Inspiring Artistry.  Engaging Community.

“A big misconception of this style of music is that you have to have a previous knowledge of it to be affected by it,” Hughes said. “This music is made for everyone by everyone.

Now is the most exciting time to be alive if you love symphonic music, especially if you think you don’t understand it. Anyone can listen to an orchestra and have their own interpretation, their own experience. It means exactly what you think it means.”

-Boulder Daily Camera

 

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NEWS

 

Classical Kids Concerts

Check out Devin’s new venture, Extra Crispy Creatives LLC, creating classical music enrichment and entertainment for learners of all ages, and serving orchestras and music organizations across the globe.

For any organization serving children, the Curiosity Concerts are a great way to engage the entire family in the magic of the orchestra. To find or book a classical kids concert near you:

 
 

“Genius” concert unites Mozart & Einstein

A program with music celebrating the work of great scientists has long been a goal for Hughes. “I’ve been wanting to do a program for a long time that brings the arts and sciences together,” he says, “especially now in this world we live in, where sometimes science gets pushed onto the side of opinion. For hundreds of years the arts and sciences were intertwined.”

This was the origin of “Fermi’s Paradox,” that the universe is vast enough and old enough that we should have made contact with another civilization, but we have not. “Out of Fermi’s Paradox comes a bunch of different solutions,” Hughes says, ranging from the difficulty of interstellar travel to the idea that they are already here in the form of UFOs.

 
 

The Artist & Composer

“I really do believe that if you can find whatever it is in your community that is crying out for help, I think it’s important to be able to try to incorporate that into your art.”

Devin speaks about contemporary and historical interactions between music and the art world, featuring two creative entrepreneurs that are paving the way in their respective fields, Contemporary visual artist Will Day, and composer Jonathan Bingham. Jonathan discusses his formative inspirations, including the music of John Williams.

Will Day barely survived the 9/11 attacks in tower two before becoming an architect and then visual artist. Their stories will inspire you to find the artist within, discard your fears, follow your passion, and find your life purpose.

 
 

Radical Love

Join writer and performer Dominique Christina, in a discussion which covers craft and performance, the etymologies of words, the importance of learning from past poets like Edgar Allen Poe and Beethoven, and the relationship between artists and politicians.

In additional to some amazing musical selections Dominique shares two of her more recent poems, It’s Morning and Praise Poem at the end of the episode.

“Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is to be still and listen, to be soft, to be nurturing, to be caring, to be empathetic, to keep your heart open, to keep your hands open. That’s radical stuff, it’s not the smashing of things, the breaking of things, the setting of fires, it’s not. The most radical stuff is to lead with love, to be human, to remain human, when there’s so many opportunities for you to be brutish, or disconnected from your heart, to remain available is radical.”

 
 

Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Rocks

Students in grades 3–5 are given the opportunity to join orchestras around the world in this highly participatory program called The Orchestra Rocks. 3000 students will join the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra where they learn to sing and play an instrument in the classroom and perform from their seats with the NFSO at a culminating concert at Mattie Kelly Arts Center.

Orchestras across the country and around the world are also taking part in Link Up. Partner orchestras can utilize any of the program materials—including teacher guides, student materials, concert scripts, and concert visuals—in their own communities.

9News Profiles Boulder Symphony

They've kept in touch over Zoom, but until Monday night, it had been months since members of the orchestra played music together in the same room.

“I don’t think I’ve seen my conductor in like a year!" Schefter said. "I’ve seen him on Zoom, but that’s definitely different.” Schefter, the principal harpist for the Boulder Symphony, spent much of the pandemic plucking strings for an audience of none.

“You get to be a part of something bigger than yourselves while you’re all creating something really beautiful," Schefter said. "There’s really nothing better.”

Hughes was also eager to be back on his conductor's podium. “I’m definitely ready to plunge back into the life of music," he said.

 

Returning to the Bandshell for July 4

“Since we have safely performed concerts during the pandemic — both indoors and outdoors — we have gotten used to smaller and very highly appreciative audiences,” Hughes said. “It is our mission to reach as many as possible with symphonic music, so I am excited that things are looking up and our patrons are feeling inspired to join us in our return to the stage.”

 

Actively Creating the Music of the Future

 

Devin has founded multiple composer in residence programs and has collaborated with and commissioned numerous works with many incredibly talented composers.  Some of the largest, most recent collaborations have been with Grammy-nominated Austin Wintory, critically acclaimed Edgar Girtain, eclectic composer-violinist Gregory Walker, and award winning Jonathan Sokol.  New composers in residencies this season include the very talented Jonathan Bingham, Sebastian Laskowski & Elizabeth Anne Comninellis.

"One of the most exciting ways to personalize and humanize the great masterpieces of the past is to premiere new works.  Going behind the scenes into the creative process is paramount to showcasing symphonic music as a work-in-progress tapestry."

- Devin Patrick Hughes

 

 

Featured Composers

Bringing Symphonic Music To The Greater Community

 

One of Maestro Hughes' greatest passions is sharing Classical Music with the masses and inspiring the next generation of musicians and music lovers, who will carry on its legacy.

"I've never seen a kid who's been disengaged," says Hughes. "Kids haven't been touched by our idea of normalcy, so their sense of creativity is still unrestricted.  When you put them in a concert with instruments and sound, they immediately connect with it.  Even if you don't want your kid to pursue music or pick up an instrument, engaging them with this music will nurture their creativity for years to come."

- Boulder Lifestyle Magazine

 
 
 

Sensory Friendly Concerts

 
 
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Glow Project

Bringing together individuals with neurodegenerative diseases and sensory disorders along with their families and caregivers for a community-building, heart-filling concert experience.

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Music Therapy Inspired

The AP is excited to launch its newest community outreach initiative, a music therapy-inspired program for memory care facilities in our region. We have all witnessed the devastating effect dementia can have on loved ones. Aside from memory loss, diagnosed individuals and their families often deal with mood changes, depression, paranoia and decline of social skills.

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Emerald Coast Autism Center

The Northwest Florida Symphony regularly gives sensory friendly and interactive presentations at the Emerald Coast Autism Center, and additionally partners with the Emerald Coast Music Alliance to bring music to all.