Staff
Ernest Richardson
Music Director and Conductor
Ernest Richardson is in high demand as conductor, composer, arranger, organizational leader and inspirational speaker. His versatility finds him within one season conducting Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite or Broadway artists in the works of Leonard Bernstein, a live-to-movie production of Harry Potter, facilitating strategic decision-making for leading arts organizations, or training young musicians.
He has been at the forefront of symphonic video/live music productions, conducting live-to-movie scores of Harry Potter with Cine Concerts, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Singing in the Rain, the Charlie Chaplin silent film The Gold Rush, to name a few, and most recently Star Wars: A New Hope.
Richardson is presently the principal pops conductor and resident conductor of the Omaha Symphony. Since 1992, he has laid the groundwork for and led in the development of the Omaha Symphony’s successful Symphony Pops and the vaunted education and community engagement programs. He also holds the position of music director and principal conductor of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership the organization has grown from a community orchestra to a resident professional orchestra, attracting the area’s finest musicians. A recipient of the 2016 Nebraska Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Education, Richardson has encouraged and supported countless young musicians. As the founding artistic director and CEO of the innovative Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory.
In addition to conducting, Richardson is an accomplished composer and arranger, strategic planning facilitator and occasional violist. He enjoys working with singers and choral ensembles. He has been known to help his sons build award-winning pinewood derby cars and craft his own batons. An avid fly fisherman, he has also earned a black belt in tae kwon do. He lives in Omaha with his wife and children. For more information, visit troutmaestro.com.
Jennifer Grathwohl
Executive Director
Jennifer Grathwohl is thrilled to be the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra’s Executive Director. With over 15 years of experience working side by side with non-profits throughout the country, she takes pride in her ability to build strong partnerships, execute successful events and programs, and help non-profits fulfill their mission and vision through strategic planning. To date, Jennifer has helped raise nearly $1.5 million dollars for non-profits.
Jennifer is also a visual artist in various mediums including acrylic and digital art – often paying homage to endangered and threatened animal species. In her spare time, she loves traveling with her husband and daughter, spoiling her rescue dogs, and volunteering in the community. Jennifer currently serves as the Routt County Humane Society Board of Directors Vice-Chair, Steamboat Skating Club Board of Directors Vice-Chair, Undiscovered Earth Board of Directors Chair, and as a Steamboat Springs Chamber Board of Directors Member.
Teresa Steffen Greenlee
Concertmaster and Education Director
Teresa Steffen Greenlee is the concertmaster of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly as first violinist of the Steamboat String Quartet. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin School of Music and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. While living in Madison, Wisconsin, she played in both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Residing in Steamboat Springs for the past 20 years, Teresa has been on the front lines in the growth and development of the Steamboat Symphony and its education programs as the director of the Youth Immersion Program and the Steamboat Springs High School Orchestra. She maintains a private music studio of over 35 violin and viola students and is committed to helping to create an exceptional learning environment for local classical musicians.