Officials with the National Repertory Orchestra (NRO) announced David DePeters as its new CEO. DePeters brings a wealth of experience and proven track record of delivering the high-quality innovative classical music experiences. He has spent more than 30 years at the highest level of arts in the U.S. Starting April 1, 2017, DePeters will replace outgoing CEO Doug Adams, who has been an exceptional and dynamic leader for the NRO since 2011, according to a statement released by the NRO.

“We are so pleased to be able to select David to lead the NRO to new levels of prominence in the national music education community,” said NRO selection committee chair John Hayes, in a statement. “His breadth of experience and contacts in the classical music world offer us unlimited potential. David is fortunate to be able to build upon the outstanding achievements of Doug Adams, and we all look forward to helping him take our organization to amazing new levels of excellence.”

DePeters grew up near Buffalo, New York, and is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon graduating from Curtis he took the position of percussion/associate principal timpani with the Buffalo Philharmonic for two years. Returning to Philadelphia, he immediately won positions performing percussionist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony, eventually performing full time with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for two and a half years.

Concurrently for 10 years DePeters worked in the ski industry. His love of skiing brought him to the Whitetail Ski Resort in Pennsylvania in 1990, where he started as a full-time ski instructor. He went on to become the technical director and assistant director of the resort’s ski school and in 1996, he was named one of the country’s top ski instructors by Skiing Magazine. He still retains his PSIA Level III certification.

DePeters is currently the executive director of the IRIS Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee, a position he will retain while working at NRO. In recent years he has been performing with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, touring extensively with both ensembles throughout Europe and Asia.

“I am thrilled to join this illustrious team,” DePeters said. “The National Repertory Orchestra’s amazing fellowship program changes the lives of young musicians and enriches the lives of Colorado residents and visitors.”

DePeters and his wife, Elizabeth Hainen, chose to purchase their second home in Summit County in 2015 due to its thriving arts community and great friendships that had grown over many years of visiting Breckenridge, he said. Hainen, an NRO alum, has been the principal harpist with the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1994.