Bravo! Vail Music Festival announces 36th season starting in June
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The Bravo! Vail Music Festival announced its 36th festival season Wednesday, with more than 80 concerts throughout the Vail Valley from June 22-Aug. 3. The six-week festival presents four internationally acclaimed resident orchestras — Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic — alongside renowned chamber ensembles showcasing a rich schedule of inspiring guest artists, classical and pops programming, and new music.
“The world of classical music and musicians is evolving at an astonishing pace in thrilling ways,” artistic director Anne-Marie McDermott said. “Bravo! Vail is incredibly proud to be evolving with it by providing an exquisite and welcoming platform to experience the incredible variety of creative voices we believe have the power to touch our audiences. Sharing the incredible breadth and depth of live music is our great joy.”
Continuing the Festival’s legacy of supporting living composers and their work, Bravo! Vail’s 36th season marks the second year of its Symphonic Commissioning Project. Through this initiative, two world premieres take place at the Festival, including “This Moment” by Anna Clyne with The Philadelphia Orchestra and a work by Nina Shekhar with the New York Philharmonic. Additionally, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra gives the Colorado and Bravo! Vail premiere of Angélica Negrón’s Arquitecta, featuring Colombian vocalist Lido Pimienta. Coupled with these three Symphonic Commissioning Project works, 16 works by living composers receive their Bravo! Vail premieres.
Bravo! Vail’s longstanding commitment to developing outstanding young artists is another hallmark of its programming. In 2023, six early-career competition winners are featured at the Festival, including international sensation Yunchan Lim and Anna Geniushene — Van Cliburn International Piano Competition’s Gold and Silver medalists respectively — and Van Cliburn Finalists Ilya Shmukler and Jonathan Mak; Bruce Liu, 2021 winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition; and Illia Ovcharenko, winner of the 2022 Honens International Piano Competition. Mak and Ovcharenko have also been selected as Bravo! Vail’s 2023 Piano Fellows.
“As a pianist, nothing is more exciting to me than nurturing the extraordinary young artists who are making their way on the scene today,” states McDermott. “The six pianists coming to the festival this summer each have a singular voice and perspective to share with audiences and are performing an incredible variety of music old and new.”
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Orchestral Series at Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater (shows start at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields (June 22-25)
• Thursday, June 22: Return of Academy of St Martin in the Fields — The ASMF makes its highly anticipated return in a program featuring Anne-Marie McDermott in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2; the double-woodwind quintet Seascape by Ruth Gipps; and Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 “London.”
• Saturday, June 24: Mozart & Bach with Joshua Bell — ASMF Music Director and violinist Joshua Bell joins the ensemble in Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, paired with a performance of Bach’s magnificent Keyboard Concerto No. 1 by Anne-Marie McDermott and two of Mozart’s early symphonies: Nos. 25 and 29.
• Sunday, June 25: Joshua Bell with ASMF — Joshua Bell performs Paganini’s virtuosic First Violin Concerto, alongside ASMF performances of Schumann’s transcendent Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra (June 30-July 5)
• Friday, June 30: Luisi Conducts Brahms’ Third — Acclaimed Russian-Israeli violinist Maxim Vengerov makes his Bravo! Vail debut, performing Mendelssohn’s revered Violin Concerto in E minor with the DSO in a program that includes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, led by Music Director Fabio Luisi.
• Saturday, July 1: Paul Simon Songbook with DSO — The DSO celebrates legendary singer/songwriter Paul Simon in an evening showcasing his incredible work spanning from the Simon and Garfunkel era through his solo albums, with orchestral arrangements by conductor Jeff Tyzik.
• Sunday, July 2: Haydn Cello Concerto — Luisi leads the DSO in the summer’s first Bravo! Vail Symphonic Commissioning Project premiere — Angélica Negrón’s Arquitecta featuring Colombian vocalist Lido Pimienta — in addition to the Bravo! Vail debut of cellist Jan Vogler in Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major and Franck’s Symphony in D minor.
