Kierra Aiello

Kierra Aiello serves as the Chair of the Development Committee, helping to lead the Playground Ensemble through several years of grant applications and successful Colorado Gives Day seasons. She is currently a cellist in the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and a frequent museum and gallery patron. Kierra holds undergraduate degrees in music and art history as well as a master’s degree in art history with a museum studies concentration. Before joining the board of the Playground Ensemble, she served on the University of Denver College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Alumni Council and was on the development team at the Denver Art Museum. She is currently a project manager for FirstBank, a company that prides itself on banking for good in the community.

Sean Friar

Sean Friar is a Rome Prize-winning composer-pianist whose music blends the energy of his early experiences in rock and jazz piano with an expansive classical sensibility that is “refreshingly new and solidly mature… [taking] joy in the process of discovery… suspense and surprise that good classical music has always championed.” (Slate Magazine). He has been commissioned by some of the world’s leading ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic Scharoun Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound. His album, Before and After, was recently released on New Amsterdam Records to international critical acclaim.

Friar is Chair of Composition at the University of Denver and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton. Of Playground, Friar says “I had known about them years before I moved to Denver and was excited to join a group that does so many of the things I value, especially their blending of adventurous multidisciplinary work with top-notch chamber musicianship and open-minded stylistic tastes.”

Nathan Hall

Nathan Hall is a composer and artist who explores sound, site, and sexuality. His music has been performed in 18 countries and 24 US States. He has been active on the Playground Board for over ten years and has particularly enjoyed Playground's collaborative programs with multidisciplinary artists as well as Pride concerts and the surround-sound experience of the Space Program!

Silen Wellington

Silen Wellington (they/he) is a sculptor of sound, artist of people, storyteller, and genderqueer shapeshifter, among other things. They make art as an act of service, healing, disruption and magic, weaving together disciplines of poetry, acoustic sound, electronics, ritual, and performance art. 

They joined Playground Ensemble’s board after several years of working with Playground musicians and admiring how the ensemble puts heart and collaboration into chamber music. Silen is passionate about pushing the bounds of contemporary chamber music and making art that alchemizes the times we live in to imagine new futures. He is honored to do so alongside such incredible the musicians and artists of the Playground family!

Outside of the arts world, Silen directs a nonprofit in Northern Colorado called the Yarrow Collective, offering mental health peer support run by people with lived experience. Besides composing and performing, Silen enjoys writing poetry, harvesting stories, unhinged-unfettered-unapologetic dance, and falling in love. You can listen to more of their work at SilenWellington.com and follow them on Instagram: @silen_creature.

Joe Buchheit

Composer, pianist, data analyst, archer, hiker, Count of Monte Cristo fan in Denver, CO and originally from Chicago. Joe joined Playground to be a part of a community that appreciates modern music and actively promotes performance, listening and creativity. He loves the work Playground does and believes the mission will keep new music relevant and interesting.

Shane Courville

Shane Courville was born in Lafayette, LA and started playing the trumpet in the 6th grade. After finishing his Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance at Loyola University New Orleans, he entered the Jesuits and taught high school band in Tampa, FL.  While composing and performing for different groups including Rome Festival Orchestra, Shane finished his Master of Arts in Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago focusing on social justice advocacy, gender and music. 

In 2009 he left the Jesuits and moved to New Orleans where he taught in public schools and collaborated with different groups including Chard Gonzalez Dance Theatre, Versipel New Music Collective and Artistcorps.  After finishing his Master of Music at University of Louisiana Lafayette in Trumpet Performance and founding their New Music Ensemble he began working on his Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance and composition at LSU in Baton Rouge.

He currently is a member of Chicago Composers Orchestra and has recently began performing with Playground Ensemble. His opera, The Return, was premiered during his residency with the Acadiana Center for the Arts in 2016, Transopera premiered in 2018 and has a student opera, The Butterfly’s Evil Spell currently in process. His passion for New Music fuels his own work in education in Denver and he is very excited to be working with Playground.

David Farrell

David Farrell serves as Associate Professor of Music at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His music has been performed across the United States and recorded by The Playground Ensemble (8-BIT_X-MAS) and others. You can learn more at www.davidefarrell.com.

When asked about the group, David says, “I’m a longtime member of the Playground Ensemble, where I’ve has composed music, performed on the computer, worked as a teaching artist, developed concert programs, led board retreats, written grants, created video, shared hot takes via livestream… and done almost any other necessary task you can think of at least once. The Playground combines a high level of musicianship and creative vision for performance like nobody else in the front range, and that’s why I’ve been working with group since 2012. I love that everyone in our organization cares deeply about both art and community, and those two things help inform programs that, even after many years, still excite and energize me.”

Luke Wachter

Luke Wachter is an educator and musician from Denver, Colorado. He serves as Associate Director for Educational Initiatives at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver. Previously, he taught music, arts integration, and Career Technical Education in Denver Public Schools. Luke served on the Colorado State Music Standards Review Committee and has performed extensively as a drummer and percussionist in Denver and Vancouver, BC.

Luke began performing with the Playground in 2010, joining the board in 2014. A passionate new music advocate, Luke is drawn to the Playground’s commitment to making music that is reflective of its time and community. He has chaired the education committee since 2020, helping to guide its innovative educational programming that is focused on student-centered creativity. Luke began his term as President of the Board of Directors in summer 2025.

Conrad Kehn, Executive Director

Conrad Kehn is a composer, performer, educator, and arts administrator. He is the founding Director of The Playground.

An award-winning composer, his output includes contemporary and traditional chamber music, multi-media works, and popular music. His work lives comfortably in the concert hall, gallery, club and underground DIY warehouse. As a vocalist, Conrad specializes in electronic music, improvisation, and contemporary chamber music. He is Assistant Professor of Music and Recording Arts at the Community College of Denver. More information, scores, videos and recordings can be found at www.conradkehn.com.

“As a composer I am dependent on skilled performers to realize my ideas. I started Playground with this in mind but am so proud of what it has grown into. Our concert season highlighting local creatives, and the number of works we have commissioned are beyond anything I could have imagined. I’m even more proud of our music creation programs for young people. Focusing on creativity to help young people find musical voice is continuously the most rewarding part of my day.”

Iden Sheng, Assistant to the Director

Iden Sheng (they/he) is a Chinese American musician and arts administrator currently serving as the Artistic Operations Manager at the Newman Center of the Performing Arts. They joined Playground in 2024, resonating with Playground’s mission to make music outside of the traditional classical canon and constraints of K-12 band/orchestra accessible to both students and the concert-attending public. As a semi-retired clarinetist, their past solo recitals have featured living Chinese and Taiwanese composers such as Chen Yi, Shih-Hui Chen, and Yu-Hui Chang.

Outside of the arts, Iden kicks butt at state and national taekwondo competitions and coaches the University of Denver Club Taekwondo team.