Something Like Sound

The Boettcher Concert Hall roared with the applause of adoring fans. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra had just finished its performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, and although the concert-goers were dressed to the nines, their whoops and hollers were as deafening as those heard at rock concerts. After the ovation died down, and the crowd began to disperse from the hall, one middle-aged man intoned to anyone who could hear him, “that was quite possibly the best concert I’ve ever been to, in any genre of music.”

This year (like years in the past), students at Mines have a unique opportunity to attend concerts just like the one described above. Because of a deal between Mines and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, students are able to get $5 tickets to a show, to almost any seat in the house. A student merely has to show up at the Boettcher Concert Hall the night of a concert, display his or her Blastercard to a ticket vendor, and ask for the best seat they can get. It is a wonderful deal; Mines students can receive $70 tickets for $5.

The CSO has a spectacular schedule for the rest of the year. Performances range from traditional Mozart Symphonies to world premieres. There are many highlights throughout the season, appealing to a wide range of people. Some of the key performances are the following.

January 30th and 31st, Principle Guest Conductor Douglas Boyd will lead the CSO in a performance of Haydn’s 6th Symphony and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde.

Principle Conductor Jeffery Kahane will lead violinist Chee-Yun and the CSO in a performance of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, with pieces by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky, on February 27th and 28th.

March 20th through 22th, Associate Conductor Scott O’Neil will lead pianist Barry Douglas and the CSO in performances of Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto, and a prelude by Puccini.

June 5th through 7th, Jeffery Kahane will lead the CSO in a performance of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony.

It’s an exciting time for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, with a cycle of all of Mahler’s major orchestral works being performed over the next five or six years and a new concert hall in the works. Because of the deal with Mines, it is extremely accessible to students, and provides a wonderful boost of culture to supplement students’ studies of math and science.

The Boettcher Concert Hall is located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 1000 14th Street, Denver, CO. Concerts usually take place at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday nights and 2:30 on Sundays. For a complete listing of times and events, see http://www.coloradosymphony.org/.