The Scen3

By Marc Shulgold For Tom Morgan, the concept for concerts by his chamber choir seems pretty straight forward. In fact the title of those concerts and name of his ensemble say it all. “Shared Visions is truly ‘ars nova’ – new art,” he wrote me, “forged from shared inspirations of visual art, poetry and sound.” […]

A Preview by Toni Tresca In the world of love, not every romance ends with ‘happily ever after.’ Despite what pop culture has drilled into us since we were children, things are frequently more complex and messy. “Love is a gift that can also go really wrong, and not everyone gives the gift the other […]

A preview by Betsy Schwarm Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men – and musicians!  Invite a French-based string ensemble to Denver for a concert in 2020 with the Colorado Chamber Players:  COVID intervenes.  Reschedule the program for the spring of 2024:  one of the Colorado-based performers suffers a hand injury and won’t be […]

Guest harpsichordist joins baroque vocal ensemble A preview by Kelly Dean Hansen, April 1, 2024 Evanne Browne started the Boulder-based Seicento Baroque Ensemble in 2011 to share her passion for the often-neglected music of the 17th Century.  She explains that this is beautiful music audiences will not hear elsewhere, performed in a historically informed way […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold Glancing at the accomplishments of composer Joan Szymko, it’s no surprise that she emerged from an encouraging home environment. Born in Chicago in 1957 to a devout Catholic family, where (her bio states) “faith, education and the arts were core values,” she began piano at 8. Pursuing a life in […]

Review by Toni Tresca On a crisp evening in Denver, as the city brushed away the remnants of recent snow, Dazzle Denver came alive with a vibe that was anything but cold, thanks to the fiery ensemble known as Miguel ‘ Espinoza Fusion.  The quartet, known for their virtuosic blending of musical traditions, performed as […]

Preview by Betsy Schwarm In an increasingly contentious world, there is comfort in hearing of attempts to build bridges – not just from one side toward the other, but from both sides toward the middle.  Considering the symbology of raising one’s voices together, choral music may be an ideal medium for such a partnership.  For […]

Preview by Marc Shulgold Cynthia Katsarelis spoke with enthusiasm as she discussed her Pro Musica Colorado’s season-ending chamber orchestra concert. She gave particular emphasis to the concluding work – a rarely heard Symphony by a rarely heard French composer. Then, when a question about next season came up, she turned serious and delivered some unexpected […]

Preview by Marc Shulgold Evanne Browne’s been thinking lately about her 36-voice Baroque choir and instrumental group, Seicento Baroque Ensemble (pronounced, Say-CHENTO). And asking some pretty serious questions, too. “What is the relevance of Baroque music,” she wondered. “Why do we care?” In a recent chat to discuss a delightful series of upcoming workshops and […]

A preview By Marc Shulgold Four centuries before we tried to rewire our stereos to replicate quadraphonic effects, a couple of Renaissance composers had their singers create it live. An Italian named Alessandro Striggio (1540-92) and an Englishman, Thomas Tallis (1505-85) composed choral works for 40 spread-out singers. And get this – one to a […]