Ballet
Lemmon out at Colorado Ballet
Like other arts organizations, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra has struggled to remain financially stable in the face of the worst economic downturn in more than 50 years.
Lemmon, a board member of Dance/USA, the field’s national service organization, has headed several dance companies previously, including the Louisville (Ky.) Ballet.
In an August interview, Lemmon said the Colorado Ballet suffered a 2008-09 budget deficit of about $500,000, with its biggest hit coming in the area of individual contributions, which decreased 60 percent from $1 million in 2007-08 to $400,000. Kyle MacMillan
2-for-1 tickets
Deals or bust!
When the city’s 2-for-1 ticket program debuted Oct. 21, it promised a diverse, ever-changing slate of ticket deals from area cultural organizations.
Assembled by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and Visit Denver, the program was meant to spur last-minute sales for area music, film, theater and museum events.
So, a month in, how’s it doing?
The Nov. 19-25 offerings at are indeed diverse, with the biggest draw being half-price tickets (about $30) for the Dec. 1-3 dates of the Tony award-winning musical “Spring Awakening” at the Buell Theatre.
Music fans found plenty to love from the Lakewood Cultural Center (“A Fresh Look at Irving Berlin”), Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and Swallow Hill Music Association. One of our favorites was the “Walking Chocolate Tour of Denver,” presented by Denver Gourmet Tours.
Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and must be purchased directly from the participating organizations. The public can sign up for e-mail blasts and check updated schedules at .
More than 3,800 people have signed up for the e-blasts since its debut, according to Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism at Visit Denver.
“It’s surpassed our expectations,” Buck said. “It’s always in our top five pages on in terms of web activity, and organizations like the Starz Film Festival and Swallow Hill have been seeing big increases in their attendance.”
A new slate of 2-for-1 offers is announced every Thursday. John Wenzel
Orchestra
NRO’s new boss
Ken Toltz, a Denver native with a broad range of business and community-leadership experience, has been appointed executive director of the Breckenridge-based National Repertory Orchestra.
Each year, 750-800 top music students from across the country audition for the summer training ensemble, which marked its 30th anniversary in 2007. The participants range in age from 18 through 28.
Toltz, who was the 2000 Democratic nominee for Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District, has held management positions with such firms as United Banks of Colorado and Brothers Gourmet Coffees and taught in the University of Colorado’s Daniels College of Business.
In addition, he has served on the boards of the Denver-Boulder Better Business Bureau and Anti-Defamation League, and has supported several area youth ensembles, including the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. Kyle MacMillan
