The Human Animal Exhibition Opening Reception
2026-11-13 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
Nov 13 – Jan 31 | Opening Reception: Nov 13, 5 – 8
This exhibition explores how conceptual artists use imagery of animals, creatures, and “the other” to reflect on human nature and the breadth of human experience. Through large-scale installations and sweeping conceptual works, the exhibition examines the symbolic power of the nonhuman as a mirror through which social, political, and psychological realities are revealed.
Focusing on the figure of the animal—and the idea of the “human as other”—the exhibition interrogates themes of aggression, dominance, fear, and control, questioning the often false or ironic divide drawn between humanity and the natural world. What we project onto animals and imagined creatures frequently exposes our own instincts, anxieties, and contradictions, revealing how closely intertwined human behavior is with the forces we claim to stand apart from.
Serving as a launching point for dialogue around American legacy, the exhibition opens space for conversation on politics, history, and contemporary cultural and social issues. By situating animal imagery within broader conceptual frameworks, the works challenge viewers to reconsider narratives of power, violence, and belonging, and to reflect on what it means to be human in relation to the world we inhabit.
Participating artists: Jessica Teckermeyer, Michael Brohman, Tricia Waddel, Xan McKenna, Bailey Anderson, Creative Nations

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC): The Fair Maid of the West | Dec. 3-27
2026-12-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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A Susan Blackburn Prize Finalist (in the U.S. for the first time with BETC!)
A ribald musical romp featuring a barmaid turned swashbuckling pirate, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Fair Maid of the West is the perfect holiday treat crammed full of laughs, dances and physical hijinks.
Adapted from Thomas Heywood’s Elizabethan drama, the play follows the adventures of Liz, a resilient rat-catcher and barmaid in a Plymouth pub. She is falsely accused of murder, flees to Cornwall, opens her own pub, and sails to Spain to recover the body of her lover.
Surrounding Liz are a teenage orphan, a postman full of grandiose stories, a swaggering bully, and a divorcee with a heart and voice of gold.

Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4 are Preview Night, with regular tickets just $25!

COmpass REsonance: SWEETER THAN ROSES with Taylor Raven and CORE
2026-12-12 16:00 - 17:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano enjoys a remarkable career performing as soloist internationally in the world’s great opera houses and with top symphony orchestras. She joins COmpass REsonance in a program showcasing Baroque virtuosity—in style, character, and technique. This program is emotionally rich with powerfully moving arias accompanied by strings and basso continuo. CORE will also present Giuseppe Torelli’s Christmas Concerto, rarely performed in Colorado.
Program:
“Gelido in ogni vena” from Il Farnace by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
“Ombra mai fù” from Serse by George Frideric Händel (1685-1759)
Concerto Grosso in forma di Pastorale per il Santissimo Natale, Op. 8 No. 6 by Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709)
“Sposa son disprezzata” from Bajazet by Giacomelli/Vivaldi
“Empio, Dirò, Tu Sei” from Giulio Cesare in Egitto by G.F. Händel
Intermission
“Erbarme dich” from St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
“Thy Hand, Belinda” from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
“When I Am Laid in Earth” by H. Purcell
Chaconne from King Arthur by H. Purcell
“Sweeter than roses” by H. Purcell
“Crude furie degl’orrida abissi” from Serse by G.F. Händel
Approximate run time: 90 minutes total, including 20-minute intermission
One of the most exciting vocal soloists to arrive on the international circuit, Taylor Raven’s recent and upcoming performances include singing Wagner with Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Beethoven Symphony #9 with The Minnesota Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, Mozart’s Così fan tutte with English National Opera, and work by John Adams with The Metropolitan Opera.
Every soloist that collaborates with CORE brings unique artistry, with each aspect of the collaboration conceived to offer a special experience to Boulder audiences. CORE’s Music Director first had the pleasure of working with Ms. Raven when she sang in his early music ensemble at University of Colorado Boulder. This was a decade ago, and even then, her remarkable range, ease and fluidity throughout the voice, and powerful emotive capabilities revealed a truly unique artist. It is with great pleasure that COmpass REsonance is able to bring Ms. Raven back to Boulder for this fantastic program, and CORE artists are looking forward to this opportunity to work together!

