It鈥檚 not your usual mid-summer gig, but it鈥檚 one that several members of the CU Boulder Horn Studio won鈥檛 soon forget.
This Thursday, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma鈥攆resh off a solo performance of the Bach cello suites at Red Rocks the night before鈥攚ill kick off a 鈥淒ay of Conversation and Action鈥� with a rally co-hosted with Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Symphony in Denver鈥檚 Civic Center Park. And four student horn players from the College of Music will perform for the audience.
Junior Maggie Barnes is one of the student musicians. 鈥淚 am so excited to get to meet Yo-Yo Ma and Governor Hickenlooper,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t means the world to me to get to be a part of this monumental occasion!鈥�
Barnes and doctoral student Raya Panova, master鈥檚 student Josh East and senior Erika Hollister were invited by the Colorado Symphony to perform the opening fanfare at the rally, which is part of an ongoing effort by Ma to bring music into underserved communities. Associate Professor of Horn and Colorado Symphony Principal Horn Michael Thornton says his studio has always had a close working relationship with the horn section of the symphony.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important that the flagship music institution in the state have that kind of partnership with the most well-known and respected orchestra in the state,鈥� Thornton says. 鈥淲e are proud that in the case of this event, the Colorado Symphony chose our studio to represent the best of young musicians in the state of Colorado.鈥�
Thornton says for the past several years, either the CU Horn Choir or the Colorado Horn Quartet has performed before a symphony concert at Boettcher Concert Hall. Horn students also recently performed at a Beethoven and Brews event with the Colorado Symphony horn section.
鈥淚 am so excited to perform for such influential people,鈥� says Erika Hollister. 鈥淐U has provided countless opportunities for me as a musician and I am so grateful.鈥�
The rally starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2, at the amphitheater in Civic Center Park. According to a press release from Ma鈥檚 team, the cellist and activist will visit听Aurora, Westwood, Five Points and Mariposa later that day to talk about the role of culture in making Denver鈥檚 neighborhoods stronger.
