Colorado Music Festival Unveils 2024 Summer Concert Season in July & August

Colorado Music Festival will present its 2024 summer concert season from July 5 through August 4 at Chautauqua Auditorium (900 Baseline Rd., Boulder, Colo.), offering 19 diverse performances of orchestral and chamber music by the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and guest artists, alongside educational programming.

The Festival features world-class musicians from around the country who arrive in Boulder to perform as the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of Peter Oundjian. Additionally, 11 guest artists, two internationally acclaimed string quartets, and three guest conductors will perform throughout the season.

"You're unlikely to hear these programs elsewhere," said Peter Oundjian, music director. "Each week has a unique focus, and no evening is like any other. My intent is that the contrast between the musical choices will be stimulating."

Oundjian points to the July 14 concert, "Bruckner Bicentennial: Symphony No. 4," as a prime example, calling it a "sublime experience" for audience members. "If you want to hear what an orchestra is capable of, don't miss our 2024 season."

Tickets and subscriptions for the 2024 Festival will be available for purchase on the CMF website beginning March 5.

Festival highlights include the following.

• Augustin Hadelich, considered to be one of the greatest violinists of all time, returns by popular demand to perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto on Aug. 1 and 2.
• On July 21 the CMF presents the world premiere of a concerto by Gabriela Lena Frank, whom the "Washington Post" has named one of the most significant women composers in history. This new music was commissioned by CMF and will be performed by Boulder's Grammy-winning Takács Quartet alongside the CMF Orchestra. This program honors three generations of women composers, beginning with Florence Price's "Adoration" and concluding with Joan Tower's Concerto for Orchestra.
• 2024 marks the 200th birthday of composer Anton Bruckner; CMF celebrates this bicentennial by performing Bruckner's Fourth Symphony on July 14. The same program observes the 150th birthday of composer Arnold Schoenberg with a performance of his "Verklärte Nacht" (Transfigured Night).
• The famous story of Scheherazade and her 1,001 tales has been set to music multiple times, most famously by Maurice Ravel and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The Festival performs both of these fantastical interpretations; first with Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" on July 25 and 26, and later Ravel's colorful "Shéhérazade" on Aug. 4.
• The Robert Mann Chamber Music Series welcomes the acclaimed Danish String Quartet on July 30, and also includes three chamber music performances by ensembles comprising the CMF's own musicians on July 9, 16 and 23.
• The 2023 season includes a diverse group of musicians and composers, including Vadim Gluzman, Olga Kern, Christina and Michelle Naughton, Awadagin Pratt and Alisa Weilerstein.

On Sunday, July 7 at 10:30 a.m., CMF will feature its Family Concert "Green Eggs & Ham," conducted by Jacob Joyce. Vaudeville-inspired storytellers Really Inventive Stuff bring their fully-staged adaptation of Dr. Seuss' beloved "Green Eggs and Ham" to the stage, as well as a musical twist on three of Aesop's most familiar fables, including "The Tortoise and the Hare." The tickets, on sale March 5, are $10.

"We are continuing to focus on how our Festival stands apart," said executive director Elizabeth McGuire. "There is a brilliance throughout this season as a result of thoughtful, innovative programming. We delight in introducing our audience to diverse and contemporary voices right alongside - and in conversation with! - the great masterworks."

CMF offers $10 tickets for youth (ages 18 and under) and students (with current school identification). For more information, visit coloradomusicfestival.org/ticket-info.

For more information about CMF, or to purchase tickets beginning March 5, visit ColoradoMusicFestival.org or call the Chautauqua box office at 303-440-7666.

For a full media kit, including details about performances and events and images, visit coloradomusicfestival.org/2024mediakit.

Colorado Music Festival concerts take place at Chautauqua Auditorium, which was built in 1898. Located at the base of Boulder's Flatirons and one of only 25 National Historic Landmarks in the state of Colorado, the Colorado Chautauqua remains committed to its historic purpose.

About Colorado Music Festival

Founded in 1976, the Colorado Music Festival (CMF) presents a summer season of classical music concerts performed by professional musicians from around the world at the historic Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder. Guest artists from Europe, Asia, South America and the U.S. join more than 100 all-star musicians, who comprise the CMF Orchestra, in performances that inspire and engage concertgoers of all ages. Under the music direction of Peter Oundjian, the CMF thrills audiences of more than 20,000 each season with programming that embraces the most beloved classical music repertoire, while integrating world music and the works of exciting modern composers. For more information about CMF, or to purchase tickets, visit ColoradoMusicFestival.org or call the Chautauqua box office at 303-440-7666.

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