Live classical music. Poetry.
Good Eats.
Summer 2024 Season
Returning to the Outdoor Patio
3 pm shows
3rd Sundays
at Avogadro's Number Restaurant
605 S. Mason St.
Fort Collins, CO
The Church of Beethoven is "...a 'church' with no preaching, just gorgeous music, poetry and two minutes of silence in an all-too-busy world." The goal of the Church of Beethoven is to build a sense of community around the arts, by removing the typically formal atmosphere of classical music, and breaking down the proverbial "fourth wall" between the audience and the performers.
Dates:
• Sunday, June 16, 3 p.m. Craig Winston, Classical Guitar with Poet Lisa Zimmerman
• Sunday, July 21, 3 p.m. Harpist Abigail Enssle with Poet Jack Martin
• Sunday, August 18, 3 p.m. - Red Rock String Quartet with Poet Michele Battiste
• Sunday September 15, 3 p.m. - Hollywood Violinists Amy Hershberger & Sarah Thornblade with poets Aby Kaupang and Matthew Cooperman
• Sunday, October 20, 3 p.m. - Synesthesia Chamber Music with Poet Bryan Roth
Show begins at 3 p.m. outside on the patio at Avogadro's Number Bar and Grill, Fort Collins. Food and beverages available for purchase.
No refunds and all sales are final unless performance is cancelled.
Season Tickets Available $70 for all 5 performances
Dates:
• Sunday, June 16, 3 p.m. Craig Winston, Classical Guitar with Poet Lisa Zimmerman
• Sunday, July 21, 3 p.m. Harpist Abigail Enssle with Poet Jack Martin
• Sunday, August 18, 3 p.m. - Red Rock String Quartet with Poet Michele Battiste
• Sunday September 15, 3 p.m. - Hollywood Violinists Amy Hershberger & Sarah Thornblade with poets Aby Kaupang and Matthew Cooperman
• Sunday, October 20, 3 p.m. - Synesthesia Chamber Music with Poet Bryan Roth
Show begins at 3 p.m. outside on the patio at Avogadro's Number Bar and Grill, Fort Collins. Food and beverages available for purchase.
No refunds and all sales are final unless performance is cancelled.
Season Tickets Available $70 for all 5 performances
Sunday June 16 3 pm Craig Winston, Classical Guitar with Poet Lisa Zimmerman Over 30 Ticket
$15.00
Craig Winston is a classical guitarist and teacher in Denver, CO. He holds a Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.
His classical guitar performances offer a range of music, from upbeat Latin American music, to the virtuosity of the Baroque, and intimate, emotive modern compositions.
His current interest lies in Spanish and Latin American composers, such as Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, Antonio Lauro, and Astor Piazzolla. Still, his diverse repertoire includes music by Bach, Roland Dyens, Leo Brouwer, and his own original compositions, among many others.
Lisa Zimmerman is a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Northern Colorado.
She is the author of seven poetry collections, four chapbooks, including Sainted (Main Street Rag 2021) as well as three full-length books–The Light at the Edge of Everything (Anhinga Press), The Hours I Keep (Main Street Rag), and her debut poetry collection which won the 2004 Violet Reed Haas Poetry Award. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and five times for the Pushcart Prize. One of her prose poems is included in The Best Small Fictions: 2020 Anthology (Sonder Press).
Lisa is a coach for the Poetry Out Loud high school recitation project and has taught writing workshops in K-12 classrooms in Colorado and Florida.
She has been the poet-in-residence at schools in Fort Collins, Brighton, Aurora, Idalia, and Longmont, and has been a master teaching artist at the annual Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado/Institute for Creative Teaching at the University of Denver 7 times.
Food and Drink Available for Purchase
All sales final. Non refundable tickets unless concert is cancelled.
His classical guitar performances offer a range of music, from upbeat Latin American music, to the virtuosity of the Baroque, and intimate, emotive modern compositions.
His current interest lies in Spanish and Latin American composers, such as Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, Antonio Lauro, and Astor Piazzolla. Still, his diverse repertoire includes music by Bach, Roland Dyens, Leo Brouwer, and his own original compositions, among many others.
Lisa Zimmerman is a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Northern Colorado.
She is the author of seven poetry collections, four chapbooks, including Sainted (Main Street Rag 2021) as well as three full-length books–The Light at the Edge of Everything (Anhinga Press), The Hours I Keep (Main Street Rag), and her debut poetry collection which won the 2004 Violet Reed Haas Poetry Award. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and five times for the Pushcart Prize. One of her prose poems is included in The Best Small Fictions: 2020 Anthology (Sonder Press).
