Crested Butte Music Festival Celebrating 15 Years

Bluegrass in Paradise a highlight of this July 3 - Aug. 14 music extravaganza

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO (April 20, 2011) - The 2011 Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) will feature more than 100 performers in concert halls, barns, churches and stunning mountain homes and outdoor stages from July 3 - Aug. 14, making it one of the most exciting festivals of its kind.  Over six weeks, there is something for everyone, from opera and symphony to bluegrass and gypsy jazz. 

Festival Highlights

• Boston Brass will kick off the festival with concerts on July 3 and 4, including a free outdoor patriotic concert at the Town Park to celebrate Independence Day.
• Icons of the American folk music scene, The Kingston Trio, will headline the annual Celebration fund-raiser on July 16.
• The hilarious comedy-duo à la Victor Borge, Igudesman & Joo, will perform the U.S. premiere of A Big Nightmare Music on July 17, com¬bining com¬edy with clas¬si¬cal music and pop¬u¬lar cul¬ture.
• Jens Georg Bachmann, festival music director, conducting Beethoven's "Symphony No. 1" at the popular Have a Beer with Beethoven at the Lacy Barn on July 21.
• The world-famous opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet will be conducted by David Syrus, head of music for London's Royal Opera of Covent Garden, and directed by Sarah Meyers, guest stage director for The Metropolitan Opera. Outstanding talent from the Met and around the country will perform on July 28, July 29 and Aug. 9.
• The theremin is the unique instrument for 2011 and will be played by Rob Schwimmer, who also is a virtuoso jazz pianist. Schwimmer will be the featured artist at the July 31 Hitchcock In Paradise concert.
• Gypsy Jazz In Paradise presented by CBMF and DjangoFest^TM celebrates legendary French/Belgian gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt with the convergence of well-known performers from around the country in Mt. Crested Butte on Aug. 12 - 14.
• Five home soirées offering the ultimate in intimate performances in beautiful mountain homes are planned for Tuesday evenings from July 5 - Aug. 2.
• The free Divine Family Young People's Concerts bring families together for five performances from July 8 - Aug. 7 ranging from bluegrass to the children's opera "Cinderella."

Bluegrass In Paradise
CBMF will present the second annual Bluegrass In Paradise festival on July 5 - 10, with 12 bands performing on July 9 - 10 and an expanded Bluegrass Kids Camp for ages 7 to 17 on July 5 - 8. All activities will be held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Mt. Crested Butte.

Local newgrass great Drew Emmitt will serve as the festival's host, welcoming big names like Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, Keller & The Keels, Sierra Hull & Highway 111, and The Kruger Brothers. Emmitt will perform in The Paradise All-Star Band, a compilation of musicians he will bring together from the Drew Emmitt Band, The Kruger Brothers, Nashville Bluegrass Band and The Josh Williams Band.  The concerts start at noon each day and conclude at 9 p.m.  For detailed information and tickets, visit www.bluegrassinparadise.com. 

Festival Schedule, Tickets & Lodging
Visit www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com to review a full schedule, including prices and locations, and to purchase tickets online.  For more information, call (970) 349-0619. 

Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Crested Butte Lodging are the official lodging partners of the Crested Butte Music Festival.  Go to www.skicb.com and www.crestedbuttelodging.com.

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
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 www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com.  Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta. 

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. 

Marble is located in the Upper Crystal River Valley along the Elk Mountains and is the gateway to nearby Crystal, home to one of the most photographed mill sites in the country. Marble has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the Yule Marble Quarry.

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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Photo: Crested Butte Music Festival opera. Courtesy of Alex Fenlon. 

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