There’s a new woman in town. Her name is Chloé Dufresne, a rising star in the world of conducting, and she is the first female Music Director in the almost 100-year history of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Young, energetic and with a charming French accent, Dufresne debuts as the artistic leader of the COS Philharmonic this September. After an international search that drew exceptional talent from around the globe, Dufresne will be shaping the 2025/2026 Season.
Born in Montpellier, France, her international career has spanned concert halls across Europe, including the Paris Philharmonic, the Finnish National Opera, as well as being the Associate Artist of the Orchestre National de Bretagne and Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie orchestras. In the US, Dufresne was a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic where promising young conductors from around the world can develop their craft and enrich their musical experience.
Breaking the glass ceiling in a big way, “as young girl I studied voice at the Paris Opera and started performing at the age of ten in a children’s choir which was conducted by a woman,” Dufresne explains. “What I liked was this person was in the middle of everything and taking care of everything, along with her dramatic arm movements. Everyone was going on and off the stage. The conductor and orchestra were the only ones staying all along. It looked like magic.
“I was very lucky to have a female role model at such a young age and studied there until the age of twenty. I continued to have teachers who were very supportive of me despite my gender, and by 2018 female conductors started to become much more accepted and supported. Studying at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki I received my master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting. Soon after I began to conduct in Finland, which is a very young country, and there was not even a discussion about gender.”
Known for her nuanced interpretations and unshakable poise, Dufresne is ready to expand her career as the new Music Director, bringing her elegance, enthusiasm and artistic vision to the region’s only full-scale professional orchestra. Music directors are experienced conductors who shape their orchestra’s musical identity by selecting the performance repertoire for the season, and Dufresne is up for the challenge.
“Being a freelancer conductor is very nice because I have met a lot of different orchestras and cultures,” says Dufresne. “But being a music director is a next step in a career, as it gives me the opportunity to work on a deeper level with the players but also help the artistic point of view by programming the whole season. I think about repertoire, choosing and inviting artists and creating collaborations.
“It will give me the chance to have a bigger impact on the community. This position will allow me to continue to travel and meet new orchestras as well as spending more time in Colorado Springs and having a vision on the higher level.”
No stranger to Colorado Springs, Dufresne was one of 10 guest conductors during the Philharmonic’s 97th season conducting a violin Mozart piece and Haydn’s last symphony as well as a French piece Masques et Bergamasques, “to introduce French style” at the Ent Center for the Arts in January 2024.
“I met with the orchestra then and it went very well and soon afterwards I was asked to apply for the position of Music Director,” she says. “Colorado Springs welcomed me with warmth and curiosity — and I felt an instant kinship with the musicians. This orchestra is not afraid of taking risks and together I believe we can create something profoundly resonant and musically unique within the community.”
After an almost two-year search for just the right fit, Dufresne emerged as a clear favorite after several guest appearances with the hometown orchestra. Nathan Newbrough President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic had this say about her in a recent press release.
“From the first downbeat, Chloé brought a rare electricity to the podium. She inspired the musicians and stirred the audience. We knew she had the artistry — and the heart — to lead this orchestra into its next era.”
Associate principal oboist and English horn player with the Philharmonic, Sarah Beirhaus has been an official member of the orchestra since 2014 and is equally excited about the choice of the new Music Director.
“I’m looking forward to working with Chloé and think she is a world class musician. She has an incredible resume, and I love her enthusiasm and the way she works with the orchestra with perfect balance. It is great for the city to have a woman in this leadership position.”
Beirhaus worked with Dufresne in 2024 when she was one of the guest-conductors, saying,
“It was a wonderful experience, and you can learn a lot about a conductor by just observing them in the parking lot after a rehearsal. I carpool to the Springs, and we are always debriefing each other about the various conductors and have never smiled as much as we did during the week that Chloé was there!”
Dufresne has big plans for the philharmonic over the next five years.
“My goal is to showcase pieces that the audience knows, and the orchestra loves to play. I’m planning to profile big name composers and guest performers for almost every concert as well as bringing in a little bit of romantic French music.”
In addition to the strong support of the professional music community, music loving members of the community are extremely excited about Dufresne. Kathleen Ricker, a trained clinical psychologist and political activist who has lived in the Old North End on and off for thirty-eight years, started to support the Philharmonic, “which was called the Symphany in the 80’s,” explains Ricker.
“Although still a neophyte about classical music, I became a sponsor in the early 90’s and believe that the Philharmonic is a very important part of the arts community here in the Springs.
The COVID era was really tough on the arts, so I have strongly bumped up my support for them for the last six years and I think the Philharmonic and believe that all our musicians here are part of a first-class orchestra, with guest conductors and performers coming from all over the world. And of course, Dufresne brings a touch of French style. I am excited that we have our first female Music Director as we approach our 100th Anniversary. She is new and fresh and will bring in a brand-new energy and enthusiasm.”
A highlight of the 2025/2026 season will be the October 4 and 5 performances of Stravinski’s “The Firebird,” at the Pikes Peak Center. This is the story of the downfall of a powerful, ogre-like figure of evil, Kastchei the Deathless, who seizes young princesses as captives. The concert will feature guest pianist Awadagin Pratt performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
Dufresne has many more surprises and innovations to reveal over the next ten months. She prides herself for being a “French musician and conductor with a passion for cultural transmission, sharing, and teaching,” having already earned acclaim as one of classical music’s most exciting new conductors to watch.
A WORLD-CLASS ORCHESTRA
Spanning classical and pop, to cinematic, the COS Philharmonic is the premiere professional orchestra of southern Colorado and housed in the acoustically rich Pikes Peak Center, attracting world-class musicians as teachers, performers, conductors, and visiting artists. A highlight of their history was when the internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, went on to perform as a guest artist on September 11, 2001, stating that “darkness cannot overcome light and beauty.” (COS Pioneers Museum) After his solo performance Ma joined the last row of cellists and played the rest of the concert as a member of the orchestra.