Music can be an extraordinarily powerful tool for connection and change. We are passionate about the world of the orchestra being a place for everyone. Reducing barriers to access, cultivating diverse audiences, electing and recruiting representational leadership, and creating spaces where people from all backgrounds and demographics have a voice in our work – are all key components of what we do.
We understand that the world of the orchestra has a history of exclusion. In working with the youngest members of our community, we especially have the opportunity – and the obligation – to make change. We believe it is on us to reinvent the orchestra experience. We will not assume that the traditions of the orchestra are the right way forward. We will work for change by challenging the established assumptions and perceptions of the orchestral world.
We know that orchestra music is only one tiny slice of a vast global landscape of artistic experiences. Orchestra music is merely a piece of this picture. While we love the orchestra and all it has to offer, we reject the premise upheld by so many other orchestra institutions that orchestra music is inherently superior to other art forms. We will continue to work to create space to celebrate and honor the arts from diverse cultures.
Please find more on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion here.
Denver Arts Organizations and Resources from Communities of Color
Diversity in the Arts – The Diversity in the Arts (DITA) Internship Program is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the leadership of the arts & culture nonprofit community in Colorado.
Diversity in Denver – Learn more about Denver’s rich cultural communities
Cleo Parker Robinson – Cleo Parker Robinson Dance leverages the universal language of dance to honor African American heritage, explore the human condition, and offer a transformative experience through physical movement.
RedLine Art – RedLine Contemporary Art Center fosters education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change.
The Source Theater Company – A theatre organization in Denver devoted to the development and presentation of culturally relevant new works.
Five Points Jazz Festival – This free festival takes place the third Saturday of May every year and celebrates the history of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
Mexican Cultural Center – The Mexican Cultural Center is dedicated to increasing awareness of Mexico’s unique arts, customs, traditions and destinations among the audiences of the United States of America.
Latino Cultural Arts Center – The Mission of the Latino Cultural Arts Center (LCAC) is to strengthen the knowledge of the extensive artistic expressions of Latinos living in the U.S. and globally through education, discussion, exhibition, and preservation of their historical and ongoing contributions.
Chicano Humanities and Arts Council – a consortium of artists, cultural workers, individuals, and organizations dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Chicano/Latino culture in the state of Colorado.
Denver March Powwow – . A welcoming glimpse into Native American culture, more than 1,600 dancers from close to 100 tribes from 38 states and three Canadian provinces come to the three-day event.
Denver Taiko – a community-based organization committed to honoring and sharing Japanese drumming through performance and providing an engaging creative outlet for those with interest in the art of taiko.
Colorado Dragon Boat Festival – The mission of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is to build bridges of awareness, knowledge and understanding between the diverse Asian Pacific American (APA) communities and the general public through cultural education, leadership development and athletic competition.
National Arts Resources
Denver Arts and Venues Resources – Though Arts and Venues is local to Denver, their resource list can apply to organizations and communities around the country.
Sphinx Organization – the Detroit-based national organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts
Living Black Composers Directory – Directory of living Black composers. Sortable by year of birth, gender, and more.