The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1958, is a professional
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
based in
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
. It is led by Music Director Michael Butterman.
The Boulder Philharmonic’s season at Macky Auditorium on the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
campus
and other venues includes classical music, pops, school and family concerts, as well as an annual production of ''The Nutcracker'' with Boulder Ballet.
History
Precursor Years: 1893-1957
The roots of the Boulder Philharmonic can be traced to 1893 when a small group of Boulder musicians calling themselves the Philharmonic Club started performing an annual concert that gradually grew in popularity. In 1941 the Civic Symphony Orchestra was founded as one phase of a recreational program in a plan adopted by the city council. Hugh McMillen, director of bands at the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
conducted the first free orchestra at Boulder High School auditorium, a tradition that continued in 1943 and 1944. The loss of personnel due to WWII, however, caused the orchestra to disband.
Founding Years: 1957-1972
Violinist Elinor Winchester and volunteer musicians revived the orchestra in March 1957. Thomas Facey, conductor of the Golden Symphony, served as musical director. During this time the orchestra was an ensemble made up of amateurs as well as a few professional musicians from the Boulder-Denver area. In 1958 Facey resigned and Dr.
Antonia Brico was named conductor. Pianist, graduate of the University of California Berkeley, and the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Brico saw developments such as the Young Artist Competition in 1959 and the inauguration of the Children’s Concert in 1960.
Brico resigned in 1964 and Ador Toth, CU Boulder associate professor of music and conductor of the university symphony orchestra, was named her successor. Toth requested a leave of absence in 1965 to tour with the Alma Trio, and invited his CU colleague,
David Burge
David Russell Burge (March 25, 1930 – April 1, 2013) was an American pianist, conductor and composer. As a performer, he was noted for championing contemporary pieces. The ''New York Times'' called him "one of America's important pianists," and h ...
, to take over as conductor for the 1965-66 season. Burge was named permanent conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic after his first year.
In 1966 the Boulder Philharmonic Guild was founded as an “auxiliary dedicated to assisting with the maintenance of the orchestra with service as well as with financial means.” In 1970 the Jr. Guild was founded, which sponsored a flea market, a spring Philharmonic Ball and Symphony Sunday at which time local downtown merchants shared Christmas sale profits with the orchestra.
Aside from a one-year sabbatical to Copenhagen (during which James Stroud took over as conductor), Burge’s tenure lasted until 1972, when he joined the faculty at the Eastman School of Music.
Lehnert and Kuchar years: 1972-2006
Oswald (Ozzi) Lehnert, violin virtuoso and professor, was named conductor and music director of the Boulder Philharmonic in 1972. Under Lehnert, the Boulder Philharmonic saw many developments, such as new fundraising campaigns, free concert series, and a Tier II status from the
Scientific and Cultural Facilities District
The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) is a special regional tax district of the State of Colorado that provides funding for art, music, theater, dance, zoology, botany, natural history, or cultural history organizations in the D ...
. Also, during this time the Boulder Phil moved to 2,052-seat Macky Auditorium, the city's premiere concert hall on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. In 1990 the Boulder Arts Academy was founded as a community school under the direction of the Boulder Philharmonic.
Theodore Kuchar was named Music Director in 1996, under whose leadership the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra became a fully professional symphony orchestra. Kuchar also founded the Sinfonia of Colorado, a classical chamber orchestra made up of Philharmonic musicians in 1997. In 1999 the Boulder Philharmonic became a part of an alliance organization called the Peak Association of the Arts, also known as PeakArts, which also included the Boulder Ballet, Sinfonia of Colorado and the Boulder Arts Academy. Guest artists during this time included violinists
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...
and
Hilary Hahn, and cellist
Yo-Yo Ma.
In 2001 Robert McAllister was named CEO and president of PeakArts, and in 2003 this association dissolved into two entities: Boulder Arts Academy / Boulder Ballet and the Boulder Philharmonic. Also in 2003, Sue Levine was hired as the executive director of PeakArts. Theodore Kuchar left the organization in 2006.
Michael Butterman: 2007–Present
The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary with its 2007-2008 season, under the leadership of new Music Director Michael Butterman. Michael Butterman is currently the Music Director for both the Boulder Philharmonic and the
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
The Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is based in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in north Louisiana. The SSO performs most of its concerts in the newly renovated RiverView Theater (formerly Shreveport Civic Theater) ...
. He is also on the conducting staff of the
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
The Jacksonville Symphony is an orchestra based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Concert hall
As one of a handful of American orchestras with its own dedicated concert hall, the Jacksonville Symphony performs the majority of its programs in the Rober ...
and the Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach with the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2014, it was announced that Butterman's contract had been renewed for five years, through the 2018-19 season.
Under Butterman's direction, the Boulder Philharmonic inaugurated a series of Discovery Concerts serving thousands of area elementary school students. Guest artists during his tenure have included violinist
Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang ( ko, 장영주; born Young Joo Chang; December 10, 1980) is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. Sh ...
