Today's Features

One of the universal joys of music is that it can be enjoyed in myriad settings with audiences large or small. One day you might get a kick out of singing along with the radio in your car. The next, you might settle into an audience with hundreds of listeners for a musical extravaganza.

The Evergreen Chamber Orchestra knows that setting and company can accentuate a musical experience for even the most veteran listener. For this reason, the ECO is kicking off its 2008-09 season with two unique concerts.

A friend who volunteers at the Evergreen Nature Center stopped by last week to show us photographs of a wood rat taken by a couple who live on Upper Bear Creek. These folks had seen and heard some little critter in their house and wanted to be sure to live trap it and remove it before they left on a vacation.

Our friend loaned them her live trap, and the next day they came into the Nature Center with the little animal in the trap. It was indeed a bright-eyed little wood rat. She later brought the photographs to us in hopes we could identify it as to species.

Artists loved to be challenged. As a visual artist, every day, you are searching for something new that will inspire. Meryl Sabeff, owner of the Evergreen Gallery, challenged her artists to put their own spin on the idea of “home” in the gallery’s latest show, “Beyond These Walls.” The results were whimsical, welcoming and wonderful.

Like many artists, Kathy Dawson loves to travel. As a young woman, Dawson lived and danced professionally in Germany. Over the years, Dawson continued to travel and has visited far-flung places throughout the world. Dawson drew inspiration for her watercolors from the villages and castles of Italy and France. Then, several years ago, she took it a step further. Dawson began incorporating actual souvenirs from her travels into her art — and stumbled upon a combination for which she has earned acclaim throughout Denver.