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GRACE NOTES: Chamber piano with strings, bassoons and student soloists | Sharps & Flatirons
Piano Quartet at the Academy, Bassoon Quartet with Cantabile, BCO with competition winners By Peter Alexander May 7 at 4:40 p.m. The Boulder Piano Quartet—pianist David Korevaar with violinist Igor Pikayzen, violist Matthew Dane and cellist Thomas Heinrich—will present a free concert in Chapel Hall at the Academy University Hill Friday (7 p.m. May 9;…
Rare Beethoven at the Boulder Phil | Sharps & Flatirons
MIssa Solemnis, “Magnum Opus” of great extent and significance, May 4 By Peter Alexander April 30 at 5:50 p.m. Beethoven was a few years years late. He promised his friend, pupil and patron Archduke Rudolf that he would write a solemn mass—Missa Solemnis—for the latter’s investiture in 1820 as the Archbishop of Olomouc. But the…
Musical Hoedown in Longmont May 3 | Sharps & Flatirons
Longmont Symphony Pops Concert features musical portraits of the West By Peter Alexander April 29 at 5:22 p.m. The Longmont Symphony and conductor Elliot Moore will end the 2024-25 concert season with their annual Pops Concert, Saturday at the Vance Brand Civic Auditorium (7 p.m. May 3; details below). The program offers what the orchestra…
GRACE NOTES: Curiosity and chamber music | Sharps & Flatirons
Offerings from the Boulder Symphony and Boulder Chamber Orchestra By Peter Alexander April 24 at 8:40 p.m. The Boulder Symphony agrees to disagree for its upcoming Curiosity Concert (3 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at Grace Commons; details below). Curiosity Concerts are aimed at children ages four to 12, but structured to appeal to the entire…
Seicento Celebrates Women of the Renaissance | Sharps & Flatirons
Program of 'top-notch' music by women from from 16th and 17th centuries By Peter Alexander April 23 at 6:25 p.m. The music only recently became available for the next concert program by Boulder’s Seicento Baroque Ensemble, but it’s 400 years old. The program to be performed the coming weekend in Golden, Westminster and Boulder (Friday–Sunday…
GRACE NOTES: B-minor Mass and string quartet with guitar | Sharps & Flatirons
LSO presents Bach’s “Magnum Opus,” Takács Quartet partners with Nicoló Spera By Peter Alexander April 9 at 5:20 p.m. The Longmont Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and conductor Elliot Moore end their season with one of the most significant pieces by J.S. Bach, his monumental Mass in B minor. The performance of this large-scale work will be…
“The Wheel of Time” at the Dairy Arts Center | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder Bach Festival and the Dairy present orchestral program Sunday By Peter Alexander April 3 at 5:25 p.m. Co-presenters Boulder Bach Festival (BBF) and the Dairy Arts Center join together for an orchestral program of wide variety and styles, concluding the BBF’s 2024–25 concert season. The program, titled “Wheel of Time,” will be performed Sunday…
Ars Nova Singers meet Steampunk | Sharps & Flatirons
“Science/Fantasy” program in Lafayette, Denver and Longmont By Peter Alexander 11:45 p.m. April 2 It all started at a wedding. The next concert by Boulder’s adventurous Ars Nova Singers and conductor Thomas Morgan is a departure from the usual. Normally devoted to music of the Renaissance and contemporary times, they will perform music from the…
Boulder Phil presents Rachmaninoff and music of two festivals | Sharps & Flatirons
Guest pianist Alessio Max and soloists from orchestra in the spotlight By Peter Alexander March 27 at 5:50 p.m. Two works inspired by festivals will form bookends for the next Boulder Philharmonic concert, at 4 p.m. Sunday (March 30; details below), with a big, popular Romantic piano concerto in the center. The Piano Concerto No.…
Boulder Symphony weekend concerts will be recorded | Sharps & Flatirons
U.S. premiere, arias by Rossini and Puccini, and Beethoven’s countryside By Peter Alexander March 26 at 5:10 p.m. The composer Peter Drew came late to a musical career. After some inconclusive experiences in music as a youngster, he worked a succession of jobs including taxi driver and cruise-ship host and eventually settled in as a…
Coming opera seasons in Colorado | Sharps & Flatirons
