DPAC parking alert!
Denver Arts & Venues' garage at the Denver Performing Arts Complex is currently undergoing renovations. The 13th Street entrance will remain closed through the end of February, and then the Arapahoe Street entrance will be closed from March through early May. This project will allow for a new payment system, faster entry and exit, and the ability to use pre-paid parking. As a result, access to the garage on 13th Street will be closed. Get there early, enter on Arapahoe Street, and consider other ways of getting to the theater.
The tour of the musical “Chicago” returned to the Buell Theatre this week. Adolfo Ortiz-Feder, who plays Harry and the Jury in the show, was born in Brighton and attended school in Colorado Springs. He was also in the touring company of “Fiddler on the Roof” when it stopped at the DCPA, so he has experience performing in the Mile High City.
“I keep telling my castmates it's all about pacing. We've been doing the show for a while now, so we all understand the flow of the show very well. And so we just got to trust ourselves and take those little moments of rest whenever we can because in the show we do stay on stage for the majority of it,” Ortiz-Feder said. “Even when we're not performing, we sit … on the sides of the stage in the chairs, so we're present for a lot of the show. So it makes getting those little breaks off stage to go ahead and use those oxygen tanks a little bit more tricky. But again, we've been doing the show for a while and we all just got to trust the pace of the show.”
“Chicago” at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts plays through Feb. 4.
Friday, Feb. 2
Colorado Ballet presents the full-length ballet “Jekyll & Hyde,” choreographed by Val Caniparoli. It is inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Gothic novella. This North American premiere is presented through a coalition between four ballet companies: Kansas City Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada.
Artistic Director Gil Boggs said he chose this ballet for the challenge it presents for the dancers.
“I will say it's unlike anything they've ever done, but it's a lot more dramatic, I think, than anything they've ever done,” Boggs said. “And these characters are so complex and to challenge them on developing these characters has just been a whirlwind of an experience both to watch it happen for me and watching them grow into this.”
“Jekyll & Hyde", with live music featuring the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, plays at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House through Sunday, Feb. 11.
The Art Center of Western Colorado (TAC) in Grand Junction opens the Ron Beckman Member Show during the center's First Friday celebration this week. This annual event features over 450 works in various disciplines and mediums.
Additionally, The Art Center's First Friday Celebration also includes an exhibition of the Keep the Dream Alive poster contest. In observance of Black History Month, TAC is showcasing submissions for the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest. This contest presented an opportunity for kindergarten to high school students to celebrate their artistic talents and deepen their understanding of the historical significance of a pivotal period in history. The theme for this year's contest was Keep the Dream Alive, and it is produced in conjunction with Black Citizens and Friends, Mesa County Valley School District #51.
The Art Center of Western Colorado’s First Friday Celebration runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Saturday, Feb. 3
On Saturday, the Winter Walkabout Music Showcase in Longmont features over 100 local musicians performing at more than 15 venues. One all-inclusive ticket admits music lovers to all the shows. This year's headliners include 2MX2, a bilingual band that combines traditional Latin rhythms with alternative, pop, and urban sensibilities; Kid Astronaut, which is inspired by R&B/soul, hip-hop, punk music, and the multi-dimensional world of Marvel Comics; and The 89s, an Americana/pop/rock band from Lyons.
The Winter Walkabout Music Showcase runs Saturday from 2 - 11 p.m. at various venues around Longmont. See the full schedule and venues here.
Fort Collins Symphony presents Dvořák's 9th Symphony, "From the New World," in person or via livestream. As a Black History Month tribute, the concert also features the Colorado premiere of Florence Price's “Ethiopia's Shadow in America.” With this performance, artist Louise Cutler and the FSC honor the legacy of the pioneering Black American composer and her work, which traces the physical and emotional journeys of those who were enslaved and brought to the United States.
Fort Collins Symphony presents Dvořák's 9th Symphony and Florence Price's “Ethiopia's Shadow in America” at 7:30 p.m. at The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins and via livestream.
The worlds of classical music and drag artistry meet at Boettcher Concert Hall as violinist Thorgy Thor, known as the “Queen of Classical Music” on RuPaul’s “Drag Race,” performs live with the Colorado Symphony.
Thorgy Thor and the Thorchestra with the Colorado Symphony, Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver.
All Weekend
Every February, the Eastern Plains town of Lamar hosts one of the biggest birding festivals in the state. Families, bird watchers, and outdoor enthusiasts head to the town for the annual snow goose migration. The festival gives visitors the chance to witness the arctic waterfowl as they migrate via the Western Central Flyway which includes Colorado, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle.
The 2024 High Plains Snow Goose Festival, Feb. 2 - 4 in Lamar.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
- Denverite Things to do in Denver this weekend
- KRCC community calendar for Southern Colorado
- CPR Classical Concert calendar
- Indie 102.3 calendar
How we pick our events: CO Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated. Some groups that appear on the list may also be financial sponsors of CPR but have no input into our editorial choices.
Some groups mentioned in the Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
