The Fort Collins Symphony is the oldest arts organization and the only professional symphonic orchestra in Larimer County. For more than 60 years, the Symphony has enriched lives and shaped the musical landscape of northern Colorado, serving as an enduring cornerstone of our community’s cultural foundation.
It began in 1948, when a young violinist named Will Schwartz came to Fort Collins from New York City to become a professor of music at Colorado A&M College, now Colorado State University (CSU). Fresh out of Julliard, Schwartz eagerly took the helm of the small Fort Collins Concert Orchestra, formerly led by Mrs. Warren Leonard from 1923 until the late 1930s. Maestro Schwartz held his first rehearsal of the Fort Collins Symphony on October 5, 1949.
Schwartz's talent and reputation quickly grew the volunteer ensemble, which at the time consisted of college students, teachers and other community members. In the decades that followed, Maestro Schwartz earned the Symphony respect, recruited extraordinary talent, and inspired a loyal following – a legacy that remains in place today.
As the Symphony matured, additional support was needed to manage its professional growth. The Symphony Society Board of Directors, now the Fort Collins Symphony Association, was formed in 1952 to provide programming guidance, personnel management and fiscal oversight for the organization. The Women’s Guild, now the Fort Collins Symphony Guild, was established in 1963 to coordinate fundraising activities and special events for the Symphony.
Clare Wilbur was the Symphony’s first office manager in 1969. Since her retirement in 1984, a steady line of dedicated executive directors have worked to increase the Symphony’s accessibility and to strengthen its reputation through exceptional programming, nationally recognized competitions and meaningful educational opportunities.
