Join us at the Denver Botanic Gardens for a Creative Convening on April 25!

This FREE event features activities by local guest artists and community partners alongside open access to the Gardens’ botanic illustration classrooms and an art supply swap to trade gently used art materials.

The Playground will be offering a live graphic scores workshop - create some art and we will play it!

Advance RSVP is required. BYOB wine and beer permitted!

More details and RSVP here: https://www.botanicgardens.org/programs/creative-convening

Join The Playground at [LEAF], the Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival!

LEAF is a showcase of electronic and new media arts that bridges the classical music and traditional art worlds with contemporary electronic and emerging new media, including sonic and visual elements combined in new and novel ways. The Playground will join artists Jestern and Kevin Sweet to present a program of electronic works composed & performed by Playground folks, including Conrad Kehn, David Farrell, and Ryan Fiegl.

This event is FREE, so come to the Lafayette Center for Musical Arts for an evening of great music!

Join us for our second Colorado Collaborators Showcase (CoCoSho) on April 13th!

A retooling of our annual Colorado Composers Concert to diversify our collaborator pool, CoCoSho is an event celebrating the work of Colorado artists - including composers, performers, dancers, and visual artists - following an open call for collaborators and blind selection.

This year’s selected collaborator is Denver-based performance artist MG Bernard, who will work with Playground composer Nathan Hall to create a new, collaborative work. Alongside this premiere we will perform additional works by Colorado-connected composers.

$25 GA, $20 Seniors/Military, $15 Students

Tickets available here: https://ahec.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1743

More details on the full program here.

Step into the world of the bizarre and captivating as Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum takes over The Stanley Hotel on March 8 & 9, 2024, for a 'minifest made manifest'!

Located in the eerie and mystic backdrop of The Stanley Hotel, this promises to be a unique and unforgettable experience. It is more than just a concert; it’s a portal to a realm of music, art, and oddities across the Stanley campus that will leave you enchanted and spellbound.

On March 9th, in particular, immerse yourself in the world of Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum with a Playground Ensemble concert featuring music from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Playground members will also participate in Aron Dyer’s Dronechoir.

Get your tickets NOW and be a part of this extraordinary journey into the surreal.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased through the Stanley Hotel here: https://www.stanleylive.com/sgm

In collaboration with Leon Gallery and The Japanese Arts Network, we are excited to present an evening with legendary avant-garde percussionist, Tatsuya Nakatani. The evening will feature Tatsuya's signature solo set, as well as an improvisation featuring The Playground’s Director Conrad Kehn.

Tatsuya Nakatani is an avant-garde percussionist, composer, and artist of sound. Active internationally since the 1990s, Nakatani has released over 80 recordings and tours extensively, performing over 150 concerts a year. Originally from Japan, he makes his home in the desert town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. With his activity in new music, improvisation, and experimental music, Nakatani has a long history of collaboration.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Join The Playground at Denver Botanic Gardens for some free musical activities during Denver Arts Week!

4-5pm MST — Ticketed Concert — Advance registration required, register here watch ONLINE or
register here to join IN-PERSON (includes entrance to the Gardens)
5-10pm MST — Free Event (no registration required)

Jessi Harvey, Montana-born composer, and the Playground Ensemble String Quartet will come together to perform Harvey’s Shades of Colorado, a 7-movement work based in research on Colorado’s past, present, and future natural world; taking inspiration from the Colorado state butterfly, the Colorado Hairstreak, the Rocky Mountain Locust, Colorado River, and many other iconic Colorado natural features.

Following the artist talk and performance, The Playground String Quartet will explore and reimagine Jessi Harvey’s Stages of Water, in an ambient atrium experience and PG Director Conrad Kehn will present “What does it sound like?”, an interactive sound-making workshop.

Check out the full program here.

Join The Playground for a second redux of our Space Program dome concert!

A multi-media performance at the Gates Planetarium at Denver Museum of Nature and Science will explore how space exploration and discovery influence today’s composers. Featuring Playground commissions for spatialized audio and chamber ensemble with added video components — works by Annie Gosfield, George Crumb, Conrad Kehn, Nathan Hall, and Monica Bolles.

TWO PERFORMANCES — 7pm and 9pm on Friday, October 27th

$20 for DMNS Members and Playground Supporters | $25 for Non-Members

Tickets for 7pm here
Tickets for 9pm here

In this Playground Ensemble program centered around the environment, we perform new music that points to the fragility and resilience of Earth and of ourselves. How can we contain both the grief of forest fires and the hopeful work of climate recovery?

Featuring contributions from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, this concert includes beautiful and resonant compositions using bones from Antarctica as instruments; a work that calls out the plight of deforestation; and a work connecting our region's wind patterns to drum beats.

Funding for this program was provided by Denver Arts & Venues through the Denver Music Advancement Fund.

Purchase Tickets Here: https://playgroundensemble.wellattended.com/events/sustain-presented-by-the-playground-ensemble

The Lived Experience Concert is an Artistic Experience Supporting Reentry & Reducing Recidivism. In this second partnership with Remerg, The Playground will showcase the stories and creative expression of currently and formerly incarcerated people.