CU Eklund Opera and Opera Colorado announce 2025–’26 seasons By Peter Alexander March 17 at 5:43 p.m. Leigh Holman stepped before the rich, ruby-red curtains at Macky Auditorium yesterday (March 16) afternoon and spoke to the audience. The occasion was the final performance of CU’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. Holman is…
Ecklund Opera presents Gilbert & Sullivan | Sharps & Flatirons
The perennially popular Pirates of Penzance puts in at Macky for the weekend By Peter Alexander 10:40 p.m. March 12 CU’s Ecklund Opera Program will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious Pirates of Penzance Friday through Sunday in Macky Auditorium (March 14–16; details below), and conductor Nicholas Carthy wants everyone to know what to expect. “It's…
GRACE NOTES: “The Feminine Divine” and string quartets | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder Bach’s CORE and the Takács Quartet fill the weekend By Peter Alexander March 5 at 5:20 p.m. COmpass REsonance (CORE), a string ensemble that began as the resident Baroque orchestra of the Boulder Bach Festival, will present a program of music by four women composers of the Baroque era on Saturday (4 p.m. March…
Boulder Chamber Orchestra features “Boulder Celebrities” | Sharps & Flatirons
Violinist Ed Dusinberre and violist Richard O’Neill will play Mozart By Peter Alexander Feb. 27 at 5:15 p.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra (BCO) traces the history of classical music on their next concert (7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1; details below), with a concerto grosso from the Baroque era, music from the heart of the classical…
Boulder’s Starkland has three new albums | Sharps & Flatirons
Electric guitar, accordion, and piano at the frontier of musical creativity By Peter Alexander Feb. 20 at 10:30 p.m. In the about the past two years—specifically since April, 2023—Starkland, a record label located in Boulder, has released three diverse new albums. In keeping with the label’s stated goal of promoting “alternative classical, experimental, and avant-garde…
Ars Nova welcomes pianist David Korevaar | Sharps & Flatirons
“Lost/Found” features forgotten work by Enrique Granados By Peter Alexander Feb. 4 at 6:15 p.m. David Korevaar is an adventurer, in the mountains and on the piano. Cases in point: A photo of Korevaar on the summit of 13,088-ft. Paiute Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness (below); and his performances with the Ars Nova Singers…
Rare and familiar Puccini double bill at the Dairy | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder Opera pairs brutal tragedy with effervescent comedy By Peter Alexander Feb. 6 at 3:00 p.m. Boulder Opera Company (BOC) will present a double bill of two operas by Puccini at the Dairy Arts Center this weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7–9; details below). Two more contrasting operas could hardly be imagined. Il Tabarro…
GRACE NOTES: Brahms 2nd twice and drummers, all on Saturday | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder and Longmont symphonies at home, Kodo at Mackey By Peter Alexander Feb. 12 at 11:15 a.m. The Boulder Symphony joins with the Niwot High School Symphony Orchestra for a performance of the spirited Danzón No. 2 of Arturo Márquez Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 15 and 16; details below) at the Dairy Arts Center. Other…
Boulder Chamber Orchestra changes Saturday’s program | Sharps & Flatirons
Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite replaces Gerald Finzi Clarinet Concerto Jan. 25 By Peter Alexander Jan. 24 at 9:40 a.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra has changed the planned program for their concert tomorrow (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25). The program as originally announced included the Gerald Finzi Clarinet Concerto performed by the orchestra's principal clarinet player,…
Colorado Music Festival announces summer 2025 season | Sharps & Flatirons
Two ninth symphonies among highlights By Peter Alexander Jan 22 at 11:25 a.m. The Colorado Music Festival (CMF) has announced its summer schedule of concerts at the Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder. Chautauqua Auditorium. Photo by Geremy Kornreich The season of 19 concerts will culminate with performances of two different ninth symphonies: Beethoven’s masterpiece, featuring the…
