Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra

Background Statement

Pro Musica Colorado was formed as Lafayette Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, became incorporated on September 1, 2006, and soon after achieved 501(c)3 status. The music director and board sought to create an orchestra of the quality many experience in the cultural centers of the United States and Europe; to present more innovative programming; and to use new technology and innovative approaches to present music in a more accessible way. Pro Musica's debut concert in May 2007 was sold-out and received significant critical acclaim. Each year its audience has grown, the volunteer base has expanded, and the income stream broadened.



Pro Musica has met its mission goals of high quality performances, collaborations, and innovative programming. At the end of the 2011-12 season, OpusColorado declared Pro Musica Colorado to be "unrivaled" in consistent excellence among ensembles in the region. Its Mendelssohn Goes to Scotland performance in February 2013 was declared an "ultimate performance." The ensemble presents music by living composers, such as Dan Kellogg, Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Cindy McTee, Philip Glass, and John Adams. It featured underrepresented music in its Women and Holocaust Composers chamber music recitals. Collaborators include Colorado Chamber Players, St. Martin's Chamber Choir, and Ars Nova Singers. With Ars Nova Singers the ensemble presented the regional premiere of Golijov's cantata, Oceana. It was a Top 10 Pick by the Denver Post. With St. Martin's Chamber Choir PMC produced the first complete performance of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio in the region in eighteen years. Audience surveys reveal enormous appreciation for the orchestra's musical quality and imaginative programming. Centaur Records has entered into an agreement to commercially and internationally distribute a recording. This marks PMC's acceptance as an ensemble that performs at an international standard.



PMC has collaborated with social organizations, assisting with Food and Supply drives with Emergency Family Assistance Association; dedicating a musical work to the Colorado Haiti Project; and working with Circle of Care to bring lower income elderly people to its concerts. Further, PMC offers complimentary tickets to the young musicians of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra.



Pro Musica has an ethic of intellectual rigor, musical integrity, and superior music performance standards. The orchestra and conductor are full-time professional musicians. Maestra Katsarelis earned degrees in violin and conducting at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University, has experience performing with major orchestras, and guest conducts for the Colorado Music Festival. PMC's high caliber of musicians and staff gives PMC the capacity to produce works of greater complexity and difficulty, a requirement especially for the performance of difficult new compositions. This capability and quality make PMC complementary to the large orchestras of our region, such as the Colorado Symphony and Colorado Music Festival.