Orchestras
Welcome to orchestras at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!
The CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra perform a wide variety of symphonic repertoire. The past three years have included standard works by Berlioz, R. Strauss, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Copland, Beethoven, Ravel, Bernstein, Barber, Brahms, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Debussy, Prokofiev, Mozart and Haydn as well as world premieres by Carter Pann, Christopher Theofanidis and a commissioned work by Quinn Mason. The Chamber Orchestra is formed from both full orchestras, along with an opera orchestra, during the middle third of each semester.
The CU Boulder Orchestras are committed to the regular and sustained performance of works by historically marginalized composers including women and people of color. Recent performances include works by Annika Socolofsky, Anna Clyne, Amy Beach, Jessie Montgomery, George Walker, Derrick Spiva, Jr., Joseph Bologne, Augusta Holmés, RoshanneEtezady, Louise Ferrenc, Fanny Mendelssohn and Lily Boulenger. Works by BIPOC composers including Clarice Assad, Reena Esmail, Kevin Day, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Joseph Bologne, Ethyl Smyth, Gabriela Lena Frank, Carlos Simon, Emilie Meyer, Philip Herbert, Irene Britton Smith and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor have been featuredregularly.
The Symphony Orchestra has appeared with such artists as cellist Johannes Moser, pianist Jeremy Denk, violinist Glenn Dicterow, jazz pianist and Academy Award winning composer Dave Grusin. In addition, the orchestra has also appeared with pop artist Natalie Merchant and their live recording with the Indigo Girls was released to great acclaim in 2018. The 2023-24 season featured special collaborations with indigenous musicians from Pueblo, CO and with 10-time Grammy award-winning band, Asleep at the Wheel. The orchestra also enjoys its biennial residency on the CU Boulder campus with the principal musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra. Solo appearances with the orchestra are awarded to the winners of the graduate and undergraduate divisions of the annual Honors Competition.
Questions? Contact Jacob Kaminski, jacob.kaminski@colorado.edu.
The Campus Orchestra is an ensemble comprised primarily of non-music majors which delivers one concert performance each semester. The ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Baroque through Contemporary periods in both string and full-orchestra settings and rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. in rooms E-160 and S-134 in Imig Music Building.
There is no formal audition required for admission into this ensemble. Musicians of any major interested in participating should attend the first meeting of the ensemble, Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. in room E160 in the College of Music.
More information will be presented at the first meeting. Any questions should be directed to Jacob Kaminski at jacob.kaminski@colorado.edu
String auditions: Aug. 20-21, 2026
Planned repertoire
The CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra’s first program of the fall is scheduled to include:
Sept. 24, 2026
Falla–“Suite No. 2 from ‘The Three-Cornered Hat’”
Socolofsky–“Country Songs”
Prokofiev–“Symphony No. 5”
Other tentative programs include:
Nov. 19, 2026
Harris–“From the Wind, That Which Augurs”
Kabalevsky–“Cello Concerto No. 2”
Mussorgsky/Ravel–“Pictures at an Exhibition”
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2027
Otaka–“Concerto for Flute and Orchestra”
Brahms–“Symphony No. 2”
Tuesday, April 20, 2027 (Boettcher Hall)
Berlioz–“Symphonie fantastique”
Works with CU Choirs
2026-27 performance dates
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Sept. 20–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Sept. 21–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Sept. 23–Dress rehearsals; 12:20-2:10 p.m. + 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Sept. 24–Performance; 7:30p, Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday, Oct. 21–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, Oct. 22–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Opera Orchestra
Oct. 18-25; Rehearsals in the evenings on Oct. 18, 20, 21
Performances on Oct. 23 (7:30 p.m.), 24 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (2 p.m.)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Nov. 15–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Nov. 16–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Nov. 18–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Nov. 19–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Holiday Festival
Thursday, Dec. 3–Dress rehearsal; 7 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Friday, Dec. 4–Performance #1 (7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Saturday, Dec. 5–Performance #2 (1 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Saturday, Dec. 5–Performance #3 (4 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Sunday, Dec. 6–Performance #4 (4 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Jan. 31–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Feb. 1–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Feb. 3–Dress rehearsals; 12:20-2:10 p.m. + 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 4–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday, March 3–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, March 4–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Opera Orchestra
Feb. 28-March 7; Rehearsals in the evenings on Feb. 28 and March 2, 3
Performances on March 5 (7:30 p.m.), March 7 (2 p.m.)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Wednesday, April 14–Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, April 15–Performance; 7:30p, Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra and CU Choirs
Monday, April 19–Dress rehearsal; 7-10 p.m.*, Boettcher Hall
Tuesday, April 20–Performance; 7:30 p.m., Boettcher Hall
*this dress rehearsal time is tentative pending schedule from Boettcher Hall
Auditions for the fall 2026 semester are open to all students at CU Boulder.
String auditions will be held on the first two days of classes, Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21. String audition excerpts are posted below and available for download.
All string majors, regardless of degree program, are expected to audition through this process.
Fall 2026 string audition sign-ups
Fall 2026 string audition schedule:
- Viola—Aug. 20, 2026, 10 a.m.-noon
- Cello—Aug. 20, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m.
- Bass—Aug. 20, 2026, 6-8 p.m.
- Violin—Aug. 21, 2026, 10-11:50 a.m.; 12:20-3 p.m.
Please note the following information regarding string audition materials:
All string musicians should be responsible for both of the following:
- The excerpts below
- A short solo work or etude you feel best demonstrates your ability.
Recordings of the Prokofiev and Brahms are readily available online to assist in your preparation. Audition excerpts, as well as full scores, are available for downloadat the links below (along with the list of excerpts from each work). While it is ideal for these excerpts to be performed at performance tempi, an accurate performance at a slower tempo may be the best option.
Fall 2026 Double Bass Excerpts
Please contact Director of Orchestral Studies Gary Lewis at gary.lewis@colorado.edu with any questions about the audition materials or orchestra program. For any issues with the audition registration website, please contact Ensembles Program Coordinator Rachelle Crowell at cuensembles@colorado.edu.
Contacts
Upcoming orchestra events
Song of Pueblo
On Oct. 26, 2023, the CU Boulder College of Music’s American Music Research Center, the CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra and El Pueblo Ensemble collaborated to present a livestreamed multimedia performance of “Song of Pueblo,” a sweeping oratorio that portrays the history of southern Colorado.