Celebrate the return of our orchestra with rousing selections from Tchaikovsky and Schumann.

Tchaikovsky’s warm and ceremonious Serenade for Strings kicks off our summer of orchestra concerts with glamour, passion, and dazzling virtuosity. Then, for the first time since summer 2019, winds, brass, and percussion join the strings for Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony, an homage to glorious nature and the triumphs of the human spirit.

Michael Sachs, conductor

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48
Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (“Rhenish”)

Juniors (ages 6-18) discounted tickets for children 6 and up attending select evening concerts.

5-time Grammy winner (12-time nominee) defies genres with awards in roots, blues, Americana, and country.

With five Grammys, 14 Blues Foundation Awards, and a groundbreaking career spanning nearly 50 years under his belt, Keb’ Mo’ stands as one of the most accomplished and respected artists working in contemporary roots music today. His 1994 self-titled debut album earned widespread acclaim for its genre-bending take on old school sounds. In the decades that followed, Keb’ would go on to top the Billboard Blues Chart seven times; perform everywhere from Carnegie Hall to The White House; and collaborate with luminaries like Taj Mahal, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett. In 2021 he earned the Americana Music Association’s award for Lifetime Achievement in Performance.

Relish a broad mix of tone colors and textures in 18th and 19th century chamber music.

This evening concert features three works for an intriguing variety of instrumental combinations, starting with an inspired work by Mozart for oboe, violin, viola, and cello. The noble bassoon stars in a quartet from pre-Napoleonic Paris, and horn takes the stage in a quietly epic trio for violin, horn, and piano by Johannes Brahms.

Mozart Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370
Devienne Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 73
Brahms Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40

Michael Shapiro, Composer
Live orchestra accompanies the classic 1931 film, starring Boris Karloff.

Monsters. Boris Karloff. Gothic architecture. Who needs fireworks on Independence Day weekend when you could have such a classic horror film accompanied by our all-star orchestra?

Did you know that the original 1931 Frankenstein was produced without a score? Commissioned in the early 2000s to write music for the nearly century-old film, Michael Shapiro added emotional dimensions to the film— along with plenty of goosebumps!

Mark Gould, Conductor

Nominated nine times for Country Music Association awards, Brent performs with a Hall of Fame songwriter.

More than 20 of Steve Dorff’s songs have become Top 10 hits, sung by the likes of Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Garth Brooks, and Celine Dion. He has tallied over 40 BMI awards, three Grammy nominations, and six Emmy nominations.

Brent Rowan made his mark as a Nashville studio guitarist and record producer, nominated nine times for Country Music Association awards. In addition to over 15,000 recording sessions, he has played on dozens of film soundtracks and recorded with Chris LeDoux, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Olivia Newton-John, Sting, and Neil Diamond, along with many others.

Banff Competition winners perform chamber music at the highest level.

Praised for their “superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style, or technical demand” (The International Review of Music), the Tesla Quartet brings refinement and prowess to both new and established repertoire. Dubbed “technically superb” by The Strad, the Tesla Quartet has won top prizes in numerous international competitions, most recently taking Second Prize as well as the Haydn Prize and Canadian Commission Prize at the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition.

The smooth jazz king of soprano sax and top selling instrumentalist of the modern era

A phenomenally successful instrumentalist whose recordings routinely made the pop, R&B, and jazz charts during the 1980s and ’90s, Kenny G’s sound became a staple on adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations. Albums like Breathless and Miracles secured his place among top-selling musicians of all time. He won critical acclaim as well, earning a Grammy in 1994 for “Forever In Love.”

Tickets start at $120.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s principal flutist joins Boston-based string quartet, winner of four top prizes in the past two years.

Experience the power of live music as it takes us on an international journey from Italy to Vienna, Brazil, and back home to America. This eclectic program is not one to be missed – feel the energy of this group of dynamic chamber musicians with unique individual voices. Both Adam and the Balourdet Quartet were chosen as winners of the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and this performance marks the commencement of an ongoing collaboration between the artists. 

Wolf Italian Serenade
Haydn String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 5
Villa-Lobos Assobio a Jato (The Jet Whistle)
Beach Theme and Variations for String Quartet and Flute, Op. 80

One of just 15 women voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” Mary Chapin Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards (with 16 nominations), two CMA awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, among many other accolades. Over the course of her acclaimed career, Mary Chapin has sold over 16 million records. In 2020 she recorded two albums: The Dirt And The Stars, released in August 2020, and One Night Lonely, recorded live without an audience at the legendary Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Virginia during the COVID-19 shutdown. One Night Lonely was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022.

