Music

You may have found yourself humming the ragtime classic "The Entertainer" on occasion. But how much do people know about the history behind Scott Joplin's work? A recent performance explores these stories.

In the midsts of endless cornfields in Yuma, high school music teacher Robert Zahller has carved out a special place in the Yuma High School music program.

John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” turns 50 years old in October, an anniversary marking the legacy he left in the state of Colorado and far beyond.

Tonight, the Colorado Symphony is commemorating the hit tune with a special performance.

Rural Northeast Colorado has fewer employed artists than any other region in the state, according to a 2020 report. While musicians, dancers and fashion designers may sell a lot less out there, they are still creating. KUNC asked two musicians, one very young and one much older, to meet and discuss their craft.

Colorado has a thriving music scene with thousands of artists and hundreds of music venues, along with artist development firms and recording studios to support the industry. Now a new music nonprofit has officially launched to help up-and-coming musicians with mentorship and financial support. Black Fret began in Austin in 2013, opened a chapter in Seattle a few years later, and is now coming to Colorado.

The documentary about blues music in Mississippi, Deep Blues, is not a new film. It was made by Robert Mugge in 1992 and it looks at musicians who performed some of the most rugged blues that still existed at the time. It’s been restored, and for KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU Denver, Deep Blues is still a revelation.

In the aftermath of the Me Too movement and a long period of self-reflection during the pandemic, artists and arts groups are changing how they work.

In February of 1981, six months before MTV hit the airwaves, FM-TV launched in Colorado on public television’s KBDI Channel 12. A year later, the music video showcase became “Teletunes” and for almost two decades, it helped shape the way many saw and heard music. Among fans, its impact can still be felt today.

Last summer, due to the pandemic, Chautauqua Auditorium’s Silent Film Series largely went, well, silent. For the first time since it began in 1984, a virtual event was held in place of the live screenings. But it wasn't the same. Now the live event — and live music from a pit orchestra — are returning, with a little something extra.