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Denver Philharmonic Orchestra: Redefining Classical Music in Denver
Denver Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) continually redefines how our community experiences and engages with classical music. With a mission rooted in accessibility and inclusivity, we strive to remove barriers and make orchestral music available to everyone, regardless of financial status. Our innovative programming, community partnerships, and educational outreach efforts invite audiences from all walks of life to explore and enjoy the beauty of live classical music.
Expanding Access
In just the past two seasons alone, DPO has provided over 5,000 free and deeply discounted tickets to individuals and families in need. Through our Pay What You Can and YouthTIX programs, no one is ever turned away at the door.
More Than a Concert
Our More Than Music series transforms concert nights into immersive experiences—think pre-concert talks, children’s activities, local food and beverage tastings, and partnerships with mission-driven organizations. These moments turn an evening of music into a celebration of community, connection, and culture.
Taking a Stand
With Take A Stand, our year-round equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility initiative, we partner with organizations such as El Sistema Colorado, SAME Café, and Dress for Success to bring music to new audiences and highlight underrepresented voices. We provide Braille programs at every concert regardless of request, haptic vests for patrons who are deaf or have severe hearing loss, partner with service dogs in-training organizations, and offer multi-language resources so all feel at home in our concert spaces.
Impact You Can See and Feel
From filling the hall with Reddit community members for our ¡Fiesta! concert to offering a first-ever orchestral experience to a child who declared it “really fun and pretty loud,” DPO proves that music can inspire, heal, and unite. Patrons regularly share how their lives have been enriched—whether it’s a family finding joy in a difficult season, or a newcomer to classical music discovering a lifelong passion.
Our 75+ year history is just the beginning. Under the leadership of our new Music Director, Scott O’Neil, we are creating bold, emotionally rich performances that welcome everyone to join in the performance—because music belongs to all of us.
To continually redefine the way our community experiences and engages with classical music.
We may be one of Denver's oldest orchestras, but we certainly don't act our age.
Dr. Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestras, founded our organization in 1948 as the Denver Businessmen's Orchestra. Antonia settled in Denver after conducting professional orchestras across Europe and the U.S. She debuted our orchestra to a packed auditorium explaining the need for a classical music venue to showcase the talents of local, classically trained musicians "with no place to play." Twenty years later, we'd be known as the Brico Symphony, and Antonia would remain at the helm of the orchestra until her retirement in the mid-1980s.
After nearly 40 years under Antonia's baton, the orchestra chose Russian-American conductor Julius Glaihengauz as its second music director. A graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Julius led the newly renamed Centennial Philharmonic for 11 seasons.
In 1999, Professor of Music at the University of Denver Dr. Horst Buchholz took the baton. Our most recent name change came in 2004, and we became the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Horst served as music director and conductor through 2009, after which he was appointed the orchestra's first Conductor Laureate.
Adam Flatt came onboard as music director in June 2010. Adam's dynamic and inspiring leadership over the next three years continued Horst's legacy and further increased the artistic quality of the orchestra.
We selected award-winning conductor Dr. Lawrence Golan as our conductor and music director when Adam left in 2013. Lawrence, a professor and music director at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, led DPO on international tours to China and Germany and established the International Conducting Workshop. After an inspiring 11-year tenure, Lawrence Golan stepped down as Music Director in 2024 and now serves as Music Director Laureate.
Fresh off that search, we’re thrilled to usher in a bold new chapter: on January 24, 2025, acclaimed conductor Scott O’Neil was named the sixth Music Director of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. A nine-year Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony, Scott captivated Denver audiences with his innovative Inside the Score series and his engaging storytelling work on CPR Classical’s Behind the Baton.
Scott made a striking first impression at our season premiere, “Reflect, Renew, Reimagine,” and formally stepped into the role with his debut performance at the season finale concert, RETROspective, on May 2 & 3, 2025.
As we prepare for our 78th season under Maestro O’Neil’s leadership, his visionary programming—combining deep storytelling, bold emotion, and cross-genre innovation—promises to redefine how our community experiences classical music. Our legacy continues to evolve, powered by innovation, excellence, and the promise of the future.
Organization name
Denver Philharmonic Orchestra
other names
DPO, The Denver Businessmen's Orchestra, The Brico Symphony, The Centennial Philharmonic
1948
Tax id (EIN)
84-6046303
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
1660 Sherman St.Mailing
PO Box 6084Headquarters
1660 Sherman StDenver County, CO, US