Posted September 10, 2025
On September 8th, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra was offered $8,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts and Colorado Creative Industries. After careful consideration, we declined.
Why? Because the requirements tied to that award would have pressured us to dilute the very values that guide our work. And that’s something we cannot compromise.
Our mission is rooted in serving the entire community and reimagining engagement with classical music. To DPO, that means:
- Being inclusive of all backgrounds and walks of life
- Building and recognizing diversity authentically
- Acknowledging inequities in classical music and our immediate community
- Ensuring accessibility that goes beyond the letter of the ADA to embrace its spirit
Classical music already presents enough barriers. Every day, our work is to dismantle them.
Now, we invite you to Take a Stand with us. Through the end of September, we’re raising $8,000 to replace those declined funds and prove that community is worth investing in.
Your gift will go twice as far as an anonymous donor has stepped forward to match the first $3,000 raised.
Antonia Brico, our founder and the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic, often said: “Do not be deflected from your course.” We honor her legacy by staying true to our mission, and asking you to join us.
Donate now and help us meet The $8,000 Challenge!
For full transparency, below is the email we sent to Colorado Creative Industries and the NEA explaining our decision:
Thank you for your clarification [that CCI funds cannot be separated from NEA funds] and for the time you are taking to respond to so many inquiries during this stressful period. Additionally, we are grateful for all the work that Colorado Creative Industries does to support the arts in our state and for the financial support you have provided in the past.
After careful consideration, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra must respectfully decline this award, including both the NEA and CCI matching funds. While we believe our operations already comply with the NEA’s updated requirements, the way those requirements are framed pressures us to dilute the very values that guide our work. Alignment would mean compromising in spirit, and that is a step we are unwilling to take.
Our mission is rooted in serving the entire community and reimagining engagement with classical music. To DPO, that means being inclusive of all backgrounds and walks of life, building and recognizing diversity authentically, acknowledging inequities in both classical music and our immediate community, and ensuring accessibility that goes beyond the letter of the ADA to embrace its spirit. Classical music already presents enough barriers to entry, and our daily work is to dismantle those barriers wherever we can.
Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic, founded our orchestra after facing systemic barriers based solely on her gender. She is often quoted in saying, “Do not be deflected from your course.” We honor her legacy by staying true to our values rooted in EDIA. As a community orchestra, we look forward to the day the NEA’s requirements once again fully support the values of inclusion and access so that we can serve our entire community, together.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Roger Haak | Executive Director – he/him/his
Denver Philharmonic Orchestra