Thoughts from artistic director, August 2020: The repercussions of the pandemic have prohibited us from experiencing some of the beautiful things in our lives. Getting together for an evening of engaging music, going to an art show or theatre, or visiting family - these activities now seem difficult or even impossible. But we believe the pandemic also showed us what’s important in life. I for one, have a renewed appreciation for Family, Nature, Music and Art. People have the need for live concerts more than ever now, and artists feel a sense of duty to contribute during this time. At EPIC we decided that we should venture into the yet unknown territory of coming back to live concerts. If we do it the right way, we can share what we learn with other organizations in town and hopefully improve the quality of life for people in our magnificent mountain community. Of course health and safety is paramount, this is why we will exercise distancing, air circulation, sanitization and other safety measures that have already proved to be effective during our work with Colorado Springs Chamber Music Days. In the early months of this pandemic there was not enough data to guide us as to how we could start gathering safely again. But now we have access to numerous scientific studies and reports and we are confident that we can put on live shows that address the health concerns of our audience and the musicians. We are calling this project EPIC Community Concerts. These cafe and outdoor concerts will employ our friends from Colorado Springs Philharmonic as well as other fantastic artists from our region. Along with the old favorites, we will be doing our part in taking social action - championing composers of color, women composers, and discovering exciting exciting new works. - Sergei Vassiliev.