Programs and Resources
The Fort Collins Symphony hosts a variety of community and education programs for adults and children alike, plus opportunities to learn more about the music we perform on each concert.
Community Programs:
For 65 years, the Fort Collins Symphony’s Youth Education Series (YES) concert has enchanted and entertained 4th and 5th grade students in Larimer County. The YES concert is the first opportunity for most students to experience a live performance of professional symphonic music. The concerts have become a flagship music education program in Northern Colorado with many students acknowledging that the concerts inspired them to join band or play in an orchestra. Each year, over 3,500 students attend this engaging and interactive event over five performances.
Click here to learn more about our YES Concerts
B Sharp is a community research program launched in partnership between the Fort Collins Symphony and Colorado State University to study the beneficial effects of live music, social connection, and community support on dementia patients and their caregivers.
Participants are given the opportunity to attend five live Signature Series Concerts, pre- and post-concert receptions, and opportunities to meaningfully interact with others.
Click here to learn more about the B Sharp Program
Open notes is a community outreach program that provides a safe and accessible opportunity for underserved students in Larimer County to attend a live symphonic concert for youth. The program helps students who otherwise would not have the means or ability to attend such a performance.
The Open Notes program has created a real awareness of the challenges many in our community face and offers the universal language of music as a means of connecting.
When social distancing became the norm in early 2020, your Fort Collins Symphony an opportunity to start providing virtual performances and other opportunities to connect digitally. On our Videos and Virtual Concerts page, you’ll find short videos and performances by our staff and orchestra members, interviews with guest artists from previous seasons, and a full performance of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony recorded using a 360 degree camera in the center of the orchestra!
Visit our Videos and Virtual Concerts page
Education Resources:
The FCS Newcomers Guide is an ever-expanding collection of resources for those new to classical music and/or the Fort Collins Symphony. In connection with our Blog and Education Programs, it provides new audiences with an accessible ramp into the wide world of classical music.
Click here to visit our Newcomers Guide
Hosted by FCS Assistant Conductor Jeremy Cuebas, the open notes podcast features interviews with upcoming guest artists, introductions to the music we perform on each concert, and other episodes designed to teach you more about the wonderful world of classical music.
Click here to listen on our podcast website
Or follow the buttons below:
Read the program notes for each concert and many of our past concerts in our Program Notes Archive. Written by former FCS trombonist Bill Runyan and CSU professor Dr. K. Dawn Grapes, the notes are informative and artful explorations of the music that we perform.
Visit the Program Notes Archive for current and past program notes.
The Music Box is a subset of the FCS Education Programs. It is a growing collection of educational resources for all ages.
Visit our ever-growing collection of blog posts and guides on everything classical music in Fort Collins. Written by our staff and guest contributors, the Fort Collins Symphony blog is your guide to the music.
Learn More about the Music on our Concerts:
Read the program notes for each concert on its event page, or explore program notes from many of our past concerts in our Program Notes Archive. Written by former FCS trombonist Bill Runyan and CSU professor Dr. K. Dawn Grapes, the notes are informative and artful explorations of the music that we perform.
Visit the Program Notes Archive for current and past program notes.
Hosted by FCS Assistant Conductor Jeremy Cuebas, the open notes podcast features interviews with upcoming guest artists, introductions to the music we perform on each concert, and other episodes designed to teach you more about the wonderful world of classical music.
Click here to listen on our podcast website
Or follow the buttons below:
In partnership with your Fort Collins Symphony, the Friends of the Symphony are pleased to provide a free lecture series on the Wednesday before each Signature Series Concert. Join CSU professor Dawn Grapes, PhD for an entertaining and wonderfully informative journey through the lives of the composers featured in each concert.
Composer talks are held via zoom at noon M.T. on the Wednesday before each Signature Concert.
For more information and the zoom link to Composer Talks, see the individual listing for each concert on our Events Page.
Join Maestro Wes Kenney and your Fort Collins Symphony for Open Rehearsals and a taste of what’s to come! On the Thursday before most Signature Series concerts, see how the orchestra rehearses and get a behind-the-scenes look at how we put a concert together. While at the Open Rehearsal, you can fill out our scavenger hunt to be eligible to win two free tickets for that weekend’s concert.
For more information on Open Rehearsals, see the individual listing for each concert on our Events Page.
From the lives of the composers to the process of putting it all together for one incredible concert, join Maestro Wes Kenney one hour before each Signature Series Concert for a guided tour through the night’s program. Maestro’s Musings is included with the purchase of your ticket.
For more information on Maestro’s Musings, see the individual listing for each concert on our Event Page.
