CSO & LCSD#1 Present Art in Music 2026
This month, we have an exciting opportunity to witness the incredible intersection of art and music at the Cheyenne Civic Center. The annual Art in Music program, a collaboration between the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Laramie County School District No. 1 (LCSD#1), is gearing up to showcase the creativity of our talented young artists.
Students in grades 7 through 12 have been hard at work, inspired by the captivating sounds of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Celebration. Their artwork, a vibrant expression of the music they’ve engaged with, will be on display starting March 3rd at the Cheyenne Civic Center. You’ll have the chance to view this inspiring art during box office hours (Tues.-Fri. from 10 AM to 4 PM) through March 17th, and of course, at the concert itself.
Mark your calendars for March 13th from 5 to 8 PM, when the artwork will also be featured at Cheyenne’s Artwalk—a perfect opportunity to take a leisurely stroll and appreciate local talent. An awards presentation recognizing the top submissions will occur before the concert on March 14th, and as a special treat, you’ll be able to view a slideshow of the winning artworks as the orchestra performs.
But what exactly is Art in Music? The concept of joining forces with the Cheyenne Symphony and Laramie School District No. 1 Art Department took place over twenty years ago and was the brainchild of then symphony conductor David Lockington. The first several years of working together found students on the stage or in the audience drawing as they listened to the symphony rehearse.
Over the years the program has continued to evolve, support, and become integrated into LCSD #1’s art curriculum. Today, to help students and teachers prepare for this annual program, CSO creates a video with details about the composer’s life, information about the selected piece, fun facts about what was happening in the world when the music was composed, and a vocabulary slide creating cross disciplinary connections with terms used in both music and art. Teachers also receive a recording of the music that will be performed allowing the teachers and students to work with these materials for many weeks in preparing their artwork. The goal of Art in Music for both the Cheyenne Symphony and Laramie County School District No. 1 Art Department is to correlate some of the best classical pieces with two–and three–dimensional art by creating a new form of artwork–creation stimulated by classical music.
To give the audience a taste of the student’s creative process, patrons will get to see a slideshow of the winning submissions as the orchestra performs the piece. We are excited to share this experience with you – there is nothing like seeing and hearing both art forms together!
We are thrilled to share this unique experience with the community—there’s truly nothing quite like the synergy of seeing and hearing these two art forms come together. We invite you to join us in celebrating the incredible talents of our students and indulge in the beauty of art and music at the concert.
Come support our young artists, enjoy the live performance, and witness firsthand how classical music can inspire boundless creativity! Let’s celebrate the power of art in our lives this March!