Folk, blues, and rock combine, balancing quiet beauty with an edge.

In 1988 Cowboy Junkies proved that there was an audience waiting for something quiet, beautiful, and reflective. Their combination of folk, blues, and rock stood out against the flash and bombast that came to define the late ’80s. Since then, the band has sparkled over the course of 26 albums. While their music is characteristically easy to listen to, the songs are visceral. Unlike most long-lasting groups, Cowboy Junkies have never had a break-up or taken a sanity-saving hiatus. There’s an appreciation of each other that keeps them constantly working.

Top-prize winner will perform at Strings just one month after the 2022 international piano competition.

Widely considered one of the preeminent international music contests, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition exists to share excellent classical music with the largest international audience possible. The world’s top 18- to 31-year-old pianists compete for gold in front of a live audience in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as a global online viewership of over 10 million. Follow the excitement of the competition, taking place June 2-18: tune in to the webcast at cliburn.org to see these young pianists compete for gold.

From her landmark 1967 album Wildflowers through 54 more releases (and counting), this singer-songwriter is a cultural treasure.

The story goes that in 1966 Leonard Cohen made a special trip to Judy’s apartment to play her his song, “Suzanne.” While there, he asked why she wasn’t writing her own songs. Her response was to sit down at her Steinway that very day and write “Since You’ve Asked.” Judy has been writing ever since. Now, in her sixth decade as a singer and songwriter, Judy is experiencing a profound level of growth and prolific creativity.

Cello and piano music that lifts the spirit can be intensely joyful, profoundly moving, and unforgettable.

Ekstasis: “The experience of standing outside of oneself.”

​Natasha and Eliran met as students at Juilliard. After exciting performances in New York City and upstate New York, the two decided to embark on a new mission: to create compelling programming celebrating masterpieces alongside the secret jewels of lesser-known works.

The duo is committed to creating juxtapositions and similarities through daring programming. They thrive on the contrast, intensity, and passion that they find in these compositions. Their concert programs tell a story, ruminate on the human condition, and set an atmosphere through sound.

Zemlinsky Drei Stücke für Violoncello und Klavier
Alma Mahler From Fünf Lieder
Walker Sonata for Cello and Piano
Boulanger Two Pieces for Violin and Piano
Bosmans Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor

Piano: Eliran Avni
Cello: Natasha Farny

“The past and promise of American music …” – Rolling Stone Magazine.

At a moment when musical streams are crossing with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge. Influences mingle and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years. Today the band carries this torch enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history.

So It Is, the septet’s second release featuring all-new original music, redefines what New Orleans music means today. The album taps into a sonic continuum that stretches back to the city’s Afro-Cuban roots, through its common ancestry with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Fire Music of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane, and forward to cutting-edge artists. PHJB has shared festival stages from Coachella to Newport with legends like Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, and the Grateful Dead along with modern giants like My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, and the Black Keys.

An evening of colorful selections for strings and piano.

The Albers trio, three sisters from Colorado, reunite on this program featuring a witty and sophisticated trio by Françaix and variations on a Russian folksong by Borodin. Strings favorite, violinist Vijay Gupta, and a newcomer to our stage, pianist Dominic Cheli, join in the profound piano quintet of Edward Elgar.

Françaix String Trio
Borodin String Trio in G minor
Elgar Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84

Violin: Vijay Gupta, Laura Albers
Viola: Rebecca Albers
Cello: Julie Albers
Piano: Dominic Cheli

A multimedia event of distinctly American music and photographs.

This unique program will feature music composed by Americans that paints portraits in sound. Photographs from the vast collections of the Library of Congress, graciously curated by photographer laureate Carol M. Highsmith, will illuminate the music. The music has been selected by conductor Schissel, senior musicologist for over 35 years in the music division of the Library of Congress.

The evening will feature works by Aaron Copland, Ferde Grofé, special arrangements from the personal library of Morton Gould and Carmen Dragon, and a host of unique and exciting works by distinguished American artists.

*Special Concert Format*
This concert celebrates Strings’ 35th Anniversary with a paired food and dessert tasting. The concert will have two intermissions, each of which will feature catered dishes for audience members to enjoy before returning to the Pavilion for additional music. Food is included in the ticket.

