Conductor And Artistic Director
Francisco Borja
Francisco Borja is a conductor, clarinetist, and music educator. He is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder where he studied Wind Conducting with Donald McKinney.
Francisco has performed and conducted internationally with the Honor Band of America, the WASBE World Youth Wind Symphony, and most recently as principal clarinetist of the MidEurope Festival’s World Youth Wind Orchestra Project. He also has participated in several conducting workshops with esteemed clinicians such as Jamie L. Nix, Craig Kirchhoff, Mallory Thompson, H. Robert Reynolds, and Jerry F. Junkin.
Prior to studying at the University of Colorado, Francisco taught orchestra at Murphy Middle School in Plano ISD in Plano, Texas. Francisco’s teaching philosophy is driven by a commitment to student knowledge and musical quality.
Francisco currently teaches band at Timberline PK-8 in Longmont, Colorado.
Past Directors
Gary Lloyd holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tulsa and a master’s degree from Wichita State University in music education with emphasis in band pedagogy. He is recently retired from 32 years of teaching public school music in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, including 24 years in Longmont. He has worked with beginning, intermediate and advanced high school band students during his tenure. Many of his students auditioned and were accepted into honor and All-State bands, at both middle and high school level. A brass instrument specialist, he has played trumpet with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and Boulder Concert Band. As Praise Team Band leader at Longs Peak United Methodist church, Gary leads worship as a guitarist and vocalist. Music education is still a high priority as he continues to teach private students and work with band programs. He aims to make use of his extensive experience in teaching and playing all levels, genres, and styles of instrumental music performance as the conductor of the Longmont Concert Band.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to conduct the LCB, and it will be a joy to share my skills, experience and my passion for concert band music with the dedicated LCB members,” Lloyd said.
Director Emeritus Richard Kohl
13 OCTOBER, 1940 – 16 OCTOBER, 2017
Colorado native Richard M. Kohl is a retired K-12 musical educator. His formal musical training began in elementary school, continued throughout college where he devoted time to both instrumental and vocal training. One of the many opportunities he has had was studying trumpet with Mabel Lieck while in Junior and Senior High School. Mrs. Lieck performed as a soloist with John Philip Sousa’s band, was named the Sousa Girl, and was a personal friend of the cornetist Herbert Clark. Kohl recalls Mrs. Lieck’s strict orders not to look at a new solo until the lesson. She would then go through the solo adding little bits and marking out others saying, “This is the way Herbert wanted it played.”
Kohl received his degree in music from the University of Northern Colorado, and did graduate studies at the University of Denver, Oberlin Conservatory, and the University of Colorado, Boulder. He taught vocal and instrumental music for thirty years. He performed on many concert stages with soloists and on the operatic stage with several companies, including Oberlin and the Central City Opera Company. He has also directed many musical performances, conducted the Oratorio Society of Estes Park, and was the co-conductor of the Estes Village Band.
His love for music and passion for sharing that with others was an important part of his life. “The Longmont Concert Band is important to me as well as the community,” Kohl says. “We are fortunate to have so many members who are fine musicians and who have remained loyal to sharing their talents with others. No matter the age, the excitement is there. It is a pleasure to direct people who absolutely ‘glow’ when they play!”
2014 Interim Director Peter Alexander
Peter Alexander, interim conductor of the band in the spring of 2014, has returned to he band's clarinet section, where he has been a member since 2011. He has also served as president of the band’s Board of Directors. Peter is a retired staff member and adjunct assistant professor of music at the University of Iowa, where he was director of media relations for all the arts organizations on campus for 23 years. He completed a Ph.D. in musicology at Indiana University and has also worked as a music critic and church choir director. He plays clarinet in other community groups, writes classical music stories for Boulder Weekly, and maintains his own blog on classical music in the Boulder area sharpsandflatrions.com.