Name: Tales of Renewal and Life
Start: 2025-03-01T19:30:00
Location: The Lincoln Center

Step into a world where music tells stories of city lights, renewal, fantasy, and star-crossed lovers. The Fort Collins Symphony invites you on a journey through four mesmerizing concerts held at The Lincoln Center. From the jazz-infused classics of Gershwin and Ellington to the dramatic overtures of Tchaikovsky and Brahms, each event offers a unique exploration of human emotion and experience. Immerse yourself in this symphony of tales as renowned performers bring to life the vibrant compositions that have captivated audiences for generations.

A Symphony of Tales: City Lights, Renewal, Fantasy, and Star-Crossed Lovers

The Fort Collins Symphony invites you on a remarkable journey through music with a series of unforgettable concerts. From the bustling cityscapes brought to life by Gershwin, Ellington, and Corea, to the renewal of spirit through Mozart and Ngwenyama, and the legendary tales of fantasy realms, each performance is a celebration of sound and storytelling. Held at The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, CO, these events showcase the talents of renowned musicians and composers, promising nights filled with rhythm, romance, and enchantment.

Classic Tales: A Musical Odyssey with the Fort Collins Symphony

Join the Fort Collins Symphony as they present a vibrant series of concerts, each telling its own unique tale through the power of music. From the resilience of life in 'Tales of Renewal and Life,' to the imaginative landscapes in 'Fantastic Tales,' and the timeless love in 'Tales of Star-Crossed Lovers,' these events promise a captivating exploration of human stories and emotions. Featuring performances by talented musicians and a diverse repertoire, this series at The Lincoln Center is not to be missed.

A Symphony of Stories: Life, Fantasy, and Love in Fort Collins

Step into a world where music narrates the stories of life, love, and fantasy through the Fort Collins Symphony's diverse events. With performances ranging from Mozart’s elegant Sinfonia Concertante to the epic soundscapes of The Lord of the Rings, and the poignant narratives of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, each event offers a unique exploration of musical storytelling. Featuring talented artists like Nokuthula Ngwenyama and Gao Hong, these concerts promise unforgettable experiences that highlight the power of music to evoke renewal, resilience, and timeless tales.

Exploring Fort Collins Symphony's Tales of Music and Emotion

Sheng Cai

Fort Collins Symphony

This concert is all about movement. Megan Grey, contralto, brings fire to de Falla’s El Amor Brujo, inspired by Spanish flamenco. Higdon’s Dance Card is playful and rhythmic, and Copland’s Appalachian Spring, written for dancer Martha Graham, captures the joy and spirit of the American frontier. It’s music that makes you want to tap your feet or just sit back and feel the energy

Dance & Music in Motion

The Lincoln Center

Discover the expressive beauty of the horn in this intimate chamber concert featuring two remarkable works by Johannes Brahms and Dame Ethel Smyth. Audiences will experience Brahms’ beloved Horn Trio, a cornerstone of the chamber music repertoire, alongside a rare chamber transcription of Smyth’s Concerto for Violin, Horn, and Orchestra. Together, these works explore themes of nature, nostalgia, and personal expression while offering contrasting perspectives from two distinctive compositional voices.

Along the way, musicians will share insights into the natural horn tradition that inspired Brahms’ writing and introduce audiences to Smyth’s groundbreaking legacy as both a composer and a leader in the women’s suffrage movement. Through engaging commentary and storytelling, listeners will gain a deeper appreciation for the music, the artists behind it, and the historical contexts that shaped these works.

Perfect for both seasoned concertgoers and those new to classical music, this welcoming Up Close performance combines exceptional chamber music with fascinating history, creating meaningful connections between performers, audiences, and the enduring power of artistic expression.

FCS Up Close No. 2

Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC

Bring the family for a playful concert with Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Greg Smith’s The Animated Orchestra. Follow Ari, a curious ferret, as the audience helps imagine his cartoon adventure in a magical instrument repair shop. Everyone can join in with Ari’s signature “dook-dook-dook” sounds, the orchestra wave, and the audience wave. A lively, interactive experience for all ages.

Family Concert

Step into the world of opera with Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, one of the most exciting examples of verismo, or “real-life” opera. The story follows love, jealousy, and betrayal among traveling performers, full of soaring arias and intense drama that still grabs audiences today.

Opera and Theater

This concert brings music and big ideas together. Berlioz’s Three Excerpts from The Damnation of Faust tell Goethe’s story with bold orchestral colors. Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, inspired by Nietzsche, takes you on a philosophical journey with striking melodies. Fetler’s Three Poems of Walt Whitman turns the poet’s words into music that’s full of imagination. It’s an evening that’s thoughtful, exciting, and easy to follow.

Words, Ideas & Sound

What makes music feel familiar? Is it the melody, the rhythm, the memories it evokes, or the culture it represents? This engaging chamber program explores the connections between folk traditions and classical music through vibrant Nordic folk tunes, Dvořák’s iconic “American” Quartet, William Grant Still’s expressive Lyric Quartet, and Duke Ellington’s beloved jazz standards. Along the way, audiences will discover how composers have drawn inspiration from diverse musical traditions to create works that are both deeply personal and universally relatable. Through conversation and audience participation, this concert invites listeners to reflect on the music that has shaped their own lives while celebrating the idea that classical music is not separate from our shared cultural experiences, but rather an art form that has always been shaped by them.

Perfect for both seasoned concertgoers and those new to classical music, this welcoming Up Close performance combines exceptional chamber music with fascinating history, creating meaningful connections between performers, audiences, and the enduring power of artistic expression.

FCS Up Close No. 3

Celebrate 50 years of Star Wars with music from across the saga. From the famous Main Title to the dramatic Throne Room and End Title, hear all your favorite themes live. Costumes are encouraged and you can join in the fun and energy of Fort Collins Comic Con, making this a fully immersive, galaxy-wide experience.

Spring Pops - Star Wars: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Music that paints pictures. Chávez’s Baile brings Mexican folk dances to life. Gabriela Lena Frank’s Two American Portraits celebrates the variety of American voices. Respighi’s Fountains of Rome captures the beauty and movement of the Eternal City, and Mussorgsky/Ravel’s Pictures at an Exhibition turns a famous art gallery into a journey through music.

Visual Art in Sound

The string quartet has long been a powerful medium for storytelling, giving voice to both our most personal experiences and the shared journeys that unite communities. Through Bedřich Smetana’s autobiographical String Quartet No. 1, “From My Life” and Pēteris Vasks’ deeply moving String Quartet No. 4, this program explores themes of love, loss, resilience, and hope across generations and cultures. Smetana invites listeners into his own life’s triumphs and tragedies, while Vasks reflects the enduring spirit of the Latvian people, transforming hardship into quiet optimism. Along the way, audiences will discover how these deeply expressive works reveal the remarkable ability of music to preserve memory, foster empathy, and connect us through our shared humanity. Through conversation and audience participation, this concert invites listeners to reflect on the stories that shape our own lives and the common pulse that emerges when we come together to listen.

Perfect for both seasoned concertgoers and those new to classical music, this welcoming Up Close performance combines exceptional chamber music with fascinating history, creating meaningful connections between performers, audiences, and the enduring power of artistic expression.

FCS Up Close No. 4

Discover the spirit of renewal and life through Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor performed by Canadian pianist Sheng Cai, Louise Farrenc’s inspiring Symphony No. 3, and Chilean composer Carlos Zamora’s Sikuris, based on traditional music from the people of the Atacama Desert.

Tales of Renewal and Life

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