Back To Previous PageDid you know Fort Collins has our own symphony? We do, and, this year, they're celebrating their 100th year! The Fort Collins Symphony's official season runs from October to May, with a few other performances throughout the remainder of the year, such as Fourth of July at City Park. Their April show is a Film Music Concert, costumes encouraged, and their season concludes with a May performance by Resplendent Rachmaninoff. If tickets are out of your price range, keep an eye on the Symphony's website, as they host a preview event the week of the show which is free for all to attend.
We spoke with Jeremy Cuebas, Marketing and Communications Director, of the Fort Collins Symphony to get the inside scoop on the Symphony and his FoCo favorites.
What do you love about Fort Collins?
I love how comfortable and alive I feel in Fort Collins. I can bike anywhere, I can see a show almost any day of the week, and there’s always a new restaurant that I haven’t tried yet. Fort Collins has the character of a small town, but the opportunities of a big city. I had to move to Denver for a few years after graduating from CSU, so I visited Fort Collins as often as I could. Then I was finally able to move back and call it home again.
What are your top 3 favorite activities to do in Fort Collins?
- The arts. Going to the symphony, of course, but also going to plays at Bas Bleu, performances at CSU, seeing a movie at the Lyric, and hearing music wherever I am downtown.
- Visiting the flower gardens at the University Center for the Arts in the summer. The flowers are so gorgeous and it's like walking through a museum.
- I love every chance I get to go to the Museum of Discovery. The space is so cool and they have awesome things to see and do. And it's not just for kids!
What "can't miss" activity/restaurant/place would you tell a first-time visitor to go?
I always tell people to just wander around Old Town. Grab a meal at Coopersmith’s (where my wife and I went on our first date), get ice cream at Kilwin’s or the Walrus, and then just wander for hours. Look at shops, stop for some coffee, listen to people play the pianos, etc. That’s what I did on my first night in Fort Collins and I was a great way to meet and feel the uniqueness of the city.
What makes the Fort Collins Symphony unique?
We don’t just play classical music, which you may expect from other orchestras. We perform music by composers old and new, music from favorite movies and TV shows, and music for the young and young at heart. We highlight diverse and underrepresented stories and we play the music that you know and love and music that you don’t yet know that you love.
What is the story behind how the Fort Collins Symphony got its start?
The FCS started in 1923 when a visionary violinist name Editha Todd Leonard founded the Fort Collins Concert Orchestra. For years she led this volunteer orchestra made of community members. After a hiatus during World War II, Will Schwartz revitalized the orchestra and transformed it into today’s fully-professional Fort Collins Symphony. Since 2003, Maestro Wes Kenney has led the FCS as its Music Director and Conductor.
What do you want visitors to experience at the Fort Collins Symphony?
We want visitors to escape from the stress and monotony of everyday life. When you come to a Fort Collins Symphony concert, you are transported to a new world of sounds and experiences that you can’t get anywhere else in the city. People use the words “relaxing,” “inspiring,” and “uplifting” to describe our concerts, so we invite anybody interested in a unique night out to come to relax, be inspired, and be uplifted.
(Photos courtesy of Fort Collins Symphony)
Fort Collins Symphony
Address: 141 S. College Ave, Suite 104, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Phone: (970) 482-4823
Email: note@FCSymphony.org
Website: https://fcsymphony.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortCollinsSymphony
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FortCollinsSymphony/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/fortcollinssymphony
