Castle Rock’s annual Summer Concert Series is back in full swing, drawing crowds to Philip S. Miller Park with a lineup that covers everything from chart-toppers to local favorites.

This year’s series features national acts like Sugar Ray and Gavin DeGraw, alongside local openers and themed tribute nights — including a collaboration between the Denver Pops Orchestra and yacht-rock cover band Yachty Got Back on Labor Day weekend. The first concert of the season, headlined by Sugar Ray, kicked off the series in June.

“We started curating this lineup last fall,” said Erika Alsobrook, special events supervisor for the Town of Castle Rock. “Each of the five concerts has its own heartbeat and rhythm. That’s one of my favorite things about this series — each show stands alone, but they all come together to make something really special.”

Alsobrook said community input plays a big role in shaping the series. At the end of each season, the town sends out surveys asking residents what genres and artists they’d like to see next year.

“That feedback helps us learn what the community wants,” she said. “Sometimes someone mentions a local band they saw at a bar, and even if we don’t book that exact artist, it sparks ideas and conversations. It really is a community-driven lineup.”

The concerts typically draw between 1,500 and 1,800 people each, with a venue capacity of 2,200.

“We always see a spike in ticket sales when the lineup drops,” Alsobrook said. “And then it builds again the week of the show as people start making plans.”

Tickets are sold in tiers — general admission on the elevated lawn, mid-level orchestra seats and front-row patio box seating with tables and bar service.

“No matter where you’re sitting, you’re close to the stage,” Alsobrook said. “The lawn’s one of my favorite GA setups in the state — great sound, a full view of the lights and backdrop, and that signature Castle Rock skyline behind it.”

The event is designed to be family-friendly, and has ADA seating available and golf cart transport from parking to the venue. 

“We absolutely love when families come out together,” Alsobrook said. “One of my favorite moments was seeing a little boy yell ‘I know that guy!’ when Sugar Ray’s opener, Dylan Cotrone, walked by.”

Organizers also prioritize a wide mix of genres each year.

“Country plays really well here,” said Castle Rock program specialist Lisa Sorbo. “But we try to always include a top-40 artist … that really helps make the whole series a really fun experience for people, because you’ve just got this broad array of music.”

This year, the town partnered with iHeartMedia and uses social media, local promotions and even a massive LED screen at the outlet mall to get the word out. The event draws people from Denver and all over the Front Range, including Fort Collins, Boulder and Colorado Springs.

“It’s a more intimate venue, and I think that draws folks in,” Alsobrook said. 

The concert series is part of Castle Rock’s broader strategy to invest in community-driven events that support local businesses and showcase what the town has to offer.

“It’s about more than just a show,” Alsobrook said. “People grab dinner downtown, they explore the area — and for some, it’s their first visit to Castle Rock.”

This year marks the ninth season of the series and the 10th year since Philip S. Miller Park opened.

“There’s a lot of optimism about where the series can grow from here,” Alsobrook said.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go online to crgov.com/Summer-Concert-Series.

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Even before engaged couple Annie Wilcox and Christian Parker moved to Golden, they heard about the annual Summer Jam fundraiser from their friends’ parents.

Golden Civic Foundation hosts bands and food trucks at the Colorado Railroad Museum for a summertime celebration. Wilcox and Parker said they like trains and live music, so they thought they’d check it out.

They had so much fun that they’ve now been to four or five Summer Jams in a row, they said at this year’s event.

Wilcox and Parker said attending and supporting Summer Jam also means more now that they live in Golden, describing how they love supporting the community and visiting with their neighbors.

And that’s exactly what organizers from the Golden Civic Foundation were hoping for.

“It’s everything we love about Golden,” GCF Board President Joel Christman said of the annual Summer Jam. “Local, music and friends.”

Trains and rain

On June 25, more than 600 people spent their partly rainy evening on the Colorado Railroad Museum campus, drinking beer, listening to local bands jam out and taking rides on the train. As an added thrill, many of those rides were interrupted by a gang of train robbers – performers from the Miners Alley Performing Arts.