• Tuesday, July 4 at 2 p.m.: Tyzik Conducts Patriotic Concert — In the return of an audience favorite, Jeff Tyzik conducts the DSO in a program celebrating Independence Day.
• Wednesday, July 5: John Williams’ Music of the Movies — Tyzik and the DSO celebrate the music of John Williams, the most recognized cinematic composer of our time, in an evening featuring some of his most cherished scores, from “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” to “Superman” and more.
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The Philadelphia Orchestra (July 7-14)
• Friday, July 7: All Beethoven with Ehnes — The Philadelphia Orchestra opens its residency with an all-Beethoven program, featuring violinist James Ehnes in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and the composer’s nature-inspired Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, led by Denève.
• Saturday, July 8: Denève Conducts Stravinsky & Ravel — The genre-crossing string trio Time for Three joins the Orchestra in Kevin Puts’ Contact — a concerto written for the group — in addition to Stravinsky’s magical Firebird Suite and audience-favorite Boléro in this Denève-led program.
• Sunday, July 9: A Night in Vienna — Denève leads the Orchestra in a celebratory evening featuring waltzes from around the world, including works by Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and more.
• Wednesday, July 12: Yannick Conducts Tchaikovsky with Hilary Hahn — Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to Bravo! Vail, leading the Orchestra and violinist Hilary Hahn in Tchaikovsky’s breathtaking Violin Concerto, alongside Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 — a work featured on the Orchestra’s 2022 Grammy Award-winning recording.
• Thursday, July 13: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 — Winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu makes his Bravo! Vail debut performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in a program including Higdon’s Fanfare Ritmico and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances—a work premiered by the Orchestra in 1941.
• Friday, July 14: Mozart’s Requiem — Nézet-Séguin closes the Orchestra’s residency with a powerful program of beginnings and endings, featuring the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s This Moment paired with Mozart’s emotionally stirring Requiem, featuring Bravo! Vail Festival Chorus, Colorado Symphony Chorus, led by Chorus Director Duain Wolfe, and four exceptional vocal soloists.
New York Philharmonic (July 19-26)
• Wednesday, July 19: Chick Corea’s Trombone Concerto & NY Phil — Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero opens the Philharmonic residency with the world premiere of a new work by Nina Shekhar and the Bravo! Vail premiere of Chick Corea’s Trombone Concerto written for Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi, in a program that includes Dvořák’s treasured New World Symphony.
• Friday, July 21: New York Philharmonic Performs Sibelius — Finnish guest conductor Hannu Lintu celebrates great composers from his homeland, leading the Philharmonic in Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 and Finlandia, as well as Kaija Saariaho’s Ciel d’hiver. Violinist Stefan Jackiw also joins the program in Bruch’s rousing Scottish Fantasy.
• Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m.: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in Concert — This concert features “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in high-definition while the Philharmonic performs John Williams’ otherworldly score.
• Sunday, July 23: Beethoven’s Fifth with van Zweden — Music Director Jaap van Zweden returns to Bravo! Vail to lead two of classical music’s most recognized works: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Rossini’s William Tell Overture, in a program featuring Bravo! Vail’s very own Anne-Marie McDermott in Mozart’s brooding Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor.
• Tuesday, July 25: Bruckner Symphony No. 7 — A champion of Bruckner’s work, van Zweden conducts the Philharmonic in the composer’s expansive Symphony No. 7 — a work Bruckner wrote to honor his late mentor, Richard Wagner.
• Wednesday, July 26: Alsop conducts Rachmaninoff with Yunchan Lim — Trailblazing conductor Marin Alsop concludes Bravo! Vail’s Orchestral Series with Yunchan Lim as he reprises his gold medal-winning performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 from the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in a concert that also includes Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite.
Chamber Music Series at the Vilar Performing Arts Center (shows start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise stated)
• Tuesday, June 27: Dover Quartet — One of the most celebrated young string ensembles performing today, the Dover Quartet opens Bravo! Vail’s Chamber Music Series with works by Haydn, Schubert, and George Walker.
