Colorado State University Orchestras allow all students, both major and non-major, to participate in a wide variety of ensembles and experiences while performing in a well respected organization.
What a fine concert last night! We loved the Beethoven, of course, but we hadn't heard the Sibelius [Symphony No. 2, Op. 43, D Major] in a long time and were blown away. You have another fine group of players this year and we're looking forward to more. ~ David Lindstrom, patron
Events
University Symphony Orchestra — The Return of the Full Symphony!
News
CSU director of orchestras, Wes Kenney, selected as an HONORED ARTISTS of The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts Jan. 7, 2021, Danbury, Connecticut—The American Prize is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the musical arts. The American Prize is nonprofit, unique in scope and structure, and is designed to evaluate, […]
It was an emotional moment when the University Symphony Orchestra (strings and percussion) took the Griffin Concert Hall stage and played the first concert at the University Center for the Arts in six months. The concert was conducted by Wes Kenney and graduate conducting student, Andrew Mendizabal. Maestro Kenney spoke several times during the concert, conveying how […]
Wes Kenney, director of orchestras at CSU, is also the music director of the Denver Young Artist Orchestra (pictured)—the premier youth orchestra in Colorado. Kenney and the DYAO were named the 2020 American Prize Winner of the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award in the youth/school ensemble division. The ensemble was also awarded 2nd Place in Orchestra Performance […]
Ensembles
University Symphony Orchestra
(MU 302)
The 65–90 member University Symphony Orchestra performs repertoire heard on the stages of the world’s great orchestras. It is an introduction and training ground not just for a professional orchestral career but allows music educators to become steeped in the science of how a large ensemble works. Recent performances include Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” and Symphony No. 9, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3 “Organ,” Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5, Barktok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The orchestra plays four concerts a year and collaborates with CSU choral ensembles, CSU dance ensembles, and the department’s concerto competition.
Ensemble director, Professor Wes Kenney, is also music director of the Fort Collins Symphony and Opera Fort Collins, and is a past winner of the Varna International Conducting Competition. The orchestra rehearses twice a week; membership is by audition only with auditions taking place the weekend before the first week of classes.
- Audition required
- Rehearses: T/TR, 2:30–5 p.m., UCA G 106
- Director: Wes Kenney
- Repertoire (PDF)
Sinfonia Orchestra (MU 402)
Under the direction of Professor Wes Kenney, the select chamber orchestra – ranging from 10–40 members – performs music from the Baroque to contemporary while specializing in the Classic period music of Mozart and Haydn. The Sinfonia has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Britten’s Variation on a Theme of Frank Bridge, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 “Linz,” as well as the music of several contemporary composers. The group has performed and provided sessions on ensemble training at the American String Teacher Association annual conference and the Colorado Music Educators Association annual convention; the orchestra has also been on several state tours. Additionally, the ensemble is the Ralph Opera Program orchestra, performing operas such as Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Puccini’s Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, and Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Collaborations include the department’s concerto competition, dance concerts, and choral concerts. Players auditioning for the University Symphony Orchestra are automatically considered for this premiere orchestra.
- Audition required
- Rehearses: T/TR, 2:30–5 p.m., UCA G 106
- Director: Wes Kenney
Concert Orchestra (MU 206)
The Concert Orchestra is open to all CSU string students who wish to continue their participation in music after high school, and also serves as a working laboratory for students pursuing a Music Education degree. The Concert Orchestra allows Music Education majors the opportunity to perform on a secondary instrument, develop effective rehearsal techniques, and gain a knowledge of the standard repertoire appropriate for middle or high school orchestra. In addition, the Concert Orchestra allows students enrolled in the Instrumental Conducting undergraduate class the opportunity to conduct an ensemble and develop appropriate conducting techniques prior to their student teaching experience.
- No audition required: register and come to class
- Rehearses: M/W, 1-2:30 p.m., UCA Room 202
- Director: Leslie Stewart