Ethan Hecht
Principal
Since completing his Master of Music at CU-Boulder in 2002, Ethan Hecht has cultivated careers as both a performing musician and arts administrator. As a performing musician, Mr. Hecht is in his 19th year as the principal violist of the Fort Collins Symphony with whom he appeared as a soloist in 2014. He has held positions with the Boulder and Greeley Philharmonic Orchestras, the Greater Lansing Symphony, and Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hecht was the principal violist of the Battle Creek Symphony (MI) for two seasons and the Colorado MahlerFest for four years. He has performed with the Honolulu Symphony and almost every professional orchestra along the Front Range.
Mr. Hecht has also held administrative positions with many nonprofit organizations. He is currently the Executive Director of the Colorado MahlerFest which produces an annual festival in Boulder, CO celebrating the life, legacy, and music of Gustav Mahler. Previously, Mr. Hecht was the orchestra librarian for the Fort Collins Symphony and the Executive Director of the Boulder Chorale. Mr. Hecht spent 14 years with the Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts where he began as Orchestra Personnel Manager and finished as the Director of the organization’s community music school in Lafayette. He has also served as the Orchestra Manager of the Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra. As a volunteer, Mr. Hecht was chair of the Lafayette Public Library Advisory Board for two years and served on the board a total of six years.
Mr. Hecht plays a viola built for him by Michael Darnton in Chicago. A photo essay of the construction of the viola is available at https://darntonviolins.com/making-a-viola/. Mr. Hecht lives in Lafayette with his wife, a social worker, and their daughter who is currently a student at the University of Alabama, a dog and a leopard gecko. He enjoys cooking, hiking, camping, paddle boarding, and live music. He is devoted fan of the band Phish, and during the winter, attempts to ski weekly.
Get to know Ethan
Where are you from?
I grew up in Oak Park, IL, outside of Chicago, where the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and a lot of Wright homes are.
How did you first get started playing?
My mom was very musical and asked if I wanted to play an instrument when I was three. A neighbor played violin so I said violin.
What’s your favorite thing about playing your instrument?
The sound. I love the sound of my viola. I love seeing other people enjoy the sound I make. And I love combining that sound with others to make something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. I also find it to be meditative. Particularly practicing, as opposed to playing, is a meditation exercise – trying to convince my brain to stay focused on one thing for an extended period of time. In addition to making me a better violist, that kind of focus helps make me a better human.
What do you like to do outside of music?
Outside of performing music, I like to go to a lot of performances but rarely classical music. I see a lot of bluegrass shows as well as jam bands. My wife and I are devoted fans of the band Phish. I also ski a lot. And I’m an untrained but skilled home cook.
Why is music important to you?
Music is life! I honestly don’t know how to put it into words beyond that. Nothing else can so immediately impact me. One chord from the opening of a song I learned as a child, a beat, the start of a melody – music can instantly transform me. It can hype me up or calm me down. It can take me back to a specific moment in time. It can encourage me to dream.