Lisa is a coach for the Poetry Out Loud high school recitation project and has taught writing workshops in K-12 classrooms in Colorado and Florida.
She has been the poet-in-residence at schools in Fort Collins, Brighton, Aurora, Idalia, and Longmont, and has been a master teaching artist at the annual Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado/Institute for Creative Teaching at the University of Denver 7 times.
Food and Drink Available for Purchase
All sales final. Non refundable tickets unless concert is cancelled.
July 21, 2024 3 p.m. Harpist Abigail Enssle with Poet Jack Martin Over 30 Ticket
$15.00
Colorado-based harpist Abigail Enssle is a young harpist who is already inspiring acclaim in the classical music world. In 2018, Enssle won the Anne Adams Awards of the American Harp Society at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. In 2015, Enssle was chosen to perform on National Public Radio’s “From the Top” weekly classical music program. Interview here.
Program:
- Bach: Etude No. 3 “Sarabande” from Violin Partita No. 1
- Albeniz: “Asturias” or “Leyenda” from Cantos de España
- Debussy: “Claire de Lune”
- Ola Gjeilo: “Still”
- Bach: Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D Minor
- Godefroid: “La Dance de Sylphes”
And more!
Fort Collins poet Jack Martin just published his first book, Throwing Hunger through Wolverine Farm. "In the debut collection, Martin shares poems from over four decades of honing his craft. Intimate and edgy, surreal and brutally honest, these poems explore a world filled with wonder, and wander through history, relationships, and growing old."
Food and drink available for purchase. ticket sales are final. No refunds unless concert is canceled.
Program:
- Bach: Etude No. 3 “Sarabande” from Violin Partita No. 1
- Albeniz: “Asturias” or “Leyenda” from Cantos de España
- Debussy: “Claire de Lune”
- Ola Gjeilo: “Still”
- Bach: Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D Minor
- Godefroid: “La Dance de Sylphes”
And more!
Fort Collins poet Jack Martin just published his first book, Throwing Hunger through Wolverine Farm. "In the debut collection, Martin shares poems from over four decades of honing his craft. Intimate and edgy, surreal and brutally honest, these poems explore a world filled with wonder, and wander through history, relationships, and growing old."
Food and drink available for purchase. ticket sales are final. No refunds unless concert is canceled.
Sunday August 18, 3 pm Red Rock Strings with poet Michele Battiste Over 30 Ticket
$15.00
Formed at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Professor Karen Ritcher and Juilliard professor Darett Atkins, The Red Rock String Quartet blends top-tier classical training with an enthusiasm for multi-genre and contemporary music. The quartet's musicians have worked with many of today’s most respected classical artists, including the Cavani String Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma, the Ying Quartet, the Jasper Quartet, and the famed Takacas Quartet, but Red Rock String’s artistry extends beyond classical music, performing alongside Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson and many more of today's recognized bands — our musicians have, on numerous occasions, performed cross-over style at their home base, Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Michele Battiste is the author of Waiting for the Wreck to Burn (Trio House, 2019), Uprising ( Black Lawrence, 2014), and Ink for an Odd Cartography ( Black Lawrence, 2009). She is also the author of several chapbooks, including Left: Letters to Strangers (Grey Book, 2014). Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Rumpus, Memorious, and Women's Studies Quarterly, among others.
Michele has taught poetry workshops for Wichita State University, the Prison Arts Program in Hutchinson, KS, Gotham Writers' Workshops, and Teen Ink. A finalist for the National Poetry Series, she has received grants and awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, AWP, the Center for the American West, the Jerome Foundation, and the NY State Senate. She lives in Colorado where she works for The Nature Conservancy, raising money to save the planet.
Food and Drink Available for Purchase.
All Sales Final, non refundable.
September 15 3 pm Hollywood Violinists Amy Hershberger, Sarah Thornblade and Jordan Warmath with Poets Aby Kaupang & Matthew Cooperman Over 30 Ticket
$15.00
Amy Hershberger has performed extensively as a soloist and in chamber music performances throughout the country. She was Concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra from 2001 until its close in 2017, and has been the Associate Concertmaster of the Pasadena Symphony from 2001 until the present, appearing as a soloist with these orchestras as well as others.
She has collaborated extensively in chamber music across the country, including at the La Jolla Summerfest and the Mozart Festival in San Diego. Additionally, she has performed as a recording musician on many hundreds of motion picture soundtracks, as well on records and other media.