Christman and other organizers confirmed the eighth annual Summer Jam had record ticket sales, which on its own raised $12,000 for its community grant program.

Last month, GCF awarded almost $125,000 to 47 local nonprofits and causes for its 2025 grant cycle.

It is now fundraising for the 2026 grant cycle, which Summer Jam helped with.

Christman and new Executive Director Catherine Withers explained how GCF has received more and bigger grant requests in recent years, with Christman saying, “There’s more need for our grants than we’re able to fund.”

GCF tries to fund at least a portion of every grant application, which is why Summer Jam and the fall gala — GCF’s two big fundraisers — are so important, he continued.

“The more we get people involved (at these fundraisers), the more it helps go back into the Golden community,” Christman said.

‘Local, music and friends’

One way of doing that is by bringing in new attendees, like Golden’s Annelise Loevlie and her family.

Loevlie said she and her family members hadn’t been to Summer Jam before, but heard about it through their friends in the Rapidgrass band, who played at the June 25 event.

However, Loevlie said they’d be willing to come back, either to Summer Jam or the Colorado Railroad Museum in general. Her family loves the trains, so the Colorado Railroad Museum was the perfect venue, she added.

Loevlie said she knew the event was a fundraiser but didn’t know much about what it supported. Even still, Summer Jam was a lot of fun, she continued, as it’s at a good time of the evening for families, and the beer and music were excellent.

Christman and Withers thanked all the community sponsors who helped make the June 25 event happen and all the companies and organizations that provided food, beer, bike parking, “train robbers” and more.

In addition to fundraising for local causes, Christman and Withers also emphasized how Summer Jam was about strengthening community connections and celebrating together, which Withers said GCF does year-round through other endeavors.

She encouraged people to stop by GCF’s new headquarters inside the Golden Welcome Center, to visit the website and to support the Oct. 18 fall gala.

For more information, visit goldencivicfoundation.org.

Click through additional photos from the June 25 event here:

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For the last month, the Miners Alley Performing Arts Center has been hosting a Johnny Cash-themed party.

On June 4, that party temporarily relocated to the Golden Mill, as the venue hosted “Ring of Fire” cast members for a special performance that doubled as a fundraiser for MAPAC.

The Johnny Cash-themed jukebox musical “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” is playing at MAPAC through June 29. It portrays Cash’s journey of “misadventure, success, faith, redemption and the love of a good woman” through his music, according to the MAPAC website.

Six cast members, who double as the musical’s band, showcased their vocal and instrumental talents June 4 at the Golden Mill. About 80% of the songs they played were arrangements from the “Ring of Fire” show, but they mixed in a few other songs from Cash’s contemporaries as well as some originals.

Overall, organizers from both MAPAC and the Golden Mill said the event was a “win-win-win” as it generated interest in “Ring of Fire,” raised funds for MAPAC and brought more people to the Golden Mill on a rainy Wednesday evening.

Right show, right time

Susan Ganter, the Mill’s co-owner, said she’s been wanting to host a fundraiser for MAPAC for years — even before her team took over the Mill in spring 2021.

However, MAPAC never had a show that could easily translate to a fundraising concert. That is, until “Ring of Fire” came along, MAPAC’s Producing Artistic Director Len Matheo said.

Matheo and MAPAC Executive Director Lisa DeCaro told Ganter about “Ring of Fire” about in April, and they all worked to make the June 4 concert and fundraiser happen. Ganter said 10% of the evening’s proceeds would go toward MAPAC, and hoped to raise about $3,000.

Ganter said, if possible, she’d like to host MAPAC for another fundraiser soon and make June the Mill’s cultural arts month.

The venue is also hosting the Circus Foundry aerialists’ annual ARTSWEEK GOLDEN show June 18, which will also be a fundraiser for Foothills Art Center.

For Johnny Cash and theater fans, DeCaro said there were still “Ring of Fire” tickets available, but she recommended people get them sooner rather than later as performances are selling out quickly.

