Music for the Greater Communal Purpose

Conductor Devin Patrick Hughes’ impact from the podium

By Wendy Swat Snyder

Watching a flower bloom on Sesame Street to the strains of Vivaldi is how Devin Patrick Hughes recalls his first musical epiphany, at age three. His affinity for the symphonic model blossomed in college where he organized his first orchestra while studying music and pre-med. He would go on to co-found the Boulder Symphony—one among a cadre of young conductors carrying their craft forward in new, innovative ways. He spoke with us about the resonance of music, and its power to uplift a community and transform lives.

How was the role of conductor born?

It started with Beethoven, who was writing for orchestra in the early 1800s. So, we’re really only looking at a little over 200 years. His music was overly complicated, more complex than any music that had come before it, creating the profession of conducting, with him at the helm. It gradually evolved away from being the composer to an artistic enterprise—so you don’t have to compose, you can be an interpreter in your own right.

You are Boulder Symphony’s conductor and music director as well. How do you define your role?

It’s really awesome to take a step back and envision that role and all the talent that brings the symphony’s vision to life: we have an executive director, artistic directors, a board of directors composed of volunteer community members who are inspired by the mission of the orchestra and the performers and musicians who serve that mission. So, it’s not just like you’re there on Friday night, waving your arms around and that’s the end of the show. It’s really a full-time way of life.

The symphony’s mission is to bring world class performances to Boulder and, notably, to bring people together, foster creativity and enhance personal growth—how so?

Boulder Symphony attracts people who want to serve at a higher level. We’re community builders, servants of the musicians, the composers, the music and of the people who come to our concerts. I think the orchestra of the future is one of younger conductors: Bernstein was a catalyst for this with his young people’s concerts. Boulder Symphony has a music academy—it’s a very uncommon thing for orchestras—so we’re actively ushering in the next generation of not only musicians but music lovers.

Why create a music academy and how has it impacted the community?

We started it during the pandemic. We had to cancel a couple of concerts, but we quickly realized that people were going to need that connection, so we pivoted to virtual and outdoor concerts. Out of that came the music academy when kids weren’t allowed to go to school. We thought, we can do this in a way that’s safe and that gives these kids the experience of mastery, of leadership that comes with working with other musicians, with patience and perseverance, all these things music teaches you.

  The great thing about a symphony having a music academy is that we get to engage with the kids directly. They’re coming to rehearsals, putting on their own performances at the end of the season, they’re tied to an organization that is not just putting on concerts but really serving the community in terms of outreach—for example, sensory friendly concerts for those who have dementia, Alzheimer’s, people who have autism who don’t normally go to events like symphonic concerts. We’re creating concerts specifically for their needs. 

Pandemic restrictions pushed classical music into the podcast arena. Share with us the genesis of your podcast, “One Symphony.”

I’ve always loved going behind the scenes, learning about the person behind the art. I enjoy featuring anecdotes for our live audiences at concerts, so I suppose it was natural for me to want to explore this more in depth on a larger scale. “One Symphony” provides a platform for classical music entrepreneurs who are creating relevance and engaging new audiences all around the world. I believe the artists and composers featured on my show are excited to engage in the conversation and explore the processes that brought to life their body of work or activism in their community.

Share with us Boulder Symphony’s vision for the future.

Our goal is to make music accessible for everybody—for families, kids. We think that the lack of financial resources shouldn’t determine your ability to be involved. We have a scholarship program, the Jared Foundation, with 20 students on the waiting list. So that is our goal, to increase our reach as an organization so we can fulfill that mission. Over time, Boulder has really increased its arts funding—it’s a really supportive place for the arts, especially startups, like the Symphony. 

Betwixt Halloween and Thanksgiving, the Symphony will perform compositions from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s repertoire showcasing the dark theme of Dies Irae—the judgment of the living and the dead.