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC): New Year's Eve Spectacular
2026-12-31 07:00 - 21:00 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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Join our New Year’s Eve tradition! Chat over drinks then laugh to the novel, nifty, 1940s-era improv comedy of The King Penny Radio Show – directed by Libby Zambrano and Matt Zambrano. We’ll toast 2027 at 9pm (Nova Scotia time!) then kick up our heels to the music of the Dave Fulker Band!

COmpass REsonance: JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND PIPES featuring Christopher Holman
2027-02-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Grace Commons Church, 1820 15th Street, Boulder, 80302, United States
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This concert takes place at Grace Commons Church: 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO
Pre-concert lecture by the artist: in the Grace Commons Chapel at 6:30PM.
Performance: in the Grace Commons Sanctuary at 7:30PM.
Christopher Holman, Oxford Scholar and top prize recipient of the Albert Schweitzer International Organ Competition performs a solo recital presented by COmpass REsonance. This program traces the remarkable legacy of the Bach family through works for the organ, from Johann Sebastian Bach’s dramatic Prelude and Fugue in B Minor to Johann Christian Bach’s playful transcription of Joseph Haydn’s “Imperial” Symphony. Performed on the tracker organ at Grace Commons Church — an entirely mechanical instrument whose keys are directly linked to the pipes — the music speaks with exceptional clarity, with every nuance of touch shaping the sound. The result is a vivid portrait of a musical family whose influence continues to resonate across centuries.
Program:
Symphony No. 53 in D Major “Imperial” by Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), arranged for solo organ by Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Sonata in G Major, Op. 5, No. 3 by Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, BWV Anh. 745 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788)
O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV 622 by J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in B Minor, BWV 544 by J.S. Bach
Approximate run time: 65 minutes performed without intermission
After completing extensive graduate musicological and performance work at Basel’s famed Schola Cantorum, Christopher Holman completed a PhD at Oxford, where he directed ensembles and served as Lecturer. His solo organ performances have taken him across the planet, playing historic and modern organs in every context: from basso continuo to the large solo works of Olivier Messiaen at the world’s great cathedrals. Dr. Holman has given lectures at University of Oxford, Université Sorbonne in Paris, Eastman School of Music, and Trinity College Dublin, and currently serves as Director of Music at St. Gertrude’s Cathedral in Cincinnati. He performed as continuo keyboardist in the 2022 Boulder Bach Festival recording (on the Sono Luminus label) and has collaborated with COmpass REsonance in performances of dozens of composers, from 1600 onward.
CORE’s Music Director and Dr. Holman have been friends and colleagues for nearly twenty years, having performed across the United States together in duo recitals, chamber music, and larger ensemble contexts, on period and modern instruments. CORE is thrilled to offer this lecture and solo recital as the center-point of our 2026/27 season, with two orchestra concerts preceding it and two following it. This recital in context with the entire season points to CORE’s roots as a Bach festival and ongoing commitment to performance practices across time and cultures, navigating the waters of music history with Bach as our compass.

Boulder Ballet presents Rebels and Innovators | Mar. 5 - 7
2027-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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Innovation doesn’t happen by playing it safe—and it doesn’t happen just once.
Now in its second year, Rebels and Innovators returns as a growing tradition at Boulder Ballet—an annual platform dedicated to bold voices, risk-taking, and the artists shaping what comes next. What began as an exploration of creative rebellion is quickly becoming a defining space for choreographic invention and artistic evolution.

