08/07/2026
Last Saturday, we took our musicians out of the concert hall and into the streets of Manitou Springs, celebrating Colorado's 150th anniversary and helping launch the Manitou Springs Community Foundation's new Kindness Ambassador Program.
We set up surprise pop-up performances at The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway and at the base of the Manitou Incline, turning an ordinary morning for hikers, visitors and residents into something they didn't see coming. Manitou Springs native David Siegel, executive director of the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS, joined our own Shauna Smith on viola, Sergei Vassiliev on clarinet and Christina Wilson on flute.
The concerts marked the public launch of the Foundation's Kindness Ambassador Program, which will recruit local volunteers, representing businesses, schools, nonprofits and neighborhoods, to serve as community connectors encouraging acts of kindness throughout Manitou Springs.
"The Kindness Ambassador Program is about creating a mindset of kindness by giving people practical ways to strengthen their community," said Ken Jaray, former mayor of Manitou Springs and a leader of the initiative.
We were glad to lend our music to that mission. It's the kind of community-first work we want to keep showing up for. Thank you for being part of our EPIC family! Manitou Springs Community Foundation Educational Partnerships Immersive Concerts Ent Center for the Arts