Quadruple threats

She hoped Goldenites would come to see the show, describing the entire cast as quadruple threats who can act, sing, dance and play. She said most of them play several instruments and that watching them perform is impressive.

Because of how “Ring of Fire” is structured, no one performer plays Johnny Cash. The cast members described how they take turns as Cash depending on what aspect of his life they’re portraying.

“It’s the most unique way you’ll hear Johnny Cash music,” cast member Michael Phillips said of the musical.

Cast member David Otto described it as “high energy” and “a party.”

Clark Destin Jones said he’s had a lot of fun with his fellow cast members over the past several weeks and hoped to continue that through closing night on June 29. “I just love playing with these guys,” he said.

Click through additional photos from the June 4 concert:

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Music is much like the Force from the “Star Wars” franchise.

To paraphrase Jedi Master Yoda, music surrounds people and binds them together. One must feel the music around them, between the violins, the trumpets, the flutes, the drums — everywhere. Even between the conductor and the audience.

That’s exactly what Music Director J. Arturo González and the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra members were hoping for on May 18, as they hosted a special “Star Wars”-themed concert as their 2024-25 season finale.

The orchestra hosted back-to-back shows at Colorado School of Mines’ Green Center, where hundreds of “Star Wars” and symphony fans packed the house for both performances. A good portion of both attendees and orchestra members wore costumes or “Star Wars”-themed apparel for the shows.

Among them was Conifer’s Stark family.

Molly Stark said she and her two children had never been to a JSO performance before, but they love “Star Wars” and were excited to hear the music live. They especially enjoyed hearing “Across the Stars” and “Parade of the Ewoks.”

The family members said they had a great time and would be willing to come back to another JSO performance.

González said that was one of his goals for the show, explaining how this type of concert is “a good way to bring in a different type of audience” and that he wanted newcomers to enjoy their experience and return for another show.

JSO concert organizers confirmed attendance for the May 18 “Star Wars” concerts was higher than normal, but that was partly because the orchestra hosted two shows rather than one.

Violinist Martha Finch, who was dressed as Senator Padmé Amidala, was excited to see such a large turnout. She added how she and her colleagues “love the community” and want to see people engage more with their concerts.

The orchestra’s next event will be its Aug. 17 summer concert at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. Finch, González and others invited everyone to enjoy the Music of the 1980s program, including movie soundtracks like “E.T.” and “Back to the Future,” as well as ‘80s rock music, Broadway songs and more.

“We’re here,” González said of JSO. “I think it’s the best and highest-quality community orchestra in Colorado.”

A real Cantina Band

González, who was closing out his second season as JSO’s music director and conductor, told attendees that he’s been a longtime “Star Wars” fan. He described how he saw the original film in theaters in 1977 and how the original trilogy brings back memories of his family.

González recalled that moment in the theater, when the first notes of John Williams’ iconic score blasted over the title and opening crawl.

“In two seconds, the composer tells you what the movie is about,” González told attendees. “ … That gives you a predisposition to pay attention.”

During the show, González encouraged attendees to “break the pattern a little bit” from a regular show by cheering, clapping and holding their lightsabers aloft during their favorite numbers.

Afterward, González told The Transcript how he’s done a “Star Wars”-themed show before with other groups and was excited to do it this year with JSO.

The May 18 program consisted of 11 pieces from the original trilogy and just “Across the Stars” from the prequel trilogy. González explained that JSO featured those pieces because it already owned the music and the rights to perform them.

However, he said his dream is to perform Williams’ music from all nine Skywalker-saga films, including the prequel trilogy’s “Duel of the Fates,” which features a full choir. Organizing and performing such a large-scale concert would be complicated and expensive, but he said he hopes to do it one day.

While not all the orchestra members enjoy “Star Wars” as much as he does, González appreciated their team work and passion for the franchise’s music.

Violinist Atsuko Ohtake, who dressed as the Jedi-trained warrior Ahsoka Tano, explained how one of her fellow violinists is a big “Star Wars” fan and suggested characters for her colleagues to dress as, including Ohtake as Ahsoka.

