Daniel Leavitt, music director
Daniel Leavitt teaches music at Colorado Christian University and is the conductor of the Mercury Ensemble. He has also conducted the Colorado Ballet's Nutcracker. Dan has performed with numerous recording artists including, Andrea Bocelli, Diane Reeves, Mel Torme, Mellisa Manchester, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Leslie Uggams, Amy Grant, John Denver, Bob Hope, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, The Canadian Brass, The Moody Blues, Mannheim Steam Roller, Dave Brubeck, Phil Woods, Aaron Copland, Richard Stolzman, Andre Watts and many more. He can be seen in the recently released PBS special 3 Mo' Divas. He has recorded with the Colorado Symphony, The Boulder Brass, and Rare Silk. He has performed with the Denver Chamber Orchestra, The Central City Opera, The Colorado Symphony, the Mercury Ensemble and touring Broadway shows: Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Big, Peter Pan and others. Dan has published hundreds of arrangements for strings, brass and other ensembles which are available at www.peakviewmusic.com His arrangements and transcriptions have been performed and recorded throughout the world. Dan has been married to Anna for 25 years. They have three awesome children.
Wayne Templeman, cellist and executive director
Wayne Templeman is a well known recitalist in all of Colorado and especially in the Denver area. He is the artistic administrator and principal cellist of the Mercury Ensemble, a fifteen piece, professional chamber orchestra. He was the principal cellist of the former Denver Chamber Orchestra from 1984 to 1994 and principal cellist of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra for twelve seasons. He was a member of the Central City Opera Company from 1985-2002. Coming from Chicago in 1980 to take a position as principal cellist of the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra, his short stay turned into a permanent one with significant involvement in the Colorado musical community. In addition to his work with the Mercury Ensemble, he directed the Arvada Center’s chamber music series “Music with a View” from 1994 to 2006.
In addition to many solo performances with the Mercury Ensemble, he has performed as soloist with the Denver Chamber Orchestra, the Darmstadt Akademie Orchestra, the Fort Collins Symphony, the Casper Symphony, the Loveland Chamber Orchestra, the Aurora Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of the West, the Mostly Strauss Orchestra as well as the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra. Best known in more informal circles for his arrangements and renditions with the Denver Cello Quartet of country and western and rock and roll, Wayne has performed chamber music concerts in Germany and in more than twenty states throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
In October of 1991 Wayne Templeman and Lech Lesniak produced a compact disc recording of Music for 5 String Cello and Piano featuring works by J.S. Bach and Franz Schubert. In 1997 he released a second compact disc recording "Three works for solo cello" featuring the music of Bach, Muczynski, and Kodaly.
Wayne Templeman is a well known recitalist in all of Colorado and especially in the Denver area. He is the artistic administrator and principal cellist of the Mercury Ensemble, a fifteen piece, professional chamber orchestra. He was the principal cellist of the former Denver Chamber Orchestra from 1984 to 1994 and principal cellist of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra for twelve seasons. He was a member of the Central City Opera Company from 1985-2002. Coming from Chicago in 1980 to take a position as principal cellist of the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra, his short stay turned into a permanent one with significant involvement in the Colorado musical community. In addition to his work with the Mercury Ensemble, he directed the Arvada Center’s chamber music series “Music with a View” from 1994 to 2006.
In addition to many solo performances with the Mercury Ensemble, he has performed as soloist with the Denver Chamber Orchestra, the Darmstadt Akademie Orchestra, the Fort Collins Symphony, the Casper Symphony, the Loveland Chamber Orchestra, the Aurora Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of the West, the Mostly Strauss Orchestra as well as the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra. Best known in more informal circles for his arrangements and renditions with the Denver Cello Quartet of country and western and rock and roll, Wayne has performed chamber music concerts in Germany and in more than twenty states throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
In October of 1991 Wayne Templeman and Lech Lesniak produced a compact disc recording of Music for 5 String Cello and Piano featuring works by J.S. Bach and Franz Schubert. In 1997 he released a second compact disc recording "Three works for solo cello" featuring the music of Bach, Muczynski, and Kodaly.