Brian Priestman, former Denver Symphony conductor, dies at 87

By Ray Mark Rinaldi

Brian Priestman conducted what was then called the Denver Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 1979. He died April 18 at his home in France. (Denver Post file)

Brian Priestman, the maestro who led Denver's premier symphony orchestra for nine years, died April 18 at his home in Broze, France. He was 87.

Priestman stood on the podium from 1970 to 1979, a golden decade for the ensemble, then called the Denver Symphony Orchestra, when it drew sold-out crowds and toured across the country.

He was the orchestra's public face as it opened its new, and current, home, Boettcher Concert Hall, located in the Denver Performing Arts Center downtown in 1978. The organization eventually changed its name to the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

During Priestman's tenure, the orchestra played concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He conducted performances with some of classical music's biggest names, including Isaac Stern, Beverly Sills, Van Cliburn and Itzhak Perlman. He led the musicians through the Denver stop of Luciano Pavarotti's first national tour of the U.S.

The conductor was known for his musicianship as well as his outgoing personality and natural charm. His international reputation and his foreign accent made him a unique character in Colorado.

"He came here, he was this 43-year-old, redheaded symphony conductor from Britain. Everyone swooned," said Ford McClave, who was married to Priestman from 1972 to 1980. The two remained lifelong friends.

Priestman, who was born in Birmingham, England, worked in the classical music business the world over. His résumé is long and includes conducting positions with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the BBC Orchestra in London, the Handel Society of New York, the New Zealand National Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada and the Cape Town Symphony in South Africa. He guest-conducted extensively, including many concerts at the Aspen Music Festival.

He was also an educator, with occasional gigs at colleges, including the University of Kansas. He received honorary doctorates from Regis University and the University of Colorado.

No matter where he conducted, Priestman brought along his larger-than-life aura and a sense that classical music could be a casual affair. He started a series of "Blue Jeans" concerts to attract larger crowds to classical music.

"He would bounce up and down on the balls of his feet. He was definitely a presence," said Denver County Court Judge Ray Satter, a longtime orchestra patron. "He brought the symphony to a new level."

Priestman is survived by McClave; their daughter, Cate Priestman; son-in-law, Alex John; and two grandchildren, Louis and Eleanor. Services are yet to be arranged.

Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or twitter.com/rayrinaldi

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