Welcome!

Welcome to the homepage of the Pikes Peak Philharmonic! We are a non-profit, community orchestra that is composed of volunteers from all walks of life in the Colorado Springs area. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments. We hope you enjoy your visit to our site.

cello master class with Jurgen De Lemos

This master class will be held at Coronado High School on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. All teachers and students attending the master class will receive a free pass to attend the Pikes Peak Philharmonic concert on Sunday, February 21 at 3:00 p.m. where De Lemos will be performing the Elgar Cello Concerto. Please contact Tom Fleecs at thomas.fleecs@d11.org or (719) 520- 2027, by February 12, 2010 if you would like to reserve a seat.

Jurgen de Lemos, a native of Leipzig, Germany, has been a leader in the Denver music community since joining the Denver Symphony Orchestra in 1968 as Principal Cellist. He has been the Principal Cellist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra since its inception. A summa cum laude graduate in cello and composition from Hochschule fur Musik in Munich, Germany, and Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France, he has studied with André Navarra, Pablo Casals, Leonard Rose, Gregor Piatigorsky and Maurice Eisenberg. He was the youngest member of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein from 1964-68, and a winner of the Baglioni, Casals and Tchaikovsky international competitions. He also served as co-principal cellist under James Levine and Daniel Barenboim at the 1982 Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, and toured three continents with the Pablo Casals Trio. Mr. de Lemos was a Professor of cello and chamber music at the University of Colorado for 23 years. His conducting skills were refined under the tutelage of Adolph Mennerich in Munich, Jean Morel and Jorge Mester at Juilliard, and Walter Susskind (Aspen). He was founder and Music Director of the Arvada Center Orchestra from 1979-86, a past conductor of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and conductor of the Boulder Youth Symphony for eight years. He has also conducted at Aspen and the Siena, Italy Contemporary Music Festival. Mr. de Lemos has also guest conducted for the Fort Collins Symphony, The Boulder Philharmonic, The Topengo Symphony and the Grand Junction Symphony. Mr. de Lemos has conducted the Littleton Symphony Orchestra since the 1990 season and he was principal cellist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra from its inception until his retirement at the end of the 2008-2009 season.

friends of the pikes peak philharmonic

The Friends of the Pikes Peak Philharmonic welcomes men and women interested in helping us in presenting four programs each season.  The Friends are an essential part of our philharmonic. They provide finesse to our musician-managed organization, and also bring valuable opportunities to promote awareness of our concerts, related events and music education activities in the region. 

The Friends organization needs you to contribute a little of your time and talent.  Membership in the Friends is open to any current season ticket holder. Volunteers ready for a rewarding and fun experience should call 685-6468 or contact us. Thank you so much for your support of the arts in Colorado Springs. It is much appreciated!

calling young musicians

Auditions for the 2009-2010 Youth Concerto Competition are February 6th! Get more information and sign up now!

Our History

The orchestra now known as the Pikes Peak Philharmonic was formed in 1965 to provide additional playing opportunities for students at Colorado College. The Colorado Springs Community Orchestra, as it was first called, was quickly expanded to include musicians from the rest of the community. In 1972, the Colorado Springs Symphony sponsored and controlled the group with Charles Ansbacher as its Music Director and principal Conductor. The sponsorship of the Symphony was dissolved in 1986 due to financial reasons. With this vital outlet for performing serious symphonic music virtually gone, several musicians from the group incorporated a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the name, Pikes Peak Civic Orchestra. In 1997, the name of the group was changed to Pikes Peak Philharmonic. The funding for the orchestra has been through the assessment of dues, door receipts, and outside donations.

from our music director

For our 2009 - 2010 season, we welcome Mr. David Rutherford.