Colorado Music Festival Orchestra is a close knit community

The Colorado Music Festival Orchestra is made up of 100 musicians that come from all over the country. They spend about 6-weeks in Boulder making some of the most amazing classical music; and some life-long connections are made in the process.

"It's the privilege of playing with musicians of this caliber," said Peter Wilson, Principal Timpanist with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra.

Forty-two principal players from orchestras in 23 states, 4 provinces, and 3 countries come to Colorado. It's a gathering of extraordinary talent under one roof – the Chautauqua Auditorium. Many of the musicians come back year-after-year, including Wilson.

"It was one of the luckiest things that happened in my career; and it's where I met my wife, and luckier still," Wilson told CBS News Colorado.

Peter met Viviana in 2009 when she was asked to fill in on the flute. The next year she was asked to be a permanent part of the orchestra, and the rest is history.

"We bonded pretty quickly," said Viviana Cumplido Wilson, Principal Flute with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra.

They says that they bonded over the music, over cycling, and over a love of the orchestra.

"We've made some of our closest friends, I mean, they will be life-long friends in this orchestra," said Cumplido Wilson.

After spending 9-months playing with their home orchestras, the couple chooses to come back to Colorado and play some more.

"It feels like a relief coming to play here; and it just sort of feels easy and wonderful," Cumplido Wilson explained.

What may feel easy, isn't always easy. Music Director Pete Oundijian isn't afraid of a challenge and brings in some world class guest artists.

"You can build some extra artistic muscle here," said Wilson.

"It's remarkable because you have all these people who don't play together all the time; and here we are fast tracking some of the most difficult repertoire we have…and playing it really well," said Cumplido Wilson.

The camaraderie, the connection, the commitment combine to make magic at the Colorado Music Festival.

LINK: For Tickets & Information about The Colorado Music Festival

The Colorado Music Festival runs through August 4, 2024 at the Chautauqua Auditorium.