Ohtake said she didn’t know much about the character, but from what she’d heard, they have very similar personalities.

Overall, Ohtake described how she enjoyed the concert, adding that Williams’ music is “a lot of fun to play.”

Finch likewise described the music as “challenging but rewarding to play,” adding how she didn’t fully appreciate it until she started playing it.

“It’s great to play,” she continued. “I like that it uplifts you and gives you those (inspirational) moments.”

While “Star Wars” was a fun experiment for 2025, González said JSO has an equally exciting lineup planned for its 2025-26 shows. The Oct. 12 season opener will include Ludwig van Beethoven’s world-famous “Symphony No. 5” and the May 17, 2026 season finale will feature music from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”

González said the latter will be a partnership with Mines and the Denver Children’s Choir, describing how he wants to turn the Green Center into a planetarium-type experience for the show.

“Come listen to us,” he said of JSO. “ … We do electrifying music.”

For more information, visit jeffsymphony.org.

Click through additional photos from the May 18 concert:

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Many people think of museums as places that have all the answers, but that’s not always the case. And sometimes that makes for a more intriguing story.

Such is the case for the latest exhibition at the History Colorado Center, The Disappearance of Thomas Riha, which takes a local mystery and investigates the many remaining unanswered questions.  

“This is a true crime cold case that’s never been told publicly in a museum setting,” said Katherine Mercier, exhibition developer and historian at History Colorado. “We felt we finally had the space to experiment with the kind of exhibit we’ve never done before.”

The Disappearance of Thomas Riha will be on display at the Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver in Denver, through March 15.

According to the provided information, the exhibit tells the story of University of Colorado Boulder Russian history professor Thomas Riha, who vanished on March 15, 1969, right in the middle of the Cold War.

The exhibition features never-before-displayed declassified documents from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is deepened by History Colorado’s archives. Museum researchers had a wide range of materials to use, including the journals of a woman who may or may not have played a role in Riha’s disappearance.

“Despite the case never being solved, we have hundreds of pages in our collection that provide unique insights,” Mercier explained. “We don’t claim to have the answer as to what happened, but we want people to be able to go through the evidence and come up with their own theories. There’s even a space at the end of the exhibition where guests can share them.”

While the mystery is the main draw of the exhibit, Mercier said she also hopes visitors get a glimpse of Colorado’s role as a hotbed of activity during the Cold War. With sites like Rocky Flats and the Air Force Academy, the state saw plenty of intrigue.

“People may not understand how big the Cold War was and how it integrated itself into everybody’s life,” she said. “I hope people think about what it would’ve felt like to be living at the time and how they would cope.”

Riha’s disappearance received a great deal of press coverage at the time, but eventually faded away, leaving everyone without answers. So, this exhibit was carefully designed to also include the stories of the people who were affected.

“The exhibit focuses on the people and lives that were wrapped up in the events,” Mercier said. “Thomas had a family that never got answers about what happened to him. This is ultimately a story about humanity.”

For more information, visit www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/disappearance-thomas-riha.

See How Englewood Works at Civic Center

How well do you know the people who keep your city running? Englewood residents have the chance to meet those behind the scenes at the Celebrate Englewood event, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway.

Attendees can meet employees and participate in other activities like Touch a Truck, where people can get up close to a fire truck, police cars, bearcat, police motorcycles and command post, and more. There will be vendors and other activities as well.

More information at https://www.englewoodco.gov/our-city/events/upcoming/celebrate-englewood.

Jefferson Symphony Plays Star Wars Score

May 4 may have been more than a week ago, but the Jefferson Symphony will be celebrating the immortal John Williams Star Wars score with two performances at 1 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 18 at the Mines Green Center, 924 16th St. in Golden.

In addition to the timeless music, Conductor Arturo J. Gonzales will be holding a pre-concert talk at 12:15 and 3:15 p.m. on the day of the concert in Metals Hall. According to provided information, he will discuss the history and composition of the Star Wars Soundtrack, what to listen for, and how to break down John Williams’ brilliant compositions.

