This guy plays cello in a tree in Breckenridge

In the middle of Breckenridge’s Blue River, Russick Smith plays his cello on a small, grassy island. With the audience assembled on stones along the river banks, he gently adjusted the microphone away from the instrument. “I’m playing a duet with the river,” he explained so that people could hear both his music and the water as it lapped against the island.

While Smith does play music indoors in traditional settings, he is increasingly finding new ways to play concerts outdoors, too. It started on a whim a few years ago for this Breckenridge local, and his explorations are now part of the Breckenridge International Festival of the Arts. In addition to his river island concerts, he’s been joined by two other musicians in chairs set in trees, which he called a “Tree-o.”

“To greater or lesser degrees, all outdoor art is immersive,” he said. “To experience a piece of outdoor art, no matter what discipline, someone must pass through a dynamic and uncontrolled environment.”

Read the full story via The Denver Post.