Bravo! Vail Music Festival announces summer education and engagement programs
Reservations available March 15 at BravoVail.org
Tom Cohen/Courtesy photo
The Bravo! Vail Music Festival (Bravo! Vail) announces more than 35 free events taking place throughout the Vail Valley as part of its 36th annual Festival from June 22-Aug. 3, 2023.
These programs include an expansive mix of community concerts, family concerts, music appreciation events, and more, featuring: Bravo! Vail’s 2023 Chamber Musicians in Residence, the Galvin Cello Quartet and Isidore String Quartet; 2023 Bravo! Vail Piano Fellows Jonathan Mak and Illia Ovcharenko; the Viano String Quartet; Dalí Quartet; Sinta Saxophone Quartet; Sandbox Percussion; Marin Alsop; and Bravo! Vail Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott.
“The Bravo! Vail Music Festival would not be possible without the support of our community, and in return, we want to make sure that everyone in our community can enjoy Bravo! Vail’s high-quality classical music and educational programs,” said Caitlin Murray, executive director of Bravo! Vail. “Approximately half of our Festival programs are offered for free each summer, and we are proud to share these world-renowned artists and their incredible music free of charge throughout the Valley.”
Admission to all public Bravo! Vail Education and Engagement events are either low-cost or free, but tickets are required. Reservations can be made through BravoVail.org or by calling 877-812-5700.
Free Festival Education & Engagement Events
Community Concerts
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- Monday, June 26 at 6 p.m. at Edwards Interfaith Chapel: Bravo! Vail welcomes a cello ensemble to the festival for the first time — the Galvin Cello Quartet — in a program featuring music from around the world, including works by Mozart, Bach, Perkinson, Barrière, and Piazzolla.
- Tuesday, June 27 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: The Galvin Cello Quartet showcases the beauty and range of the cello with works by Bach, Vivaldi, Popper, Wagner, Gershwin, and the late virtuosic cellist Gaspar Cassadó.
- Thursday, June 29 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: The Galvin Cello Quartet performs an eclectic program featuring “Winter” from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and works by Gardel, Penderecki, Fitzhagen, Boccherini, and Paganini.
- Thursday, July 6 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: The Galvin Cello Quartet closes its unique residency with the Bravo! Vail premiere of Dimitri Cervo’s “Dança Negra” and works by Rossini, J.S. Bach, Forino, Bottermund-Starker, Mozart, and Popper.
- Tuesday, July 11 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: Bravo! Vail Piano Fellow and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Finalist Jonathan Mak makes his Bravo! Vail debut performance with works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Schumann.
- Thursday, July 13 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: The critically acclaimed Viano String Quartet returns for the Bravo! Vail premiere of Reena Esmail’s Zeher (Poison) in a program that also includes string quartets by Bartók and Smetana.
- Tuesday, July 18 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: Bravo! Vail piano fellows Jonathan Mak and Illia Ovcharenko team up with the Viano String Quartet in a program featuring two quartets for violin, viola, cello, and piano by Mozart and Brahms.
- Thursday, July 20 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: Bravo! Vail piano fellow and winner of the 2022 Honens International Piano Competition Illia Ovcharenko performs works by fellow Ukrainian composer Levko Revutsky, Chopin, and Schumann.
- Thursday, July 20 at 6 p.m. at Brush Creek Pavilion: Piano fellows Jonathan Mak and Illia Ovcharenko share the stage in a program featuring works by J.S. Bach, Schumann, Schubert, Lysenko, and more.
- Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m. at Gypsum Town Hall: Winners of the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Isidore String Quartet makes its Bravo! Vail debut performing works by Bartók and Brahms.
Little Listeners @ The Library
With a special focus on children ages 2-7, performing artists explore musical concepts and ideas with their young audiences in a captivating, memorable way, while aligning with the library’s summer reading themes.
