CMA CMF Logo
Press Release For Immediate Release

COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL &
CENTER FOR MUSICAL ARTS ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

   
Andrew Bradford, Newly Appointed CMF & CMA
Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/16/14

Contact: Brandi Numedahl - numedahl@COmusic.org 

www.COmusic.org

  

  

On June 16, 2014, BOULDER, COColorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts (CMF & CMA) announces the appointment of its new Executive Director, Andrew Bradford. Although his official start date is August 11, Bradford will be working with CMF & CMA throughout the summer, participating in the Music Director selection process and other special events.

 

CMF & CMA President Jane Houssiere is looking forward to Bradford's start. "I believe Andrew brings exactly the vision and leadership we have been looking for in a new ED and is just right for this organization and the greater community," said Houssiere. "He and his wife are excited about the opportunity to come to Boulder and he's ready to hit the ground running with the Festival's Music Director search and the Center's Fall term in the newly renovated building in Lafayette."

 

"I am delighted to be joining the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts.  With its sterling reputation as a premier summer music festival and its unparalleled commitment to presenting the highest quality music and educational programs for the benefit of the community, the organization is ideally positioned for a bright and prosperous future," said Bradford. "I very much look forward to working with the Board to expand the organization's impact and reach, and to ensure that it has the resources necessary to continue being an exemplar of the ideal 21st-century classical music organization."

 

Bradford comes to CMF & CMA from Chicago where he has served as Executive Director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra for the past two years.  During his tenure, he balanced the organization's budget and delivered operating surpluses, implemented an artistic vision to perform American music on every concert, created the orchestra's popular presenting series, and expanded the orchestra's audience base and geographic reach by building new relationships with multiple Chicago-area venues, including the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

 

Bradford holds a Bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and a Master's degree from the University of Michigan, where he studied music and management. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Management Fellowship program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, where he was a prot�g� of arts management guru, Michael Kaiser. His broad administrative and operational experience includes orchestra management, marketing, development, and strategic planning with organizations including the National Symphony Orchestra, The Kennedy Center, the Aspen Music Festival, the Houston Symphony, and San Francisco Classical Voice. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

 

This appointment comes just weeks before the Festival's 2014 six-week concert season kicks off on Sunday, June 29. The season abounds with some of the world's greatest guest artists and conductors. Along with world-class, professional orchestra musicians, this summer's accomplished guest conductors include Michael Butterman, Lawrence Golan, Cynthia Katsarelis, William Boughton, Larry Rachleff, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Joshua Gersen, Steve Hackman, Andrew Grams, and Jean-Marie Zeitouni. The 2014 season is a Music Director search season for the organization, which has narrowed its search to three finalists: William Boughton, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Jean-Marie Zeitouni. Boughton, Prieto, and Zeitouni were chosen from a pool of more than 50 applicants during a nationwide search that began when Michael Christie announced he would step down as Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival in 2013.

 

World-class guest artists coming to the Festival this summer include Indie singer-songwriters My Brightest Diamond, Olga Bell, and Aoife O'Donovan; pianists Christopher Taylor and Gilles Vonsattel; violinists Chad Hoopes and Jennifer Koh; cellist Brook Speltz; and the indie band San Fermin performing with the CMF Orchestra.

 

The Colorado Music Festival runs for six weeks from June 28 through August 8, 2014. Performances are held at Boulder's own historic Chautauqua Auditorium with concerts on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. The "Music Mash-up" series, three concerts that are designed to transform the symphonic experience by bridging the gap between classical and popular music, will take place at Chautauqua Auditorium on Tuesdays, July 1, July 15, and July 29. This three-concert series offers performances of popular classical and contemporary works in a casual, intermission-free concert that is preceded by a Happy Hour (6:00 pm in Chautauqua Park) featuring complimentary food and drinks. CMF Chamber Players will perform chamber music at eTown Hall in downtown Boulder on Tuesdays, July 8, July 22, and August 5. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

 

  

                                  ###

  

The Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts (CMF & CMA) is a one-of-a-kind organization that provides a broad spectrum of music education opportunities and world-class performances to citizens throughout Boulder County and beyond.  CMA is located in the heart of downtown Lafayette and features thirteen teaching studios and two performance spaces - Founders Hall and Grimes Recital Hall.  CMF presents a six-week summer concert season at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder showcasing the CMF Orchestra.  CMF & CMA's mission is to inspire and connect community members of all ages by providing access to the best of the world's music through education and performance.