The Fort Collins Symphony (FCS) has been an integral part of Northern Colorado's cultural fabric since 1923 when visionary violinist Editha Todd Leonard established the Fort Collins Community Orchestra. In 1950, conductor Will Schwartz transformed the orchestra into the fully-professional Fort Collins Symphony that we know today. The FCS is led by Maestro Wes Kenney, now in his 21st season as the orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor.

“Making hippies cry since 1986.”

Kate Farmer is on a mission: to help others feel less alone. Weaving her hypnotic velvet vibrato with starkly honest yet nuanced lyrics, listeners inevitably leave feeling like they’ve been to a collective therapy session. The sound is Colorado acoustic and rhythmically infectious, drawing influences from folk, bluegrass, R&B and Americana. 

Molly Higgins Band is a dynamic trio whose diverse background and dedication to their craft captivates audiences with renditions of traditional Irish Music.
 

I’m a 47-year-old singer-songwriter and occasional sideman on guitar, bass, and ukulele player. I have a background in Audio Video Tech and Sales including running sound, lights, and video for concerts and other events. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 15 and have made making music my life’s main hobby and passion.

Mycelium grows underground and designs a network, before ever fruiting mushrooms. Whisper Sister is the new budding fruit of an underground ear. Using all weapons and tools in their goal of pure expression. No leaders, only god in the room with a knife in her teeth.

Crowl N Boot is made up of local singer songwriter Doug Crowl and drummer Rich Boot. Both have played and performed in bands across the front range and beyond for years. Doug and Rich were both members of Lineage, a bluegrass band that shared stages with every major bluegrass mucisian to travel through these parts including Jerry Douglas and The Travelin McCourys. Both are now members of The Devils Share. Crowl N' Boot first came together for a FOCO MX show some years back after playing around with how much fun an acoustic guitar and drums can have together.

Brads always been like this, but recently he picked up the guitar and starting plucking away. Not sure where he's landing, Fort Collins has been an amazing place for him to grow the sound and read into songwriting of the locals. Loves Townes Van Zandt but sounds nothing like him.

Americana, rock, folk, singer-songwriter Andy Sydow is a jack-of-all-trades. As an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who's lyrics paint a picture of poetic realism, Sydow tours consistently both solo and with a backing band. Throughout the course of a show he’s known to croon an audience with acoustic guitar ballads, sing a few numbers on his lap steel, and even sit down at the keys to show off his surprising boogie-woogie piano chops.

Tia Martini and Leon Elam create an original modern sound on two traditional instruments. Together the Pickin’ Pear take the banjo and ukulele down the road of folk, rock, and bluegrass.  Sometimes the ukulele will launch you straight into outer space! A blend of top-notch songwriting and improvisational jamming makes each performance exciting and new. The Pickin’ Pear are happy to bring their organic and all-natural blend of folk 'n' roll to stages across the U.S.

Pickin' Pear has played over 600 shows in 37 different states across the country since 2015.