Open Notes Podcast - Fort Collins Symphony

Classical music has been around for centuries, but in a rapidly changing world, many arts organizations are asking an important question how do we keep the music meaningful, engaging, and relevant for today's audiences? At the Fort Collins Symphony, that's something we think about every day as we work to connect our community with live music and create experiences that resonate across ge...

We’re kicking off today’s podcast with a new episode in our mini series Your Guide to the Orchestra’s Instruments. It’s one of the most well known instruments in the Orchestra. It has so many different sound possibilities. It’s known to be an extremely virtuosic instrument. It’s an extraordinary solo instrument and ensemble instrument. It’s not a bird, or a plane...it’s the violin! To help us expl...

Today we’re thrilled to chat with Portuguese-Canadian clarinetist Wesley Ferreira, the featured guest artist for our Signature Concert 5: Rhythms of Diversity and Energy on Saturday, May 2nd at 7:30pm. He will be performing Daniel Frieberg’s Jazz Clarinet Concerto Latin American Chronicles. He's an internationally recognized soloist, chamber musician, and educator. He has performed across Nor...

How has film music evolved the past 100 years? To answer that, we’re excited to chat with Dan Obluda. He’s an instructor of music at Colorado State University where teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music history and music theory. One of Dan’s specialties is in film music, he teaches courses on film music at Colorado State University and has an extensive background in film music resear...

Today we’re thrilled to chat with internationally acclaimed marimbist Ji Su Jung, the featured guest artist for our Signature Concert 4: Vibrations from Nature and Tradition on March 7th and 8th. She’ll be performing Kevin Puts’ Marimba Concerto! Support the show

Today, we’re thrilled to chat with pianist Bryan Wallick. Bryan chats with us about what it takes to balance virtuosity and musical expression as a musician. Bryan also talks about his synesthesia and how it effects his view of music. Bryan is the guest artist for the Fort Collins Symphony’s Signature Concert 3: Spotlights in Drama and Virtuosity, where he’ll perform Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto N...

Today, we’re excited to chat with composer Alex LaMotte! Alex LaMotte is the winner of the Fort Collins Symphony’s 2025 Composer Competition. His original orchestral piece, Land of Open Skies, was selected for its vivid orchestration, emotional depth, and evocative storytelling. Support the show

If you’ve peered your eyes to the back of the orchestra, you’ll see all these shiny brass instruments. Well, one of those in particular may stand out the most — it’s shiny, it’s coiled, it has this unmistakable rich and mellow sound.  To help us explore this amazing instrument, we’re joined by one of our very own FCS musicians, french horn player Ayo Derbyshire. Support the show

Today we’re joined by the featured guest artist for our upcoming Signature Concert 2 on Saturday, November 8th, at 7:30pm. She’ll be performing Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber. We are so excited to welcome soprano Dr. Stefanie Anduri! Stefanie has been teaching voice for over 15 years, performing across three continents, and giving workshops and presentations all around the world. Suppo...

Today we’re here to chat with a very special guest. He’s the featured guest artist for our Signature Concert 1 on October 4th, 7:30pm, where you’ll hear him perform Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4. He’s also the Principal Horn of the Fort Collins Symphony and the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Professor of Horn at Regis University. He’s an incredibly talented performer along the Front Range. We are thr...

Join Norman Menzales, the Marketing and Community Engagement Director, and Alyssa Roggow, the Education and Patron Development Director, as they take you behind the scenes of the professional music world and explore why music is for everyone! Support the show

Zhu Wang started playing piano at age five when his grandfather recognized his early talent. Since then Zhu has gone on to study with some of the world's best piano teachers, perform award-winning concerts around the U.S., and make his Carnegie Hall debut, all before the age of 27. In this episode of the Open Notes Podcast, Zhu shares the most impactful lessons he learned from his teachers, w...

Dvořák's violin concerto is one of the hardest and greatest pieces for solo violin and orchestra. So why doesn't it get played more? Yumi Hwang-Williams doesn't know, but she has a few theories. Since many audiences don't know Dvořák's violin concerto, we wanted to sit down with Yumi to learn more about her and the music and history of the piece. In this interview, Yumi sh...

