Conductor
Richard Niezen, Music Director of the Aurora Symphony Orchestra, began his musical studies on the double bass at age seventeen. While studying with Stuart Knussen in Victoria, British Columbia, his musical aptitude was quickly discovered and soon Niezen was recognized as one of Canada’s finest young musicians. Within a few years, he was performing under renowned conductors and playing in orchestras in Montreal, Cleveland, and Buenos Aires.
In 1995, Niezen studied conducting in Prague with Frantisek Vajnar, Head of Conducting at the Prague Academy of Musical Arts.
Upon returning to the U.S., he was accepted at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music to study with Carl Topilow and Louis Lane. In 1998, earning his Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting, Niezen served as a faculty member at the Institute’s preparatory department, guest-conducting various Cleveland-area orchestras, and he served on the faculty at Lakeland College.
Niezen moved to Colorado in 2000. Since then, he has earned a reputation as a dynamic conductor, educator and orchestra builder throughout the state. He has overseen the establishment of youth orchestra programs in Lafayette and Douglas County and also serves as music director for the Rocky Mountain Brassworks and the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras. Niezen, who studied musicology at the University of Minnesota, shares his love and comprehensive knowledge of classical music with the public during Aurora Symphony Orchestra Season concerts.
“The role of an orchestra within any community involves much more than providing entertainment. It preserves culture, teaches, inspires, makes concert-goers aware of their heritage, challenges listeners to hear new things and become more aesthetically aware of their surroundings, collaborate with other local artists and groups — and the list could go on much longer. The Aurora Symphony Orchestra is working hard to be a crucial part of Aurora’s cultural community, and a flagship for the tremendous transformation that has been going on in the Metro area over the last several years. We hope that you will join us and be a part of this exciting season!”
– Richard Niezen