A partnership with the Colorado Symphony highlights the collaborative dreamers on campus
In the silence, a solo cellist begins playing on a darkened stage. Her pace quickens and the music builds as a growing collection of musicians join in, amplifying her piece into a fully shaped swell of sound - determined and hopeful.
That energy is at the center of Never Dream Alone, the latest phase of the CU Anschutz advertising campaign, filmed in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Concert Hall. The music mirrors the process of discovery at CU Anschutz - a lone idea blossoming into new cures and treatments through innovation and collaboration.
"This campaign is about our people, their ideas and the power of collaboration," said Chancellor Don Elliman. "It is by thinking and dreaming big together that we drive advancements in health and medicine. We're proud to have worked alongside another crown jewel of our state in the Colorado Symphony to create this one-of-a-kind piece."
Dreams and vision from CU Anschutz faculty
Scenes filmed at CU Anschutz and with the Colorado Symphony, and other creative materials designed for the campaign, feature university faculty. Highlighted researchers and providers include several campus leaders in their respective fields.
"When I started my career in autoimmune neurology, no clinical trials had been completed in autoimmune encephalitis. Now, we're running two major trials." - Amanda Piquet, MD, associate professor of neurology and director of the autoimmune neurology program.
Piquet, the inaugural Céline Dion Foundation Endowed Chair in Autoimmune Neurology, specializes in
rare neurological autoimmune disorders such as stiff person syndrome (for which she treats the singer) as well as more common types, such as multiple sclerosis.
"Bringing a blind patient's vision back or preserving it if it was at risk of being lost. There is no greater joy for me." - Naresh Mandava, MD, professor and chair of ophthalmology.
Mandava, the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Chair in Retinal Diseases, and his team, along with other campus collaborators, are focused on solving he vexing challenge of vision restoration for conditions like age-related macular degeneration.
"Being able to hear, speak, smell and make facial expressions are the things that define us as humans." - Yuri Agrawal, MD, MPH, professor and chair of otolaryngology.
Agrawal and her team seek advanced therapies to restore hearing for all ages, whether to bring the sound of music to a child or the music of a child's laughter to grandparent. Areas of focus include pioneering gene therapy and advancing cochlear implant technology.
"At CU Anschutz, we're tackling the largest challenges in health - together," said Elliman. "It's a shared commitment to building a healthier future for people in Colorado and beyond that makes this campus so special."
All Together
Never Dream Alone was also made possible thanks to an orchestral level of cross-collaboration from Facilities Management and University Police, alongside dozens of individuals working behind the scenes to ensure filming went off without a hitch.
A strong partnership
Similar to the team approach to scientific research and care at CU Anschutz, music is formed through a creative and collaborative process.
The partnership also deepens a relationship between the storied institutions of the Colorado Symphony and CU Anschutz.
Signed, Sonically
Never Dream Alone is also the title of the piece playing with the commercial and is the first "sonic signature" developed for CU Anschutz. Composed specifically for the campus by celebrated British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) winning composer and Denver native Austin Wintory, Never Dream Alone features 45 members of the Colorado Symphony, including Principal Cello Seoyoen Min and Conductor Christopher Dragon.
"We are honored to be part of CU Anschutz's Never Dream Alone campaign, which so beautifully reflects the values we hold at the Colorado Symphony," said Daniel Wachter, president and chief executive officer of the Colorado Symphony. "Just as music comes alive when musicians unite in harmony, healing and discovery flourish when people and institutions come together in collaboration. Partnering with CU Anschutz allows us to demonstrate that both medicine and music share a common purpose: to inspire, to heal and to make our community stronger."
The campaign launched on Sept. 8 and will run through the fall.
See below for some behind the scenes photography from the campaign filming.