Sarah Thornblade has been described as “a marvelously versatile violinist” (Santa Barbara News) whose playing has been described as “rapturously winning” by the Los Angeles Times. She is an avid chamber musician, a grand prize winner of the Coleman and Fischoff chamber music competitions, and is the associate principal second violin of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. A founding member of the Eclipse Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to performing twentieth-century and contemporary music, the Eclipse quartet has been the recipient of an Aaron Copland Fund recording grant and has recorded for Tzadik, New World, Cold Blue, and Bridge recording labels.
Sarah is on the faculty of Pomona College and is also an active recording musician for film and television. She holds degrees from Indiana University and Northern Illinois University.
Violist/ Violinist Jordan Warmath received her DMA in Viola Performance from UCSB in 2017. As a sought after performer and collaborator she has appeared on stage with internationally acclaimed pop artist Sting, soprano Renée Fleming, the Takács Quartet, cellist Carter Brey, pianist Emanuel Ax, and violinists Ray Chen, Anne Akiko Meyers, Glenn Dicterow, and Gil Shaham. As a lover of orchestral music she regularly performs with the Pasadena, New West, and Bakersfield Symphonies in addition to serving as Principal Viola for the Westside Chamber Orchestra and associate principal viola for the Pacific Opera Project. As an advocate for modern viola and violin literature, she continues to commission, seek, promote, and perform contemporary music (and opera!) as frequently as possible. However, her favorite part of working in Los Angeles has been performing in the studio where she can be heard on the soundtracks to Obi-Wan, Star Trek, Bad Boys, Lego Movie 2, and many more.
Husband and wife poets Aby Kaupang & Matthew Cooperman are Fort Collins natives.
Aby Kaupang is the author of & there’s you still thrill hour of the world to love, Radiant Tether, NOS, (disorder not otherwise specified) (w. Matthew Cooperman), Little “g” God Grows Tired of Me, and multiple other collections. She holds master’s degrees in creative writing and occupational therapy.
Choosing to work outside of academia, she practices as an occupational therapist and nurse’s aide specializing in the treatment of neurodivergent and special needs children.
Aby lives in Fort Collins, CO where she assists in organizing an annual book festival, hosts the reading series, EveryEye, and has served as Poet Laureate.
Matthew Cooperman is the author of, most recently NOS, disorder not otherwise specified (with Aby Kaupang, Futurepoem, 2018) and Spool (Free Verse Editions/Parlor Press, 2016), winner of the New Measure Prize. Other works include the image + text collaboration Imago for the Fallen World (w/Marius Lehene, Jaded Ibis, 2013), Still: of the Earth as the Ark which Does Not Move (Counterpath Press, 2011), DaZE, (Salt Publishing Ltd, 2006) and A Sacrificial Zinc (Pleiades/LSU, 2001), which won the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize. He’s also the author of five chapbooks: Disorder 299.00 (w/ Aby Kaupang, Essay Press, 2016 and more.
Food and Drink Available for Purchase
All sales final. Tickets not refundable
She has collaborated extensively in chamber music across the country, including at the La Jolla Summerfest and the Mozart Festival in San Diego. Additionally, she has performed as a recording musician on many hundreds of motion picture soundtracks, as well on records and other media.
Sarah Thornblade has been described as “a marvelously versatile violinist” (Santa Barbara News) whose playing has been described as “rapturously winning” by the Los Angeles Times. She is an avid chamber musician, a grand prize winner of the Coleman and Fischoff chamber music competitions, and is the associate principal second violin of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. A founding member of the Eclipse Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to performing twentieth-century and contemporary music, the Eclipse quartet has been the recipient of an Aaron Copland Fund recording grant and has recorded for Tzadik, New World, Cold Blue, and Bridge recording labels.
Sarah is on the faculty of Pomona College and is also an active recording musician for film and television. She holds degrees from Indiana University and Northern Illinois University.
Violist/ Violinist Jordan Warmath received her DMA in Viola Performance from UCSB in 2017. As a sought after performer and collaborator she has appeared on stage with internationally acclaimed pop artist Sting, soprano Renée Fleming, the Takács Quartet, cellist Carter Brey, pianist Emanuel Ax, and violinists Ray Chen, Anne Akiko Meyers, Glenn Dicterow, and Gil Shaham. As a lover of orchestral music she regularly performs with the Pasadena, New West, and Bakersfield Symphonies in addition to serving as Principal Viola for the Westside Chamber Orchestra and associate principal viola for the Pacific Opera Project. As an advocate for modern viola and violin literature, she continues to commission, seek, promote, and perform contemporary music (and opera!) as frequently as possible. However, her favorite part of working in Los Angeles has been performing in the studio where she can be heard on the soundtracks to Obi-Wan, Star Trek, Bad Boys, Lego Movie 2, and many more.
