Concert in Wings of the Tropics: The Earth Has Wings

Experience a magical evening where music and nature meet inside Butterfly Pavilion’s Wings of the Tropics butterfly conservatory. This intimate one-hour program brings together live chamber music by Concertvation; a nonprofit that uses performance to deepen our shared sense of wonder and connection to wildlife, by bringing live chamber music into a lush rainforest filled with free-flying butterflies.  

We invite music and nature lovers alike to experience the synthesis of these two arts. Through works inspired by birds, beings with wings, and fragile ecosystems, the program asks how stories of environmental grief can become hope and how music can become information, empathy, and action. 

Guests will also enjoy a nature talk from Butterfly Pavilion naturalist Dave Sutherland, who will reveal fascinating connections between insects, pollinators, and music. Together, the program blends science, art, and conservation into an unforgettable evening. 

Date and Time: 
February 19, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. 

Doors will open at 5:45 p.m.

Fee:

$25 Seniors (65+)
$30 Non-Members
$25 Members 

Amanda Skye Laborete

Amanda Skye Laborete is a cellist whose work lives at the intersection of artistry, community, and impact. Her adventurous career spans orchestral, chamber, and genre-defying performances, sharing the stage with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Wu-Tang Clan. Amanda’s performing career includes roles with the Boulder Philharmonic, Compass Resonance and Front Range Chamber Ensemble, as well as past section positions with the Colorado Symphony, Santa Fe Opera and frequent engagements with the Rochester Philharmonic and Albany Symphony. She is the founder of Concertvation, an initiative that
unites music and conservation to inspire action for wildlife and the planet. A dedicated educator and advocate, Amanda serves on the board of El Sistema Colorado, guided by her belief in music’s power to transform lives. When not performing or teaching, she’s outside hiking with her dogs Arlo and Louie, snuggling her cat Bubu, or volunteering at the zoo. Whether on stage or outdoors, Amanda listens deeply for the resonance between sound and story, people and place, and art and a world worth protecting.

Reed Puleo

Percussionist Reed Puleo dedicates himself to performing contemporary classics and the music of today in solo and collaborative settings. He has performed extensively across the US and Europe at the Aspen Music Festival, Grafenegg Festival, TROMP International Percussion Competition, Darmstadt Summer Course, Lucerne Festival, Mass MOCA, Caramoor Festival, Celebrity Series of Boston, National Sawdust, Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ (Amsterdam), Wiener Konzerthaus (Vienna), with groups like Klangforum Wien, Talea Ensemble, Mantra Percussion, the Colorado Symphony, and as a soloist with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. He has also worked with leading composers Helmut Lachenmann, Beat Furrer, Rebecca Saunders, Michael Gordon, Katherine Young, Augusta Read Thomas, Nico Muhly, and Luis
Fernando Amaya. Reed spent two years in Graz, Austria where he was a Fulbright Scholarship recipient.

Heewon Lee

Heewon Lee is the cellist of the Koa String Quartet, currently in residence at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studies with the Takács Quartet and David Requiro. She holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music. A former touring member of the Lincoln Center Stage Piano Quartet, Heewon has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Grand Rapids Symphony, Sarasota Opera, and Hawaii Symphony, among others. In 2024, she was appointed Principal Cellist of the Boulder Symphony. A committed educator, she teaches through El Sistema Denver, the Hana Hou Music Program, and previously served on the faculty of the Kanack School of Music in Rochester, NY. Heewon is a cat mom to Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean.