A Year of Evolution
by AwA
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Art with Altitude.
The Steamboat Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is evolving. Founded in 1990 by flutist Mary Beth Norris, the first concert took place with thirteen players. Today the orchestra often includes up to 45 players. Led by Maestro Ernest Richardson, local, national and international talent come together to provide a transformative symphony experience three times a year. Additional fundraisers throughout the year provide opportunities for more intimate experiences with musicians. While the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra has followed a fairly traditional format of three concerts a year, over the past couple of years an evolution has slowly been taking place. In spring of 2024, the SSO conducted a community outreach campaign to better understand what audiences want and how they perceive the experience the SSO provides to drive future programming that is innovative and inspiring.
“Music and music education has been studied for years and the impacts are huge!” says SSO Executive Director Jennifer Grathwohl. “From positively impacting a youth’s overall academic and social-emotional success to increasing brain elasticity for adults their
entire life, orchestral music helps individuals and communities in so many unseen ways.”
Most people don’t know that the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra provides a variety of opportunities for youth to engage with music. Their newest program, String Sprouts, provides five years of free violin lessons for students in Steamboat Springs. The program is housed at the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Colorado.
Immersion weekends allow students of all ages and abilities to come together twice a year for immersive weekends with Music Director, Richardson. The grandparent of a student shared that after participating in immersion weekends, his grandson said it inspired him to voluntarily commit to practicing every day. Grathwohl notes how special the event really is. “… It’s pretty incredible to see so many youth who never play together form an orchestra over just a few days and produce a really beautiful sound.”
The Steamboat Springs High School Orchestra is a partnership between the SSO and the Steamboat Springs School District. Led by Concertmaster and Education Director Teresa Steffen Greenlee, the program has grown from 11 students in its pilot year to nearly 50 students throughout the Yampa Valley, including homeschooled children and children from Hayden and Soroco. The ensemble has won top honors at festivals across the state, and many players have earned spots in the prestigious Colorado All-State Orchestra. In addition to scholastic performances, students also have the opportunity to perform alongside members of the orchestra and appear annually at one of their concerts.
Beyond youth programming, other exciting ways to bring the symphony to the community are percolating. Stay tuned for a summer experience and a reimagined concert format as American cellist John Sant’Ambrogio is honored. Sant’Ambrogio played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was principal cellist with the St. Louis Symphony. Sant’Ambrogio was instrumental in the
development of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and was a huge proponent and organizer of arts events and festivals in
Steamboat Springs.
While new experiences are in the works, one of Steamboat’s favorite community traditions, the Steamboat Symphony
Orchestra Holiday Concert, remains. “The Holiday Concert is without a doubt our most popular performance!” says Grathwohl. “I think it resonates so deeply because it infuses beloved traditions,
student musicians, and the dazzle of the holiday season.” The
annual Holiday Concert is an immersive experience that includes
classic holiday tunes, sing-alongs and a youth orchestra that
assembles exclusively for this event.
Evolution is defined as the development of something. For the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, evolution involves finding
creative ways to bring the symphony to the community in ways that inspire and convey the magic the symphony holds.
Elevate the Arts: To participate in a Steamboat favorite, the SSO Holiday Concert, buy tickets or become a volunteer to support SSO year-round. AwA
