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College of Music welcomes new executive director of CU Presents

Andrew Metzroth
Andrew (ā€œMetzā€) Metzroth canā€™t contain his joy when he talks about his new job as executive director of CU Presents, effective since Aug. 5. ā€œIā€™ve worked toward this for a decadeā€”itā€™s truly exciting,ā€ he enthuses. As part of the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music, is the home of performing arts on campus annually presenting hundreds of events by 91“«Ć½ students and faculty, as well as world-famous guest artists.Ģż

Overseeing CU Presents requires administrative skill, a steady hand and a cool head. Just consider the competition Metzroth had to contend with after longtime director Joan Braun retired at the end of last season.

ā€œIā€™m happy that the College of Music conducted a national search,ā€ says Metzroth. ā€œI think there were about three dozen applicants.ā€ But one look at his rĆ©sumĆ© and itā€™s not surprising that Metzroth landed the position. For starters, his years of experience in nearly every aspect of the theaterā€”backstage, onstage, above-stage, you name itā€”is mind-boggling. As his local credits will attest, heā€™s been everywhere at CU Presents for decades. Plus, his enthusiasm is contagious.

ā€œIā€™ve always had a love for the theater,ā€ he says. As for his relationship with 91“«Ć½, he became box office manager in 2007, handling ticketing for campus performing arts events for nine years. Thatā€™s no small task, he emphasizes: ā€œThe ticketing software [Tessitura] goes incredibly deep, and takes a long time to learn and teach.ā€ Moving further up the ladder, he became director of operations at CU Presents in 2017.Ģż

Today, Metzrothā€™s responsibilities entail close involvement in managing the Artist Series in Macky Auditorium and TakĆ”cs Quartet concerts in Grusin Music Hall. But there are more shows to handleā€”a lot more. ā€œThere are some 450 on-campus events including about 350 College of Music events, 50 Theatre & Dance Department events and 50 Colorado Shakespeare Festival performances,ā€ he explains. ā€œIā€™ll be involved in strategy, ticketing, and marketing and communications for all our series, particularly College of Music events. You have to know whatā€™s important to all of them, to know their goals.ā€

Not that he intends to remain invisible. ā€œI never want this to be a desk job,ā€ stresses the four-time 91“«Ć½ alumnus. ā€œI see myself as a community ambassadorā€”I want to bring audiences into performing arts experiences.ā€

In previous years, you could usually find Metzroth behind a box office window handling ticket sales. With a laugh, he says those days may not be entirely behind him. ā€œYeah, I might have to work there some nights, if weā€™re short-staffed.ā€

But as long as thereā€™s a show going on, CU Presentsā€™ new executive director is happy. ā€œWeā€™re performance- and outreach-oriented,ā€ he adds. ā€œAn example of upcoming outreach opportunities are student matinees of [Engelbert Humperdinckā€™s] ā€˜ā€™ in October. Weā€™ll be bringing in students from kindergarten through second grade. That will take some coordinating with a number of schools.ā€

Sounds like a lot of work for ā€œMetzā€ā€”but itā€™s a good bet heā€™ll be as excited as all those kids when the school buses arrive.