Wes Kenney, Music Director

Now in his ninth season as Music Director of the Fort Collins Symphony, Wes Kenney has become a musical fixture in Northern Colorado, conducting orchestra concerts, opera and dance productions. Opera Fort Collins named him to the additional post as their Music Director in 2004, and he immediately helped the now 32 year old company establish a full season of three productions a season. Last fall, Mr. Kenney was named educator of the year by the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Previously he was awarded the Grand Prize in the Summer 2007 Varna (Bulgaria) International Conducting Competition.  He traveled back to Bulgaria in March 2008 for concerts in Vidin and to conduct La Traviata in Stara Zagora.

Mr. Kenney is a frequent guest conductor of professional and educational ensembles. He has appeared recently with the Alabama All-State Orchestra, the Virginia Symphony, the Symphony of Southeast Texas, the Vallejo (CA) Symphony and the New Mexico All-State Orchestra. Over the past five seasons Maestro Kenney has guest conducted at the Edinburgh Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Buffalo Philharmonic, returned to the New Mexico Symphony for tours and performances of The Nutcracker.  Other recent appearances include the Richmond Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, the San Juan Symphony, and the Virginia All-State Honor Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Dubuque Symphony, Savannah Symphony, Sewanee Music Festival, Spokane Symphony, Virginia Ballet Theater, Norfolk Chamber Consort, Coastal Valleys Symphony, Universal Ballet Korea, Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, the Williamsburg Symphonia (VA), the Acadiana Symphony (LA).the Virginia Chorale.

In six seasons as the Virginia Symphony's Associate Conductor, Mr. Kenney appeared more than 350 times with that orchestra.  He was responsible for the programming and conducting of Subscription, Pops, Family and Young People's Concerts.

Mr. Kenney was Co-principal Conductor of the Oakland Lyric Opera for four seasons and Music Director of the Virginia Ballet Theater. Awarded the prestigious Carmen Dragon Conducting Prize in 1992, Wes Kenney served as Music Director of the Oakland Youth Orchestra for five seasons.

Mr. Kenney has also enjoyed success directing from the orchestra pit for opera, ballet, and musical theater. In the last nine years he has conducted productions of Aida, Barber of Seville, La Boheme, Cavalleria Rusticana, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly, Marriage of Figaro, The Merry Widow, I Pagliacci, Rigoletto, Street Scene, Tenderland, Tosca, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Turandot, Die Zauberflote,.  He has appeared as conductor for Gianni Schicchi and Die Kluge for Oakland Lyric Opera. In addition he has conducted numerous performances of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Firebird, and many other dance works.

Mr. Kenney is a past president of the Conductors Guild, a 2000 member service organization to the conducting profession. He currently is on the Guild’s advisory board. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and San Francisco State University. Additional studies include three years as a fellow at the Conductors Institute, several American Symphony Orchestra League and Conductors Guild Workshops, and the Sandpoint Festival.  His teachers include Harold Farberman, Hans Beer, Gunther Schuller, Hans Swarovsky and Miltiardes Carides.

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2011-2012
Masterworks Schedule

THE NEW FAMILIAR
Masterworks #1
September 24, 2011
7:30pm - Lincoln Center
Wagner Prelude to Lohengrin Act III
Enescu Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major
Barber Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
J. Strauss, Jr. Blue Danube Waltz
Rossini William Tell Overture
Williams Harry’s Wondrous World
Paganini Moto Perpetuo
Liszt Les Preludes
Guest Artist - Elizabeth Pitcairn, Violin

FRENCH FRIGHTS
Masterworks #2
October 29, 2011
7:30pm - Lincoln Center
César Franck The Accursed Huntsman
Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Guest Artist - Zuill Bailey, Cello

THE FOUR SEASONS
Masterworks #3
February 18, 2012
7:30pm - Lincoln Center
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Beethoven Symphony No. 8
Guest Artist - Nina Tso-Ning Fan, Violin

FROM ACROSS THE POND
Masterworks #4
March 17, 2012
7:30pm - Lincoln Center
March 18, 2012
2:00pm - TVHS, Loveland
Vaughan-Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
Elgar Enigma Variations
Guest Artists - Todd Queen, Tenor and Jason Johnston, Horn

A TRIBUTE TO JOHN WILLIAMS
Pops Concert
April 14, 2012
7:30pm - Timberline Church

RUSSIAN MASTERPIECES
Masterworks #5
May 19, 2012
7:30pm - Lincoln Center
May 20, 2012
2:00pm - TVHS, Loveland
Shchedrin Symphony Fanfares (Festive Overture)
Rachmaninov Rhapsody on Theme of Paganini
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Guest Artist - David Korevaar, Piano