About Us

The Colorado Music Festival presents a summer concert season at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado.

Showcasing over 42 principal players, the Festival Orchestra is comprised of exceptional national and international musicians. Under the baton of Music Director Peter Oundjian, this all-star orchestra treks to the base of the iconic Flatirons every summer to create what is truly a world-class classical music experience. Our musicians represent 44 orchestras from 23 states, 4 provinces, and 3 countries including:

Albany Symphony
Atlanta Symphony
Atlantic Chamber Ensemble
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic
Calgary Philharmonic
Charleston Symphony
Charlotte Symphony
Cleveland Opera
Greenville Symphony (SC)
Dallas Opera Orchestra
Delaware Symphony
Edmonton Symphony
Florida Grand Opera
Harrisburg Symphony
Hawaii Symphony
Houston Symphony
IRIS Orchestra
Jacksonville Symphony
Kansas City Symphony
L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Louisiana Philharmonic

Louisville Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
New Haven Symphony
North Carolina Opera
Omaha Symphony
Opera Colorado
Oregon Symphony (Portland)
Phoenix Symphony
San Antonio Symphony
Santa Fe Symphony
Sarasota Orchestra
Seattle Symphony
Shreveport Symphony
Southwest Florida Symphony
St. Louis Symphony
The Florida Orchestra
The Handel and Haydn Society
Toledo Symphony
Toronto Symphony
Vancouver Symphony
Wichita Symphony

Affiliations

We are a proud member of the following organizations:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts understands that music is innate and vital to all human beings. As a regional leader among cultural organizations, we recognize that music itself is a great equalizer, making it possible for anyone of any age or background to be inspired through exceptional performance and accomplished teaching.

We are committed to welcoming a diverse community of students, aspiring and amateur musicians, professional musicians, and renowned guest artists to the festival and the school. Access is a central value to our organization, and we strive to ensure that each person in our community has an equal opportunity to participate and thrive musically.

Diversity – We welcome students who are all ages, backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, physical (dis)abilities, neurodiverse, from underrepresented and marginalized communities, and experiencing varied financial circumstances. Our programming includes and targets audiences and students who have been culturally underrepresented.

Equity – We continue to build on our commitment to providing access for all, to experience, learn and make meaningful music and to promote social justice through our programming. Music has always been a part of great social change; clearly we are riding the wave of a marked societal sea change right now. As an organization, we feel responsible to be part of that wave. We will listen, learn, and work toward this goal by highlighting our student diversity, increasing our reach into new communities, expanding programming to include new and creative approaches to contributing toward the elimination of injustice and to moving toward equity and social justice in our activities.

Inclusion – Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts staff and faculty each have a unique voice within the organization. All in the community are welcome at Colorado Music Festival performances. There is a place for everyone at the Center for Musical Arts to learn, play, study, practice, and participate in our programs.

 

Center For Musical Arts

The Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, founded in 1995 by Kathy Kucsan and Peggy Bruns, merged with the Colorado Music Festival in 2009 under the organizational name Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. Learn more about the Center >

 

Our Mission

Our mission is to inspire and connect community members of all ages by providing access to the best of the world’s music through education and performance. Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts is a one-of-a-kind organization that provides a broad spectrum of music education opportunities and world-class performances to citizens throughout Boulder County and beyond.

Our People

Music Director, Peter Oundjian

The Orchestra

Our Staff

Our Board of Directors

General Info

About the Festival

Employment

Press Contacts

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Plan Your Festival Visit

 

Visiting Boulder

The Festival performs in beautiful Boulder, Colorado — a breathtaking location full of nature, culture, cuisine, art, and more.

Learn About Our Educational Programs

 

Festival Fellows

Meet the Festival Fellows: eight aspiring professional musicians who receive coaching and performance opportunities through the Festival and its guest artists.

Center for Musical Arts

This excellent community music school is also the educational arm of our organization.