Colorado offers a variety of events this week featuring artists and musicians from around the state and the world. From classical music to analog photography, and from haunted houses to Día de Muertos celebrations, there is a rich assortment of experiences from which to choose.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening in arts and culture across the state:
Arts and culture events around the state
Front Range
Courtesy of Michael Ensminger
Art: Lost & Found analog photography exhibition (Oct. 11 – Nov. 23, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver) Features analog photographs by 35 artists from 13 U.S. states (including 5 from Colorado), Canada, Malaysia, and England. Visitors can attend the opening reception on Friday and a panel discussion, “Why Analog?” on Saturday afternoon .
Art: Northside Dia de los Muertos Art Exhibition (Oct. 11 – Nov. 2, BRDG Project, Denver) This BRDG Project event features work by 30 local Denver artists in celebration of Día de los Muertos, a tradition with roots in the city dating back to the 1980s. The exhibition opens with a reception on Oct. 11 and is meant to re-introduce the tradition to Denver’s Northside.
Other fun: “Animals of the Rainforest” (beginning Oct. 11, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver) Features live animals in recreated natural habitats. Encounter sloths, pythons, iguanas, boa constrictors, and tortoises while learning about the rainforest ecosystem from wildlife caregivers. The exhibit is presented in English and Spanish.
Music: The Colorado Symphony with Chris Thile (Oct. 12, Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver) World-renowned mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile performs with the Colorado Symphony in the Colorado premiere of Thile’s latest work, “ATTENTION!” The program also includes Beethoven’s “Creatures of Prometheus Overture,” Caroline Shaw’s “And So,” and Copland’s “Appalachian Spring Suite.”
Music: ETHEL + Robert Mirabal: The Red Willow Suite (Oct. 12, Lakewood Cultural Center, Lakewood) in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, elder of the Taos Pueblo Robert Mirabal, Native American artist and musician, performs with the string quartet ETHEL.The performance combines Native American, European, African, and Asian influences, culminating with “The Red Willow Suite”.
Music: Lakecia Benjamin (Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m., Newman Center, Denver) Three-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist, arranger, composer, and educator Lakecia Benjamin performs music from her 2023 album “Phoenix.”
Theater: The Last Night of Red Barker (Oct. 10 – Nov. 2, at the Westminster Grange Hall) The Catamounts theater company presents an immersive, site-specific production about the final night of Lloyd “Red” Barker of the Ma Barker gang. Set in 1949, Colorado playwright Jeffrey Neuman imagines Barker’s encounter with “ghosts from his life” and asks whether it is possible to escape the past.
Theater: Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear (Oct. 4 – Nov. 10, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, Golden) Sherlock Holmes encounters a theft of artwork by Vincent van Gogh in the regional premiere of the play by David MacGregor. The play also features the characters Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, Professor Moriarty, and Oscar Wilde. Age recommendation: Suitable for middle schoolers and older.
Other fun: Cultural Runway Series: Black & White – The Finale (Oct. 12, McNichols Building, Denver) Features a runway show of designs by local Denver designers, all using black and white color schemes. The event also includes a vendor market and afterparty.
Art: Halloween-Themed Clay Plates with Jeff Osgood (Oct. 12, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder) Participants will craft Halloween-themed clay plates during this workshop led by artist Jeff Osgood.
Northern Colorado
Art: Longmont Celebrates Día de Muertos! Día de Muertos exhibition (Oct. 12 – Nov. 5, Longmont Museum, Longmont) Since 2001 this celebration features ofrendas (altars) constructed by community members along with art by local artists in celebration of Día de los Muertos. This is part of Longmont’s annual Día de Muertos celebration, the longest-running in Colorado.
Festival: Family Fiesta (Oct. 12 Downtown Longmont at 4th Avenue & Main Street) This street festival includes music and dance performances, art and craft activities, cultural education, food, and the Gigantes Procession. The Firehouse Gigantes Procession happens at the end of the Longmont Dia de los Muertos Family Fiesta on October 12 around 2 p.m. 11 a.m. –3 p.m.; free
Festival: Catrinas on Parade (Oct. 12 – Nov. 3, Firehouse Art Center, Longmont) Features artwork by local artists, all depicting their interpretations of La Calavera Catrina, a figure that has become closely associated with Día de los Muertos celebrations. La Calavera Catrina was created by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.
Music: The Fort Collins Symphony concert “Autumn” (Oct. 13, 4 p.m., Julian’s Historic Landmark Building, Fort Collins) This is not the well-known piece by Vivaldi; rather, it is the Autumn Concert of pianist and Fort Collins resident Dr. Ed Siegel’s “Four Seasons,” benefiting the Friends of the Symphony and the FCS.
Music: University Symphony Orchestra Concert: “The Uncommon Woman” (Oct 10, 7:30 p.m., University Center for the Arts, Fort Collins) Dr. Rachel Waddell conducting The University Symphony Orchestra in a program of music by women composers, including Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman # 1,” Johannes Brahms’s “Academic Festival Overture,” Paul Hindemith’s “Der Schwanendreher” (featuring CSU faculty artist Margaret Miller on viola), and Emilie Mayer’s “Symphony No. 2.”
Theater: SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure (Oct. 12, 4 p.m., The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins) This bilingual musical for young audiences tells the story of 12-year-old Vita Flores as her family prepares for their Día de Muertos celebration. The play explores the meaning of the holiday through traditional Mexican music and dance.
Southern Colorado
Courtesy of Chris Medina
Music: “Perspectives,” presented by the Ivalas String Quartet (Oct. 11, Ent Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs) The Ivalas String Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to performing music by Black and Indigenous composers, presents a program of music by BIPOC composers, including works by Jessie Montgomery and Eleanor Alberga. The program will also feature a string quartet by Beethoven.
Theater: Funky Little Theater Company’s The Play Crawl (Oct. 12th, Bancroft Park in Old Colorado City, Colorado Springs) Ten mini-plays performed in 10 locations scattered across Old Colorado City. Venues include Oddball Store Music & More, Old Colorado City History Center, West Side Cleaners, Gratitude, Meraki Springs, Circa, Bon Ton’s Cafe, Colorado Peak Real Estate, Mountain Man Fruit & Nut Co and Front Range Bbq! Before the performances begin, attendees can enjoy food trucks in Bancroft Park.
Western Slope
Courtesy of Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra
Music: Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra CLASSICS CONCERT #2: Illuminating Virtuosity (Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 13, 3 p.m., New CMU Performing Arts Theatre, Grand Junction) The Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra performs Ravel’s “Piano Concerto,” featuring pianist Spencer Myer.
Music: Midland With Colby Acuff (Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction) Two-time Grammy nominees Midland perform country music with opening act Colby Acuff.
Music: Live In The Grapevines: Stray Grass For Stray Pets Benefit Concert (Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Grande River Vineyards, Palisade) Local band Stray Grass performs a benefit concert in support of Roice-Hurst Humane Society. Food trucks will also be on hand.
Film: Art on the Corner Film Screening and Discussion (Oct. 12, 6 p.m., The Art Center of Western Colorado, Grand Junction) The Downtown Grand Junction arts district presents a film screening and discussion in honor of the 40th anniversary of its Art on the Corner program. The event will feature a short documentary about Art on the Corner’s origins.
High Country
Theater: The Haunting of Breck Theater (Oct. 10 – 26, The Breckenridge Theater, Breckenridge) An interactive haunted house experience based on Grimm’s fairy tales, featuring live performances and puzzles. Guests will explore the haunted house in small groups. The event will also feature scary cocktails and mocktails.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
Some groups mentioned in the CO Arts Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
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.