COmpass REsonance: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE with Vadim Gluzman and CORE
2027-04-03 16:00 - 17:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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One of the world’s most famous violin soloists, “a musician’s musician,” Vadim Gluzman returns to perform with COmpass REsonance. This special program includes the great Bach Violin Concerto in E Major, from the album CORE and Gluzman recorded together in 2025, on London-based Onyx Classics label. This program also includes the world premiere of a work that CORE commissioned specifically for Gluzman and this performance. Renowned composer Pall Ragnar Palsson is creating the new work, exploring ancient Baltic themes and formative experiences in Latvia and Estonia, where Gluzman and Palsson studied in their younger years. The new work utilizes baroque orchestra instrumentation with piano instead of harpsichord and also includes percussion.
The Baltic element is complemented by Musica Serena, a work of stunning beauty by Vasks, and the J.S. Bach concerto is balanced by a work of chamber music created by one of his contemporaries, Dresden-based Heinichen. This trio sonata pairs Gluzman with CORE’s Music Director Zachary Carrettin, alongside CORE cellist Joseph Howe, and CORE Artistic Director Mina Gajić on harpsichord.
Program:
Trio Sonata in C Minor, S258 by Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729)
World Premiere (suite for violin/strings/piano/percussion) by Pall Ragnar Palsson (b. 1977)
Musica Serena by Peteris Vasks (b. 1946)
Concerto for Violin, Strings, and Basso Continuo in E Major, BWV1042 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Approximate run time: 70 minutes performed without intermission
Vadim Gluzman is one of the top concert artists in the world today, appearing as concerto soloist with every great orchestra, from the New York Philharmonic to the Berlin Philharmonic. One of his many unique qualities is how he approaches the music of J.S. Bach, using historical bows and an approach to style that is deeply rooted in Baroque performance practice. In 2025, he recorded The Complete Bach Violin Concertos with COmpass REsonance using period bows and harpsichord, released on London-based Onyx Classics label.
The continued collaboration with Mr. Gluzman has proven to be extremely artistically rewarding for CORE musicians, and this time, in addition to performing the work of Bach, CORE/Gluzman are presenting the world premiere of a new work. CORE’s co-directors had worked previously with acclaimed composer Pall Ragnar Palsson in Iceland and recorded his work Notre Dame on their album, Aequora. When they realized Palsson and Gluzman both spent years in Estonia and Latvia during their studies, they decided this would be a perfect bringing together of two great musical minds—the Zoom meetings have been thrilling and seeing the work created in various stages has been inspiring!

Boulder Ballet presents Vital | May 14 - 16, 2027
2027-05-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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Experience the vitality of presence, the power of connection, and the beauty of being human with works from Ma Cong and world premieres by Ben Needham-Wood and Nicolo Fonte.

COmpass REsonance: SANDS OF TIME with Mina Gajić and CORE
2027-05-28 16:00 - 17:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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CORE’s Artistic Director, Mina Gajić performs the rarely heard Piano Concerto in A Minor (1822) by Felix Mendelssohn, a fiendishly difficult and impassioned work. Dr. Gajić, joined by violinist Zachary Carrettin and flutist Ysmael Reyes, presents another rarity, J.S. Bach’s trio sonata from “A Musical Offering,” performed in early Romantic Era style. As Mendelssohn was one of the first Bach-focused musicologists, this performance looks to Bach as Mendelssohn would have heard and performed Bach’s music. The program opens with the strings of COmpass REsonance performing a riveting work featuring fiery fugues by a composer who traveled in Bach’s circles, Christoph Graupner.

Program:
Sonata à 4 for strings and continuo, GWV724 by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
Trio Sonata from Musikalisches Opfer, BWV1079 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto for Piano and Strings in A Minor (1822) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Approximate run time: 70 minutes performed without intermission
Dr. Mina Gajić brings a unique vision as Artistic Director of COmpass REsonance. Her work spans four continents as piano soloist and collaborator, and as a recording artist on modern pianos, Romantic Era period pianos, and harpsichord. Her discography includes J.S. Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor (Boulder Bach Festival—Sono Luminus), continuo keyboard in The Bach Violin Concertos in addition to piano in duo collaboration with Vadim Gluzman (COmpass REsonance—Onyx Classics), Mozart/Pärt/Vasks solo and chamber music (Sonic Alchemy), Tajcevic/Granlund solo and duo works (Confluence), Schubert chamber music on period instruments (Boundless), prepared piano works by John Cage (Bach UnCaged), and new work by Icelandic composers as part of the duo, Mystery Sonata with Zachary Carrettin (Aequora).
Prior to emigrating from Belgrade, Serbia, Dr. Gajić won numerous international piano and collaborative music competitions in Europe. She then completed graduate degrees at Rice University Shepherd School of Music and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with studies in piano, chamber music, and harpsichord, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at University of Colorado. Due to her performances, recordings, and innovative work with Boulder Bach Festival, Art of Duo Competition, and COmpass REsonance, she has been featured in interviews and articles internationally, including Under30CEO, Gramophone UK, Muzique Magazine, Magnetic Magazine, Sheen Magazine, Early Music America, and SWR KULTUR.