- Monday, June 26 at 2:30 p.m. at Avon Public Library: Galvin Cello Quartet
- Thursday, June 29 at 2:30 p.m. at Vail Public Library: Members of the Galvin Cello Quartet
- Monday, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. at Gypsum Public Library: Dalí Quartet
- Wednesday, July 12 at 2:30 p.m. at Eagle Public Library: Dalí Quartet
- Thursday, July 13 at 2:30 p.m. at Vail Public Library: Members of the Viano String Quartet
- Monday, July 17 at 2:30 p.m at Avon Public Library: Viano String Quartet
- Wednesday, July 26 at 2:30 p.m. at Eagle Public Library: Isidore String Quartet
- Monday, July 24 at 2:30 p.m. at Gypsum Public Library: Isidore String Quartet
Family Concert
Saturday, July 15, at 6 p.m. at Little Beach Park in Minturn: The Dalí Quartet presents “A Bailar”, Bravo! Vail’s first bilingual concert and presentation that explores dance styles from around the world, including tangos from Argentina and Uruguay; salsa-inspired music from Venezuela; boleros, guajiras, and mambos from Cuba; waltzes from Europe; and more.
Tom Cohen/Courtesy photo
Inside the Music
These in-depth discussions, presentations, artist talks, and master classes give background and expert insight into the music performed at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival.
• Wednesday, July 12, at 1 pm. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: Anne-Marie McDermott deconstructs Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 at the piano, pointing out details in the score that illuminate the music and help bring this massive work to life for the listener.
• Wednesday, July 19, at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: Anne-Marie McDermott gives a masterclass with 2023 Bravo! Vail piano fellows Jonathan Mak and Illia Ovcharenko, performing Schumann Sonata in F minor and Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6, respectively.
• Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Walking Mountains Science Center: These four Prokofiev Nature Walks explore the composer’s unique ability to capture gestures, characters, and animals in the natural setting of his inspiration. Led by New York Philharmonic Archivist Gabryel Smith and the Walking Mountains Science Center, the walks include live excerpts from Prokofiev’s masterworks “Peter and the Wolf” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Note: there is an admission fee for these walks.
• Wednesday, July 26 at 1 p.m. at Vail Interfaith Chapel: In advance of the New York Philharmonic’s final performance, trailblazing conductor Marin Alsop sits down with Anne-Marie McDermott to discuss the program, conducting, Yunchan Lim’s gold medal-winning performance at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and more.
Music Box Series
Bravo! Vail presents its Music Box Series on July 28-30, expanding the reach of the Music Box, Bravo! Vail’s mobile performance space. This new series of concerts features Sinta Saxophone Quartet and Sandbox Percussion in various locations throughout the Vail Valley. Host partners and locations include Eagle Valley Community Foundation in Edwards, Habitat for Humanity in Gypsum, and Vail Farmers Market. Full details will be announced at a later date.
Tom Cohen/Courtesy photo
Festival Education and Engagement Programs (closed to reservations)
In addition to public Education and Engagement events, Bravo! Vail offers free and reduced-cost programs for partner organizations and students in our community.
• Community Collaborations: As part of the 2023 Festival, Bravo! Vail presents free concerts in conjunction with the following partners: Vail Health, Roundup River Ranch, Golden Eagle Senior Center, and Castle Peak Senior Living.
• Music Makers “Haciendo Música”: Bravo! Vail offers students in grades 2-12 in the Eagle and Lake County school districts after-school violin, piano, and chamber ensemble instruction, giving them the opportunity to learn an instrument and reap the social, emotional, and developmental benefits of music instruction at an early age. Classes run weekly from September to April, and full-tuition scholarships and free instrument rental are available to any student in need.
• Summer Intensive: Bravo! Vail provides Music Makers “Haciendo Música” students the opportunity to enroll in a week of individual training and ensemble coaching through Bravo! Vail’s Summer Intensive camp. Participants also have exclusive access to orchestral partners, guest artists, and other music development opportunities during the festival.
• Young Musicians Day, June 30-July 1: Young Musicians Day brings together students from Bravo! Vail’s Music Makers “Haciendo Música”, El Sistema Colorado, Aspen Music Festival and School, Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra, and Boulder Children’s Chorale to learn and perform challenging repertoire and create meaningful connections together.
• Pre-Concert Talks: Led by renowned musicologists and passionate performers, these talks take place one hour prior to select Orchestral Series performances at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and are open to anyone with a ticket to the performance. These talks are designed to enhance concert experiences by giving background and creating deeper connections to the evening’s program.
Visit BravoVail.org for complete season information and updates.