Renée Fleming presents a musical tribute to the natural world | Sharps & Flatirons
“Voice of Nature” will feature songs and a film from National Geographic By Peter Alexander Jan. 22 at 5:50 p.m. Soprano Renée Fleming Soprano Renée Fleming will come to Macky Auditorium next week (7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31) to present a program that she developed while cut off from her professional life during the COVID…
Boulder Chamber Orchestra presents string serenades | Sharps & Flatirons
Clarinetist Kellan Toohey plays Concerto by Gerald Finzi By Peter Alexander Jan. 21 at 11:12 p.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra will present a concert Saturday featuring their string section (7:30 p.m. Jan. 25; details below), playing one of the great masterworks for strings, Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings. The concert, under the direction of Bahman Saless,…
GRACE NOTES: Piano quintets and and a family concert | Sharps & Flatirons
Little known Quintet by Louise Farrenc and Prokofiev’s much loved Peter and the Wolf By Peter Alexander Jan. 16 at 12:10 a.m. The Boulder Piano Quartet will be joined by bassist Susan Cahill, a member of the Colorado Symphony, for a program of piano quintets Friday (7 p.m. Jan. 17; details below) at the Academy,…
Michael Butterman returns to Boulder Phil | Sharps & Flatirons
Concert features world premiere, Bluegrass violin concerto, “New World” Symphony By Peter Alexander Jan. 13 at 12:30 a.m. Michael Butterman returned to the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra yesterday (Jan. 12) to conduct an interesting and worthwhile program, having missed the fall season due to cancer treatments. Newly bald from chemo therapy, Butterman was welcomed by the…
GRACE NOTES: Chamber music on the weekend | Sharps & Flatirons
Music for winds from the BCO, quartets and quintet from the Takács Quartet By Peter Alexander Jan. 10 at 1:45 p.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra (BCO) will present a program of French music for piano and winds for its third Mini-Chamber program of the season Saturday (7:30 p.m. Jan. 11; details below). The orchestra’s current…
Michael Butterman returns to Boulder Phil | Sharps & Flatirons
Conductor will lead premiere of new work by Stephen Lias on program “From the New World” By Peter Alexander Jan. 8 at 12 noon Michael Butterman, music director of the Boulder Philharmonic, returns to the Macky Auditorium stage to conduct the orchestra’s concert Sunday (4 p.m. Jan. 12; details below) after an absence of several…
Central City Opera announces full summer season | Sharps & Flatirons
Broadway show Once Upon a Mattress added to the 2025 schedule By Peter Alexander Jan. 5 at 5:45 p.m. Central City Opera House. Photo by Ashraf Sewailam. Central City Opera has announced their full summer 2025 season, adding the Mary Rodgers musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress to the two operas previously announced. The season…
Year’s end remembrance | Sharps & Flatirons
Recalling a few of the musicians we lost in 2024 By Peter Alexander Dec. 30 at 4:28 p.m. Here are the names of some of the musicians who passed away over the past 12 months. This list is not intended to be comprehensive, as I cannot catch every single one. Its is not exclusively classical…
GRACE NOTE: A Gift of Music | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder Chamber Orchestra presents word premiere concerto for guitar By Peter Alexander Dec. 17 at 2:20 p.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra (BCO) will present their annual Holiday “Gift of Music” featuring guitarist Nicolò Spera Saturday (7:30 p.m. Dec. 21) at the Boulder Adventist Church. Nicolò Spera Bahman Saless, artistic director of the BCO, will share conducting…
GRACE NOTES: THE HOLIDAYS MARCH ON | Sharps & Flatirons
Pinocchio, Winter reveries, Messiah and Swingin’ Brass By Peter Alexander Dec. 10 at 2:50 p.m. Boulder Opera Company will present four performances of The Adventures of Pinocchio by English composer Jonathan Dove over the coming weekend (Dec. 14 and 15; details below). Based on the familiar book by Italian author Carlo Collodi, Dove’s one-hour opera…
