Single tickets for the full season now on sale

By Peter Alexander

Josh Ritter

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra announced today (July 15) that they have filled the last slot in their 2015–16 season with a concert featuring American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.

The concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in Macky Auditorium, fills a slot that was left open when Gregory Alan Isakoff had to cancel a planned concert on that same date.

Along with Ritter’s concert, the Boulder Phil announced that single tickets to individual concerts are now on sale, either through the orchestra’s Web site or by calling the box office at 303-449-1343, ext. 2.

Ritter was named one of the “100 Greatest Living Songwriters” by Paste magazine in 2006. He grew up in Moscow, Idaho, and attended college at Oberlin College in Ohio, planning to be a neuroscientist. Having been influenced by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, he switched to a self-created major involving folk music, and later studied at the School of Scottish Folk Studies in Edinburgh.

Michael Butterman. Photo by Glenn Ross.

From his very first self-published albums to the current day, Ritter has enjoyed growing success and recognition. He now has seven studio albums, plus several recordings of live performances, and he is also the author of a novel, Bright’s Passage. Ritter and his band have performed with the Boston Pops, New York Pops and the Minnesota Orchestra; their appearance with the Boulder Phil will be their first performance with a symphony in the Western U.S.

A statement released by the Boulder Phil quotes music director Michael Butterman saying that Ritter “is exactly the sort of artist—innovative and original—that resonates with our community and makes for a perfect reflection of the spirit of Boulder.”

The 2015–16 season of the Boulder Phil has been named “Reflections: The Spirit of Boulder!” The season will open at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, in Macky Auditorium with a concert featuring the orchestra’s concertmaster and CU faculty member Charles Weatherbee as soloist in The Storyteller by Korine Fujiwara and pianist Gabriela Montero playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

The remainder of the season features collaborations with the Boulder Chorale, Colorado nature photographer John Fielder, Boulder Ballet, Cirque de la Symphonie, Central City Opera, the Boulder Bach Festival and choruses from the CU College of Music. You may read about the full 2015–16 season and purchase tickets on the Boulder Phil’s Web page.