Stepping in as principal French Horn, Michael Yopp has lived in Colorado Springs since 1997. He has played third horn with stints acting as principal, since he moved here right before the legendary October blizzard of that year. While in high school in Crystal Lake, Illinois, he played with Christopher Keyes and in college at Northwestern University with Gail Williams, Barry Benjamin, and Norman Schweikert. He says his most rewarding performances with the Philharmonic are the ones where the audience is so involved in the joint experience of musical art, which will never be exactly repeated, that one can feel the energy throughout the hall. That shared experience of live performance and the, “partnership with the audience of the night” is something he deeply appreciates. About the Schumann Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra, he says that although it is seldom performed because of the incredible difficulty of the parts, it is a joyous and exciting piece, with elements of danger and haunting beauty. And it has a sense of visual intrigue created by four horns (valved horns being a rather newly invented instrument at the time of Schumann’s composition) arrayed in front of the orchestra. He adds that he’s heard that Schumann himself considered it one of his best compositions, and he hopes the audience agrees!

Yopp currently balances three professional playing positions – acting principal with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, principal horn in the Boulder Philharmonic, and principal horn in Opera Colorado. He has also performed with many orchestras and festivals over the course of his career. 

In his “spare time,” he runs Comprehensive Computer Consulting (a local IT service provider for small to medium-sized businesses) and enjoys getting out to hike, bike, run, and generally enjoy our beautiful state and country with his wife Jennifer and two kids who are not so little anymore!