Costumes are encouraged and those who wear costumes will get a discount on tickets. Information and tickets are available at https://www.jeffsymphony.org/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Toro y Moi and Panda Bear at the Fillmore Auditorium

There is some music that’s made to get lost in. It’s less about the lyrics and more about the mood, a sonic energy that can transport you if you allow it. In their own ways, both Toro y Moi and Panda Bear, a member of indie rock legends Animal Collective, have been building these musical worlds for years. Their music is very different, but the vibes are strong with both.

The two musicians are a perfect pairing and they’ll be performing at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. Denver, at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16. They’ll be joined by Kassie Krut for an evening to carry you away.

Information and tickets are available at www.axs.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

The post Clarke Reader: Can You Solve The Disappearance of Thomas Riha? appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

El Parsons Theatre de Northglenn será el escenario de una explosiva combinación entre baladas de rock clásico y el inconfundible sonido de la música de mariachi.

El teatro presentará Mariachi Rock Revolution (también conocida como Tequila Rock Revolution) el próximo 10 de mayo a las 7:30 p.m.

“Esta presentación que rompe géneros, liderada por el rockero latino de Austin nominado dos veces al Grammy y violinista eléctrico Haydn Vitera, es una experiencia musical innovadora que fusiona el alma del mariachi con la potencia del rock,” según un comunicado de prensa del Parsons Theatre.

Descrita como “La Experiencia de Mariachi Electrificado”, Mariachi Rock Revolution es un espectáculo latino con potencia rockera que rinde homenaje a la rica tradición del mariachi mientras la reinventa a través de la energía cruda del rock, indica el comunicado.

“El público puede esperar un repertorio dinámico que incluye desde himnos intensos del rock hasta clásicos acústicos emotivos durante su segmento especial ‘Old School Mariachi’,” añade la nota.

“Mariachi Rock Revolution es una celebración audaz y vibrante de la cultura y el sonido, que mezcla la pasión del mariachi con la fuerza bruta del hard rock,” dijo Michael Stricker, productor ejecutivo de Northglenn Arts, en el comunicado. “Es una experiencia que desafía los géneros, tan vibrante como apta para toda la familia—estamos emocionados de traer esta presentación electrizante a nuestro escenario e invitar al público a descubrir la magia donde la tradición se encuentra con el rock and roll.”

Este espectáculo de alta energía ofrece algo para todos: desde la abuela que creció escuchando a Vicente Fernández, hasta el fanático del rock que vive por Led Zeppelin, y el purista del mariachi que aprecia el respeto a las raíces.

Las entradas comienzan en $23 y ya están a la venta a través de la taquilla del Parsons Theatre y en línea en NorthglennARTS.org.

Para más información o para comprar entradas, visita aquí o llama al 303-450-8888.

Consultas de medios, entrevistas y pases de prensa: Terra Mueller, Marketing, P: 303.450.8945 o al correo: tmueller@northglenn.org.

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Even at 16 years old, violinist Yuqing Li has already had a long musical journey.

She started playing the instrument at 4 years old in China. Then, as soon as the COVID-19 lockdown ended, her family moved from Wuhan, China. In 2022, Li received a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music’s pre-college program.

But Li’s latest stop was Golden for two special performances.

Li was the 2025 winner of the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists’ Competition. She won $5,000 for her “breathtaking performance of ‘Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto,'” according to JSO.

To celebrate her win, Li performed a special solo recital on March 28 at the Jefferson Unitarian Church, playing a selection of Bach, Grieg, Bloch, Prokofiev, and Sarasate. Admission was free for those under 18 and JSO season-ticket subscribers.

Li then performed with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra at its March 30 concert, sharing her award-winning rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto” alongside the symphony’s performance of its favorite overture — which it voted on earlier in the season — and Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2.”

JSO is closing out its 72nd season with a special performance of the “Star Wars” franchise soundtrack.

