On Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Centennial Room here at Holly Creek Life Plan Community was packed with 130 residents and guests for a special performance by the United States Air Force Academy Rampart Winds. The quintet, part of the United States Air Force Academy Band, brought an engaging and patriotic lineup of “Quintet-essential American Music from the 19th Century to Now,” fulfilling their mission to “honor, inspire, and connect communities”—including Holly Creek.
Holly Creek Cottage Concert Series Brings Live Music to Fellow Neighbors
The concert was part of the Cottage Concert Series, a program run entirely by Holly Creek residents. The all-volunteer, approximately 15-member committee researches, selects, and schedules each performance, bringing a variety of musical styles to the community.
“We have a list of past performers and new talent, and we vote on who to include for each six months of each year,” said Malin Jones, the current committee chair. “All committee members provide input. We receive many donations, so we can invite a range of the best professional performers and contract them up to a year out.”
Jones, a retired trumpet player who played in various Denver community orchestras for over 20 years, is dedicated to bringing music to others. “One of my missions [as the new committee chair] is to introduce some new talent. The Rampart Winds was one of the groups I researched and facilitated coming to the community. I also am organizing a jazz concert and facilitated the Irish bagpipers and dancers for our Celtic Gala this past spring.”
He invited the prestigious Rampart Winds because he’d heard the United States Air Force Academy Band several times at the Newman Center and thought “that we should be able to replicate that experience at Holly Creek with a smaller group like the quintet.”
The Rampart Winds opened with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and moved through works by Antonín Dvořák, Florence Price, and Samuel Barber. The “Summer Music” selection, composed by Barber in 1955, was commissioned after he was inspired by a performance of the New York Wind Quintet. The aim was to combine unique wind effects into one, harmonious piece, showcasing the range and artistry of the quintet.
Honoring the Rampart Winds Musicians with Challenge Coins
The performance concluded with an “Armed Services Medley,” inviting the dozens of veterans in the audience to stand and sing during their branch’s anthem. Following the music, Holly Creek Executive Director Michelle Fraternali and resident and United States Army Reserve Ambassador Jim Sherman presented each musician with a Holly Creek challenge coin in recognition of their service and to commemorate their visit. The coins were developed to honor the approximately 60 veterans who call the community home.
What’s Next for the Cottage Concert Committee
After each performance, Jones and the Cottage Concert Committee members gather feedback from residents. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We’re running out of chairs,” Malin said. The committee is even exploring technology that would link multiple venues in the community to expand audience capacity.
“Music brings a smile to everyone’s face, and as a musician and audience member, that’s the most positive feedback anybody could ever get,” Malin shared. “It’s wonderful to see the fruits of our labor in the fantastic results we get. There is probably no other retirement community in Denver that does what we do, and that speaks to the quality and resources of the residents who live here. I just have the enjoyment of being able to hear it and help set it up.”
Some of the performances that Malin and his fellow residents are looking forward to later this year include music by the Aries Brass – Premier Quintet, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and holiday music by performers including the Colorado Children’s Chorale.
