Colorado Symphony Orchestra Tickets

Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Established in 1989, The Colorado Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra, based in Denver, Colorado serving as the successor to the Denver Symphony. With over 200,000 patrons, the CSO performs a 21-week Masterworks series of classical programs, as well as Pops, Family, Holiday and Summer Parks concerts each season. Most performances are held at the Denver Performing Arts Complex in Boettcher Concert Hall.

The CSO rose to the heights of recognition and glory, both on the regional and national levels, and made a number of recordings for the Naxos label during the 12 year tenure of Marin Alsop, who is the orchestra's former music director, and is now its conductor laureate.

In April 2004, Jeffrey Kahane was appointed music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Rosa Symphony, as the ninth music director in the 82-year history of the Denver and Colorado Symphony Orchestras. He officially took over as music director in 2005. The Denver Post described Kahane's a tenure as one that has been marked by increased audiences and an uncommonly strong bond with the orchestra's musicians.

Kahanes Colorado Symphony contract was extended through 2012 beginning year 2008. However, in July 2008, Kahane announced his resignation from the orchestra at the end of the year 2009-2010 - reason being a severe case of hypertension in 2007, which caused him to cancel several weeks of concerts. This caused him to concentrate more on his solo piano career.

Beginning January 2008, Douglas Boyd was hired as the principal guest conductor of the orchestra. Initially, a 3 year contract was signed with 2 weeks of guest appearances per season.In September 2008, the Colorado Symphony named Marvin Hamlisch as the principal Pops conductor, beginning a contract of three concerts per year for two years.

25th Anniversary celebrations were held for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus in the year 2008-2009. Comprising of over 200 volunteers - including some 31 charter members the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus has over the past two decades grown into a nationally respected ensemble. Founded in 1984 by Duain Wolfe at the request of Gaetano Delogu, then the Music Director of the Symphony, the chorus joins the Colorado Symphony for numerous performances (more than 25 this year alone), and radio and television broadcasts, to repeated critical acclaim.

The Chorus has performed at noted music festivals and at diverse locations ranging from the Rocky Mountain region, including the Colorado Music Festival, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, to the Grand Teton Music Festival, where it performed Mahlers Symphony No. 3 under the direction of Zubin Mehta.

The Chorus has been featured at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival for the past sixteen summers, performing such diverse repertoire as the Bernstein Mass, Mahlers Symphony No. 8, Honeggers unique Jeanne dArc au b?cher (Joan of Arc at the Stake), and the awesome Berlioz Requiem, under the truncheon of distinguished conductors Lawrence Foster, Murry Sidlin, David Zinman and James Levine.

Maintaining its prestige has been the ultimate goal of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Consequently, The Colorado Symphony Chorus has appeared at select public and special events, and has collaborated with many renowned Colorado arts ensembles, including the Colorado Childrens Chorale, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado and the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

The chorus has also sung at the 1991 opening gala for the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre, provided choral support for international opera star Jose Carreras, and participated in the 1993 Papal Vigil when Pope John Paul II visited Denver.

The principal pops conductor for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony, Marvin Hamlisch, is known for his versatility and essence. As a composer, Hamlisch has won virtually every major award that exists including three Oscars, four Grammy awards, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globe awards.

In addition, his groundbreaking show, A Chorus Line, received the Pulitzer Prize. He is the composer of more than forty motion picture scores, including his Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and his adaptation of Scott Joplins music for The Sting, for which he received a third Oscar. His creative output of scores for films include original compositions and musical adaptations for Sophies Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer, Three Men and a Baby, Ice Castle, Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Save the Tiger.

Hamlisch was the musical director and arranger of Barbra Streisands 1994 concert tour of the United States and England, as well as of the television special Barbra Streisand: The Concert (for which he received two of his Emmys).

The Colorado Symphony Orchestras current associate conductor is Scott ONeil, who is serving his third season. He has, most recently, served as associate conductor for the Utah Symphony, which he joined in August 2000. ONeil was also the guest conducter at the Houston Symphony, Houston Youth Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Tulsa Philharmonic, Portland Symphony (Maine), the Lubbock Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic, the Salt Lake Symphony and the Columbus Symphony in Ohio. ONeil studied piano performance at the Oberlin College Conservatory, served as the assistant conductor of the Eastman School Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras at the Eastman School of Music, and earned a masters degree in orchestral conducting at Rice University, where he was appointed the director of the Campanile Orchestra, a community/university orchestra.

In 1999 he was appointed as director of orchestras at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. In the spring of 2003, ONeil was appointed by the League of American Orchestras (LAO) to conduct an orchestra comprising of members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and advanced students from the University of Southern California in Synergy, a program created to promote young, contemporary composers.

Duain Wolfe - founder and director of the Colorado Symphony Chorus (CSO Chorus) and Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus (CSC), was appointed Board of Directors Chairman of Chorus America in 2003. He succeeded John Alexander, artistic director of the Pacific Chorale thereby becoming Chorus Americas tenth chairman.

He will serve a term of two years. Wolfe is the first chair to have the distinction of directing choruses in each of the categories that Chorus America serves - professional, volunteer, children/youth and symphony/opera choruses. Im deeply honored to serve, said Wolfe, adding that the position brought together the many facets of my life in music.

This year marks Wolfes twentieth season heading the Colorado Symphony Chorus. The Chorus provides vital support for numerous performances and radio broadcasts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra each season, and has been featured at the Aspen Music Festival every summer for more than a decade.

Wolfe?who is in his eleventh season with CSC, Americas largest professional chorus?has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, and the late Sir George Solti on numerous recordings with the CSC, among them Wagners Die Meistersinger, which won the 1998 Grammy for Best Opera Recording.

In 2002, he founded the Chicago Symphony Singers, a vocal ensemble of twenty-four soloists that specializes in the presentation of staged concert repertoire.