October 4, 2026
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Explore the MusicCurious to hear the music before you attend?
Take a listen to these recommended recordings, collected on a playlist by our Music Director! |
Background Information
Alex Tedrow: Everything is alive
"Everything is Alive is inspired by my favorite podcast of the same title by Radiotopia. The premise of the show is to take a humorous – yet often seriously moving and even dark – look into the inanimate objects humans take for granted in their everyday lives. Every episode, Ian Chillag interviews a new seemingly random object personified by a voice actor (some notable examples: Louis the soda can, Maeve the lamppost, Sean the subway seat, Alligator the toy alligator, Ayo the balloon, and Charu the space satellite). Each object has a unique story, personality, and emotional perspective informed by their interactions with humans. The show usually maintains a fun and light-hearted approach, but it also evokes a surprisingly strong sense of empathy for the objects, who sometimes express sorrow, frustration, or anger with humans for their (from the object’s perspective) malicious, self-centered practices.
"Being a long-time devoted listener of Everything is Alive, I often wonder what the world would look like if the inanimate objects we use every day had feelings. What would my umbrella say to me if it was alive? Would my computer keyboard judge me for the things I type on it? What if all the objects banded together, revolted, took over the world, and treated humans as tools for their own benefit?
"These fun, absurd, yet thought-provoking questions formed the basis for the narrative of this piece of music."
-- notes by the composer
"Being a long-time devoted listener of Everything is Alive, I often wonder what the world would look like if the inanimate objects we use every day had feelings. What would my umbrella say to me if it was alive? Would my computer keyboard judge me for the things I type on it? What if all the objects banded together, revolted, took over the world, and treated humans as tools for their own benefit?
"These fun, absurd, yet thought-provoking questions formed the basis for the narrative of this piece of music."
-- notes by the composer
Elgar: March from the Wand of Youth, Second Suite
Notes coming soon
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky: Piano concerto No. 1
"Keen to persuade Nikolai Rubinstein to give its premiere, Tchaikovsky played the piece from start to finish in the company of the eminent pianist. Rubinstein remained quiet throughout – before dismissing the work in no uncertain terms.
"The snub stung Tchaikovsky, who conveyed the details of this disastrous read-though in a letter he wrote some three years after the incident. According to the composer, Rubinstein had expressed his opinion that ‘only two or three pages were worth preserving; the rest must be thrown away or completely rewritten’ because the concerto was ‘badly written as to be beyond rescue’.
"Tchaikovsky – at some emotional cost – stood by his work, which was premiered not by Rubinstein, but by Hans von Bülow, who performed it with a freelance orchestra under Benjamin Johnson Lang in Boston on 25 October 1875. The Concerto, which was revised several times by Tchaikovsky (the 1888 version is the most commonly played), has gone on to become one of the most popular works in the piano repertoire and is a staple in competition finals."
-- notes by Claire Jackson
"The snub stung Tchaikovsky, who conveyed the details of this disastrous read-though in a letter he wrote some three years after the incident. According to the composer, Rubinstein had expressed his opinion that ‘only two or three pages were worth preserving; the rest must be thrown away or completely rewritten’ because the concerto was ‘badly written as to be beyond rescue’.
"Tchaikovsky – at some emotional cost – stood by his work, which was premiered not by Rubinstein, but by Hans von Bülow, who performed it with a freelance orchestra under Benjamin Johnson Lang in Boston on 25 October 1875. The Concerto, which was revised several times by Tchaikovsky (the 1888 version is the most commonly played), has gone on to become one of the most popular works in the piano repertoire and is a staple in competition finals."
-- notes by Claire Jackson
Pre-Concert Talks
Ready to learn more? Interested to hear about the "behind the scenes" of music selection, rehearsals, and how we bring this music to life?
Join our Music Director Cayla Bellamy-Lanz for a 30-minute pre-concert talk and Q&A session at either of the following:
Join our Music Director Cayla Bellamy-Lanz for a 30-minute pre-concert talk and Q&A session at either of the following:
- Week of September 28, location/date/time TBD
- Sunday, October 4 at 3:15pm in the University Center for the Arts, Boomer A
If you are interested in supporting the orchestra financially, any amount helps us with operating costs for hall rental, music purchase, personnel and guest artist honoraria, and the many things that add up to keep us going. All donations can be received through the Front Range Community College Foundation by selecting “The Dr Ann Yanagi Health & Wellness Orchestra Fund” at the link below.