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The Colorado Springs art world has lost a grand dame.
Kathleen Fox Collins, who spent five years championing and promoting symphony, opera, theater and cowboy music, died Monday. She is 80 years old.
She is survived by son Joel Collins and two grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Ent Arts Center on June 11th. Donations can be made to the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Foundation, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation, or Downtown Ventures’ Kathleen Fox Collins Fund.
“She’s a doer. She sticks to her guns,” says Susan Edmondson, president and CEO of Downtown Partnership. “She has energy, determination, enthusiasm and love for this community. She strongly believes that the arts are a great way to enrich the community.”
Born in Mexico City in 1942 to the father of a former US diplomat, Collins spent the first 15 years of her life in Fiji, Egypt and India. She arrived in the United States in 1957, attended boarding school, and then the University of Colorado.
She eventually moved to New York City, where she performed and worked for The Forsaken Theatre, a troupe that helps prisoners write and perform plays. In 1975, she returned to Colorado and landed in Springs, where she met Bee Vradenburg, general manager of the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra (now the Colorado Springs Philharmonic), who gave her a job. She served the orchestra for 25 years in various capacities and developed a romantic relationship with symphony conductor Charles Ansbacher.
“Charles and the Bee are the name and face of the symphony, but Catherine is in the belly of the beast,” said Nathan Newbrough, president and CEO of the Philharmonic. “She did everything. She was as synonymous with the symphony as any conductor or bee at the time.”
During those symphonic years, Collins helped develop Memorial Park’s Ice Pop and Summer Symphony, as well as the planning and construction of the Pikes Peak Center.
“She came up with beautiful and creative ways to bring art to where people are — in their homes and in their communities,” Edmondson said. “No idea was too far-fetched or difficult to at least try to execute. These ideas Many of them have been around for so many years, to the delight of thousands of people.”
After working with symphony orchestras, Collins spent 15 years at Western Jubilee Recording Co., a record label specializing in cowboy music and poetry. She is a founding director of the Bee Vradenburg Foundation and Opera of the Rocky Mountains; a founding partner of the MeadowGrass Music Festival; and a co-founder of Ride for the Brand Ranch Rodeo. She has also served on numerous boards and committees over the years, including Theaterworks, KCME, and Friends of Uncle Wilber Fountain.
“Katherine was a dynamo and really thrived behind the scenes,” Edmondson said. “Perhaps many patrons of the arts may not know who she is, but she is always behind the scenes, with creative ideas, increasing support for the arts, advocating for the arts and making things possible. If you don’t see her on stage, She can still help incredible things happen in this community.”
Contact the author: 636-0270
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