Colorado Music Festival brings world class musicians to Boulder for summer of making extraordinary music
The Colorado Music Festival brings together world-class musicians from around the world to Boulder every summer. The Festival Orchestra is made up of musicians from across the country who are playing at the top of their careers. Mix in the artistic direction of Peter Oundjian, the talents of 12 guest artists, two string quartets, and four guest conductors, set it at the Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder and you have a truly unique orchestral and chamber music experience.
The season opens with Hélène Grimaud performing Brahm's "Piano Concerto #1."
"She's really a top notch pianist. She's a real musicians' musician," said Elizabeth McGuire, Executive Director of the Colorado Music Festival.
On July 6th, the orchestra will be performing the Festival's annual family concert. It's called "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Maestro." It's an interactive piece with the audience. Sherlock Holmes goes through each section of the orchestra looking for the missing Maestro. There will also be a scavenger hunt for the kids and several activities on the lawn associated with the concert.
"One thing that I'm particularly excited about, it's something I've been wanting to pull off for years now, is our family concert will be free. We've decided to just completely open that concert up to the public. It will be ticketed still through the Chautauqua box office, but it'll be free," McGuire said.
Colorado Music Festival Orchestra rehearsal during the 2022 festival.
CBS
The Colorado Music Festival has become known as a place to premiere new music, and this year is no exception. Composer Joan Tower has a new piece called "Love Returns," which will be performed by saxophonist, Steven Banks.
"She actually performed some excerpts of this work that she was working on for us on the piano, and it was like just some of the most poignant, beautiful music I've ever heard," McGuire recalled. "Steven Banks is truly a virtuoso saxophonist. He's clearly one of the best in the world, so it's a beautiful combination."
Under the direction of Oundjian, the Colorado Music Festival has earned a reputation as a place where musicians, composers and talented people can just hang out together and draw inspiration from each other. Surrounded by the beautiful Flatirons, the musicians often stay either at Chautauqua Park or in the homes of Festival patrons in Boulder.
"We've attracted people that are coming through Colorado just to stay with us, or some of the guest artists have extended their stays, and it's been so much fun," McGuire acknowledged.
Colorado Music Festival Music Director Peter Oundjian
Geremy Kornreich, Shiny Machines
On July 17 & 18, Latin Grammy-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers will perform a new piece by composer Eric Whitacre called "The Pacific Has No Memory." Whitacre lives in Belgium now, but for years lived in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Akiko Meyers is based in Los Angeles and experienced the evacuations during the recent devastating wildfires.
"So these two artists were deeply, personally impacted by the fires. He asked if it would be okay of he shifted the commission towards that, and of course, we agreed to it because it's stunning," McGuire explained.
The Colorado Music Festival wraps up with a couple of classics. Oundjian will conduct Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" which is a musical masterpiece and includes the iconic "Ode to Joy." He'll also be conducting Mahler's "Ninth" for the last performance, which has become a bit of a tradition at the festival.
"It's kind of a way to, in his mind, really feature the orchestra at the closing. It's just the Mahler symphony alone. There's no guest artist. It just really features the orchestral musicians, which is something we're most proud of. It's a fabulous group of dedicated people," McGuire said.
LINK: For Tickets & Information for the Colorado Music Festival
Colorado Music Festival runs from July 3 through August 3 at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Android Authority
38 minutes ago
- Android Authority
Deal: Yaber L2S projector drops to record low price, only $134.99!
Projectors don't have to be huge and expensive anymore. Yaber proves to us that projectors can be small, cheap, and still offer a pretty pleasant viewing experience for those magical movie nights! The Yaber L2S usually costs only $199.99, but right now you can get it significantly cheaper, as it's on sale for just $134.99. Buy the Yaber L2S projector for just $134.99 ($65 off) This offer is available from Amazon. It's labeled as a 'limited time deal,' and the discount applies to both color versions available: Misty White and Charcoal White. Yaber Projector L2s Home Cinema Yaber Projector L2s Home Cinema See price at Amazon Save $65.00 Limited Time Deal! Our sister site, has already tested and reviewed the Yaber L2S projector, and our co-workers were very happy with its simple, clean, and compact design. The fan is also very quiet, which is always a concern with projectors. More importantly, it is a very simple and user-friendly projector to use, making it a great consumer product for anyone. Both maintenance and operation are very simple. As a projector, it works decently. Of course, there are many better projectors out there, but this one is way too good considering its low price. It has a Full HD 1,080p resolution and a 700-lumen brightness. The image can also be expanded up to 150 inches, so it can turn your living room into a small movie theater. Not only that, but the Yaber L2S comes with a couple of 8W JBL-powered speakers. We found them to be pretty good compared to most other projector speakers, but don't expect them to blow you away either. My only real complaint is that it has no smart TV operating system. Again, though, this thing is just $134.99 right now. You can't really get too picky, and you can easily hook a smart TV box to it, such as a Google TV Streamer, a Fire TV device, or a Roku streamer. Of course, it has an HDMI port, so you can also use any console, computer, or any other device with it. Also, the Yaber L2S has no integrated battery, so you'll have to plug it in for it to work. Again, we can't get too picky, considering the price! This is one heck of a deal if you're looking to upgrade your movie nights but would rather not spend an arm and a leg on it. At just $134.99, it is way too simple to justify this purchase! Again, this is a record-low price, and such deals don't usually last very long. Grab yours while you can.
