The City and County of Denver Proclamation honoring Swallow Hill.
Recognizing efforts to increase the community’s accessibility to music over four decades, last night The City and County of Denver honored Swallow Hill Music with a proclamation of congratulations for our 40th anniversary.
The proclamation chronicles Swallow Hill’s early partnership with The Folklore Center in 1979 under the leadership of Harry Tuft and Julie Davis, and honors Swallow Hill’s continued efforts to make musical connections throughout Denver to this day.
VIEW: The City and County of Denver’s Swallow Hill Proclamation (PDF)
Here is the full text of the proclamation:
PROCLAMATION
City and County of Denver Proclamation No. 19-1185
Honoring Swallow Hill Music on Their 40th Anniversary
Whereas, Swallow Hill Music was founded in 1979 at the old Denver Folklore Center in the Swallow Hill neighborhood just east of downtown, when former Folklore Center owner Harry Tuft saw it as a necessary vehicle to continue to bring the best in folk music concerts to Colorado, while Julie Davis, renowned autoharp performer and teacher added a music school to the equation; and
Whereas, By the 1990s, Swallow Hill’s first permanent home was established in a small brick building at 1905 S. Pearl Street, where, under the leadership of Executive Director Seth Weisberg, school director Becky Micklich and concert director Meredith Carson enrollment grew to 2,700 students annually and the 125-seat concert hall hosted nearly 100 shows each year; and
Whereas, Twenty years ago, with a new Executive Director, Chris Daniels, at the helm, Swallow Hill moved into its much larger current facility at 71 E. Yale Ave. growing to 3 concert halls and expanding the number and genre of shows, with a larger school space accommodating 70 teachers in group classes, private lessons, workshops, and jam sessions taught on stringed instruments, piano, percussion and voice; and
Whereas, Now celebrating its 40th year, led by current Executive Director Paul Lhevine and a stalwart staff and cadre of volunteers, Swallow Hill presents over 250 concerts annually in folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz, global music and more at the E. Yale Ave. site, the Denver Botanic Gardens, Four Mile Historic Park, the Oriental Theater and other local venues as well as an expanded curriculum of music lessons to 64,000 students each year; and
Whereas, Swallow Hill makes music accessible to under-resourced communities through outreach programs at pre-schools, elementary, middle and high schools, libraries and senior centers, working with more than 200 schools and organizations across the Front Range; and Whereas, On November 9, Swallow Hill Music will be inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame with ceremonies and concert performances at Central Presbyterian Church;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER:
Section 1. That the Council of The City and County of Denver congratulates the entire Swallow Hill Community on their 40 years of musical service and declares Saturday, November 9 to be Swallow Hill Music Day in the City and County of Denver.
Section 2. That the Clerk of the City and County of Denver shall attest and affix the seal of the City and County of Denver to this proclamation and a copy be delivered to Paul Lhevine, Executive Director of Swallow Hill Music.
PASSED BY THE COUNCIL October 28, 2019
JOLON CLARK PRESIDENT