Chamber Music Society presents For Spacious Skies (Bethany Lutheran Church)

Celebrate the spirit, landscape, and musical heritage of America in a program that journeys through folk traditions, ragtime brilliance, Broadway energy, and lyrical reflection. For Spacious Skies weaves together beloved melodies and virtuosic showpieces, offering an afternoon that is at once nostalgic, playful, and deeply expressive.

From the charming wit of Aaron Copland’s "I Bought Me A Cat" and the sparkling mischief of "Cat and Mouse," to the infectious rhythms of Scott Joplin’s rags, the program highlights the rich diversity of American sound. Harp, flute, piano, and voice join in colorful dialogue through the songs of George Gershwin, the warmth of Randy Newman, and the timeless grace of "Simple Gifts."

Moments of lyric beauty and contemplation emerge in works by Edward MacDowell and Amy Beach, while "Phantom Breeze," performed on Native American flute, evokes the quiet poetry of the natural world. Playful virtuosity returns with John Philip Sousa’s effervescent "Scars and Scrapes Forever," concluding with the enduring grandeur of "America, The Beautiful" — a fitting finale to an afternoon celebrating the many voices, colors, and horizons of American music.
General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the venue on the afternoon of performance. ​​(Children 16 and under free.)
Aaron Copland / I Bought Me a Cat
⮚ Grace Christus, piano & Kali Paguirigan, mezzo-soprano

Aaron Copland / Cat and Mouse
⮚ Grace Christus, piano

Scott Joplin / Two Rags
⮚ Grace Christus, piano & Christina Krayer and Laura Schulkind, flutes

George Gershwin (arr. Nevergall) / Four Songs
⮚ Hillary Schefter, harp

John Philip Sousa (arr. K. Laufer) / Scars and Scrapes Forever
⮚ Grace Christus, piano & Christina Krayer, piccolo

Randy Newman / I Think It’s Going to Rain Today
⮚ Grace Christus, piano & Kali Paguirigan, mezzo-soprano

Aaron Copland (arr. Laura Schulkind) / Simple Gifts
⮚ Kali Paguirigan, mezzo-soprano; Christina Krayer and Laura Schulkind, flutes; Hillary Schefter, harp; Grace Christus, piano

Richard Hoffman / Dixiana: Caprice for the Pianoforte on “Dixie’s Land”
⮚ Grace Christus, piano

Edward MacDowell / To an Old White Pine
⮚ Grace Christus, piano

Marilyn Bliss / Phantom Breeze
⮚ Laura Schulkind, Native American flute

Amy Beach / By the Still Waters
⮚ Hillary Schefter, harp

George Gershwin / Medley
⮚ Kali Paguirigan, mezzo-soprano; Laura Schulkind, flute; Hillary Schefter, harp

Samuel A. Ward / America the Beautiful
⮚ Kali Paguirigan, mezzo-soprano; Hillary Schefter, harp

The Chamber Music Society of Greater Denver proudly joins hundreds of organizations from communities across the state in a once-in-a-generation commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood. We are honored to present For Spacious Skies as part of Colorado’s sesquisemiquincentennial celebration.​ Click to learn more about America 250 / Colorado 150.

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Host or Publisher Laura Schulkind