In addition to new works inspired by the lived experiences of this community, the concert will also feature three brand new pieces created by pairs of a composer and a returning citizen, each of whom has collaborated in the creation of a new musical work.

There will also be a silent auction of visual art by currently and formerly incarcerated people. Proceeds will benefit Remerg and its reentry programs and resources.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here.

Join The Playground for a redux of our Space Program dome concert!

A multi-media performance at the Gates Planetarium at DMNS will explore how space exploration and discovery influences today’s composers. Featuring Playground commissions for spatialized audio and chamber ensemble with added video components — works by Annie Gosfield, George Crumb, Conrad Kehn, Nathan Hall, and Monica Bolles.

TWO PERFORMANCES — 7pm and 9pm on Friday, September 30th

$20 for DMNS Members and Playground Supporters | $25 for Non-Members | $10 for Students/Children

Purchase Tickets for 7pm here

Purchase Tickets for 9pm here

The Playground is joining vertical dance group BANDALOOP for a FREE event (no ticket needed) as part of an afternoon of fun and delight celebrating the Newman Center for the Performing Arts’ 20th Anniversary.

Gliding, dancing, falling with style – the members of BANDALOOP seamlessly weave dynamic physicality with intricate choreography and climbing technology to turn the dance floor on its side. Literally, the outer walls of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Science and the Sie Complex, all within walking distance of the Newman Center!

Food trucks and concessions will be available throughout the experience which will start at 3:30pm. In addition, Fancy Tiger Crafts will provide an interactive loom demonstration and Artist Proof Collective will offer onsite screen printing of event t-shirts ($20) with Newman Center/BANDALOOP artwork. There will also be a table community with representatives from such community partners as the Denver Public Library, Museum of Contemporary Art and others.

Free parking (first come first serve) will be available in the Newman Center parking garage which is off of University and Wesley Ave. Patrons are encouraged to bring portable chairs or lawn blankets to enjoy the performances.

Click here for the official program.

Calling all Educators — You're invited to a FREE night out at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science featuring organizations from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District!

Enjoy the museum and learn how SCFD organizations can serve you and your students over free appetizers and a cash bar. Plus ones welcomed! Event is for 21+ adults.

FREE for educators + 1 (adults only, please)
Reservations required - RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY 
Light appetizers and cash bar

Featuring organizations from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (including The Playgorund!)

Join the Playground and other AMEE members for a Music Festival & Resource Fair!

This annual event is be a way for community members to interact with different music organizations and the programs available to them while enjoying great bands, booths and food.

Doors open at 3:30pm, live music begins at 5pm.

FREE ENTRY - RSVP's Required

The Alliance for Music Education Equity (AMEE) is the backbone organization of a collective impact effort of music organizations that are passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusivity, and are committed to cooperatively making systemic change in music education across Denver. The Playground is proud to be a member.

From the Harlem Renaissance and the US-Mexico border to the streets of Hong Kong, LGBTQ+ voices have demanded an end to oppression and the right to live freely and authentically. The Playground Ensemble’s third annual Pride concert features new works that celebrate the spirit of resilience and perseverance in queer communities around the world.

We are excited to finally present this concert which was originally scheduled for June 2020.

Find more information on the program here.

Purchase tickets here!

Join the Playground for the Inaugural CoCoSho on April 9th!

Purchase tickets here.

Since 2006, our annual Colorado Composers Concert (CoCoCo) has featured 118 works by 80 different Colorado-based composers including 16 K-12 composers. Recently, we shifted the focus of this concert to the Colorado Collaborators Showcase (CoCoSho) so that we could continue to expand the realm of contemporary music and offer a platform for cross-disciplinary artists to expand their creative practice and experiment with contemporary chamber music. Resembling a cross-discipline residency, the intent of CoCoSho is to diversify our collaborative partners, offer opportunities for non-musical groups and organizations to create new works involving music, and bring more equity to our commissioning process.

The program will include:

• World premiere of “Hollow: A Banishing Ritual” by Silen Wellington, which explores the paradox of being both de- and hyper-sexualized as a transgender person

• World premiere of “Ghost Figures” by Ben Morris

• World premiere of “Poisons” by Robert Strobel, who won the Barlow Endowment Commissioning Prize in 2019

• Rzewski’s “Coming Together” with choreography by Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre

• World premiere of “Timestream” by Sarah Whitnah in collaboration with sound sculptor Alex Branch, and featuring Branch’s sculptural instruments

Tickets will range from $10-15; purchase tickets here!

In partnership with Remerg, this unique concert program will feature multiple pieces of music that involve texts written by people that were or are incarcerated. The evening will also feature two brand new Playground commissions, including a work written by a recently incarcerated composer. We are also saving space on each program for featured stories and videos presented by the clients of our show partners Remerg.

Proceeds from both shows will go to Remerg.

Purchase tickets ($20 GA) or find information on the musical program here.

Patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination upon entry and will remain masked throughout the performance. All performers are fully vaccinated and will be unmasked during the performance.

