Marcia Schirmer

Marcia A. Schirmer died Monday, October 3, 2016, at her residence in Boulder, CO. She was 71. Marcia Ann Schirmer was born on May 30, 1945, in Freeport, Illinois and attended St Thomas Aquinas Grade School and Freeport High School. Throughout her life, she was passionately devoted to music. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Northern Illinois University. Marcia held piano faculty positions at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, and at the University of Colorado in Boulder. A consummate performer with a particular interest in contemporary music, Marcia performed with the Schirmer-Mann Piano Duo in Kansas in the early ‘70’s. She was a founding member of the COLUMBINE Chamber Players, touring and recording throughout the Front Range area of Colorado from 1977-1997. Her final public appearance occurred in the spring of 2015 with her performance of John Cage’s work for prepared piano, “Uncaged,” with the Boulder Bach Festival. Marcia had extensive experience in nonprofit executive management, strategic planning, and sustainability. She served as Executive Director of the Colorado Music Festival in the 1980s. In 1989, she formed The Schirmer Office, a consulting practice specializing in nonprofit management and development. Her clients have included the Angel Capital Education Foundation (Kansas City), Association of Brewers – Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, Boulder Technology Incubator, Colorado Capital Alliance, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Kansas City), Foundation for the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Historic Denver, and the Rocky Mountain School for the Gifted and Creative. She served as Executive Director of the Boulder Bach Festival from September 2010 to June 2015. Marcia also served on multiple boards of directors, including the Boulder County Arts Alliance (formerly Arts and Humanities Assembly of Boulder), the Boulder Bureau of Conference Services and Cultural Affairs (currently Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau), the Boulder Technology Incubator, Colorado Music Festival Endowment, Colorado Technology Education Foundation, the Denver Chamber Orchestra, and the YWCA of Boulder County. She was a past president of TRU Community Care, and a steering committee member of Boulder Arts Week. Marcia has left a huge legacy of support for the arts and nonprofit sectors of our world. In addition to her professional life, Marcia loved outdoor activities, particularly boating, water-skiing and fishing. She also loved hiking in the hills of Boulder, the Chicago Cubs, movies and reading. She was devoted to family and endeared herself to countless friends and associates who will never forget her ever-present sense of humor, her infectious laughter and her deep devotion to living a full life. We mourn her loss and she will be greatly missed. Survivors include two brothers; Greg (Jane) Schirmer of Oxford, MS, Mark (Kim) Schirmer, of Boise, ID. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Martin De Porres Catholic Church, 3300 Table Mesa Dr, Boulder, CO, 80305 on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 11:00A.M. A reception will follow at the church. Contributions: Tru Community Care, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, CO 80026 or St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.