Our Leadership
Orchestra Artistic & Operational Personnel
Our Board
The Arapahoe Philharmonic Board of Directors is made up of both musicians and community members committed to artistic excellence and community outreach. We have a wonderful organization and its growth and success for over 65 years has been remarkable. The board serves the important purpose of ensuring that the orchestra is financially stable so that it can be free to do what it does best.
Maria’s vast experience includes consumer-packaged goods heavyweights Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark, Molson Coors, and Procter & Gamble, managing multimillion-dollar marketing categories to meet growth and profit targets. Maria expanded each house of brands with a pipeline of new products and repositioned iconic brands to stay fresh and relevant.
She earned her MBA from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, the Jesuit university in Caracas, Venezuela, after earning degrees in business administration and music from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Maria also mentors students in the Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars entrepreneur network and has a strong network of fellow marketers through the CMO Club.
Maria has served on the Arapahoe Philharmonic Board of Directors since May of 2019 and was elected Board Chair starting in September 2020.
By joining the Arapahoe Philharmonic Board, I can now combine my passion for music (I started playing the piano at age 5 and was classically trained) and my passion for marketing.
Following her Music Performance degree at UCLA, Evelyn married and soon returned to the Denver area. Shortly after returning, she became Principal Flute of the Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra in 1981 (then called the Community Arts Symphony under the direction of T. Gordon Parks) where she remains to this date. During the early years she studied towards her Master’s degree in Flute and Classical Accordion at DU with Robert Davine – internationally renowned accordionist – and Paul Hochstad of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Evelyn has performed several times as a soloist on flute with the orchestra, as well as performing a classical accordion concerto. She also played several seasons with the Colorado Wind Ensemble.
She has played with or accompanied many well-known musicians and groups – such as Leon Bates, Sidney Harth, Ray Charles, Dotsero, and Steve Barta to mention a few. Evelyn has been playing flute professionally in the Metro Denver area for over 45 years – performing in small to large ensembles at weddings and other events, as well as teaching flute privately in her home. Evelyn met New Age composer/performer Louis Colaiannia about 12 years ago and began playing with him on various jobs and helping him to form the core of his current band. She has arranged Louis’ songs for the other band members used in live settings and CD recordings. She also arranged all of the string parts that have been and will be used by high school and middle school students in Louis’ Global Youth Music Project – both live and webcast.
With electronic keyboardist husband Hal, she has been providing live duo entertainment in the Metro Denver area for over 15 years at Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Nursing Home facilities. In her spare time, Evelyn is an avid quilter. Evelyn and Hal, currently residing in Lone Tree, have been married for 49 years and have three grown children and four grandchildren.
The highlights of my professional background and experience include being the current Principal Violist with both Stratus Chamber Orchestra and the Arapahoe Philharmonic, and the violist for the New Dawn String Quartet. I perform in a variety of settings that also includes musical theater, church services and chamber recitals. I am the Middle School Strings Specialist for Littleton Public Schools. I also teach five orchestra classes at St, Mary’s Academy. Prior to COVID, I also enjoyed doing a great deal of coaching and judging for high school string programs and honors orchestra programs. As you can tell, I love to perform and also work with students in school settings. As you get to know me, you’ll come to know why I am so passionate about both sides of my musical life.