Artistic Director and Conductor of Symphony of the Rockies Devin Patrick Hughes’ passion for symphonic music is as palpable as his red shoes. Think of the dramatic opening of Beethoven’s Symphony Number 5, its strings hitting each note of this well-known melody with conviction and urgency. Or Mozart’s Symphony 40 in G-minor’s galloping, almost optimistic beginning.

“Breaking down barriers between the orchestra and its audience through children’s programs and school engagements,” Hughes hopes to “foster this generation’s love for classical music, sharing the transformative power of music’s emotional resonance.”

Whether he is conducting his version of the Three B’s, Beethoven, Brahms, & Brittany, Hughes substitutes contemporary American composer Brittany Green for Bach, or Epic Love: From Shakespeare to Superheroes, which includes Verdi’s La Traviata alongside Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, Hughes is ever innovating to bring his beloved symphonic music to the masses.