Summary
Description
The Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts (“CMF&CMA) invites applications for the position of Executive Director.
About CMF&CMA
At the base of Boulder’s iconic Flatirons, music has long served as a powerful force for connection, creativity, and community. For nearly five decades, the Colorado Music Festival has brought world-class orchestral performance to the historic Chautauqua Auditorium each summer, while the Center for Musical Arts has nurtured generations of musicians through year-round music education and community engagement. Together, these programs form a distinctive musical ecosystem, one that bridges professional artistry and lifelong learning and plays a vital role in the cultural life of Boulder County and the broader Front Range.
Founded in 1976, the Colorado Music Festival (“Festival”) is a celebrated five-week summer festival that brings together principal players and leading musicians from major orchestras across North America. Under the artistic leadership of Music Director Peter Oundjian, the Festival presents a vibrant season of orchestral and chamber performances featuring internationally recognized guest artists, beloved repertoire, and contemporary works in one of the country’s most striking concert settings.
The Center for Musical Arts (“Center”) was founded in 1996 with a vision of equity, inclusivity, and “Music for All…for Life!” Today, the Center serves more than 600 students each week through private instruction, ensembles, classes, and community programs, supporting musicians of all ages and abilities while embracing a holistic view of music-making, from amateur participation to professional development.
Together, the Festival and the Center represent a unique organizational model in which professional performance and music education coexist within a single institution. The organization also benefits from strong regional cultural support through the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a seven-county public funding model that distributes more than $80 million annually to nearly 300 cultural organizations across the Denver metropolitan region.
CMF&CMA is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors and led by a staff of thirteen full- and part-time employees, over 30 faculty, a 78+ seasonal orchestra roster, and additional seasonal staff. The Executive Director and Music Director both report directly to the Board. The organization operates with an annual budget of approximately $4.2 million (FY26), with 60% of revenue derived from contributed sources.
The Opportunity
The transition in leadership at CMF&CMA comes at a defining moment in the organization’s evolution. With the transition of the Executive Director, the planned retirement of the founding Education Director, and on the occasion of the Festival’s 50th anniversary and the Center’s 30th, the organization is poised to build on its strong artistic and educational foundation while shaping a more unified, sustainable, and forward-looking future.
For the next Executive Director, (“ED”) this moment offers a rare opportunity to lead an organization with exceptional assets: a world-class summer festival, a respected and growing community music school, a committed and engaged board, and a region experiencing significant cultural momentum. With the anticipated arrival of the Sundance Film Festival to Boulder beginning in 2027, the region is entering a new phase of national visibility and cultural investment. The Executive Director will have the opportunity to position CMF&CMA as a central contributor to, and beneficiary of, this evolving arts and culture ecosystem.
For the right candidate, the role offers both meaningful challenge and significant possibility: the chance to shape an organization where education and performance are not only complementary, but mutually reinforcing, and where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
What We Are Looking For
CMF&CMA is seeking a unifying leader with 7-10 years of executive leadership in the arts and culture sector to bring the organization together around a shared vision and purpose. The next Executive Director will be both highly perceptive and decisive, able to listen deeply, assess organizational and community dynamics, and translate insight into aligned action. They will recognize and leverage the organization’s extraordinary assets, including a world-renowned Music Director and summer festival, a beloved community music center, and growing investment in arts and culture across the region, to guide the organization through its next phase of evolution.
Please click here to view the responsibilities in detail and to download the full position profile.
Position details
This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position based in Boulder County, Colorado, with a primary office at the Center for Musical Arts in Lafayette and a visible presence at the Colorado Music Festival and throughout the broader community. The Executive Director reports to the Board President and leads a senior team including the Education Director, Director of Philanthropy, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, and General Manager, while working in close partnership with the Music Director and Board of Directors. The starting salary is $175,000, with a comprehensive benefits package, and an anticipated start date of September 1, 2026.
To Apply
CMF&CMA has engaged LJN Advisory to partner with them in hiring for this important role. Please email a cover letter and resume by May 1 to LJN@lornajanenorris.com with “CMF&CMA – ED Application” in the subject line.
Please attach your cover letter and resume as separate PDF files, and start each file name with your last name. Cover letters should be responsive to CMF&CMA’s mission and to the Areas of Focus as laid out in the full position profile. We will begin interviewing candidates right away and therefore encourage early application. Each application will be acknowledged and given careful attention.