Husband and wife poets Aby Kaupang & Matthew Cooperman are Fort Collins natives.
Aby Kaupang is the author of & there’s you still thrill hour of the world to love, Radiant Tether, NOS, (disorder not otherwise specified) (w. Matthew Cooperman), Little “g” God Grows Tired of Me, and multiple other collections. She holds master’s degrees in creative writing and occupational therapy.
Choosing to work outside of academia, she practices as an occupational therapist and nurse’s aide specializing in the treatment of neurodivergent and special needs children.
Aby lives in Fort Collins, CO where she assists in organizing an annual book festival, hosts the reading series, EveryEye, and has served as Poet Laureate.
Matthew Cooperman is the author of, most recently NOS, disorder not otherwise specified (with Aby Kaupang, Futurepoem, 2018) and Spool (Free Verse Editions/Parlor Press, 2016), winner of the New Measure Prize. Other works include the image + text collaboration Imago for the Fallen World (w/Marius Lehene, Jaded Ibis, 2013), Still: of the Earth as the Ark which Does Not Move (Counterpath Press, 2011), DaZE, (Salt Publishing Ltd, 2006) and A Sacrificial Zinc (Pleiades/LSU, 2001), which won the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize. He’s also the author of five chapbooks: Disorder 299.00 (w/ Aby Kaupang, Essay Press, 2016 and more.
Food and Drink Available for Purchase
All sales final. Tickets not refundable
October 20, 2024 3pm Synesthesia Chamber Music with Poet Bryan Roth Over 30 Ticket
$15.00
Synesthesia presents eclectic chamber music from Northern Colorado. Experience a ‘Union of Senses’ with this unique ensemble.
Synesthesia will be performing an afternoon of Cinema themed music including Over the Rainbow (50 First Dates), Por Una Cabeza (Scent of a Woman), It Had To Be You (When Harry Met Sally), Lakme Flower Duet (Tomb Raider and True Romance) and more.
Featuring: Copper Ferreira, clarinet; Cbj Lutsch, flute; Becky Kutz Osterberg, cello.
Bryan Roth is a writer, poet, literary editor, manuscript consultant, and teacher. His prose has been published internationally; his poems have appeared in Atlanta Review, The Flying Island, Fringe, Paradigm, Southern Indiana Review, and other publications. He has three chapbooks forthcoming in 2024: What You're Up Against, and Triptych. He is also working on a full-length poetry collection, Building the Day, as well as a novel.
Mr. Roth has won awards for his poetry, his editing, and his writing, including a journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of a new poetry press, Carpe Diem! Press, which will begin publishing poetry chapbooks in 2024.
Food and drink available for purchase
All sales are final non refundable unless concert is cancelled.
The Church of Beethoven is a ‘church’ with no preaching, just a one-hour-long program presenting classical music (45 min), spoken word art (10 min), and a two-minute celebration of silence. We'll begin at 3 PM sharp, and end by around 4:15 PM. Book signings will be available by featured spoken word artists and Avogadro's delicious menu is available for dining.
Not just a concert, not quite a church, the Church of Beethoven was originally founded by American cellist Felix Wurman, in Albuquerque in 2007. Wurman started this organization “to create a new concept in classical music… to get rid of the ‘fourth wall’ between the players and the audience and create a more familial feel… a community.” The Church of Beethoven aims to nurture community through culture, and elevate the soul through art: “Really, the idea is to find spirituality through culture, through the cultural gifts that so many people have suffered for and created over so many generations. There’s so much information there that’s useful.”
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Tickets under age 30: $9 in advance, $10 at the door
Volunteers Needed: Would you like to help organize and run Church of Beethoven? Volunteers receive free tickets and a drink of choice at concerts. Email: churchofbeethovennoco.com with subject line: "Volunteer"
Not just a concert, not quite a church, the Church of Beethoven was originally founded by American cellist Felix Wurman, in Albuquerque in 2007. Wurman started this organization “to create a new concept in classical music… to get rid of the ‘fourth wall’ between the players and the audience and create a more familial feel… a community.” The Church of Beethoven aims to nurture community through culture, and elevate the soul through art: “Really, the idea is to find spirituality through culture, through the cultural gifts that so many people have suffered for and created over so many generations. There’s so much information there that’s useful.”
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Tickets under age 30: $9 in advance, $10 at the door
Volunteers Needed: Would you like to help organize and run Church of Beethoven? Volunteers receive free tickets and a drink of choice at concerts. Email: churchofbeethovennoco.com with subject line: "Volunteer"
