| 1876 | The “ICC Silver Cornet Band” is shown in a photograph taken by the Daily Camera of eight musicians on a wagon drawn by two oxen. |
| 1898 | The name “Boulder Citizen’s Band” was first used. |
| 1899-1918 | The band was directed by Bill Swartz. |
| 1908 | There was a portable bandshell on sections of wooden plank at 13th and Pearl. Oil burners gave off a red flame for light. (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1914-1918 | During WWI the Band played “at all patriotic occasions, escorted Troop D, Company B and draftsmen to their trains or automobile caravans and otherwise did it’s (sic) fair share of service.” (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1915 | The Band won first prize at the Elks Convention in Pueblo. (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1916 | CU students volunteered to supplement the band members so that the band could play for events honoring Civil War and World War I veterans on Memorial Day. (Ed. note: the regular Band members were paid.) (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1918-1922 | The band was directed by George Oles. |
| 1918 | Band Can’t Blow Horns Because of Flu - “Professor George Oles announces there will be no rehearsal of the Boulder Band tomorrow night because of the Quarantine. It will be said of that meeting that won’t occur that no one blew because of the flu.” Boulder Band Blew Right After the Flu - “The Boulder Band rehearsed last night and will hold another tomorrow night in preparation for the American Legion Memorial services on Sunday. The selections to be played include...” (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1919 | The Band played while riding on a float at the Semi-Centennial Celebration of Silver Mining in Colorado, held at the Boulder County Fair in Longmont. There were a “basket dinner, tug-o-war, baby contest, street dancing, a first aid demonstration by coal miners and a fiddlers’ contest.” The Band also played at the courthouse to promote the city establishing a municipal park. In September the Boulder Daily Camera sponsored a banquet to raise money for the band and honor local “firemen.” (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1920 | President-Elect FDR stated that he liked the band. The band rehearsed twice a week. They were using a room in the engineering building at CU. “A band committee appealed for a higher appropriation for the band of the city council.” This was to be a decision of the “City Manager and Director of Public Welfare”. There was an election upcoming. The Elks Club had a “juvenile orchestra band” which fed into the Band. The Community Sing and Band Concert were held thanks to the “War Camp Community Service”. “The Boulder Band plays popular music, therefore is itself popular. A band supported by the popular purse should play to please the people, not the musicians. Schwartz, leader of the Boulder Band, had that idea. When he died a leader was appointed who stubbornly held to the idea that the sort of music he liked - commonly called classical - was the sort that ought to be fed to the people. The band was not popular. The director was not popular, tho a fine man. He has gone. Oles isn’t making his mistake.” (from the Boulder Daily Camera archives) |
| 1922–1927 | The band was directed by Eliseo Jacoe, an Italian-trained conductor. He is the first conductor of record with formal training, and was known as “The Professor.” He and his wife, Anna, also owned and operated the Jacoe Grocery Store in neighboring Louisville, Colorado, from the 1920s to the 1950s, catering to Louisville’s large Italian population. |
| 1928–1933 | Horace Jones is the director. |
| 1933–1935 | George Oles returns as director. |
| 1936–1956 | Hugh McMillen, Professor of Music at C.U. Boulder, conducted the band. Adults were paid $2 per concert, university students 50¢, and high school students 25¢. |
| 1939 | The name was changed to “The Boulder Band.” |
| 1956 | The band was discontinued due to “unruly” audiences and lack of financial support. |
| 1976–1986 | The “Boulder Concert Band” is reorganized by McMillen, with Charles Kassinger as Associate Conductor, with enough support to enable the band to continue. During these years the band gave four concerts October to May, and four concerts in the summer. The name has remained unchanged since 1976. Since 1976, the band members receive no compensation, but pay dues to participate (currently, $60 per year). |
| 1986–1991 | Richard Culver became the conductor. |
| 1992–1994 | Cynthia Hutton was conductor. |
| 1994–1997 | Thomas Caneva, the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Colorado, was conductor. |
| 1997–1998 | This transitional season featured a different conductor for each of our four concerts. |
| 1998–2000 | Nathaniel Johnson was conductor. |
| 2000–2006 | Brian Hopwood was conductor. |
| 2006–2009 | Randall Coleman was conductor. During this time, we held a Young Conductor Competition, possibly the only one of its kind in the country! |
| 2009-2011 | Zina Richardson was appointed music director and conductor of the Boulder Concert Band. |
| 2011-2013 | Dr. Dana Biggs was conductor and music director. |
| 2013-2014 | Dr. Jeffrey Miller was conductor and music director. |
| 2014 | Matthew Arau and William Kinne were co-conductors for our summer concerts in the parks. |
| 2014-2015 | William Kinne was conductor and music director. |
| 2015-2016 | Peter Lillpopp was conductor and music director. |
| 2016-2017 | Rafael Antonio Rodriguez was conductor and music director. |
| 2017-2019 | Silas Nathaniel Huff was conductor and music director. |
| 2018 | Sandra McMillen Sartin was awarded Honorary Boulder Concert Band Board Member for Life, the first award of its kind in our band’s history. |
| 2019-2023 | Dr. Kenneth Singleton was conductor and music director. The Band took an 18-month hiatus from March, 2020 through August, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We enjoyed two more successful concert seasons under Ken's direction. |
| 2023-present | Mr. Jon Borodach is conductor and music director of the Boulder Concert Band. |
| 2025 | Sandra McMillen Sartin, Honorary Boulder Concert Band Board Member for Life, passed away on January 24, 2025, after a long illness. |
Our History - Over 150 Years of Making Music
The illustrious history of the Boulder Concert Band traces back to the ICC Silver Cornet Band of 1870, which performed weekly concerts in the pioneer town of Boulder. In 1897, the larger Boulder Citizen’s Band was formed, said to be the best of its type in Colorado. Several decades later, it was succeeded by the Boulder Municipal Band, which was the first to include women musicians.
