Calling all music lovers!
On February 13, the Colorado Symphony announced its plans to pursue the construction of a new symphony hall in the Mile High City.
This means that the Colorado Symphony can begin discussions with the City and County of Denver to construct the music hall as a new addition to the Denver Performing Arts Complex. There's also a clause within the agreement that allows them to consider other venues besides the Denver Performing Arts Complex to build, as long as that property resides in Denver.
The Boettcher Concert Hall is currently home to the Colorado Symphony. It treats approximately 150,000 patrons to ninety performances year-round. The organization feels that it is imperative for them to create a new venue to promote future growth.
There's no word yet as to what will happen to the current concert hall. Colorado Symphony CEO Jerome H. Kern had this to say:
“While Boettcher Concert Hall has been a wonderful home for us for over 40 years, a new venue is imperative to the future growth and success of our organization. This Memorandum of Understanding allows us to partner with the City on an outcome that is beneficial to both. However, if remaining in the DPAC doesn’t benefit us both, the Colorado Symphony has the opportunity to seek options elsewhere, immediately. We look forward to continuing our positive growth and bringing transformative music to this community for years to come.”
This agreement comes after years of back and forth proposals by the City and the Symphony -- The City of Denver originally wanted to tear down the concert hall. Symphony officials came back with a $40 million proposal to renovate the original structure, which never came to fruition.
The City of Denver will also be committing over $16 million for the general obligation bond that was voted on by Denver citizens back in 2007. An additional stipulation states the funds for the hall must be used by September 2023, so we may not have too long to wait on the build!
What do you think? Are you for or against a new music hall? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
