FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director
616.485.3913 (m) – 303.308.2477 (o)
ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org
COLORADO SYMPHONY RAISES MORE THAN $1M AT SYMPHONY IN THE CITY GALA
Sold-out benefit concert featuring Jon Batiste celebrated the Colorado Symphony’s momentum, civic impact, and bold future in Denver
May 12, 2026 – Denver, CO – The Colorado Symphony announced today that it raised more than $1 million gross at its annual Symphony in the City Gala, the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, held Saturday, May 9 at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Final fundraising totals are still being reconciled and will be announced at a later date.
The sold-out evening brought together Denver’s civic leaders, philanthropists, and arts supporters for a celebration of music, community, and the city’s vibrant cultural landscape. The Gala featured a fundraising dinner, live and silent auctions, and a one-night-only performance by GRAMMY® and Academy Award® winner Jon Batiste alongside the Colorado Symphony.
Proceeds from the Gala directly support the Colorado Symphony’s mission to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music, helping the organization serve more than a quarter of a million Coloradans each year through performances, education programs, and community engagement initiatives.
“This extraordinary evening is a testament to the power of music and the generosity of our community,” said President & CEO Daniel Wachter. “The funds raised ensure that the Colorado Symphony can continue the incredible momentum generated by our New York City Tour — the orchestra’s Super Bowl moment — as we continue to bring world-class performances to Denver while expanding access to music education and community programs across the state.”
Earlier this season, the Colorado Symphony returned to Carnegie Hall for the first time in more than 50 years and made its debut at Radio City Music Hall in performances that sold out and elevated the orchestra onto the national stage. Wachter referenced the tour throughout the evening as a defining moment not only for the Symphony, but for Denver itself.
“This tour proved what this city already knew,” Wachter told Gala attendees. “That we have a world-class orchestra right here in the heart of Denver and Colorado.”
During the evening, Dr. Paula Bernstein was honored with the prestigious Margaret Phipps Award, recognizing her outstanding service to the Colorado Symphony and the broader arts community in Denver.
In taped remarks delivered to Gala attendees, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston underscored the Symphony’s impact on the city, noting that “when the Symphony thrives, Denver thrives.” The Mayor also highlighted the recently passed Vibrant Denver Bond, which allocates $20 million toward a future renovation of Boettcher Concert Hall, the Symphony’s longtime home and the nation’s first in-the-round symphonic concert hall.
Beyond its artistic contributions, the Colorado Symphony is also a powerful economic engine for the region, generating $60 million in annual economic impact for the Denver metro area. Through performances, tourism, downtown activity, educational outreach, and community partnerships, the Colorado Symphony continues to play a vital role in the cultural and economic vitality of the city and state.
The Gala also celebrated the Colorado Symphony’s continued artistic evolution and nationally recognized multi-genre programming. In his stage remarks prior to the concert, Wachter drew parallels between Jon Batiste’s genre-defying artistry and the Symphony’s own expansive vision for the future.
“We don’t fit in one box either,” Wachter said. “The industry is watching us because we do both world-class: classical music and multi-genre programming. That’s what this orchestra does every single concert.”
The Symphony in the City Gala remains the Colorado Symphony’s signature fundraising event, supporting its commitment to artistic excellence, innovation, education, and community impact throughout Colorado.
The Colorado Symphony will conclude its 2025/26 season May 29–31 with performances of Mahler’s Second Symphony ‘Resurrection’ led by Music Director Peter Oundjian at Boettcher Concert Hall. Few works could more powerfully capture the spirit of this extraordinary season than the “Resurrection” Symphony, a work centered on renewal, transformation, and triumph after adversity. For the Colorado Symphony, the theme resonates deeply: from the orchestra’s historic rebirth following bankruptcy in 1989, to its celebrated return to Carnegie Hall after more than 50 years, to the growing momentum surrounding the future rebirth of Boettcher Concert Hall. As the Symphony closes its 102nd season, Mahler’s towering masterpiece stands as both a celebration of how far the organization has come and a bold statement about the future still to come.
For more information on the Colorado Symphony, please visit coloradosymphony.org.
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CONTACT:
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 2025/26 Colorado Symphony Season is provided by: The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Genesee Mountain Foundation, Denver Arts & Venues, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Schoen Foundation, and the Colorado Symphony Guild.
TICKETS:
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 – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, noon – 5 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.
ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY
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 a future renovation of the concert hall. 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.