Welcome to the Niwot High School
Orchestra & Mariachi Program
At Niwot High School, our orchestra and mariachi program is about achieving the highest level of ensemble music making based on each individual musician’s ability. Through the process of learning our music repertoire, the beautiful wonders that these master music compositions will help transcend our understanding of humanity, and also help to fulfill our passion and pride. We strive to build an exemplar music community through passionate and hard teamwork.
Upcoming Concerts
SVVSD Parade (Mariachi Ensembles) – Saturday September 7th, 8:30 – 11:00am (8:30-9 report time, 10-11 Parade)
Art Walk (Mariachi Ensembles) – Saturday, September 14th, 5pm, Main Street and 6th Avenue, Longmont
NHS Fall Extravaganza Concert (all ensembles) – Wednesday, October 16th, 6pm, NHS Auditorium
NHS Fall Fest Performance (Mariachi Esmeralda) - Friday, October 25th, 4-5pm, NHS front entrance way.
NHS Halloween Performance (all ensembles) – Thursday, October 31st, A and B lunches at NHS commons or the front entrance way.
Boulder Symphony’s Fall Curiosity Concert: “The Creative Spirit” (NHS Mariachi performs with the Boulder Symphony, and the Longmont Youth Symphony) - Saturday, November 2nd, 3pm, Grace Commons Church in downtown Boulder. Details and Tickets, Map
NHS Open House Performance (Required – all ensembles) – Tuesday, November 19th, passing periods at NHS commons and front entrance way.
NHS Orchestra “Symphony of the Solstice” Concert (all ensembles) – Wednesday, December 11th, 6pm, NHS Auditorium
Boulder Symphony’s Brahms Concert (NHS Orchestras perform side-by-side with the Boulder Symphony) - Saturday, February 15th, 7:30pm & Sunday, February 16th, 2pm at the Dairy Performance Center in Boulder. Details and Tickets - TBA, Map
NHS Mariachi Concert (Mariachi Ensembles) – Tuesday, March 4th, 6pm, NHS Auditorium
NHS Orchestra “Senses Awaken” Concert (Orchestra Ensembles) – Wednesday, March 12th, 6pm, NHS Auditorium
NHS Music Award Night – Wednesday, April 30th, 6pm, NHS Auditorium
NHS Mariachi Concert (Mariachi Ensembles) – Tuesday, May 6th, 6pm NHS Auditorium
NHS Orchestra “Night of Nostalgia” Concert (All Ensembles) – Wednesday, May 7th, 6pm NHS Auditorium
Meet the Director
Keynes Chen
Mr. Yinfeng Keynes Chen, received his Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder (specialized in chamber music study under the guidances of the renowned Tackács String Quartet, and members of the Hungarian String Quartet, Manhanttan String Quartet, and the Cavani String Quartet) He’s an award-winning musician, an active concert violinist, conductor, and music educator. Currently, Mr. Chen holds positions as NHS’ Orchestra Director since January 2019 and NHS’ Mariachi Director since the fall of 2020; Music Director of the Longmont Youth Symphony in Colorado since 2007. and he is also a violin faculty, and a Chamber Ensemble Coach at the Flatirons Strings Academy in Boulder, Colorado since 2005.
Throughout Mr. Chen’s musical career thus far, he has held many impressive positions such as the Concertmaster of the Boulder Symphony from 2012-2024; Co-Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director at the, “A Mid-Summer Day’s Dream” summer music camp from 2004-2015; Artistic Director and Chamber Music Director of the Boulder Youth Symphony for five years; Conductor of the Colorado Youth Symphony’s Philharmonia Orchestra for five years; Conductor of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra for one year; principal violin instructor at the Englewood Arts for Three years.
In addition, Mr. Chen was invited during the summer of 2010 to conduct chamber music master classes at the prestigious China Central Music Conservator, China Music Conservatory in Beijing, China, as well as the South-China Normal University in. Guangzhou, China. Since then, Mr. Chen has been frequently invited to conduct lectures and master-classes in various music institutions and schools mostly in Guangzhou and Sichuan provinces in China. Since 2017, Singapore has been added to this list as well after Mr. Chen had the chance to work and coach the violin prodigy and rising violin super-star, Chloe Chua, right before she won 1st place in the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in 2018.
Mr. Chen has received many prestigious titles and awards through out his musical and educational career. He was awarded as the Artist of the Year of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Multicultural Awards in the Front Range area in 2016; First Prize winner in the 2002 Bruce Ekstrand Music Competition and its Audience’s Award with his former quartet-Nacht Quartet; Performance Teaching Assistant at CU Boulder; winner of both the State and Regional division of the Music Teachers' National Association Music Competition in 2001; First Prize winner of University of Colorado’s Concerto Competition in 2000; and the recipient of the Denés Korómzay Chamber Music Award in 1999.
Beside his passion in music and education, Mr. Chen loves culinary art, movie, martial arts, spending time with family, and the great outdoors especially when it is fly-fishing, snowboarding, and mushroom foraging.