Supported by the Denver Music Advancement Fund and Denver Arts and Venues.

In partnership with Remerg, this unique concert program will feature multiple pieces of music that involve texts written by people that were or are incarcerated. The evening will also feature two brand new Playground commissions, including a work written by a recently incarcerated composer. We are also saving space on each program for featured stories and videos presented by the clients of our show partners Remerg.

Proceeds from both shows will go to Remerg.

Purchase tickets ($20 GA) or find information on the musical program here.

Patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination upon entry and will remain masked throughout the performance. All performers are fully vaccinated and will be unmasked during the performance.

Supported by the Denver Music Advancement Fund and Denver Arts and Venues.

In collaboration with The Japanese Arts Network and Leon Gallery, we are excited to present an evening with legendary avant-garde percussionist, Tatsuya Nakatani.

The evening will feature Tatsuya's signature solo set, as well as an improvisation featuring Playground Director Conrad Kehn, and spoken word artist Jovan Mays. Following the performance will be an audience talkback facilitated by Japanese Arts Network's Courtney Ozaki.

More information and Tickets here.

Denver Art Museums’s UNTITLED: Creative Fusions is a quarterly collaboration with local artists and creatives to create an evening full of events, performances, experimentation, and one-of-a-kind experiences. Throughout the night, artists showcase their work while providing a hands-on and engaging atmosphere

This evening is a celebration of resiliency and empathy as well as an opportunity to connect with amazing local artists and creatives. It will serve as a reminder that even through the rise and fall of civilizations, life remains, traditions carry on, and the spirit survives—inspired by the exhibition, ReVisión: Art of the Americas.

Experience a fresh mix of contemporary art from Alejandra Abad and music from Felix Ayodele with support from Playground musicians.

The Playground will also be hosting a clinic on making your own found sound instruments!

Tickets range from free to $18, depending on age and residency. Purchase tickets here: https://tickets.denverartmuseum.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=2384

THIS CONCERT IS RESCHEDULED FROM SPRING 2020!

The Playground Ensemble with guest performer Steven Beck present works both intimate and grand. The concert will feature the world premieres of Loretta Notareschi’s Gnomic Concerto for Piano and Chamber Ensemble alongside Michael Frank’s Pulsations for large ensemble, and selections from Notareschi’s works for piano.

This concert is sponsored by the University Research and Scholarship Council of Regis University, and funds raised will support Colorado Village Collaborative’s Safe Outdoor Space tent encampment on Regis campus.

Learn more about the program here.

Join the Playground Ensemble for a musical walking tour of the RiNo Art District’s unique street art and murals! At each stop on this 1-mile route you’ll learn about the art and enjoy live music performed by Playground musicians. The program features a collaboration with Assetou Xango, former Poet Laureate of Aurora; a location featuring percussion made from metal plates and car parts; and a new composition inspired by COVID-19 stories by composer David Farrell in collaboration with audio engineer Jeff Merkel. Also on the program are great works by Allison Loggins-Hull, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Gene Koshinski, and Andy Akiho.

All tickets include a complimentary drink ticket to Noble Riot to enjoy at the end of the walking tour and a scavenger hunt for those of you who enjoy a little challenge!

The event is wheelchair accessible, with no seating. If you do not think you are able to stand for the entire performance, you are more than welcome to bring a camp chair or stool along for the journey.

Tickets for this event are extremely limited so get yours NOW at this link!

See the full program here

In Western culture, we're accustomed to thinking of a musical score as a page of notes, rests, and measures. But not all composers and music-makers use historical notation to get their ideas across. Graphic scores have been used by musicians for decades to allow for new creative restrictions and sonic inspiration. Playground's latest show 'Graphic Content' features three composers who do just this.

Find more details, including the concert program, here!

Join the Facebook Live Stream here.

Join us for the second installment of RemoteLab - the Playground’s newest commissioning initiative focused on musical and multimedia creative works designed specifically for the features and limitations of online conferencing platforms.

Five composers from around the world have created musical and multimedia works designed specifically for the features and limitations of online conferencing platforms.

Playground musicians will perform synchronously from various locations, and watchers will actively participate in the creative process by making live, real-time contributions that inform the final musical product.

Register in advance via Zoom to receive the link to this FREE concert!

More details here.

The Playground Ensemble is accepting a second round of proposals for musical and multimedia creative works designed specifically for the features and limitations of online conferencing platforms including Zoom, Livelab, Google Meets, Jitsi, etc.

Preference will be given to works that comment on the current state of affairs in the world (the pandemic and its effects, protest movements around the world, what our lives might look like when things are ‘back to normal’).

Written proposals are due January 31 - requirements and more details can be found here!

Join the Playground Ensemble and Denver Public Library for a fun, 30-minute happy hour performance featuring Colorado artists! RemoteLab is the Playground’s newest initiative to commission musical and multimedia creative works designed specifically for the features and limitations of online conferencing platforms. Watch musicians perform synchronously from various locations or actively participate in the creative process by making live, real-time contributions that inform the final musical product.

More details here.