Illinois Philharmonic exec to take up Colorado post
Andrew Bradford is a young man in a hurry.
After just two years as executive director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Bradford is leaving the south suburban orchestra to take up a new post running the Colorado Music Festival.
“I am delighted to be joining the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts,” said Bradford in a statement released Monday. “With its sterling reputation as a premier summer music festival and its unparalleled commitment to presenting the highest quality music and educational programs for the benefit of the community, the organization is ideally positioned for a bright and prosperous future.”
“I believe Andrew brings exactly the vision and leadership we have been looking for in a new ED and is just right for this organization and the greater community,” said CMF president Jane Houssiere. “He and his wife are excited about the opportunity to come to Boulder and heʼs ready to hit the ground running with the Festival’s Music Director search and the Center’s Fall term in the newly renovated building in Lafayette.”
While his official start date as executive director in Colorado is August 11, Bradford will head out there next month to assist in the search for the festival’s new music director.
During his two years managing the Illinois Philharmonic, the orchestra balanced its budget and hired the dynamic new music director David Danzmayr. Under Danzmayr, there has been a noticeable upgrade in the quality of IPO performances as well as refreshingly adventurous programming, including the belated U.S. premiere of Alexander von Zemlinsky’s Symphony No. 1 at the Harris Theater in April.
The Illinois Philharmonic opens its 2014-15 season October 18 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, William Grant Still’s The East, and Fredrich Gulda’s Concerto for Myself featuring pianist Lisa Smirnova. ipomusic.org.
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