Founded in 1957, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra is creating a new model for American orchestras through dynamic performances that reflect our community’s own values, creativity, and sense of place. Voted “Best of Boulder” for the past eight years in a row, today’s Boulder Phil is bucking national trends with growing, enthusiastic audiences, and an imaginative vision for new forms of engagement. Today the Boulder Phil reaches audiences of more than 30,000 through concerts, the Discovery Education Program, and community engagement experiences in Boulder and across Colorado’s Front Range, under the vision and leadership of Music Director Michael Butterman.
The Boulder Phil’s main concert series is presented at Macky Auditorium, a grand historic hall on the University of Colorado campus. From multi-genre productions featuring dance, choral and visual elements to concerts with a unique hometown flavor, the Phil’s imaginative programming has resulted in increasing numbers of sold-out concerts, nationwide notice at the inaugural SHIFT Festival at the Kennedy Center, and a Futures Fund grant from the League of American Orchestras and the National Endowment for the Arts for groundbreaking engagement.
Boulder favorite Angela Cheng dazzles with Ravel’s jazzy Piano Concerto in G and Rachmaninoff’s ever-popular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the perfect conclusion to a program celebrating a composer that remains inspiring to classical fans the world over. Young Boulder native and 2022 Resound Boulder competition winner, Leigha Amick, premieres a new commission. Our season comes to a passionate close with Tchaikovsky’s emotional Romeo and Juliet.