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Breckenridge Music Festival
As the Breckenridge weather warms and flowers bloom, the town of Breckenridge becomes even sweeter with the sound of music. The Breckenridge Music Festival runs from late June through August, with fine classical concerts and rockin’ music shows.
NRO
The National Repertory Orchestra, otherwise known as the NRO, strikes up its band at the Riverwalk Center
from June 8 to Aug. 3, 2008. The amazing thing about the NRO is that it
is made up of young adults from all over the nation (and world), who
walk into Breckenridge in early June wearing T-shirts and jeans, and
transform into a cohesive, rousing orchestra within days — tuxes and
all.
Conductor Carl Topilow scours the United States, auditioning musicians just out of college and in graduate school, and choosing the best 89 or so to perform a full, nine-month orchestral repertoire, which he condenses into an eight-week series of High Country concerts.
Even if you don’t like classical music, you should give the NRO a try — mostly because Topilow makes the music fun. He strives to educate audiences and present user-friendly concerts by dedicating certain performances to themes such as “the movies” or “honoring the heroes.” For a full schedule and more information, check out .
BMF Orchestra
Where
the NRO leaves off, the Breckenridge Music Festival picks up. Between
mid July and mid August, 45 professional musicians from throughout the
nation flood the stage with music that will set your heart soaring.
And, again, some of the concerts are user-friendly, like the July 19
one featuring movie music from John Williams, or the Aug. 6 one
highlighting brass instruments only. For more information and a
schedule of events, visit
The rockin" side The Blue River Series is the most recent addition to the Breckenridge Music Festival. It offers an alternative to classical music, with performers like Cowboy Junkies, Natalie McMaster and Donnell Leahy (folk and Celtic music July 20), BeauSoleil (Cajun music July 29), Robert Earl Keen (Texas songwriter Aug. 3), Emerson Drive (country music Aug. 10) and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage (bluegrass Aug. 17). Inside the Riverwalk Center, it’s always a party when the Blue River Series comes to town. For more information, visit
Note: Since the Riverwalk Center transformed from a large outdoor tent to a facility with a permanent, hard roof in 2008, the venue is one of the classiest in town. Plus, it’s a lot warmer to watch concerts now on chilly summer nights.
Fundraisers The Breckenridge Music Festival raises one-fourth of its money through the Bon Appetit Series, which includes more intimate gatherings that range from country music concerts and wildflower hikes (July 30) to scavenger hunts on Peak 7, tours of South Park (Aug. 7), cabaret evenings (Aug. 29) and Texas Hold’em tournaments (Sept. 5). Tickets are usually about $50.
