Some leaders arrive not just to guide, but to shape, inspire, and build. Frederick Boothroyd, who served as music director from 1928 to 1954, was exactly that kind of leader. Following Edwin Dietrich’s brief but foundational start, Boothroyd picked up the baton with energy, vision, and a deep love of music—and never looked back.
An organist by training and a community leader by instinct, Boothroyd didn’t simply conduct the orchestra—he created it. Under his direction, the Colorado Springs Symphony Ensemble was officially founded, giving structure and permanence to what had been a fledgling dream. For more than 25 years, he poured his charisma and passion into every measure, every program, every performance.
Boothroyd believed—relentlessly—that great music had the power to uplift an entire city. He lived that belief not just on the podium, but in the community. He was a builder of both institutions and relationships, nurturing the symphony through decades of growth and change. Whether performing a masterwork or gathering friends around a piano, Boothroyd approached life with a joyful seriousness that made people want to be part of what he was creating.
He was animated by possibility. To him, a concert wasn’t just a performance—it was an invitation. An invitation to dream bigger, to listen more closely, and to imagine Colorado Springs as a place where culture could thrive in its highest forms.
And so, for more than two decades, Boothroyd led not only with a conductor’s gesture, but with a community’s heartbeat. His legacy is not just in the music that was played, but in the momentum he set in motion. We are still carried by it.
