Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra
Founded	1958
Concert hall	Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado at Boulder
Music director	Michael Butterman

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Boulder, Colorado. It started in 1958. The orchestra is led by Music Director Michael Butterman. They perform at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. They also play at other places. Their season includes classical music, pop concerts, and special shows for schools and families. They also perform The Nutcracker every year with the Boulder Ballet.

The Orchestra's Story

How it Started: 1893-1957

The idea for the Boulder Philharmonic goes way back to 1893. A small group of musicians in Boulder called themselves the Philharmonic Club. They started putting on one concert each year. These concerts slowly became more popular.

Later, in 1941, the Civic Symphony Orchestra was formed. This was part of a city plan for fun activities. Hugh McMillen, who directed bands at the University of Colorado at Boulder, led the first free concert. It was held at Boulder High School. This tradition continued in 1943 and 1944. But the orchestra had to stop playing because many musicians went to fight in World War II.

The First Years: 1957-1972

In March 1957, a violinist named Elinor Winchester helped bring the orchestra back. She worked with volunteer musicians. Thomas Facey, who conducted the Golden Symphony, became their music director. At this time, the orchestra had both amateur and a few professional musicians. They came from the Boulder and Denver areas.

In 1958, Facey left. Dr. Antonia Brico was chosen as the new conductor. She was a pianist and a graduate of the University of California Berkeley. She was also the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Under her leadership, new things happened. The Young Artist Competition started in 1959. The first Children’s Concert was held in 1960.

Dr. Brico resigned in 1964. Ador Toth, a music professor at CU Boulder, took over. He also conducted the university symphony orchestra. In 1965, Toth took a break to tour with his music group. He asked his CU friend, David Burge, to lead the orchestra for a year. Burge became the permanent conductor after that first year.

In 1966, the Boulder Philharmonic Guild was created. This group helped the orchestra with money and services. In 1970, a Jr. Guild was formed. They held a flea market and a spring ball. They also had "Symphony Sunday." On this day, downtown stores shared their Christmas sales profits with the orchestra.

Burge led the orchestra until 1972. He took one year off to go to Copenhagen. During that time, James Stroud conducted. After his time in Boulder, Burge joined the Eastman School of Music.

Lehnert and Kuchar Years: 1972-2006

Oswald (Ozzi) Lehnert became the conductor and music director in 1972. He was a great violin player and professor. Under Lehnert, the Boulder Philharmonic grew a lot. They started new ways to raise money. They also offered free concert series. The orchestra also moved to the 2,052-seat Macky Auditorium. This is the city's main concert hall on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. In 1990, the Boulder Arts Academy was started. It was a community school run by the Boulder Philharmonic.

Theodore Kuchar became Music Director in 1996. Under his leadership, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra became a fully professional orchestra. This meant all the musicians were paid professionals. Kuchar also started the Sinfonia of Colorado in 1997. This was a smaller classical orchestra made up of Philharmonic musicians.

In 1999, the Boulder Philharmonic joined a group called Peak Association of the Arts, or PeakArts. This group also included the Boulder Ballet, Sinfonia of Colorado, and the Boulder Arts Academy. Famous guest artists played with the orchestra during this time. These included violinists Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn. The cellist Yo-Yo Ma also performed.

In 2001, Robert McAllister became the CEO of PeakArts. In 2003, this group split into two parts. One was Boulder Arts Academy / Boulder Ballet. The other was the Boulder Philharmonic. Also in 2003, Sue Levine was hired as the executive director. Theodore Kuchar left the organization in 2006.

Michael Butterman: 2007–Present

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 50th birthday in the 2007-2008 season. This was under their new Music Director, Michael Butterman. Michael Butterman is also the Music Director for the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. He also conducts for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He is the main conductor for education and outreach with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2014, his contract was extended for five more years.

Under Butterman, the Boulder Philharmonic started Discovery Concerts. These concerts serve thousands of elementary school students in the area. Many famous guest artists have performed with them. These include violinist Sarah Chang and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. The Takács Quartet also played. The orchestra has worked with many other groups too. These include Ars Nova Singers, St. Martin's Chamber Choir, and the Boulder Chorale. They also worked with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Boulder International Film Festival.

Michael Butterman and Executive Director Kevin Shuck have also expanded the orchestra's reach. They joined in 2010. They now perform in many other cities. These include Arvada, Denver, and Highlands Ranch.

In May 2015, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra was chosen for a special event. They were one of only four orchestras in the country. They performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. This was part of the first SHIFT Festival in March 2017. This festival showed new and exciting ideas in American orchestras. Later that year, the Boulder Phil received a grant. It was from the National Endowment for the Arts. This money helped them create a new piece of music. It was played for the first time at the national festival.

First Performances

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra has performed many pieces for the first time. This means they were the very first orchestra to play these musical works. They have also played many regional and local premieres. Here are some of the world premieres they have presented:

• Alvin Brehm, Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1977)
• Bernhard Heiden, Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1977)
• Charles G. Eakin, Fantasy for Saxophone & Orchestra (1981)
• Richard Toensing, Concerto for Flutes and Orchestra (2000)
• Michael Allen's new version of Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition (2007)
• Luis Jorge Gonzalez, The Wondrous City (2007)
• Rony Barrak, Beirut Sensations (2009)
• Bill Douglas (musician), Concerto for Darbouka and Orchestra (2009)
• Ruby Fulton, Gambit: Beatbox Concerto (2012)
• Rony Barrak, Boulder Sensations (2012)
• Jeffrey Nytch, Symphony No. 1 ("Formations"). This celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Geological Society of America (2013)
• J. Ralph, original music from the movies Chasing Ice and The Cove (film) (2014)
• Stephen Lias, Gates of the Arctic. This celebrated 50 years of America's Wilderness Act, with visuals (2014)
• Charles Denler, Portraits in Season. This was inspired by Henry David Thoreau's writings. It was set to nature photos by John Fielder (2015)
• Missy Mazzoli, Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) (2016)
• Stephen Lias, a new piece celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service, with visuals (2017)

Orchestra Leaders

Music Director:

• Michael Butterman

Concertmaster:

• Charles Wetherbee