Dr. Kyle Fleming, Choral Clinician

Kyle has served throughout the Denver-Boulder area for 25 years as a conductor, music educator, and singer. He has led choral ensembles in a wide variety of settings including college, high school, middle school, church, and community. He currently serves as the Managing Artistic Director for the Colorado Repertory Singers, a non-profit choral organization based in the northwest suburbs of Denver. Kyle is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of choral music and lifelong singing, and is frequently working behind the scenes to build bridges between musical leaders, ensembles, and organizations that work to advance the choral arts and music education within our local communities. 

Kyle holds degrees in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder (MM and DMA) as well as vocal performance from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN (BA). 

Kyle is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor having made festival, honor choir, and workshop appearances in several states including California, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wyoming, Texas, and Colorado. He is a Past-President for the Colorado chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association (CoACDA) and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Kappa Lambda national honor societies. Kyle and his wife, Amy, live in Golden (CO) with their two kids Caleb and Addie. 

Mr. Gary Nicholson, Orchestra Clinician

Gary Nicholson, music director of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association and conductor of its top orchestra, co-founded the organization in 1980. Mr. Nicholson came to Colorado Springs in 1976 after graduating from Wichita State University, Magna cum Laude, with degrees in Music Education and Music Performance with honors. Upon arrival in Colorado Springs, Mr. Nicholson began teaching in School District 11 and playing trumpet with the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra. 

As a trumpeter, Mr. Nicholson has performed with the Aspen Music Festival, the Wichita Symphony, the Colorado Opera Festival, the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, the Colorado Springs Chorale, Music Theater of the Rockies, the Fine Arts Center Repertory Theater, the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Mr. Nicholson has also performed with Abendmusik, a professional level vocal ensemble. Mr. Nicholson has served as a guest conductor/clinician in Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Japan, and Australia. From 1995 to 1998, he was the Music Director and Conductor of the Colorado College Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Nicholson has led the Youth Symphony on tours to New York City, Washington D.C., Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and China. The Youth Symphony has performed in such prestigious venues as the Mozarteum in Salzburg (2000), the Kennedy Center (2001), Carnegie Hall (2005, 2016), Sydney Opera House (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018, 2024), Shanghai Oriental Art Center (2008), Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama, Japan (2026), and the National Concert Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria (2012). In 2000, the Youth Symphony received First Place in the Full Orchestra category at the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. 

In addition to his work with the Youth Symphony, Mr. Nicholson is a strong proponent of music education, retiring in 2014 after 26 years of teaching band and orchestra in Colorado Springs School District #11 and Cheyenne Mountain School District #12. In 2009, Mr. Nicholson was selected by the Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance as one of the top 100 “residents whose vision and actions have made a difference in the development of this great city from 1871 to 2009”. In 2010 and 2015, Mr. Nicholson was the Keynote Speaker for Tri-M members (high school musicians/leaders) at the annual Colorado Music Educators Association conference.  In 2016, Mr. Nicholson was awarded the ‘Bee an Arts Champion’ award presented by the Bee Vradenburg Foundation.  In 2020, he was honored for his 40 years of artistic leadership in the community, and received a Global Impact Award in 2024 for his work promoting better international relations with his “Through Music We Are One” initiative.  In 2023, after 47 years of performing, Mr. Nicholson retired from the Colorado Springs Philharmonic trumpet section.   

Mr. Nicholson and his wife, Donna Sheldon, enjoy living in Colorado Springs, have a son and daughter-in-law, Aaron and Kaori, a grandson Atlas, and a miniature dachshund, Gracie. Outside of the world of music, he enjoys time with family, traveling, skiing, reading, landscaping/gardening, hiking, camping, and great food.