Linda Weise

and How Simple Gift Schoolhouse came to be.

Linda Weise leads the efforts behind all things Simple Gift Schoolhouse! A classically trained musician with a passion for creating access to the arts for all. The impact of her work has been felt by several generations now. She has inspired young and old alike in a multitude of diverse ‘spaces’.

Linda is graduate of Oberlin Conservatory with a B.M. in piano and vocal performance and M.M. in Opera Performance. She continued her post- graduate work at the Juilliard School for Opera Studies. She has lived in Colorado since 1992. Additionally, her studies and performance experience included Chautauqua Institution and the Aspen Music Festival.

She is married to her husband Keith and has two beautiful and talented daughters, Christina and Kelsy.

Vortici, LLC.

Linda leads an incredible team of creatives that bring all sorts of projects to life. From film, musical production and creation to events and everything in between, she is a champion of this company from 2016.

Community Cultural Collective

Linda has recently led a significant cultural project that included an historic adaptive reuse component and creative workforce development. This project resonated with all sectors; business, arts and culture, education and community development.

The Colorado Springs Conservatory

She is the founder of the Colorado Springs Conservatory (CSC). She established the Conservatory in 1994 to bring world-class performing arts education to the region. A non auditioned program with programming access for young people birth through 19, the Conservatory was heralded with many accolades and awards under Linda’s leadership, the most important being the overwhelming positive impact the Conservatory had on the lives of the hundreds of thousands of young people who studied there and experienced the programming at various levels. It was at the Conservatory and her commitment to affording all students opportunities to experience and participate in studies there that she developed unique civic, arts and education partnerships and programs. A non-auditioned immersive arts program, the CSC changed lives for the better simply by provided access to studies. What started simply as an afterschool program for youth interested in pursuing performing arts as a career grew to nearly 3,000 youth ages birth through 19 years of age during the height of COVID. Students were required to study a complete curriculum of arts related studies to include piano, music theory, studio/performance class, music history, recording arts, theater and composition. The curriculum included an enormous amount of outreach. Students in the advanced jazz program could perform at nearly 300+ outreach gigs a year. The programming grew to six days a week with day and evening sessions. Partnerships included all seventeen regional school districts, Eastern Plains BOCES, 4th Judicial District Restorative Justice Youth programs, Inside Out Youth, Homeschool Academies, Charter Schools and government entities from the Department of Health and Human Services at El Paso County to performing arts partnerships with organizations and state gems such as Central City Opera. A Positive Note, a music program for young people with physical and mental challenges was launched after the need was identified. Both Linda and the CSC have been recognized throughout the state and across the country with numerous awards to include the National Guild of Community Music Schools Milestone Achievement award and the coveted William Funk Award from the Colorado Nonprofit Association. Accolades for providing and making accessible to all who are interested in outstanding arts immersion studies, the Conservatory has been changing lives for nearly 29 years now. She had stepped away from the CSC to champion with Community Cultural Collective Project.

The Mezzanine

During her tenure at the Conservatory, Linda created a unique venue partnership with a locally renowned nightclub owner. The Mezzanine became the go to place downtown. Hosting evening performances in the intimacy of a 150 seat theater, the Mezzanine also afforded the students and in particular the CSC alumni a place to perform when they returned home to

Colorado Springs. The Mezzanine hosted visiting artists to include Santa Fe Opera, Austin Piazolla and many chamber music groups looking to launch new works. The Mezzanine produced musical theater works such as ‘The Last 5 Years’, ‘Cabaret’, ‘The Fantastiks’ and a myriad of operetta to include Gilbert and Sullivan.

Simple Gift Schoolhouse

Linda is also the creator of the early childhood music and literacy program, Simple Gift Series. Created at the onset of COVID, she and six Colorado Springs Conservatory alumni were able to bring essential and creative learning to young children across Colorado and come January 2022, the rest of the nation. The program aired on PBS nationally for two years and is now the web based program, Simple Gift Schoolhouse, providing creative curriculum development to early childhood educators around the globe. In 2021 the Conservatory and the Simple Gift Series team was awarded the Edward Ziegler Innovation Award from the National Head Start Association.

The Simple Gift Schoolhouse programming and training has been transforming lives since its inception in 2000 with partners at CPCD Head Start. However, it is most recently since COVID and the evolution, needs and demands of the Early Childhood Care and Education landscape that the Simple Gift Schoolhouse programs have proven to become an important and satisfying part of a child’s most important developmental years. In 2021, Linda, the CSCCC and SGS partnered with Joint Initiatives/Alliance for kids to better support the vast landscape of needs in the Early Childhood realm. This creatively, smart and unique industry led and informed’ program has come to serve educators, administrators in ways that far supersede anyone’s wildest expectations or imaginations. Linda has brought the SGS training to more than 500+ educators across the Pikes Peak Region and along the front range since 2022. In 2021, Linda and Joint Initiatives instituted a free ‘Playgroup’ specifically to the Friends, Families and Neighbors (FFN) networks. This particular group is challenged with curriculum resources as well as socialization opportunities and the SGS Playgroups have now become a staple in literally thousands of family’s lives. Counties from across Colorado are seeking to duplicate the model.

She also has a class of elementary age students in Meru, Kenya Africa that she brings much and creativity to once a week over zoom and teaches private voice and piano lessons.

ENTREPRENEUR

Prior to moving to Colorado in the early 1990’s Linda had a myriad of work experiences that ultimately complimented and served her well in her career as an arts and culture champion. For a period of time, Linda was part of the development team at the Richard Tucker Foundation. Additionally, she worked three years at Citicorp Investment Bank as a trading assistant. Always interested in economics and entrepreneurship, she recognizes that these experiences afforded her the opportunity to learn and better understand how business and the arts much work in tandem to best further access to cultural experiences for all. She has a formidable reputation for creating new and innovate partnerships with the corporate community members in communities.

LEADER

She has served on a number of Boards of Directors to include being a Governor appointee to the Colorado Humanities, the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, and the Central City Opera Regional Council. Linda is no stranger to working alongside legislators at the state and national level. She has been called upon by local and regional leaders as well to work on strategy for various related issues and policy from the importance of quality after school programs to funding for cultural activities. She has most recently been awarded the regional Jefferson Award for the State of Colorado and has been nominated nationally for the Jacqueline Onassis Award for Commitment to Community.

IMPRESARIO

She has also directed and produced many musical and operatic works to include a number of Menotti operas with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs. Seen by thousands of audience members these included ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’, ‘Martin’s Lie’, ‘The Medium’, ‘Help, Help the Globolinks’ and ‘Chip and His Dog’. Musical Theater productions included, ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Oliver’, ‘Songs for a New World’, ‘Spelling Bee’, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ and many more