Loras John Schissel, conductor
STRINGS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

The cello quintet of Franz Schubert, one of the true zeniths of the chamber repertoire, shares the program with a passionate Serenade by Ernst von Dohnányi.

Dohnányi’s post-Romantic Serenade for Strings, at turns playful and deeply soulful, is perfectly paired with perhaps the all-time favorite chamber work for strings, the Quintet by Franz Schubert.

Dohnányi Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op. 10
Schubert Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956

Violin: Vijay Gupta, Laura Albers
Viola: Rebecca Albers
Cello: Joel Noyes, Julie Albers

Asheville, North Carolina’s Grammy winners are the most recognizable modern name in bluegrass music.

Steep Canyon Rangers have headlined top bluegrass festivals such as Merlefest and Grey Fox Bluegrass, only to then be discovered by Steve Martin, famous actor and banjo player. Martin has taken the Rangers on a nearly decade-long tour introducing them to hundreds of thousands of new fans and giving them prime time TV exposure. The band has continued to tour extensively on their own, without Martin, and have expanded their genre into country and Americana with the addition of a drummer, alongside an incredibly versatile bassist. The Rangers are often compared to The Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the Zac Brown Band.

Austria’s enduring musical center produced these three varied and satisfying works from the time of Mozart to the early 20th century.

This intriguing program opens with a rarely-heard suite composed by Erich Korngold for a 1920 Vienna production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Gustav Mahler’s only surviving chamber work, a piano quartet, is a glimpse of the artist from his student days. Mozart’s first string quintet completes the program with grace and charm. 

Korngold Four Short Pieces from Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11
Gustav Mahler Piano Quartet in A minor
Mozart String Quintet No. 1 in B-flat Major, K. 174

Violin: Vijay Gupta, Stephen Rose
Viola: Leah Ferguson, Mark Jackobs
Cello: Joel Noyes
Piano: Benjamin Hochman

A fresh and energetic band that has become a folk rock sensation.

From the sidewalks of Honolulu, Streetlight Cadence embodies roots-style instrumentation with pop punk energy. Emmy-nominated buskers with a penchant for storytelling, you’ll know from the first note that this will not be an ordinary concert.

Jonathon Franklin, violin and vocals
Brian Webb, cello and vocals
Ben Chai, banjo, guitar, and vocals

World-premiere arrangements conducted by Colorado Symphony’s former music director.

The orchestra will premiere two brand new arrangements commissioned by Strings Music Festival. Scheherazade and Rite of Spring originally premiered in Paris in the early 20th century by the famed Ballet Russes, and are emotional and sensational orchestra works.

Brett Mitchell, conductor

Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35
Stravinsky Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)

STRINGS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Texas native with 40 years of American roots music under his belt has written 15 #1 hits.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rodney Crowell has written chart-topping hits for the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, and more. Owing to the distinctly universal, literary quality of his writing, he has also penned beloved songs for artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Etta James, the Grateful Dead, John Denver, Jimmy Buffett, and countless others.

Sacred temple music and dances.

On their world tour endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to promote world peace and healing, the monks share Tibet’s rich and authentic sacred arts with modern audiences. The tour offers a rare opportunity to witness one of the world’s most ancient sacred traditions presented by a group of monk artists for whom these traditions are a way of life.

The artists are genuine monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery who are taking time off from their life-long devotion to contemplation and study to participate in the tour.

FRI / AUGUST 12 / 8:30AM / FREE
FREE TALK – TIBET TODAY: HISTORY OF A DIASPORASet the stage for Thursday’s performance with an illuminating presentation from the Tibetan monks. This lecture focuses on the contemporary Tibet situation: the invasion by Communist China in the 1950s, the efforts of the refugees in exile to preserve their civilization, and the situation in occupied Tibet.

Three-time winner: Canadian Smooth Jazz Guitarist of the Year.

It’s been more than 25 years since guitarist Jesse Cook first stepped onto the scene with his now-iconic release, Tempest. In the time since, he has come to hold 10 Gold and Platinum studio albums with a combined sales of 2+ million copies, five concert DVDs and live discs, five PBS specials, and multiple awards— including a Juno and an Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player’s Choice Silver Award. His latest album, Libre, was chosen as JazzTrax’s 2021 Album of the year and also earned a feature in Guitar Player Magazine.

Singer/pianist/composer/bandleader with three Grammy awards and 13 nominations.

