“New” is a word we use a lot at the Colorado Symphony. New means innovation, change, originality, and uniqueness – all elements of today’s Colorado Symphony.
As CEO, I constantly seek new and creative ways to preserve the cultural legacy of symphonic music while actively co-creating its future. Over the past three years, we’ve reached a new height of artistic excellence and are now recognized as one the best orchestras in the United States. We’ve also made changes that reflect our embrace of the new – including new audiences.
Take a look at the calendar. From traditional Masterwork and Pops to the new Colorado Symphony Presents series, you’ll see we offer a truly broad range of programming designed to appeal to a diverse audience. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or totally new to the experience, we want you to feel invited and welcome when you visit us at our home, Boettcher Concert Hall, or any of the community venues where we perform all season long.
Over the past three years, the Colorado Symphony has developed a range of new initiatives to support its mission, including:
- Creation of original musical content for corporate partners, including a theme song for Arrow Electronics and a soundtrack for the Colorado Rockies 2014 season.
- High-profile creative collaborations with major cultural institutions including the Denver Art Museum and the Biennial of the Americas.
- Partnerships with emerging Colorado industries including craft breweries and legal cannabis.
- Embrace of digital and social media, increasing online audience engagement by 80% in a twelve-month period.
- Targeted audience development initiatives that have increased attendance among younger, previously unaffiliated patrons by 40%.
- Broad education programs that support lifelong learning among children and adults.
- A community ticketing program that invites underserved families into the concert experience.
Our initiatives are working – and gaining notice. This year, the Colorado Symphony was profiled by the world’s leading media outlets (including a feature in The New York Times). Every week, we see new people in the audience at Boettcher Concert Hall. It’s a thrill for all of us, especially our musicians.
I hope you’re as excited as we are by all that awaits in the year ahead. Thank you for supporting the Colorado Symphony. We hope to delight you – and maybe even to surprise you – in 2015.
Jerome H. Kern
CEO / Co-chair of the Board of Trustees