Our Directors
Allan McMurray - Nicholas Carthy - Gary Lewis - Emily Bowman - Amy Andersson, conductor laureate - Board of Directors - Brian Jack, Executive Director
Allan McMurray
Symphony Conductor, November 15, 2009
Allan McMurray is the Robert and Judy Charles Endowed Professor of Music, Chair of the Conducting Faculty, and Director of Bands at the University of Colorado-Boulder, a position he has held since 1978. Prior to this position, he was on the faculty of the University of Michigan. Considered one of the world’s leading teachers of conducting, Professor McMurray has guest conducted and taught conductors in 45 states and 15 foreign countries. He has been a featured visiting professor at over 200 universities and conservatories nationally. He has authored two groundbreaking DVDs on the art of conducting that have been received with international acclaim.
Since Professor McMurray’s arrival in 1978, the University of Colorado Bands have distinguished themselves with performances at major conferences and conventions, including The First International Conference for Symphonic Bands in Manchester, England; the All-Japan Band Conference in Nemo Nu Sato, Japan; the College Band Directors National Association Convention (twice); and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Hamamatsu, Japan.
Considered an authority on conducting pedagogy and wind repertoire, Professor McMurray has been a guest conductor, lecturer, and clinician throughout the United States and 13 foreign countries. He is the host for the College Band Directors National Association National Conducting Symposium in Boulder. Former conducting students now hold high school, college, and professional conducting positions throughout North America
With a strong commitment to new music, Allan McMurray has been a leader in commissioning numerous compositions by American composers. He has won praise for his interpretive and expressive conducting by many composers including Pulitzer Prize winners John Harbison, Joseph Schwanter, Karel Husa, Michael Colgrass and George Crumb. Professor McMurray has performed with the St. Louis Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Debut Orchestra and has guest conducted the Colorado Symphony in performance at the 50th Anniversary of the Colorado Music Educators Convention in Colorado Springs. He recently completed his third season with the Colorado Ballet Orchestra as principal guest conductor of “Dracula”
Allan McMurray is a Past-President of the College Band Directors National Association and a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Bandmasters Association. In addition, he is a recipient of the Bohumil Makovsky Award for Outstanding College Band Directors from the National band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, and has been recognized by California State University Long Beach as “Distinguished Artist in Classical Music.”
Professor McMurray’s first DVD on the Art of Conducting entitled “Conducting from the Inside Out: Gesture and Movement” was released in December of 2002 and has received international acclaim. His second DVD, “Conducting from the Inside Out: Conductor and Composer with Frank Ticheli” is published by Manhattan Beach and was released in 2004 at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago.
In December 2004, the Board of Regents designated Allan McMurray as “Distinguished Professor”. He is one of only 25 faculty in the history of the University of Colorado to receive this honor, the first in the College of Music and is the only one from the Arts to hold the title.
Nicholas Carthy
Symphony Conductor, February 21, 2010
Nicholas Carthy, CU Opera Music Director, studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London with Mary Peppin and John York, and in 1981 won an Austrian government scholarship to study at the Mozarteum Salzburg with Hans Leygraf. After completing his studies he was offered a post as Kapellmeister at the Landestheater in Salzburg where he made his operatic debut conducting Mozart's ‘Marriage of Figaro’. During this time he was also an assistant at the Salzburg Festival, working closely with both Bernard Haitink and Sir Georg Solti.
From 1990 until 1993 Carthy was assistant to Daniel Barenboim, working on the Erato recording of ‘Don Giovanni’ in Berlin, at the Chicago Symphony for the Mozart/DaPonte series, in Le Châtelet in Paris (Wozzeck), and in Bayreuth.
In June 1992, Nicholas Carthy was appointed Musical Director of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. Under his stewardship the orchestra received invitations to perform at the Lucerne Festival, the Concertgebouw and the Goldener Musikvereinssaal in Vienna.
Carthy has conducted opera productions in Vienna, Salzburg, Oslo, Stockholm,
Winterthur, Milan, Rome, Naples, Eugene and Tel Aviv. His repertoire ranges from Mozart to the contemporary. He conducted the first performances of Thomas Adès ‘Powder Her Face’ in Sweden, Israel, Switzerland and Italy. A critical review in Opera magazine described the first performance in Italy as being “conducted with brilliant musicality.”