Attendees are encouraged to wear “Star Wars”-themed costumes at either the 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. performances May 18 at Colorado School of Mines’ Green Center. For more information, visit jeffsymphony.org.

Click through additional photos from Li’s March 28 solo recital:

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The band was playing Southern funk music. Green, yellow and purple décor was everywhere. Dozens of people decked out in beads and masks were on parade.

The general scene felt like part of Golden’s Washington Avenue had transformed into New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The Golden Civic Foundation hosted its inaugural Mountain Mardi Gras concert March 4 at the Buffalo Rose, with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit’s Community Impact Grant Program.

The concert was the culmination of a weeklong partnership between GCF and at least nine local restaurants and bars, which offered special Mardi Gras-inspired menus from Feb. 28 to March 4. Twenty percent of all proceeds benefited GCF.

As of March 5, Development Director Violina Mitovska estimated the entire Mountain Mardi Gras event raised at least $5,000 from both the restaurants’ special menus and the benefit concert.

In 2024, GCF awarded more than $110,000 in grants to 36 recipients, including local food banks, museums, schools and festivals.

Recipients described at the time how the grants were critical to support their teen internship programs, their special events and their work to help Goldenites in need, and more.

Organizers hoped this Mountain Mardi Gras would be the first of many, becoming a late winter tradition alongside the nonprofit’s other yearly fundraisers, the Summer Jam benefit concert and its fall gala.

GCF board members Pat Madison and Sarah Labosky said late February and early March tends to be a slower time in Golden, and thought a fundraiser centered on Mardi Gras would be a great way to generate business among local restaurants, raise funds for local causes, and bring people downtown on a weeknight in the winter.

Buffalo Rose owner Chris Cone felt likewise, estimating that the March 4 concert alone brought 127 people to the venue on a Tuesday night. Plus, the restaurant side’s special menu was well-received leading up to the concert, he said.

Because Golden hasn’t consistently celebrated Mardi Gras, Cone believed there was a pent-up demand for an event like Mountain Mardi Gras. Plus, both the weeklong special menus and the benefit concert were a great way to support local causes, he said.

So, Cone donated the venue and underwrote the cost of the entertainment, namely local Southern funk band Krewe de Groove, so GCF could retain all money from the ticket sales.

Locals Jim Geis and Beverly Walter were among the concertgoers, decked out in beads they brought back from a New Orleans jazz festival.

The two said they bought tickets because they love New Orleans and funk music, and wanted to support GCF. They also sampled the Buffalo Rose’s gumbo before the concert, saying it had a nice kick to it.

Madison and Labosky thanked Cone and his team, saying the benefit concert wouldn’t have been possible without the Buffalo Rose’s support. They also thanked their other restaurant partners for participating in the weeklong special menus, saying they hoped Mountain Mardi Gras would grow more each year.

Mark the calendar

Now with spring well on the way, the nonprofit is wrapping up its 2025 Community Impact Grants cycle. The application deadline was March 7, and recipients would be notified of their status in late April.

Additionally, GCF is in the process of hiring a new executive director, Madison and Labosky said. Applications were set to close at the end of March, with Madison saying that he’s already impressed with the quality of applicants the nonprofit has heard from thus far.

He and Labosky hoped to have a new executive director on board in April.

After that, they said, they recommended people mark their calendars for:

• Summer Jam, the annual family-friendly benefit concert, which will be June 25 at the Colorado Railroad Museum; and
• The annual fall gala fundraiser Oct. 18 at the Denver West Marriott.

Labosky thanked the entire Golden community for its continued support of GCF and its mission, saying Mountain Mardi Gras was a wonderful way to raise money for the grant program and celebrate Fat Tuesday with friends.

For more information, visit goldencivicfoundation.org.

Click through additional photos from the March 4 event:

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It might’ve been a festival dedicated to Ullr, the Norse god of winter, but it felt more like spring in Golden Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

Hundreds of Coloradans spent their weekend at the 11th annual UllrGrass in Parfet Park, enjoying the beer, bluegrass music and beautiful weather. It was the perfect opportunity for people to don their Viking-style helmets and bust out their drinking horns.

