Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Contents |
[edit] Current Mission
Colorado’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony performs symphonic performances throughout the year. Originally established in 1989 as the successor to the Denver Symphony, the Colorado Symphony performs in Boettcher Concert Hall and throughout the Front Range, presenting education and outreach programs, as well as Masterworks, Pops, Holiday, Family, and the new Inside the Score and Symphony on the Rocks series.
Current President & CEO: Gene Sobczak[1]
[edit] History of the Colorado Symphony
In 1988, the first three weeks of Denver Symphoniy season was cancelled for financial reasons. During the season, the Board Chairperson, the Executive Director, and Music Director Entremont all resigned. In March, 1989, immediately after the annual Marathon fund-raising weekend, the Denver Symphony Association cancelled the remainder of the season. They filed for bankruptcy on October 4, 1989.
On August 28, 1989, percussionist Terry Smith and former principal bassoonist John Wetherill filed [2]articles of incorporation with the Colorado Secretary of State, creating the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. A bitter dispute was raging between the Denver Symphony Orchestra's management and its musicians. As the registered agent of the newly formed organization, Smith was the primary target of potential lawsuits. The Denver Symphony's union contract prohibited musicians from joining competing ensembles. But when the beleaguered musicians voted to quit the Denver Symphony en masse and join the new Colorado Symphony, legal challenges and threats to sack players evaporated. Smith and Wetherill signed the new nonprofit corporation over to the musicians' elected representatives on November 1, 1989. The Denver Symphony Orchestra ceased to exist after it merged with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 1990. The hard-fought success of the musician-run CSO surprised almost everyone, and secured the future of symphonic music in Colorado.[3]
In May 1990 the Denver Symphony Association merged with the newly formed Colorado Symphony Association, which formed The Colorado Symphony, a new and initially smaller orchestra employing many of the Denver Symphony musicians.[4]
The Orchestra has since grown to employ 79 full time musicians and 1 full time librarian.
In 1993 Marin Alsop appointed as Principal Conductor and later the orchestra's music director, and is now its conductor laureate. During her tenure, the CSO gained increased recognition on both the regional and national levels, and made a number of recordings for the Naxos label.
In April 2004, the CSO appointed Jeffrey Kahane, 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."[5]
In 2008, Kahane extended his Colorado Symphony contract through 2012. However, in July 2008, Kahane announced his resignation from the orchestra at the end of the 2009-2010 season. He cited a case of severe hypertension in 2007, which caused him to cancel several weeks of concerts, as the primary catalyst in his decision to concentrate more on his solo piano career:
"I had a real scare. That forced me to really stop and take a look at my life and say, 'You know what? You can't do everything.' I don't think I underestimated the job. I think I overestimated myself, not in my abilities but just being in a body and turning 50."[5]
The Colorado Symphony is currently entering into its 22nd year (2012) as the Colorado Symphony, the orchestra has been in existence in one form or another as Denver's premier orchestra ensemble since the Denver Symphony for the last 78 years.
[edit] Music Directors
- Marin Alsop: 1993-2005
- Jeffrey Kahane: 2005-2010
[edit] References
- ^ "Gene Sobczak appointed CEO of Colorado Symphony". http://coloradosymphony.org/pdfs/Sobczak_appointment_FINAL.pdf.
- ^ "Articles of Incorporation - Colorado Symphony Orchestra". http://home.comcast.net/~ensembles/incorporation.htm.
- ^ Smith, Terry. "Terry Smith Biography". Terry Smith. http://home.comcast.net/~ensembles/terry_bio.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ Goble, Gary and Joanne, 2005 historical note, Denver Public Library archival collection: Denver Symphony Orchestra and Association papers, 1922-1990
- ^ a b MacMillan, Kyle (2008-07-10). "CSO music director Kahane's tenure is taking an early bow". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/music/ci_9833587. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
