A hundred years after a small local ensemble played its first notes, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic’s 80-plus nationally auditioned musicians present an astounding series of concerts for the orchestra’s 100th season.
The Centennial Season
Chloé Dufresne’s first season as musical director was the Philharmonic’s 99th. Known for her nuanced interpretations, elegant performances and artistic enthusiasm, for the 2026-27 season she curates brilliant musical experiences, taking full advantage of the rich artistry and tradition of the region’s only full-scale professional orchestra.
The centennial season is a blend of well-known pieces and musician’s favorites with a touch of romance and French style.
The Masterworks series features artful performances of orchestral music in traditional styles. In addition to these, seven Philharmonic Pops concerts offer symphony with modern sensibilities — think favorite movies, big melodies and music that’s joyful and recognizable. The Counterpoint series, a partnership with Theatreworks where music and theatre meet to bring stories to life, debuts this season.
The season begins with Beethoven’s joyful and inventive Fourth Symphony combined with the sonic vision that is “Scheherazade.”
“Rhapsody in Blue” returns again. This popular piece of music is a fitting way to celebrate both the new year and the 100th season.
The innocence and joy of Mahler’s Fourth, retro glamour of Pink Martini, excitement and emotion of Mariachi Los Camperos and the atmospheric notes of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto deliver throughout the middle of the season.
Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto concludes the celebration with its romantic harmonies and exultant finale.
From Overture to Ovation
The Colorado Springs Philharmonic began as the Colorado Springs Symphony Ensemble. Twenty-seven musicians founded a symphony for the city whose days as a sanatorium and health resort were waning and identity as the Gateway to Pikes Peak was beginning.
Frederick Boothroyd was the first conductor. By 1933, the City Auditorium was hosting concerts with 80 musicians. The group was incorporated as the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra Association in 1936. Boothroyd stepped down in 1954, and conductor Walter Eisenberg took up the baton.
In the 1970s and ’80s, music director and conductor Charles Ansbacher and Bee Vradenburg, the association’s leader and general manager for four decades, started Fourth of July concerts in local parks and the ballot issue that built the Pikes Peak Center.
Christopher Wilkins took over after Ansbacher in 1987. The Pikes Peak Center opened in 1992 and remains one of the region’s best acoustic concert halls. Yaacov Bergman took the stage from 1996-1999 and Lawrence Leighton Smith succeeded him in 2000.
Smith oversaw a challenging time. The symphony filed for bankruptcy in 2003 but played on thereafter as the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Nathan Newbrough joined the organization as president and CEO in 2008, and by 2011 the philharmonic’s audience had tripled in size. Smith stepped down in 2011 and the ninth music director, Josep Caballé-Domenech, stepped up.
For its 90th season in 2016-17, the philharmonic commissioned six short pieces based on Katharine Lee Bates’ song “America the Beautiful.” That season also featured the return of cellist Yo-Yo Ma after his legendary performance with the symphony the night of 9/11.
The philharmonic would once again bring light into darkness in February 2022 when it opened concerts by playing the Ukrainian national anthem.
Caballé-Domenech departed in 2023. He was awarded conductor laureate in honor of his stunning performances and musical acumen.
The 2023-24 season featured 10 guest conductors and a national search for the first musical director of the next 100 years.
Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Information csphilharmonic.org
Ent Center for the Arts
5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs
Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts
190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
Sneak Peek at the 100th Season
Beethoven’s Fourth / “Scheherazade”
Masterworks
Sept. 26-27
Pikes Peak Center
“Music of the Knights”
Philharmonic Pops
Oct. 2-3
Pikes Peak Center
“Appalachian Spring”
Counterpoint
Oct.17-18
Ent Center for the Arts
“Edward Scissorhands” Live Cinema Experience
Philharmonic Pops
Oct. 30-31
Pikes Peak Center
Tchaikovsky / Petroushka
Masterworks
Nov. 14-15
Pikes Peak Center
“The Nutcracker”
Holiday Performance
Nov. 27-29
Pikes Peak Center
Christmas Symphony
Holiday Performance
Dec. 19-20
Pikes Peak Center
New Year’s Eve: “Rhapsody in Blue”
Philharmonic Pops
Dec. 30-31
Pikes Peak Center
Tuesdays in Paris
Counterpoint
Jan. 16-17
Ent Center for the Arts
Saarikoski / Mahler 4
Masterworks
Jan. 23-24
Pikes Peak Center
Joshua Bell: A Centennial Celebration
Feb. 5
Pikes Peak Center
“Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” Live Cinema Experience
Philharmonic Pops
Feb. 12-13
Pikes Peak Center
Lohengrin Prelude / Tchaikovsky 6
Masterworks
Feb. 20-21
Pikes Peak Center
Pink Martini
Philharmonic Pops
March 5-6
Pikes Peak Center
Sibelius Violin Concerto / Nielsen 4
Masterworks
March 13-14
Pikes Peak Center
The Invention of Love
Counterpoint
April 3-4
Ent Center for the Arts
Mariachi Los Camperos
Philharmonic Pops
April 9-10
Pikes Peak Center
Beethoven’s Ninth
Masterworks
April 17-18
Pikes Peak Center
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” Live Cinema Experience
Philharmonic Pops
May 14-15
Pikes Peak Center
Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto / Copland 3
Masterworks
May 22-23
Pikes Peak Center