Today’s Boulder Concert Band, reorganized in 1976 by Hugh McMillen, the former Director of Bands at the University of Colorado, is renowned as one of the premier adult community bands in the United States. Comprising over fifty dedicated volunteer musicians from various business, professional, and educational sectors within the Boulder, Longmont, and Denver metropolitan areas, the Boulder Concert Band delivers exceptional performances.
The Boulder Concert Band actively contributes to its community in various ways. The band has performed at prestigious annual conventions of the Colorado Music Education Association (2003) and the American School Band Directors Association (2006), both held in Colorado Springs. Notably, on July 4, 2018, the band graced the stage with two captivating concerts to commemorate Boulder’s Chautauqua’s 120th birthday celebration.
Several of our talented musicians have formed small ensembles that perform at private and community events, as well as open for some of our concerts. These groups include The Firefly Winds, the Flatirons Saxophone Quartet, and the Brassaholics.
Some of our band members have actively participated in public schools, conducting clinics, working with individual students, and assisting the music teacher in any way possible. We aspire to expand this outreach program in the future.
The Boulder Concert Band also organized a unique Young Conductor Competition, possibly the only one of its kind in the country. University conducting majors from across the state participated in an audition, and the selected student conducted the band as a guest conductor, receiving a cash prize in recognition of their talent.
During the fall and spring, our concert series offers four to six performances featuring classic concert band pieces and guest artist contributions. From June to August, we provide family-friendly fare in Boulder’s picturesque city parks, a patriotic concert in Louisville on the 4th of July, and a private concert at the Frasier Meadows Retirement Community. In the summer, we welcome talented high school students to join the band. Each summer concert also features children conducting a lively march, and every young conductor receives a commemorative “baton.”
The Boulder Concert Band offers outstanding performances of traditional and contemporary concert music, enriching the cultural experience for both the audience and musicians. Additionally, it serves as a community organization for adults seeking to continue playing their instruments after completing high school or college.
In 2018, Sandra McMillen Sartin, the proud daughter of the late Hugh McMillen, the founder of today’s Boulder Concert Band and former CU director of bands, received the Honorary Boulder Concert Band Board Member for Life award. This was the first of its kind in the band’s history. Sandy was deeply touched by the award and expressed her gratitude to everyone involved.
Sandy was a dedicated French Horn member of the Boulder Concert Band for various periods until her father stepped down from his directorship in 1986. After living in Oklahoma for 23 years and occasionally playing with the band during the summers, she returned to Boulder and rejoined the Boulder Concert Band in 2015. Sandy remained an active member of our Board of Directors until her passing on January 24, 2025.
Sandy’s passion for the Boulder Concert Band and the French Horn endured until her passing. We are deeply grateful for her contributions and legacy.
In September, 2020, the Boulder Concert Band was awarded The American Prize in Band Performance Community Division for its exceptional performance of John Williams’ Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Concert Band during the 2019-2020 season. This prestigious honor was bestowed upon us in recognition of the high caliber of our recorded performance, conducted by Maestro Silas Nathaniel Huff. The ensemble featured Tim Hughes on alto saxophone and Jordan Taylor on vibraphone, with Jordan Walters on string bass and Katie Hughes on piano.
In June 2021, the Boulder Concert Band was honored to be selected as a finalist for The American Prize. To showcase our musical prowess, we curated four exceptional pieces from our concerts between 2016 and 2019 and submitted them for the judging process. Although we didn’t secure the top spot, we were thrilled to receive third place in the Band Performance Community Division. The Acadian Wind Symphony from Acadia, LA, emerged as the first-place winner, while The Allentown Band from Allentown, PA, secured the second-place position.
The Boulder Concert Band was again recognized as a 2022-2023 Finalist in the American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts. Our submission, “Black Dog,”, featuring guest clarinet soloist Kwami Barnett, was performed at our May 2022 concert, conducted by Dr. Kenneth Singleton. We extend our congratulations to the Boulder Concert Band on this remarkable achievement! While we did not advance to the top tier of contestants, we acknowledge the exceptional talent and dedication of the organizations selected as national winners in The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance—Community Division, 2023.
In 2024, for the fifth consecutive year, the Boulder Concert Band has been recognized as a finalist in the American Prize competition in the Band & Wind Ensemble Performanc—Community Division, 2024. This year, we submitted “Homage: Three Tapestries” by David R. Holsinger, including “Tapestry One: Allegro,” “Tapestry Two: Adagio Moderato,” and “Tapestry Three: Allegro Vivo,” performed at our April 15, 2023 concert, conducted by Dr. Kenneth Singleton.