Bruce Hornsby has built one of the most diverse and adventurous careers in contemporary music. Since his debut with The Range on their multi-platinum 1986 album The Way It Is, he has steered his way through a stint on keyboards for the Grateful Dead; writing music for Spike Lee’s films; and collaborations with Bon Iver, Ricky Skaggs, James Mercer, and many more.

Neo-acoustic super group of well established Colorado musicians.

What began as an all-female festival collab quickly morphed into a serious passion project driven by sisterhood, harmony, and humor— along with the shared desire to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy. Formed in late 2021, Big Richard gained immediate notoriety for their charismatic stage presence and their vocal/instrumental prowess. After selling out all of their club shows, Big Richard quickly started confirming festival appearances across America.

Bonnie Sims, mandolin
Joy Adams, cello
Emma Rose, bass and guitar
Eve Panning, fiddle

West African drummer and dancer is a keeper of the history, the music, and the dance in his culture.

Born in Guinea, West Africa, Fara spent his youth in the village of Kissidugu and Guinea’s capital city, Conakry. Playing djembe since the age of nine, he has traveled extensively performing and teaching both drumming and dance. Fara spent nine years as the lead drummer for Les Merveilles de Guinea (The Wonders of Guinea) under the tutelage of West Africa’s most influential director and choreographer, Kemoko Sano.

Fara has performed with many of the world’s premier musicians including Mamady Keita, Burning Spear, Neil Young, Sekouba Bambino, Otis Taylor, Joe Cocker, Youssou N’Dour, Salif Keita, Habibe Koite, B.B. King, Oumou Sangare, and many more. His performance style has been described as mystical as he dazzles audiences around the world.

A partnership between Strings and Yampatika  / ALL AGES
TWO EVENINGS of celestial-themed music with local musicians, stargazing with Colorado Mountain College professor Paul McCudden, and South Valley sunsets from the Legacy Ranch.

ON SALE NOW/fusion_button]

A partnership between Strings and Yampatika  / ALL AGES
TWO EVENINGS of celestial-themed music with local musicians, stargazing with Colorado Mountain College professor Paul McCudden, and South Valley sunsets from the Legacy Ranch.

ON SALE NOW/fusion_button]

“The most gifted vocalist of her generation” -AllMusic.com.

Since she broke through 25 years ago with the multi-platinum album Relish and its touchstone mega-smash hit “One of Us,” the seven-time Grammy nominee has never played it safe. Joan Osborne has followed her restless musical heart, exploring a diverse range of genres: pop rock, soul, R&B, blues, roots rock, gospel, funk, and country— all of which can be heard on her tenth studio album, Trouble and Strife.

She has performed alongside the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Luciano Pavarotti, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, and Mavis Staples, to name a few. She has amassed a loyal fan base as she’s continuously traveled the country.

Scottish singer-songwriter known for platinum-selling albums and radio hits.

Since scoring a worldwide smash with her debut album Eye to the Telescope in 2004, which went on to sell over 5 million copies, KT Tunstall has remained at the forefront of U.K. Singer-Songwriter talent. Since then, five further critically acclaimed albums have followed, keeping the platinum sales rolling and cementing her reputation as a major recording talent, as well as a mesmerizing live artist. You’ll recognize her biggest hits “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See.”

World-famous banjo player has assembled an all-star tour, saying: “It’s like family. We draw on our long history of joyful and exciting musical interactions.”

Over the last four decades, Béla Fleck has made a point of boldly going where no banjo player has gone before, a musical journey that has earned him 15 Grammys in nine different fields, including country, pop, jazz, instrumental, classical, and world music. But his roots are in bluegrass, and that’s where he returns with his first bluegrass tour in 24 years, My Bluegrass Heart. Béla’s band features Billy Contreras, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Shaun Richardson, and Mark Schatz.

Heart-stopping harmonies from this folk/roots trio.

The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody, and Heather Masse: three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound. Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Canada, The Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts.

Legendary Rock and Roll and Songwriters Hall of Famer.

Graham Nash’s remarkable body of work spans more than 60 years from The Hollies through Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, to his latest solo releases. Towering above virtually everything that Graham Nash has accomplished in his long and multi-faceted career, stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of our lives for nearly six decades.

GRAHAM NASH SOUNDCHECK VIP UPGRADE: ticketholders can purchase this upgrade featuring a preshow sound check, autographed tour poster, and more. Learn more.