GRACE NOTES: Holiday Music Here and There | Sharps & Flatirons
Warning! The most popular shows are selling out By Peter Alexander Dec. 4 at 4:50 p.m. The CU-Boulder College of Music’s annual “Holiday Festival” has limited tickets still available for the four performances Friday through Sunday (Dec. 6–8 in Macky Auditorium; details below). The annual holiday extravaganza features orchestras, bands, jazz ensembles and world music…
GRACE NOTE: Chamber music with piano, viola and clarinet | Sharps & Flatirons
The Academy University Hill presents free concert Sunday By Peter Alexander Nov. 26 at 5:40 p.m. A musical trio assembled for the occasion—called, fittingly, “The Ad Hoc Trio”—will perform three works by Brahms and Mozart on a free concert at The Academy University Hill Sunday (7 p.m. Dec. 1; details below). The retirement community does…
Boulderites should act now for Holiday event | Sharps & Flatirons
Low Ticket Warning for Dec. 1 Nutcracker in Macky; limited Longmont tickets still available By Peter Alexander Nov. 26 at 12:05 a.m. What would the Holiday season be without Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet The Nutcracker? For many families, something would definitely be missing from their celebrations. The Boulder Philharmonic and Boulder Ballet open their annual performances…
GRACE NOTES: From Brahms to Taylor Swift | Sharps & Flatirons
Mini Chamber concert in Boulder and Groovin’ in Longmont By Peter Alexander Nov. 19 at 11:40 p.m. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra (BCO)will present “Mini-Chamber 2,” the second of its chamber music programs for the 2024–25 season, Saturday (7:30 p.m. Nov. 23; details below). The program features guest pianist Adam Żukiewicz performing quintets for piano and…
“Evening of Romance” in Vance Brand Auditorium | Sharps & Flatirons
Longmont Symphony hosts violinist Andrew Sords Saturday By Peter Alexander Nov. 14 at 9:24 p.m. The Longmont Symphony Orchestra (LSO) returns to its long-time home venue, Vance Brand Civic Auditorium at Skyline High School, at 7 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 16; details below) for their second concert of the 2024–25 season. Conductor Elliot Moore with the…
Seicento introduces new director with Handel oratorio | Sharps & Flatirons
Coreen Duffy will conduct ‘Judas Maccabeus’ Friday-Sunday By Peter Alexander Nov. 13 at 5:55 p.m. Seicento Baroque Ensemble is starting the concert season with a new conductor and a Handel oratorio that is likely new for many in the audience. Coreen Duffy, newly hired as Seicento’s artistic director and as director of choral activities at…
“Guitar Masterworks” program comes to Boulder | Sharps & Flatirons
Spanish virtuoso Pablo Sáinz-Villegas plays at Macky Saturday By Peter Alexander Nov. 7 at 2:25 p.m. Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, a classical guitarist from Logroño, La Roja, near the Basque Country in Northeastern Spain, will perform a program of “Guitar Masterworks” as part of the CU Presents Artist Series in Macky Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov.…
Moons and planets in Macky Auditorium | Sharps & Flatirons
Boulder Phil to premiere a new work about the solar system Sunday By Peter Alexander Nov. 6 at 2:55 p.m. Gustav Holst’s seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets is one of the best known and most popular pieces in the orchestral repertoire. But did you know there is a new piece about the moons in our…
GRACE NOTE: Boulder Phil’s “Brass and Booze” at Planet Bluegrass | Sharps & Flatirons
Orchestra’s “Shift” series of informal concerts continues Wednesday By Peter Alexander Nov. 4 at 1:32 p.m. The Boulder Philharmonic will present “Brass and Booze,” their third “Shift” concert presenting their musicians in unusual venues and smaller groups, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons. “We wanted to reach out into some…
Central City Opera announces 2025 season | Sharps & Flatirons
A barber, a regional first and a Broadway show By Peter Alexander Oct. 31 at 2:20 p.m. The Central City Opera (CCO) has announced its 2025 summer season—or at least two thirds of it. As in recent years, there will be two operas and a Broadway musical performed in the historic opera house in Central…