As a guest conductor Nicholas Carthy has worked with orchestras such as Camerata Academica Salzburg, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Stockholm, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra RAI di Torino, Orchestra San Carlo di Napoli, Accademia Filarmonica Roma, Orchestra Teatro Reggio Torino, Orchestra Sinfonica del Piemonte, L'Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, Orchestra di Padua e del Veneto, Pomeriggi Musicale di Milano, Wiener Volksopernorchester, Israel Contemporary Players, Stadtorchester Winterthur, RSO Prague, Slovak Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic, Orquesta de San Sebastian and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma, where he collaborated closely with Luciano Berio on several projects. He has worked with distinguished soloists including Radu Lupu, Alicia de Larrocha, Natalia Gutman, Viktoria Mullova, Waltraud Meier, Daniela Barcellona, Robert Dean Smith and Wolfgang Holzmair.
Beside his activities as a conductor, Nicholas Carthy is a much sought-after accompanist. He has performed in many of the great halls of the world such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Wigmore Hall, Bolshoi Theatre, Kölner Philharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, La Scala, La Fenice, Santa Cecilia, Gewandhaus Leipzig, and the Berlin State Opera, He has also performed at festivals including Salzburg, Bad Kissingen, München, Schleswig-Holstein and the Schubertiade in Hohenems.
His work as a musical educator has taken him all over the world. From 1996 to 2002 he was a guest professor at the opera school in Stockholm and is Musical Director of the Portland State University Summer Programme. He is Professor of Music and Opera Music Director at the University of Colorado, and visiting tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music. Carthy gives master classes in opera schools and conservatories throughout Europe and the U.S.A, as well as conducting youth orchestra seminars in Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Norway. He also sits on the jury of several international piano and singing competitions. Nicholas Carthy broadcasts regularly as conductor and pianist.
Gary Lewis
Symphony Conductor, April 30, 2010Gary Lewis is Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Music in the College of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Midland-Odessa (TX) Symphony Orchestra. At Colorado Mr. Lewis conducts the University Symphony Orchestra and oversees the entire orchestra program. He also leads the graduate program in orchestral conducting including both the masters and doctoral level. His graduate conducting students have enjoyed great success as conductors of university orchestra programs, youth orchestras, and professional orchestras alike. They have also won prestigious national conducting competitions and been awarded Fulbright grants.
Lewis received the Master of Music degree in conducting from Texas Tech University and the Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Oklahoma. His post-graduate work includes participation in the Pierre Monteux School for Orchestral Conductors and the Tanglewood Conducting Seminar. He has served on the faculties of Texas Tech University, The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, and Abilene Christian University.
Mr. Lewis is equally at home with professional, university, and youth ensembles. In addition to his regular position with the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted performances with the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra (Sofia, Bulgaria), the Western Plains Opera Theater, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. Lewis served as the Resident Conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival (opera and symphonic) for seven years and was the founding conductor of the Caprock Pro Musica.
He has frequently worked with university ensembles, conducting performances and leading master classes with such prestigious programs as the Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Texas, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of North Texas.
As a strong advocate of music education, Mr. Lewis has presented many in-service workshops for public school educators, as well as numerous presentations at state and regional music education association conferences. In addition, he continues to conduct All-State Orchestras, and other regional and honor ensembles throughout the country including a regular presence at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.
Mr. Lewis is a strong proponent of new music. He has been instrumental in the development and production of contemporary music festivals and his interest in new music has led him to collaborations with composers such as George Crumb, William Bolcom, John Harbison, Chen Yi, Michael Daugherty, Stephen Paulus, and many others.
Emily Bowman
Sinfonietta and Chamber Strings conductor
Emily Anne Bowman is an active performing musician and educator. Ms. Bowman is in her third season conducting with High Plains Youth Symphony. She served as assistant conductor for the Colorado Ambassador Orchestra tour of Europe in the summer of 2008. She has also conducted with the Boulder and Longmont Youth Symphonies and taught orchestra at Shining Mountain Waldorf School, Shepherd Valley Waldorf School and New Vista High School. Ms. Bowman currently performs on viola with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, the Free Range Quartet, the Eldorado String Quartet and on fiddle with the group Bogblossom. Ms. Bowman received her formal classical training from the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida and the University of Colorado College of Music, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Viola Performance in 1997. She was awarded the Gabor Ormai Award for performance upon graduation. Ms. Bowman is on the faculty of Boulder Suzuki Strings, teaching violin, viola, and fiddle.
