Orchestra Leadership

Board of Directors

Ron Argotsinger, Music Director

Laura Wiarda, President

Grace Stean, Vice President

Paige Murphy-Floyd, Secretary

Jennifer Van De Kamp, Treasurer

Domingo Munoz-Esparza, At-Large Member

Justin Mathis, At-Large Member

Marci Cloke, At-Large Member

Kara Butterworth, At-Large Member

Alana Boyles, At-Large Member

Dennis DeBay, At-Large Member

Additional Staff

Carrie Beeder, Concertmaster

Traciann Heisler & Marci Cloke, Personnel Committee

Grace Stean, Marketing, Advertising, & Social Media

Charlotte Adams, Librarian

Jon-Paul Frappier, Recording Manager

Music Director

Ron Argotsinger conducts the Denver Pops Orchestra after more than 10 years as Principal Trombone and Assistant Conductor. He is the 8th music director and conductor of Denver Pops Orchestra since its arrival on the music scene in Denver in 1979. During Ron’s tenure in the orchestra, he has performed with Polka.com and DPO Swing Band as well as conducted DPO in their summer collaboration with the Adams County School District 14 summer music program in the 3 years of the partnership.

Mr. Argotsinger is a graduate of Arvada High School and the University of Northern Colorado, where he holds bachelors and masters degrees in music education. He studied trombone with Jack Robinson and Buddy Baker and conducting with Wayman Walker, Howard Skinner, Claude T. Smith, Carmen Dragon, Ken Singleton, Robert Reynolds, and Elza Daugherty.

Ron retired from teaching in 2010 after 32 years in schools from rural Nebraska to the Denver Metro area. During his teaching career, he conducted groups in a variety of settings including the beautiful amphitheater in Wray, Colorado where he served as music director for South Pacific, Anything Goes, and Paint Your Wagon. He also served as clinician and adjudicator in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nebraska.

Since returning to the Denver area in 1993, Ron has been a performing member of the Rocky Mountain Brassworks, Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, and Denver Pops Orchestra. Ron and his wife Monica, who teaches first grade in Cherry Creek School District, have 5 children. All 5 children played piano as well as trombone, percussion, clarinet, flute and trumpet. Both daughters were members of the Colorado Children’s Chorale and his oldest 3 children are now teaching music.

Concertmaster

Carrie Beeder joined the Denver Pops Orchestra as concertmaster in 2018. Carrie began studying violin at the age of 8 in her public-school strings program and took her first orchestral position at the age of 18. She continued her studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver and received a B.A. in Music Performance and Music Education 1994. Since then Carrie has performed regularly with various regional orchestras, as concertmaster for the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra and as guest concertmaster and soloist for Evergreen Chamber Orchestra. She currently performs with Stratus Chamber Orchestra which toured the Czech Republic in the summer of 2017 as part of the Prague Multicultural Music Project. Carrie also enjoys musical theater and performing with her string ensemble Voice of the Wood Chamber Players.

Outside of the Classical music realm, Carrie has performed, toured, and recorded with many local bands, won her own personal “Best of Westword” award, and has been acknowledged by the Denver Post and national pop culture publication SPIN magazine for her artistry in these genres.

Volunteering

Community members can support the Denver Pops by auditioning to become a musician as well as volunteering as concert day staff.

Concert day staff duties include set up, ticket sales/check in, ushers, partner support and clean up. Please fill out the below form to learn more about opportunities to volunteer as concert day staff.