Ensembles & Conductors
Ensembles
• Symphony, conducted by Gary Lewis, Artistic Director
• Philharmonic, conducted by Emily Bowman, Associate Conductor
• Wind Ensemble, conducted by Erik Johnson, Associate Conductor
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•Sinfonia, conducted by Paul Rowinski, Associate Conductor
For timetables and list of rehearsals, please click here.
Click here to sign up for an audition.
Chamber Music Program
Chamber music is music played in small groups, usually 4 person groups like string quartets. It’s performed without a conductor. Chamber music is a fantastic way to strengthen the building blocks of music and accelerate musicianship. Coachings are conducted by members of the Tesla String Quartet, along with professors from CU, including some of -- no exaggeration! -- the world’s finest musicians and chamber musicians. This includes grammy-winning musicians who have performed and taught around the world. Tuition is $225 per semester and includes approximately 14 coachings with opportunities for masterclasses and performances in the community. This is a tremendous opportunity that not many young musicians get to be a part of and I highly encourage you to sign up for it by contacting Brian Jack.
Gary Lewis, Music Director
Gary Lewis is Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Music in the College of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Midland-Odessa (TX) Symphony Orchestra. At Colorado Mr. Lewis conducts the University Symphony Orchestra and oversees the entire orchestra program. He also leads the graduate program in orchestral conducting including both the masters and doctoral level. His graduate conducting students have enjoyed great success as conductors of university orchestra programs, youth orchestras, and professional orchestras alike. They have also won prestigious national conducting competitions and been awarded Fulbright grants.
Lewis received the Master of Music degree in conducting from Texas Tech University and the Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Oklahoma. His post-graduate work includes participation in the Pierre Monteux School for Orchestral Conductors and the Tanglewood Conducting Seminar. He has served on the faculties of Texas Tech University, The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, and Abilene Christian University.
Mr. Lewis is equally at home with professional, university, and youth ensembles. In addition to his regular position with the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted performances with the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra (Sofia, Bulgaria), the Western Plains Opera Theater, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. Lewis served as the Resident Conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival (opera and symphonic) for seven years and was the founding conductor of the Caprock Pro Musica.
He has frequently worked with university ensembles, conducting performances and leading master classes with such prestigious programs as the Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Texas, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of North Texas.
As a strong advocate of music education, Mr. Lewis has presented many in-service workshops for public school educators, as well as numerous presentations at state and regional music education association conferences. In addition, he continues to conduct All-State Orchestras, and other regional and honor ensembles throughout the country including a regular presence at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.
Mr. Lewis is a strong proponent of new music. He has been instrumental in the development and production of contemporary music festivals and his interest in new music has led him to collaborations with composers such as George Crumb, William Bolcom, John Harbison, Chen Yi, Michael Daugherty, Stephen Paulus, and many others.
Emily Bowman, Associate Conductor
Emily Anne Bowman is an active performing musician and educator. She served as assistant conductor for the Colorado Ambassador Orchestra tour of Europe in the summer of 2008. She has also conducted with the High Plains, Boulder, and Longmont Youth Symphonies and taught orchestra at Shining Mountain Waldorf School, Shepherd Valley Waldorf School and New Vista High School.
Ms. Bowman currently performs on viola with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, the Free Range Quartet, the Eldorado String Quartet and on fiddle with the group Bogblossom. Ms. Bowman received her formal classical training from the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida and the University of Colorado College of Music, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Viola Performance in 1997. She was awarded the Gabor Ormai Award for performance upon graduation. Ms. Bowman is on the faculty of Boulder Suzuki Strings, teaching violin, viola, and fiddle.
Erik Johnson, Associate Conductor
Erik Johnson is an award winning conductor, teacher, and musician. He is currently working toward a Ph. D in music education at the University of Colorado focusing on research in the area of peer-teaching, peer-instruction, and preservice music teacher preparation. After over ten-years of successful public school teaching of both orchestras and wind groups, Erik’s goals are to promote music education at all levels.
He holds a masters degree in instrumental conducting and a masters degree in music education. As a teacher, Mr. Johnson has received numerous awards and honors including two school board commendations, two 9-News “Teacher Who Cares Awards” and a Colorado Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by the Walmart Foundation. In his first year as a public school teacher, Erik was a finalist in the Colorado Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by the Colorado
Department of Education. In 2001, Mr. Johnson helped his students at Highlands Ranch High School organize an event called “United We Sing” which raised over $350,000 for the victims of the September 11th attacks. Erik is listed in the Who’s Who Amongst America’s Teachers and most recently won first prize in the first annual Hugh McMillan conducting competition in 2009.
Mr. Johnson is an active guest conductor and clinician working with student ensembles in Colorado and throughout the US. He is a frequent music festival adjudicator and presenter at state and national professional music conferences. Mr. Johnson has led student ensembles domestically and abroad. He is the frequent promoter of new music for young musicians, having participated in over 14 commissions to date. Although he no longer maintains a private studio, Mr. Johnson has had numerous students selected to study music at major universities and conservatories throughout the US. Before working with the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra, Mr. Johnson joined the Boulder Youth Symphony as the founder of the Wind Ensemble.
Paul Rowinski, Associate Conductor
Paul Rowinski has been teaching violin using the Suzuki Method in Boulder, Colorado since 1983. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in music, studying violin performance and pedagogy with William Starr. He is the director of the Woodsong Suzuki Violin Instruction program in Boulder, and performs locally in various community orchestras.
Three Levels (Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced) of music theory are offered depending on the level of experience and knowledge. The class is taught by Kari Kraakevik, a composer, arranger, classical singer, clarinetist and pianist. She's currently a Master's candidate and teacher at the University of Colorado. To sign up for this program, please click here.
Artistic Staff
The artistic staff of GBYO will work as a collaborative team, assisting with many different aspects and ensembles within the broader organization. Gary Lewis, Artistic Director, will be the primary conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and oversee all aspects of the artistic effort. Each of the Associate Conductors will help coordinate and coach in the Chamber Strings and Chamber Winds program. They will also assist with recruitment and outreach.
Although each conductor may work with several different ensembles, the primary conducting assignments will be as follows (in alphabetical order): Emily Bowman, conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra; Erik Johnson, conductor of the Wind Ensemble and assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra; Paul Rowinski, conductor of the Sinfonia Orchestra.
Mentors
Mentors are outstanding professional musicians and graduate students at the CU College of Music who work with the students on a regular basis. Click here for more.
Theory Class
The goal of the course is to get practical musical knowledge (including rhythm reading, sight singing, etc.) connected with skills that will allow students to excel as orchestral and chamber ensemble musicians.