Amy Andersson, Conductor Laureate
American conductor Amy Andersson began piano studies at an early age. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor with triple majors in piano, conducting and composition. She followed with graduate studies in conducting at Indiana University in Bloomington and completed her education with a Master's degree in conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York. She was awarded a conducting Fellowship to the Aspen Music School and her teachers have included Paul Vermel, Murray Sidlin, David Zinman, Gustav Meier and Yakov Kreizberg.
At home in both the operatic as well as symphonic repertoire, Ms. Andersson has made guest appearances in the United States as well as abroad. Ms. Andersson made her operatic debut in 1988 in Germany with performances of The Magic Flute with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Throughout the 1989-1992 seasons she made regular guest appearances with the Stadttheater Aachen including performances of The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, and her highly acclaimed performances of Tosca, which a critic from the Aachener Nachrichten hailed as "brilliant." As guest conductor at the National Theater of Mannheim in Schwetzingen she conducted performances of The Magic Flute. During the 1993-95 seasons she also made guest appearances with the Niederrheinische Symphoniker in Moenchengladbach, the LOH Orchestra in Sonderhausen and made her celebrated Berlin debut, conducting the Berliner Symphoniker at the Philharmonie.
Dedicated to her work with young musicians, and young composers, she held the post of Guest Professor of Conducting at the esteemed Berlin Hochschule der Kunste (Berlin University of Arts) and was Music Director of the historical CPE Bach Gymnasium Orchestra (CPE Bach High School Arts Academy), which performed concerts throughout Berlin. As part of the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg Festival in summer 1996, she led a production of Cosi fan tutte, in conjunction with the Brandenburg Youth Orchestra. The cast of Cosi fan tutte was comprised of talented young singers from throughout Europe. Her successes received wide critical acclaim and set the Festival's all time attendance record of 6 consecutive sold out performances, attended by well over 40,000 people. She also conducted a gala concert with the Berliner Symphoniker at the Rheinsberg Festival which featured young new operatic talent from throughout Europe.
In the l998/2001 seasons Ms. Andersson's many engagements included a very successful and politically significant five week tour with the Jeunesses Musicales (World Youth Orchestra) to Germany, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia. The Jeunesses World Youth Orchestra became the first western orchestra to perform in Serbia in more than ten years. The live televised concert in Belgrade was wildly successful and received critical acclaim, which led to the orchestra's re-invitation. The orchestra also performed for live television broadcasts in Sarajevo to sell out audiences. As part of this tour, she made her debut at the famous Gewandhaus with the World Youth Orchestra as a part of the Leipzig Bach Fest 2000. Ms. Andersson has also made guest appearances with the Opera Orchestra of Giessen, Germany, the Hartt School of Music Orchestra in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra of Denmark.
During the 2002-2003 season she also made her debut in live televised broadcast with the Macedonian Philharmonic in Skopje, Macedonia, as part of Jeunesses Macedonian's 35 year celebration. Ms. Andersson has guest conducted three productions at the Schloss Weikersheim International Opera Course Festival, held every two years in Weikersheim, Germany. This festival, which is dedicated to nurturing and furthering the singing careers of young opera talent from all over the world, features with each production the top youth orchestras from Europe. She conducted the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie for the critically acclaimed production of La Boheme during the summer 2001 season.
In summer 2003, she appeared again as guest conductor with the Bundesjugendorchestra (National German Youth Orchestra), for a production of Carmen, and in summer 2005, was invited for an unprecedented third time back for a production of La Traviata with the National Youth Orchestra of Spain (J.O.N.D.E.).
Starting in the 2006-2007 season, Ms. Andersson accepted the position of Music Director of the High Plains Youth Symphony, in Boulder Colorado. Future engagements include a production in 2008 of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet with the Santa Barbara Opera and two new summer opera productions with the Colorado Light Opera Company in Boulder.