, clarinetist
Richard Stoltzman
Richard Leslie Stoltzman (born July 12, 1942) is an American clarinetist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part ...
, and the
Takács Quartet The Takács Quartet is a string quartet founded in Budapest, Hungary, and now based in Boulder, Colorado, United States.
History
In 1975, four students at the Music Academy in Budapest, Gábor Takács-Nagy (first violin), Károly Schranz (seco ...
, in addition to numerous collaborations with
Ars Nova Singers
300px, Ars Nova Singers
:''To be distinguished from Ars Nova (Copenhagen), founded 1979''
The Ars Nova Singers is a choral ensemble based in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1986, Ars Nova Singers is composed of about 40 singers who were selected ...
,
St. Martin's Chamber Choir
Choirs and choruses based in Colorado
* Ars Nova Singers is an a cappella choral group based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Ars Nova is composed of forty selectively auditioned all-volunteer singers from the greater Denver metropolitan area.
* The A ...
, Boulder Chorale,
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a professional acting company in association with the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was established in 1958, making it one of the oldest such festivals in the United States, and has roots going back ...
, Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance,
Boulder International Film Festival and others. Together with Executive Director Kevin Shuck, who joined the organization in 2010, Michael Butterman has also led an expansion of the Boulder Philharmonic's regional presence with concerts in Arvada, Denver, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Lone Tree and the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek.
In May 2015, it was announced that the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra had been selected as one of four orchestras nationally to perform at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
in Washington, D.C., as part of the inaugural SHIFT Festival in March 2017 showcasing innovation in American orchestras. Later that same year, it was announced that the Boulder Phil was awarded its first federal grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
to support the commission of a new work to be premiered as part of this national festival.
Premieres
In addition to numerous regional and local premieres, world premieres presented by the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra have included:
*Alvin Brehm, Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1977)
*
Bernhard Heiden
Bernhard Heiden (b. Frankfurt-am-Main, August 24, 1910; d. Bloomington, IN, April 30, 2000) was a German and American composer and music teacher, who studied under and was heavily influenced by Paul Hindemith. Bernhard Heiden, the son of Ernst ...
, Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1977)
*Charles G. Eakin, Fantasy for Saxophone & Orchestra (1981)
*
Richard Toensing
Richard Toensing (March 11, 1940 - July 2, 2014) was an American composer and music educator. He studied composition at St. Olaf College and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1967. His mo ...
, Concerto for Flutes and Orchestra (2000)
*Michael Allen's orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky, ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (2007)
*Luis Jorge Gonzalez, ''The Wondrous City'' (2007)
*
Rony Barrak
Rony Barrak is a Lebanese musician (Darbouka player) and composer.
Rony Barrak held his first Darbouka (Middle Eastern tabla) at the age of four and began playing it intuitively. Led by early self-confidence, he made his first TV performance at ...
, ''Beirut Sensations'' (2009)
*
Bill Douglas (musician), Concerto for Darbouka and Orchestra (2009)
*Ruby Fulton, ''Gambit: Beatbox Concerto'' (2012)
*
Rony Barrak
Rony Barrak is a Lebanese musician (Darbouka player) and composer.
Rony Barrak held his first Darbouka (Middle Eastern tabla) at the age of four and began playing it intuitively. Led by early self-confidence, he made his first TV performance at ...
, ''Boulder Sensations'' (2012)
*Jeffrey Nytch, Symphony No. 1 ("Formations"); celebrating the 125th anniversary of the
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences.
History
The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...
(2013)
*
J. Ralph, original orchestrations from the Academy Award-winning environmental documentaries ''
Chasing Ice'' and ''
The Cove (film)'' (2014)
*Stephen Lias, ''Gates of the Arctic''; celebrating the 50th anniversary of America's
Wilderness Act, with visuals (2014)
*Charles Denler, ''Portraits in Season''; inspired by the writings of Henry David Thoreau and choreographed to the nature photography of
John Fielder
John Fielder (born 1950) is an American landscape photographer, nature writer, publisher of over 40 books, and conservationist. He is nationally known for his landscape photography, scenic calendars (which have been published for over 30 years) a ...
(2015)
*
Missy Mazzoli, ''Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)'', as part of a
New Music USA
New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media program ...
residency (2016)
*Stephen Lias, TBA; celebrating the centennial of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, with visuals (2017)
Musicians
''Music Director:''
*Michael Butterman
''
Concertmaster:''
*Charles Wetherbee
''Current Orchestra Roster:''
*http://boulderphil.org/about/orchestra
References
Sources
Ruth Carmel Kahn. “50 years with the Boulder Philharmonic.” ''Boulder Philharmonic Program Book.'' 2007-2008.
External links
Official website: www.BoulderPhil.orgBoulder Philharmonic's official YouTube channelBoulder Philharmonic's official Facebook Page
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Orchestras based in Colorado
Culture of Boulder, Colorado
Musical groups established in 1958
Tourist attractions in Boulder, Colorado
Performing arts in Colorado
1958 establishments in Colorado