Our mission is to engage, enrich, and nurture our community through musical performance, education and outreach.

Founded by late conductor T. Gordon Parks, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, the Symphony of the Rockies, has been a pillar of the South Metro Denver arts community since 1953. Devin Patrick Hughes was appointed Music Director & Conductor in 2013 and has brought a renewed focus on artistic excellence and innovation to the organization.

Over the past ten seasons the Arapahoe Philharmonic has professionalized the organization by almost doubling the operating budget, increasing musician pay rate three-fold, creating a full time Executive Director position, and creating a Discovery Concert Series serving over 1000 students each season. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orchestra swiftly pivoted, adapting its programming to online, virtual, outdoors, and resuming COVID-safe performances, keeping audiences engaged and musicians and staff employed.

The orchestra is comprised of professional musicians, pre-professionals, talented community members looking for a space to grow and develop, and music educators with a passion for performing. Repertoire includes works by the greatest names in classical music spanning all eras, including recent works from diverse composers, and music spanning across the genres of pop, film, folk, video games, and more.

The Arapahoe Philharmonic has become a teaching pillar and role model throughout Colorado and beyond through its commitment to educating and fostering the next generation of classical music lovers. It presents a Discovery Concert Series, spearheads an Emerging Artists Program, and provides musicians to serve as coaches for music students of all ages.

In 2017, the Arapahoe Phil launched sensory friendly programming, including outreach programs where members of the Arapahoe Phil support seniors who cannot leave their communities. During the pandemic, it expanded this program to reach a more diverse group of seniors focusing on subsidized housing.

The orchestra can be found engaging the next generation of symphonic music champions throughout the front range, including the “best fireworks in Colorado” at Breckenridge Brewery for Independence Day, the most illustrious venues for classical music including Newman Center for the Performing Arts and Lone Tree Arts Center, and area schools, churches, and synagogues, including outdoor and indoor venues.

Arapahoe Philharmonic
Symphony of the Rockies

Devin Patrick Hughes
Artistic Director & Conductor

Joseph Roesler
Apprentice Conductor

Jaimie Devers
Librarian

Jake Thurston
Personnel Manager

Brian Kusior
Stage Manager

VIOLIN

Rebekah Durham
Concertmaster

Laura Johnson
Principal Second

Laura Anderson-Shleiger
Assistant Concertmaster

Christina Johnson
Assistant Concertmaster

Laena Batchelder

Julie Bruchs

Johanna Campos

Jaimie Devers

Christina Eastman

Rachel Ervin

Gavonne Goodwin

Sam Jarvis

Olasuyi Ige

Sarah Jyllka

Peter Kennedy

Victoria Martinez

Hunter Parsinen

Ed Sanford

Chloe Schans

Crystal Schneckenburger

Jacob Unruh

Inga Well-Off-Man

VIOLA

Heidi Snyder
Principal

Joanna Malm
Assistant Principal

Julianna Desiato

Lacey Kesterke

John Leininger

Chris Loring

Ash Mach

Shilpa Ravoory

CELLO

Quentan Milliner
Principal

James Jiang

Sean Killiher

Jess Kordziel

Jacob Martin

Sabrina Towne

BASS

Jake Thurston
Principal

Domi Edson

Eirik Haugbro

Paul Marshall

Thomas Virtue

FLUTE

Evelyn Rutenberg
Principal

Lauren Habenicht

Jenna Rossi

OBOE

Virginia Limbird
Principal

Jack Branning

Heather Merrill

Bryan Walker

CLARINET

Jason Richard Olney
Principal

Elsbeth Williams

Brian Kusior
Bass Clarinet

BASSOON

Gyungsun Im
Principal

Nicholas Lengyel

Sam Macken
Contrabassoon

HORN

Teresa Harvey
Principal

Tina Herod

Alex Lind

Derrick Rassiner

Matt Tavera

Jonathan Westerfield

TRUMPET

Anthony Zator
Principal

Erik Ferguson

John Jungerberg

Garrett Thomas

TROMBONE

Corey Nance
Acting Principal

Doug Tidaback

Andrew Rogowski, Bass

TUBA

Carl Schumacher
Principal

PERCUSSION

Bryce Baturevich
Principal

Jack Arman

Cole Barringer

Tommy Dainko

Rhys Hanson

Brandon Paine

Milo Del Real

Danny Vargas

HARP

Hillary Schefter
Principal

KEYBOARDS

Ji Hyun Kim
Principal

Devin Patrick Hughes

Artistic Director & Conductor

Highly regarded for his exhilarating score interpretations, advocacy for music accessibility, innate passion, and entrepreneurial vigor, Devin Patrick Hughes is an American orchestral and operatic conductor of Irish and Guatemalan descent. This is his tenth season as Artistic Director & Conductor of the Arapahoe Philharmonic. He is concurrently serving as Music Director & Conductor of Boulder Symphony & Music Academy.

Previously he has held artistic leadership positions with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.

Devin was invited to the Antal Dorati Conducting Competition and featured in Maestro, the Solti International Conducting Competition as a semi-finalist in Budapest. He was the only American selected with eleven other conductors worldwide to compete in the Toscanini International Conducting Competition, and was a conducting fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. He has conducted orchestras across North America and Europe including the Winnipeg Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Salina Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, and Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera.

Devin has created multiple programs connecting orchestras to their communities including the Discovery Concert Series, Curiosity Concerts, Virtual Virtuoso & Music Connects Series, partnering with organizations such as Balfour Senior Assisted Living and Community Food Share to produce performances and dinners both virtually and live. In addition to producing outdoor and drive-in concerts, including Boulder Arts Outdoors, Brass in the Park-ing Lot, and the world-renowned Takács Quartet, Devin can be heard on One Symphony, his new podcast amplifying the voices of composers and other artistic entrepreneurs.

Devin has partnered to make music more universally accessible through organizations such as Carnegie Hall’s LinkUp, I Have A Dream, Circle of Care, Freemasons, Boulder Muse, El Sistema, Flatirons Strings Academy, Burrell School for the Performing Arts, and Pinnacle Charter School in Denver. Through the Glow Project and other sensory-friendly performances geared to those with autism and dementia, Devin has created programs tailored to those who cannot experience the full sound and stimulation of a symphony live. He has chaired multiple foundational competitions nurturing the development of young performers, composers, and conductors, and serves as guest clinician for multiple school districts across Colorado. Aside from Devin's frequent appearances as a clinician and speaker, he has taught courses at the Denver Academy for Lifelong Learning and the Music Schools of the University of Denver, Ithaca College in New York, and New Mexico School for the Arts and serves as an annual guest artist and adjudicator with the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival and Sound Espressivo Global Music Competition.

Meet Our Staff

  • Bess Scully

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Jake Thurston

    PERSONNEL MANAGER

  • Jaimie Devers

    LIBRARIAN

  • Brian Kusior

    STAGE MANAGER

  • Heidi Snyder

    EDUCATION COORDINATOR

  • Evelyn Rutenberg

    SENIOR LIVING OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Meet Our Board

  • Travis Bockenstedt

    BOARD CHAIR

  • Susan Kleimann, Ph. D.

    PRESIDENT

  • Damian Eddy

    BOARD TREASURER

  • Jaimie Devers

    BOARD SECRETARY

  • Samuel Chang, M. D.

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Rebekah Durham

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Quentan Milliner

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Evelyn Rutenberg

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Hillary Schefter

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Heidi Snyder

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Anthony Zator

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Devin Patrick Hughes

    EX-OFFICIO

  • Bess Scully

    EX-OFFICIO