Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra Announces Departure of Maestro

Greeley, CO, February 1, 2018 — The Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, a professional symphony orchestra performing in Greeley, CO since 1911, and its Board of Directors announce the departure of Maestro Glen Cortese after the conclusion of the 108th Season, 2018-2019. Cortese will have served as the GPO’s music director and conductor for 12 seasons.

As an accomplished composer and winner of numerous awards including the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a two-time winner of the Joseph E. Bearns Prize, a CAPS Grant from the New York Council on the Arts and a Pulitzer Prize nominee, Maestro Cortese has brought a sophisticated style to the UCCC Monfort Concert Hall. Cortese’s versatile programming has featured classical and contemporary operatic works, Broadway musical theater, dance, and themed concerts presenting a broad variety of classical repertoire to Greeley audiences, often including his own compositions. He also brought a warmth to the GPO’s educational programs, children’s concert, and outreach program, GPO in the School. He has been a regular on the Pirate Radio Morning Show with Greeley’s Elvis, George Gray. Cortese’s wealth of connections exposed GPO audiences to guest artists from around the country and across the globe.

“It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve as music director of the GPO since 2007. The musicians and the audiences have always made me feel welcome and at home. I will miss my regular visits to Greeley and treasure the years I have spent in the community,” said Cortese.

Cortese departs from the GPO to pursue other composing and conducting opportunities, including his first commission for an opera. The Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra will begin a conductor search in the summer of 2018.