Orchestras
Welcome to orchestras at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!
The CU Boulder University 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 the U.S. premiere of a work by Finnish composer Juhani Nuorvala. The Chamber Orchestra is formed from both full orchestras—along with an opera orchestra—during the middle third of each semester.
CU Boulder orchestras are committed to the regular and sustained performance of works by historically marginalized composers. Recent performances include works by Annika Socolofsky, Anna Clyne, Jessie Montgomery, George Walker, Derrick Skye, Joseph Bologne, Roshanne Etezady, Fanny Mendelssohn and Lili Boulanger; as well as works by Clarice Assad, Reena Esmail, Amy Beach, Kevin Day, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Joseph Bologne, Ethel Smyth, Gabriela Lena Frank, Carlos Simon, Emilie Mayer, Philip Herbert, Irene Britton Smith and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor have been featured regularly.
The Symphony Orchestra has appeared with such artists as cellist Johannes Moser, pianist Jeremy Denk, jazz pianist and Academy Award-winning composer Dave Grusin. Additionally, the orchestra has appeared with pop artist Natalie Merchant and their live recording with the Indigo Girls was released in 2018. The 2023-24 season featured special collaborations with indigenous musicians from Pueblo, Colorado and with the 10-time Grammy Award-winning band, Asleep at the Wheel. In September 2025, the orchestra also welcomes back the principal musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra for our biennial residency on the CU Boulder campus. Solo appearances with the orchestra are awarded to students as a result of the College of Music's annual Honors Competition.
The Campus Orchestra is an ensemble comprised primarily of non-music majors performing one concert each semester. The ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Baroque through contemporary periods in both string- and full-orchestra settings. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. in rooms E160 and S134, 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 on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 at 7 p.m. in E160. More information will be presented at the first meeting.
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 7-9 p.m. in rooms E160 and S134 in the 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. 28, 7 p.m. in room E160, Imig Music Building. More information will be presented at the first meeting.
Questions? Contact Jacob Kaminski, jacob.kaminski@colorado.edu.
The CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra’s first fall program is scheduled to include:
Respighi—“Fountains of Rome”
Quinn Mason—“Serenade for Strings” (Colorado premiere; CU Boulder Orchestras commission)
R. Strauss—Suite from “Der Rosenkavalier”
The Cleveland Orchestra residency will occur during this first cycle, Sept. 10-12.
The CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra’s first program is scheduled to include:
Emilie Mayer—Overture in D minor
Jessie Montgomery—"Shift, Change, Turn"
Schubert—Symphony in B minor, “Unfinished”
2025-26 performance dates
Aug. 21-22—string placement auditions
Cleveland Orchestra Residency
Wednesday, Sept. 10—Friday, Sept. 12 (orchestra rehearsals will be during regular class time)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Sept. 21—Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Sept. 22—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Sept. 24—Dress rehearsals; 12:20-2:10 p.m., 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Sept. 25—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday, Oct. 22—Dress rehearsal; 7-10 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, Oct. 23—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Opera Orchestra
Oct. 19-27; Rehearsals in the evenings on Oct.19, 21, 22
Performances on Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (7:30 p.m.), 26 (2 p.m.)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Nov. 16—Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Nov. 17—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Nov. 19—Dress rehearsal; 7-10 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Nov. 20—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Holiday Festival
December 4—Dress rehearsal; 7 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Friday, Dec. 5—Performance #1 (7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Saturday, Dec. 6—Performance #2 (1 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Saturday, Dec. 6—Performance #3 (4 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
Sunday, Dec. 7—Performance#4 (4 p.m., Macky Auditorium)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday, Feb. 1—Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Monday, Feb. 2—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, Feb. 4—Dress rehearsals; 12:20-2:10 p.m.; 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 5—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday, March 4—Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, March 5—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Opera Orchestra
March 1-8; Rehearsals in the evenings on March 1, 3, 4
Performances on March 14 (7:30 p.m.), 15 (7:30 p.m.), 16 (2 p.m.)
CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra
Wednesday, April 15—Dress rehearsal; 7-9:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
Thursday, April 16—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Grusin Music Hall
CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra
Monday, April 20—Dress rehearsals; 12:20-2:10 p.m., 7-9:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Tuesday, April 21—Performance; 7:30 p.m., Macky Auditorium
Auditions for the fall 2025 semester are open to all CU Boulder students.
String auditions will be held on the first two days of classes, Thursday, Aug. 21 and Friday, Aug. 22.
All string majors, regardless of degree program, are expected to audition through this process.
Fall 2025 string audition schedule:
- Viola—Aug. 21, 2025, 10 a.m.-noon
- Cello—Aug. 21, 2025, 1-3:30 p.m.
- Bass—Aug. 21, 2025, 6-8 p.m.
- Violin—Aug. 22, 2025, 10-11:50 a.m.; 12:20-3 p.m.
Please note the following information regarding string audition materials:
All string musicians are responsible for both of the following:
- Excerpts below
- A short solo work or etude you feel best demonstrates your ability.
Recordings of the Strauss and Respighi are readily available online to assist in your preparation. A midi recording of the Mason is included at the link below. Audition excerpts, as well as full scores, are available for download at 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.
Contacts
Renee Gilliland
Associate Director of Orchestras
renee.gilliland@colorado.edu
303-492-9522
Imig Music Building, C129
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.