Our mission is to present innovative programs of distinctive classical and popular contemporary music in an intimate and friendly setting to audiences of all ages, enhancing the cultural, educational and entertainment experiences of the community of Northwest Colorado and its visitors.

Past Years

During two whirlwind American tours and performances across the globe, pianist Alpin Hong has earned the reputation as a modern day Pied Piper. Opening the ears, eyes and imaginations of hundreds of thousands of Americans, his combination of stunning technique, emotional range, and rare humor continues to bring audiences young and old to their feet. Indeed, the Santa Barbara News Press described Mr. Hong’s performance as “…a tour de force. Hong evoked a kind of Beatlemania when he came on stage. What a showman! What a musician!” In recognition of the pianist’s immense gifts for communicating his passion for music to audiences of all ages, The McGraw-Hill Companies honored him in September 2005 with the $10,000 Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach.

Mr. Hong’s astonishing ability to connect to people of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds distinguishes him and shapes his evolving performance style. His extensive classical training, matched with his background in skateboarding, snowboarding, martial arts, and videogames, forms a creative force unmatched in its youthful vivacity and boundless energy.

Alpin Hong is a native of Michigan and made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at the age of ten. He moved to Los Angeles soon after and garnered competition victories at a young age with wins at the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition, the 1993 SYMF Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards Competition. His teachers have included Mark Richman, and Emilio del Rosario, and he completed his Master’s degree as a student of Jerome Lowenthal at The Juilliard School.

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Simon Boyar is perhaps the most electrifying and innovative percussionist on the music scene today. Driven by an intense musical vision and  unparalleled virtuosity, Boyar is reshaping the percussion landscape and transforming the marimba as a major instrument for all musical genres. An accomplished solo artist, producer, composer/arranger, and educator, Boyar’s talent’s stretch across the music industry and have made him an important and influential artist in the 21st century.

As a classical soloist and section percussionist, Boyar has performed around the world and has appeared with artists such as John Adams, Lukas Foss, Evelyn Glennie, Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Gilles Vonsattel, Guillermo Figueroa and Leon BotsteinHe has been a featured percussion soloist with dozens of orchestras and is also very active in the expansion of the modern percussion repertoire. He was the first percussionist ever to perform a double concerto with violin (Harold Farberman) and guitar (Andrew Thomas) and to record and premiere the first work for solo marimba "Figment V," composed by Elliot Carter (Bridge Records). In 2010, Boyar performed the world premiere of the first-ever marimba concerto by composer Frank Zappa, an arrangement of Zappa's "Revised Music for Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra" conducted by Jonathan Haas.

Notably, upon his graduation from The Juilliard School, Simon joined the faculty of the school’s Pre-College Percussion Department. Boyar then became the youngest person ever to be named Department Director. Under his guidance the program blossomed into a vibrant and animated proving ground for new ideas and insights into all areas of percussion. The program’s success led to an invitation for Boyar to join the college faculty at NYU, where he has aided in the creation of a new marimba program unlike any of its kind -- The NYU Contemporary Marimba Ensemble (NYUME), an ensemble dedicated to teaching Boyar’s unique approach and sound, one which he calls "The Boyar Method." Boyar has also recently championed his commitment to education through a partnership with Strings School Days of Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO, where he has shared his gifts with thousands of students through a combination of compositions, concerts, workshops, and artistic discussions. He has participated in workshops with The Bard Conductor’s Festival Orchestra, The Conductor’s Orchestra at Fredonia, and many community and student orchestras such as The National Taiwan Norman University Orchestra and The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band in his hometown of Hillsborough NJ. Simon has also participated in instrumental festivals such as PASIC, CJMEA, and ITG. He has appeared in master classes, lectures, and concerts at colleges and universities around the world.