Get to Know the Greeley Chamber Orchestra (GCO)
What happens when you gather musicians from Cheyenne to Fort Morgan, Estes Park to Fort Collins, and everywhere in between? You get the Greeley Chamber Orchestra—a wildly talented, delightfully diverse bunch who share one goal: making beautiful music with great company.
Let’s meet a few string players who bring life to the group:
- Debbie Nunley (violin) – Denver-raised, Cheyenne-based, and musically inseparable from her long-time friend Diane Penny. They started playing together as kids and haven’t stopped since!
- Stephanie Pickering (violin) – CPA by day, concert violinist by night. She got hooked on the violin at age 4 and now plays beside her mom, Debbie, carrying their family duo into its second generation.
- Jeanene Gage (violin/harp) – Jeanene anchors the second violins and doubles as the orchestra’s harpist. She’s also a retired music teacher, mentor, and the kind of musician who has played with every symphony from Casper to Golden. She now administers all things camping for a children’s leadership organization.
- Lenore Olson (violin) – Violinist, percussionist, singer, RN, massage therapist… Lenore’s résumé is longer than a Beethoven symphony, and just as impressive.
- Alyssa Price (violin) – Joined the GCO as a Northridge High senior and never looked back. She now teaches elementary school in Fort Collins and still finds time for the violin.
- Diana Delgado (viola) – From Greeley West to principal violist, Diana now leads a section and a retirement community (as COO!). That’s what we call multitasking.
- Jeremy Woods (bass) – Jeremy’s played bass since forever, in everything from pit orchestras to jazz combos. Offstage, he’s a systems engineer who still finds time to groove.
But don’t let the string section have all the fun—the winds are just as lively:
- Kathy Azari (oboe) – Co-principal oboist, co-president of the GCO board, former Teacher of the Year, current trophy guru. If there’s a plaque or a ribbon in town, Kathy probably made it.
- Marcia Bohnenblust (flute/piccolo/percussion) – She’s played just about everything, taught music, narrated “Peter and the Wolf,” and still finds time to conquer pickleball courts and bridge tables.
- Deanna Butherus (flute) – Ohio-born, Colorado-adopted. Deanna taught music and gifted ed for 40 years, raised three kids, and now rides horses in the Livermore foothills. Yes, she still plays flute too.
- Richard Fletcher (clarinet) – Retired professor, Iowa-trained, Wisconsin-seasoned. Richard may not be as famous as the Sundance Kid (another Colorado clarinetist), but he’s our local legend.
- Rob Butcher (bassoon) – Fort Collins naturalist by day, principal bassoonist by concert night. Rob’s been serenading the GCO since 2013.
- Kristine K Fletcher (bassoon) – From piano to flute to bassoon—and back to books! Kristine earned both a doctorate in bassoon and a master’s in library science. She’s now retired and back to the music she loves.
- Bill Pfund (trumpet) – A UNC legend whose trumpet has echoed from Youngstown to D.C. His most famous local feat? Teaching Dan Frantz (who’s really good).
- Kevin Youmans (trumpet) – Kevin coordinated GCO rehearsals around his international airline schedule. Now retired, he plays cello and brass and rocks everything from church gigs to madrigal dinners.
- Cheryl Primmer (French horn) – Cheryl’s career spanned Iowa, New York, the Virgin Islands, and Colorado. She now travels in retirement and cheers on her daughter, a teacher in New Mexico.
- Megan Nugent (French horn) – STEM music teacher by weekday, Rocky Mountain explorer by weekend. Megan once worked as a park ranger and still sneaks in family adventures with Tom, David, and Adalynn.
Let’s not forget our Greeley Chamber Choir—a joyful chorus of doctors, professors, lawyers, librarians, students, and retired divas (yes, really!). Whether they’re helping deliver babies or closing real estate deals, they always clear their calendars for concert night.