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Keanu Reeves Reportedly Has One Big Condition to Return For JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 5 — GeekTyrant
Keanu Reeves may be ready to suit up as John Wick one more time, but only on one condition, the action has to match what his 60-year-old body can actually handle. According to In Touch, Reeves is being 'perfectly honest' with the creative team behind John Wick: Chapter 5 as development slowly moves forward. A source told the outlet, 'The script is being written and Keanu is being perfectly honest about what he's willing and not willing to do stunt-wise. There's no faking this. He's being totally honest about what he can and can't do, and he had put his body through hell for these movies.' Reeves has never been one to shy away from the punishing stunts and physically demanding sequences that define the franchise, but after four films and years of wear and tear, he's drawing some boundaries. It's not about stepping back from action entirely, but about being smart about what's possible now. If John Wick: Chapter 5 is going to happen, the wild set pieces that fans love need to be tailored to fit what Reeves is actually capable of at this point in his career. Lionsgate officially announced the film back in April at CinemaCon, with franchise director Chad Stahelski once again at the helm. But even with that announcement, the movie isn't a sure thing just yet. Stahelski has admitted that developing the next chapter is tricky, saying, 'cracking the story is a bit of a conundrum.' After all, John Wick did seemingly die at the end of Chapter 4. Still, Lionsgate is eager to make it happen. Stahelski even joked that the studio 'would very much will [John Wick 5] into existence' if they could. But for Reeves to come back, the team has to find a version of the movie that both works narratively and respects the limits Reeves is setting. The franchise has always centered on Reeves doing the real stunts, which added a level of authenticity that helped elevate John Wick above the usual action fare. But, maybe it's time to evolve the formula. He's already mentioned his knees may not survive another gauntlet of stair falls. That doesn't mean the next John Wick film has to go soft. If anything, reimagining the action to suit an older, wearier Wick could give the movie something fresh and interesting. What does an aging assassin's last stand look like when it's not just bullets and broken bones, but strategy, restraint, and experience? If the team can crack a story that respects what the franchise has built and what Reeves is ready to give, it could be something special. But if they can't? Maybe it's okay to let the Baba Yaga finally rest.
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Keanu Reeves Reportedly Has One Big Condition to Return For JOHN WICK
Keanu Reeves may be ready to suit up as John Wick one more time, but only on one condition, the action has to match what his 60-year-old body can actually handle. According to In Touch, Reeves is being 'perfectly honest' with the creative team behind John Wick: Chapter 5 as development slowly moves forward. A source told the outlet, 'The script is being written and Keanu is being perfectly honest about what he's willing and not willing to do stunt-wise. There's no faking this. He's being totally honest about what he can and can't do, and he had put his body through hell for these movies.' Reeves has never been one to shy away from the punishing stunts and physically demanding sequences that define the franchise, but after four films and years of wear and tear, he's drawing some boundaries. It's not about stepping back from action entirely, but about being smart about what's possible now. If John Wick: Chapter 5 is going to happen, the wild set pieces that fans love need to be tailored to fit what Reeves is actually capable of at this point in his career. Lionsgate officially announced the film back in April at CinemaCon, with franchise director Chad Stahelski once again at the helm. But even with that announcement, the movie isn't a sure thing just yet. Stahelski has admitted that developing the next chapter is tricky, saying, 'cracking the story is a bit of a conundrum.' After all, John Wick did seemingly die at the end of Chapter 4 . Still, Lionsgate is eager to make it happen. Stahelski even joked that the studio 'would very much will [John Wick 5] into existence' if they could. But for Reeves to come back, the team has to find a version of the movie that both works narratively and respects the limits Reeves is setting. The franchise has always centered on Reeves doing the real stunts, which added a level of authenticity that helped elevate John Wick above the usual action fare. But, maybe it's time to evolve the formula. He's already mentioned his knees may not survive another gauntlet of stair falls. That doesn't mean the next John Wick film has to go soft. If anything, reimagining the action to suit an older, wearier Wick could give the movie something fresh and interesting. What does an aging assassin's last stand look like when it's not just bullets and broken bones, but strategy, restraint, and experience? If the team can crack a story that respects what the franchise has built and what Reeves is ready to give, it could be something special. But if they can't? Maybe it's okay to let the Baba Yaga finally rest.
