Help each other; help yourself

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s fund-raising drive for this week has brought to mind several issues that I think need to be addressed. In previous blogs and articles, I have spoken to many of these issues, but many need to be mentioned again.

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra is not the only orchestra in Denver that needs assistance. And it certainly is not the only arts organization that needs assistance. All of the community orchestras in the metropolitan area need financial assistance, and some of them need it very badly.

In the sidebar of this blog site, on the left-hand side of the screen, I have listed links to several arts organizations. Take a look, and discover how many community orchestras there are in the Denver metropolitan area. The Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and the Boulder Philharmonic are the only professional orchestras (and they need help as well). The other orchestras are all community orchestras. I would hope that they are paying attention to the innovative way in which the Colorado Symphony is going about its fundraising this week. There is much to learn. However the community orchestras face some unique problems.

Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents). Read more of his work at OpusColorado.com.