The event, which started in 2015, brings breweries and bluegrass bands together, typically on the last weekend of January. While temps were in the 50s and 60s this year, longtime festival goers can attest that previous events have lived up to the wintry namesake.

Since its inception, UllrGrass has been highlighted as a must-go wintertime festival and accumulated a passionate following. Some of this year’s attendees said they traveled several hours to Golden just for the festival, while others said they’ve gone every year — even when it was freezing outside.

Proceeds from the annual festival benefit the Coral Creek Kids Music Project’s educational programs and performances.

For more information, visit UllrGrass.com.

Click through additional photos from the Feb. 1 festivities:

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Music and poetry are kind of like two star-crossed lovers that lead separate lives and do fine all by themselves, but once they meet, magical things start to happen. Then before you know it, a song is born!

I think most people realize that what we think of as a song is really just that — poetry set to music. But actually, there’s a little bit more to it, and songs as we know them were not always what a song actually was.

If you ever watch any movies or read some books about notable figures or heroes set hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years ago, you will probably come across a phrase something like, “He will be remembered and honored in song and story for all time.” In that context and period, they weren’t talking about a musical selection, they were talking about some kind of poetry. That was one of the original meanings of the word “song.”

In fact, if you look it up in the dictionary, that word actually has seven different definitions, so it’s meaning can vary quite a bit by the context it’s used in. But I won’t bore you with all the details about that. I just wanted to set the stage for this week’s event by reminding everyone how closely music and poetry are related and talking about what a song actually is gets us off on the right foot.

It’s kind of funny how music and poetry started off as two different things, merged together to form songs for ages, but in the 20th century, sort of morphed a bit into being performed together but separate. If you have ever seen beatnik poetry readings in the 1950s and ‘60s, they would usually read their poems with a jazz combo interacting with them in the background. They weren’t combined into a song, but they were working together. Then think about Rap music. It’s usually a rhythmic poem recited on top of a musical groove, not integrated into a melody like other songs. So, in both of those cases, music and poetry walk hand in hand instead of morphing into one thing.

Those are all examples of how poetry and music come together. But there is another way. Sometime a composer is inspired to write music to depict something instrumentally that’s inspired by those “songs and stories” using the first definition I mentioned. Tchaikovsky’s Peter and the Wolf is probably the most famous example of that kind of thing. They refer to those as a “tone poem.”

Well, on Sunday, Feb. 2, the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a few more examples with their Poetry in Music concert. Conducted by their new Assistant Conductor, Dr. Sara Parkinson, the orchestra will be showcasing three pieces of music inspired by different stories and poems. The concert will be highlighted by talented principal French hornist Alicia Watson, who will be performing Hindemith’s virtuosic Horn Concerto, written with an accompanying short poem.

The other compositions include Mussorgsky’s A Night on Bald Mountain. Inspired by Russian literary works and legend, he composed a “musical picture” on the theme of a Witches’ Sabbath occurring at Bald Mountain on St. John’s Eve, which he completed on that very night, June 23,1867.

Then there’s Richard Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks which chronicles the misadventures and pranks of the German peasant folk hero, Till Eulenspiegel. The music is crafty and wheedling, suggesting a trickster doing what he does best.

And finally, there’s Sensemayá, which is a composition for orchestra by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, which is based on the poem of the same title by the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. The poem is based on Afro-Cuban religious cults. In this poem we meet an adept known as the “mayombero” who leads a ritual which offers the sacrifice of a snake to a god. Uhm, at this point I want to note that there is no mention in the promotional material for the concert about bringing a live snake on stage, although that might be a memorable addition to the performance. Just sayin’.

The Poetry in Music concert will be held at the Green Center on the Colorado School of Mines campus at 3 p.m. Feb. 2 and you can find out more plus order tickets at www.jeffsymphony.org.

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.

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