CSU - Department of Music - Faculty & Staff - Alphabetical Listing

Wes Kenney

Full Professor of Music, Director of Orchestras

(970) 491-6912 | Wes.Kenney@colostate.edu

Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras Wes Kenney wins First Annual Varna International Conductors Competition. Click here for more information

Wes Kenney, was awarded the Grand Prize in the Summer 2007 Varna (Bulgaria) International Conducting Competition. He travelled back to Bulgaria this past March for concerts in Vidin and to conduct La Traviata in Stara Zagora. Mr. Kenney recently was promoted to Full Professor and Director of Orchestras at Colorado State University where he conducts the CSU Symphony and Chamber Orchestra as well as CSU Opera productions. He is also currently in his fifth season as Music Director of the Fort Collins Symphony. In the summer of 2004 he was named to an additional post of Music Director of Opera Fort Collins helping that organization establish a full season of three productions a season.

Mr. Kenney is a frequent guest conductor of professional and educational ensembles. He will appear this season with the Virginia Symphony and Canyon Concert Ballet. Last season he was in concert with the Symphony of Southeast Texas, the Vallejo (CA) Symphony and the New Mexico All-State Orchestra. Over the past four seasons Maestro Kenney has guest conducted at the Edinburgh Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Buffalo Philharmonic, returned to the New Mexico Symphony for tours and performances of The Nutcracker and had debuts with the Williamsburg Symphonia (VA), and the Acadiana Symphony (LA). Other recent appearances include the Richmond Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, the San Juan Symphony, and the Virginia All-State Honor Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Dubuque Symphony, Savannah Symphony, Sewanee Music Festival, Spokane Symphony, Virginia Ballet Theater, Norfolk Chamber Consort, Coastal Valleys Symphony, Universal Ballet Korea, Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, and the Virginia Chorale.

In six seasons as the Virginia Symphony's Associate Conductor, Mr. Kenney appeared more than 350 times with that orchestra. He was responsible for the programming and conducting of Subscription, Pops, Family and Young People's Concerts.

Mr. Kenney was Co-principal Conductor of the Oakland Lyric Opera for four seasons and Music Director of the Virginia Ballet Theater. Awarded the prestigious Carmen Dragon Conducting Prize in 1992, Wes Kenney served as Music Director of the Oakland Youth Orchestra for five seasons.

Mr. Kenney has also enjoyed success directing from the orchestra pit for opera, ballet, and musical theater. During the 2007-2008 season he will conduct productions of I Pagliacci, Cavelleria Rusticana, Falstaff, La Traviata, and Turandot. 2006-2007 he conducted CSU Opera’s production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and Lehar’s The Merry Widow while in the same season conducting Opera Fort Collins productions of Verdi’s Aida, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Rossini’s Barber of Seville. In 2004-2005 he conducted Bizet’s Carmen and Copland’s Tenderland. In 2002 he headed to New York to conduct Taconic Opera’s production of Carmen. He has appeared as conductor for Gianni Schicchi and Die Kluge for Oakland Lyric Opera. In addition he has conducted numerous performances of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Firebird, and many other dance works.

Mr. Kenney is a past president of the Conductors Guild, a 2000 member service organization to the conducting profession. He currently is on the Guild’s advisory board. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and San Francisco State University. Additional studies include three years as a fellow at the Conductors Institute, several American Symphony Orchestra League and Conductors Guild Workshops, and the Sandpoint Festival. His teachers include Harold Farberman, Hans Beer, Gunther Schuller, Hans Swarovsky and Miltiardes Carides.