• Tuesday, July 11: Dalí Quartet & Ricardo Morales — The Dalí Quartet makes its Bravo! Vail debut, performing works by Latin American and classical composers in a program featuring The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Principal Clarinet Ricardo Morales.
• Sunday, July 16: Seven Chances, a Buster Keaton silent film — Members of the Dalí Quartet, along with flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Principal Bass Joseph Conyers, and pianist Stephen Prutsman perform Prutsman’s musical score to Seven Chances, a silent film by Buster Keaton, as it is projected on the big screen. Also on the program is Prutsman’s Three Jazz Standards for Piano Quintet and Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano.
• Monday, July 24: McDermott & Bavouzet — Internationally acclaimed pianists Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Anne-Marie McDermott perform a recital of works for two pianos, including Debussy’s Three Nocturnes and Jeux, Ravel’s La Valse, and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”
Immersive Experiences at Donovan Pavilion (shows start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
• Monday, July 17: Prokofiev Piano Sonatas I — McDermott and Shmukler open Immersive Experiences with Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas: No. 1 in F minor; No. 2 in D minor; No. 7 in B-flat major; No. 3 in A minor; and No. 6 in A major.
• Tuesday, July 18: Prokofiev Piano Sonatas II — McDermott and Geniushene, complete the cycle of Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas with performances of Sonata No. 5 in C major; Sonata No. 4 in C minor; Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major; and Sonata No. 9 in C major.
Classically Uncorked at Donovan Pavilion (shows start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise stated)
• Tuesday, Aug. 1: Classically Uncorked I — Sandbox Percussion kicks off Classically Uncorked with a dynamic program of new music and Bravo! Vail premieres, including works by Amy Beth Kirsten, David Crowell, Juri Seo, Viet Cuong, and Sandbox founder Victor Caccese.
• Wednesday, Aug. 2: Classically Uncorked II — Hailed by The New York Times as “a lush, brooding celebration of noise,” Andy Akiho’s groundbreaking Seven Pillars is a genre-defying audio collaboration for percussion quartet, performed by Sandbox Percussion.
• Thursday, August 3: Classically Uncorked III — Sandbox Percussion closes out the series and Bravo! Vail’s 36th Music Festival with John Cage’s Third Construction; George Crumb’s American Songbook III, Unto the Hills; and a selection of songs from Charles Ives, featuring the American soprano Susanna Phillips and Anne-Marie McDermott.
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The Linda & Mitch Hart Soirée series (various private locations, shows start at 6 p.m.)
These four stylish soirées are one-of-a-kind social and musical experiences hosted at magnificent private residences. Each evening begins with a cocktail hour followed by a performance by some of the world’s most extraordinary musicians with an intimate post-concert dinner. The 2023 series includes concerts by Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Marie McDermott, and members of both the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the Isidore String Quartet.
• Friday, June 23: Soirée I — Joshua Bell and members of Academy of St Martin in the Fields are featured in the first soirée of the Festival at the de Vink Residence. Program to be announced at a later date.
• Thursday, June 29: Soirée II — Violinist Maxim Vengerov and Anne-Marie McDermott perform a program that includes Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Valse-Scherzo at the McGonagle Residence.
• Monday, July 10: Soirée III — Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra play string duets and trios including Beethoven’s Eyeglass Duo and String Trio No. 5, in addition to the Handel/Halvorson Passacaglia, at the Spector Residence.
• Thursday, July 27: Soirée IV — A performance by the Isidore String Quartet and New York Philharmonic Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps is featured.
Education and Engagement Programs
Throughout the Festival, Bravo! Vail offers more than 35 free concerts in the Vail Valley community, featuring emerging artists and musicians from visiting orchestras and ensembles. At the heart of Bravo! Vail’s mission to promote a lifelong appreciation of the arts, these accessible programs break down economic and geographical barriers, ensuring everyone in the community can enjoy high-quality classical music and educational opportunities in their own towns. Full details of all programs will be announced in early March 2023.
Event details including programs and artists are subject to change. Visit BravoVail.org for complete season information and updates. A selection of photos for media is available here.
