This festival is as unique and free-spirited as the place it calls home - July 3 to August 5
GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO (March 11, 2010) - The 2010 Crested Butte Music Festival will feature nearly 100 performers in concert halls, barns, gardens, churches and stunning mountain homes from July 3 - Aug. 5, making it one of the most exciting festivals of its kind. Over five weeks, there is something for everyone, from opera to symphony and bluegrass to jazz.
True to this year's theme, "Masters & Legends in Paradise," the festival will feature masters, both new and established, and legends whose innovations have changed music. Highlights include classic symphonies by Haydn and Mozart, and a new concerto by Daniel Schnyder, the ever-popular "Have a Beer with Beethoven," artist-in-residence Eddie Daniels, world-renowned alphorn player Arkady Shilkloper, The Eddie Daniels Quartet, and Giacomo Puccini's opera "La bohème."
Symphony & Chamber
Alpen Brass, a symphonic brass ensemble of 12 brass musicians and percussionists, will kick off the festival with three concerts: Brass for Kids, the first show in the Divine Family Concert Series (July 3); Symphony Pops with Alpen Brass (July 3); and Patriotic Brass, an outdoor performance of favorite marches and patriotic songs for Independence Day (July 4).
Jens Georg Bachmann, festival music director, will conduct Beethoven's "Symphony No. 2" at the fast-selling "Have a Beer with Beethoven" (July 15), in which down-home hospitality meets world-class music. Audiences, orchestras and critics alike have praised the artistry and musicianship of young German-born conductor, who will lead all symphony orchestra performances.
The orchestra's July 18 concert will be a treat for classical and jazz enthusiasts alike, playing symphonies by both Haydn and Mozart. The orchestra also will play the American premiere of Daniel Schnyder's "Concerto for Clarinet," featuring CBMF Artist-in-Residence Eddie Daniels playing the solo clarinet. Schnyder is a celebrated jazz saxophonist and composer from New York City, who like Daniels is a rare musician who excels at both classical and jazz. Daniels also will be featured at a CBMF chamber concert (July 22), playing in a Brahms quintet for clarinet and strings.
Also on the program for July 22 is the world premiere of a chamber music piece by American composer Patricia Leonard from New York. Often influenced by art and literature, Leonard is a founding member of New York Composers Circle.
The second festival symphony (Aug. 1) is entitled "Alpine Romance," and features works from Schubert and Schumann's "4th Symphony." Arkady Shilkloper, the world's best alphorn player is based in Moscow and is returning to Crested Butte after five years away, performing Daniel Schnyder's "Concerto for Alphorn and Orchestra."
Jazz & Home Soirées
Jazz will be infused throughout the festival as Schnyder and Daniels explore the boundaries of classical and jazz music. In addition to jazz-influenced symphony and chamber pieces described above, two home soirées will feature musicians from the jazz spectrum: The Two Man Gentlemen Band (July 5) and pianist Paul Bisaccia (July 12).
Home Soirées are elegant evenings of great music, wine and hors d'oeuvres in magnificent private mountain homes. The home soirées series also features young piano virtuoso Joyce Yang (July 19), lead singers of the festival's opera "La bohème" performing arias & duets (July 26), and cowboy poet Sid Hausman (Aug. 2).
Opera
One of the world's most beloved operas, "La bohème" by Giacomo Puccini (July 25, August 3 & 5), will be conducted by David Syrus, head of music for the Royal Opera of Covent Garden, London, and directed by New York Metropolitan Opera Director Sarah Meyers. With Met bass-baritone and Colorado native Keith Miller playing the role of Coline, and other stars from all over the country, the opera will be performed in Italian.
Celebrating its fifth year, the Opera Young Artist Program in Paradise is directed by Keith Miller and recognized as one of the best training programs for young singers in the United States. The Young Artists will perform in "La bohème" and present four other performances: Arias in Paradise (July 8), Scenes in Paradise (July 11 and 13) and their own performance of "La bohème" (July 28).
Bluegrass
After having sellout crowds for bluegrass concerts in past summers, CBMF will host the first-ever Bluegrass in Paradise festival from July 6-10, showcasing both traditional bluegrass and "newgrass" through a three-day camp for kids with the band Bearfoot, workshops for adults, and six top-level concerts.
The host of the festival is Drew Emmitt, internationally acclaimed newgrass star and Crested Butte resident. For this performance, he will team up with Billy Nershi, founding member of The String Cheese Incident, to form the Emmitt-Nershi Band. Other great performers include Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Bearfoot, Shannon Whitworth, Blue Highway and Spring Creek. Tickets are $50 for a single day and $90 for a weekend pass.
Divine Family Concert Series for Kids
The free Divine Family Concert Series returns on five of the six Saturday mornings during the festival. These concerts are for children and their families.
July 3 - Brass for Kids: Alpen Brass
July 10 - Bluegrass for Kids: Bearfoot
July 17 - Legends for Kids: Storyteller Mirabei Daniels
July 31 - Blow the Alphorn: Arkady Shilkloper
August 4 - A Children's Opera: Hansel & Gretel
Tickets & Full Schedule
A full schedule, including prices and locations is posted at http://www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com/, where tickets can be purchased online. For more information, call (970) 349-0619.
Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
Crested Butte Mountain Resort is the official lodging partner of the Crested Butte Music Festival. Go to http://www.skicb.com/ as summer nears and click on "View Specials."
To find out about other events and personalized vacation packages in Gunnison County, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, (800) 814-8893, or visit http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/. During summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.
About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado. Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities. In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding. Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels.
Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional fields. Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities.
Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails.
In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks. Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.
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For a Word version of this press release, click on the link below.
Contact: Beth Buehler
Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association
(970) 349-1168 or buehler@qwestoffice.net
Crested Butte Music Festival 2010.doc (869 KB)
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