by a vision to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music, the Colorado Symphony is a living heartbeat of the state — expressing its beauty, creativity, vitality, and inclusive spirit. Through unmatched artistry and bold innovation, the Symphony inspires Colorado and audiences everywhere while expanding access, fostering education, and creating lasting memories through meaningful personal connections. Recognized as an incubator of innovation, creativity, and excellence, the Colorado Symphony listens to and learns from its diverse communities, musicians, and staff; composes and creates with curiosity and versatility; and leads with empathy, collaboration, and responsible stewardship. The Symphony continually expands its reach through in-person and virtual education programs, community partnerships, and programming that celebrates achievement, honors diverse voices, and infuses joy on and off the stage. The Colorado Symphony partners with leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, educators, sports teams, and individuals to connect people, uplift communities, and inspire everyone to feel part of something greater.