Live concerts again at last, and a return to CU Macky Auditorium in January
By Peter Alexander 8 a.m. May 22
The Boulder Philharmonic is taking cautious steps back to the future.
In other words, they will return to full orchestral concerts in Macky Auditorium, suspended for the COVID-19 pandemic, but not all at once. In announcing their 2021–22 season, they have revealed a schedule that will feature four small orchestra concerts in a smaller space in the fall, followed by a return to Macky in January, 2022.
Those will not necessarily be full capacity concerts. According to a statement from the orchestra, they have “developed health and safety protocols to ensure a safe environment for performers, audience members, staff, and volunteers. Measures will include adjusting venue capacity and seating plans, and wearing masks. Plans will adjust in response to public health measures as they evolve in the coming months.”
The fall portion of the season will take place in Mountain View United Methodist Church in Boulder (355 Ponca Place). There will be two programs, each presented twice without intermission (see full schedule below) and led by the orchestra’s music director, Michael Butterman. The first will be a program of music for chamber orchestra, including Haydn’s very first symphony, composed in 1759, and the second a program of 20th-century music from Europe influenced by jazz, featuring works by the Russian Shostakovich, the French composer Darius Milhaud and the German Kurt Weill.
December will see a return of the evergreen Nutcracker ballet, performed by the Boulder Phil with Boulder Ballet in Macky Auditorium. CU music prof. Gary Lewis will conduct. Tickets to Nutcracker will be available in the fall.
After the holidays, the Phil will present a subscription series of six concerts, January through May. These concerts will feature guests soloists and collaborations, starting with the “Opening Weekend” concert Jan. 22, a “Gershwin Celebration.” Renowned jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his Trio will join the Phil for a performance of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F on a program that also features An American in Paris. This program will be repeated at the Lone Tree Arts Center Jan. 23.
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine returns to Boulder Feb. 12 to play the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by Grammy-winning jazz pianist Billy Childs. Pine was in Boulder in 2014, when she played the Berg Violin Concerto with the Philharmonic. Other soloists through the spring will be pianist Terence Williams, who will play Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto March 19; Philharmonic concertmaster Charles Wetherbee, who will play The Butterfly Lovers Concerto on a program that will also feature Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance, April 30; recent Grammy winner violist Richard O’Neill, who will play William Walton’s Viola Concerto May 14; and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, who will appear with the Phil and his trio, May 28.
Subscription packages of the six concerts in 2022 go on sale Monday, May 24. Subscription purchasers can add any of the concerts at Mountain View Methodist Church at a discounted price. Any remaining single tickets will be available in September, along with Nutcracker tickets. Information and, starting on Monday, subscription purchases will be available on the Boulder Phil Web page.
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Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Butterman, music director
2021-22 Season Schedule
“Together Again”
Michael Butterman, conductor
- Haydn: Symphony No. 1 in D Major
- —Sinfonia concertante in B-flat Major
- Frank Martin: Petite symphonie concertante, op. 54
4 & 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3 (no intermission)
Mountain View United Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place, Boulder
“The Art of Jazz”
Michael Butterman, conductor
- Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No. 1
- Darius Milhaud: The Creation of the World, op. 81a
- Kurt Weill: Little Threepenny Music
4 & 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 (no intermission)
Mountain View United Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place, Boulder
The Nutcracker with Boulder Ballet
Gary Lewis, conductor
2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26, Saturday Nov. 27 and Sunday, Nov. 18
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27
Macky Auditorium
Opening Weekend: “Gershwin Celebration”
Michael Butterman, conductor
Marcus Roberts Trio: Marcus Roberts, piano; Rodney Jordan, bass; Jason Marsalis, drums
- Gershwin: An American in Paris
- —Piano Concerto in F
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022
Macky Auditorium
1:30 p.m. Sunday Jan. 23, 2022
Lone Tree Arts Center
Michael Butterman, conductor, with Rachel Barton Pine, violin
- Billy Childs: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (world premiere/co-commission)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12
Macky Auditorium
Michael Butterman, conductor, with Terrence Wilson, piano
- Cindy McTee: Circuits
- Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain”
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, 2022
Macky Auditorium
The Firebird & Frequent Flyers
Michael Butterman, conductor, with Charles Wetherbee, violin
Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance
- Mason Bates: Undistant
- He Zhanhao/Chen Gang: The Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto
- Rimsky Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture
- Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919)
7:30 pm. Saturday, April 30, 2022
Macky Auditorium
Michael Butterman, conductor, with Richard O’Neill, viola
- Anny Clyne: Sound and Fury
- William Walton: Viola Concerto
- Elgar: Enigma Variations
7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, 2022
Macky Auditorium
Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele, and trio, with the Boulder Phil
Michael Butterman, conductor
7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28, 2022
Macky Auditorium
Sharps & Flatirons 