Behind the Baton LIVE: DIVA, The Sound of Style

Behind the Baton LIVE returns to the Denver Art Museum on Tuesday, November 17, with a program called DIVA, The Sound of Style. It's part of CPR Classical's Behind the Baton series, where conductor and educator Scott O'Neil shares stories that reveal and demystify classical music. This particular edition is built around the museum's DIVA exhibition, so it's as much about the art on the walls as it is about the music.

That exhibition comes to Denver from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It celebrates the radical power, creativity, and cultural impact of nearly 100 iconic performers, and the range is wide: 19th and 20th-century divas like Josephine Baker, Sarah Bernhardt, and Maria Callas sit alongside modern powerhouses like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Prince, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift. Around 250 objects and show-stopping costumes worn by legends—from Marilyn Monroe to a look from one of Rihanna's Met Gala appearances—hang at the center, framing how stars use fashion and performance to demand visibility and ignite social change. The Denver Art Museum evolved the show for an American audience, adding an interactive section that asks visitors which divas excite them.

On the day, Scott O'Neil leads the program, joined by Denver Art Museum Interpretive Specialist Holly Harmon. The two will walk through the music and the stories that connect back to the exhibition, so if you've already spent time with the costumes and the performers in the gallery, this is a chance to hear the sound that goes with them. It's a good way to see how the two things—the visual spectacle and the music—work together.

There are two showtimes on Tuesday, November 17: 3 PM and 6:30 PM, both held at the Denver Art Museum in the Martin Building, Level 2, in the Sturm Grand Pavilion. Tickets run from $10 to $30.