Guitarist Jason Vieaux joins us on the Fort Collins Symphony's Open Notes Podcast to talk about his early fascination with jazz and the Beatles, the piece he's played more than any other, and the poignant beauty of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra. Jason will perform with the Fort Collins Symphony on Saturday, November 4th, 2023, in-person and via live-stream...

In this episode, composer Morgan Denney chats with Jeremy about her process and the challenges behind writing her new musical accompaniment to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" for the Fort Collins Symphony. "The Raven" will be premiered at our Spellbound Halloween concert on Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. Learn more about Morgan Denney at...

No one has to walk the dementia journey alone. Members of Dementia Together and the Fort Collins Symphony discuss the B Sharp Arts Engagement Program and its research, which found powerful benefits for people living with dementia and their care partners from attending live symphony concerts. Read the study results and contribute to the program at https://fcsymphony.org/bsharp Support the show

Pianist Avery Gagliano joins the Open Notes Podcast to discuss Mozart's 24th piano concerto, her love of pop music, the hardest part of being a pianist, and more! Join us for the live or live-streamed concert on February 4, 2023. Tickets and more information are available at https://fcsymphony.org/delight Learn more about Avery Gagliano at https://www.averygagliano.com 02:47 What's uniqu...

"Woman Suffrage is coming - you know it." Carrie Chapman Catt The FCS performs Battle for the Ballot on November 5th, 2022 at the Lincoln Center. Tickets and more information are available at https://fcsymphony.org/events/escape-to-new-realms-signature-concert-2/ Stacy Garrop's The Battle for the Ballot features the voices of seven Suffragists: Carrie W. Clifford, Frances Ellen Watk...

In this episode, Fort Collins Composer James David sits down with FCS Assistant Conductor Jeremy D. Cuebas to discuss his new piece, Ostinato Fantastico , and the role that rhythm and dance have in his music. Ostinato Fantastico was commissioned by the FCS in 2019, but its first performance was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic cancellations. The world premiere will be on October 1st in Fort Collins...

Kay Edwards has just finished a project 23 years in the making. By securing 38 Endowed Chairs, one for each principal player in the orchestra, she has raised over $580,000 to support the FCS and its long-term sustainability. In this episode, FCS Assistant Conductor Jeremy D. Cuebas talks with Kay about the history of the Endowed Chairs project and the impact it will continue to have for years to c...

Pianist David Korevaar discusses Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto with Fort Collins Symphony Assistant Conductor Jeremy D. Cuebas.  Korevaar also shares some of his early influences and the special place that teaching and chamber music have in his career. David Korevaar performs Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto with the Fort Collins Symphony on August 12th, 2022 at the Timberline Church Audi...

When you go to an orchestra concert or start learning about classical music, you’re likely to encounter many new words. The most common word you will see (except perhaps “symphony”) is “concerto.” So, what is a concerto? In this episode, Jeremy and Kate discuss what a concerto is, what to expect from a concerto, and some of their favorite concertos. What is your favorite instrument or concerto? Se...

From favorites like Beethoven's 5th to symphonies that you've never heard before, this blog post and podcast episode gives a brief overview of the history of the symphony and what to expect when you head into the concert hall.  What is a symphony? A symphony is a specific form that many composers used when writing music. These pieces are usually large in scale, were written for a large o...

Dr. Erin Macdonald is a tattooed one-woman STEM career panel with recognition as a researcher, speaker, engineer, and consultant before her current career. She now lives in Los Angeles working as a writer and producer and is the science consultant for the entire Star Trek franchise. In this interview, she shares why she started giving science talks at conventions, her work as a science consultant...

Composer Gregory Smith sits down to discuss his compositional process, his piece "The Animated Orchestra," and how he writes excellent educational works to engage young listeners. Join us for The Animated Orchestra, live at Timberline Church in Fort Collins on Sunday, March 13, 2022. Tickets and more information available at https://fcsymphony.org/events/animated-orchestra/ Support the s...