Thanks for a Great Season

It’s hard to believe that Strings Music Festival’s 24th Season has already come to a close. The summer has flown by and we’ve enjoyed seeing every performance with all 14,500 of you! Special thanks to all of our sponsors, donors, contributors and supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Here are a few final pictures from the summer.

The World Premiere of Eagle Girl, an original story inspired by Native American folk tales, brought many audience members back to the magic of their childhood.

Head for the Hills Meets USA Pro Cycling Challenge

It’s the last summer weekend before Labor Day and Steamboat Springs is once again going to be packed with visitors. On Friday afternoon the USA Pro Cycling Challenge arrives in town. After an 83-mile bike ride from Avon, the cyclists will roll in around 3:30pm.

As usual, Steamboat has pulled out all the stops for the tour, hosting events all day Friday and Saturday. Along with expos, award ceremonies and factory tours, there’s a variety of live music. Here’s where you can find it:
11:00am-1:00pm – Lifestyle Expo
1:00pm-3:00pm –Lifestyle Expo, featuring Loose Change
5:00pm-7:00pm – Ciao Gelato
5:30pm – Howelsen Hill, featuring 3 Twins Broadband with members of the Subdudes


Don’t forget to add Strings’ final concert of the season, Head for the Hills, to your to-do list. Cool bluegrass with a blend of traditional harmonies, a myriad of music styles, and sonic landscapes, is a perfect end to a hot summer day. The show is on Saturday night at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25 in advance and $28 the day of. You can purchase tickets online at www.stringsmusicfestival.com, by calling the box office at (970) 879-5056 x 105, or in the Strings office.

Mid-Summer Highlights

August has arrived, which means we’re halfway through our summer season here at Strings Music Festival. Here are some more memorable moments from July. If you want to see more pictures, visit our Facebook page and our Picasa photo albums.

Two pianos and two piano players are better than one!

July 13 ~ Piano Duo

Great Big Sea rocked the ‘Boat with a wild show!

July 16 ~ Great Big Sea

July 17 ~ Free Community Matinee

Strings School Days favorites Simon Boyar and Alpin Hong returned with Jessica Tivens for our 2nd Free Community Matinee: Bach to Broadway.

Banana Slug String Band brought out some awesome animal hats and had the kids up on stage doing animal dances.

July 26 ~ Banana Slug String Band

Everyone raved about the Encore Concert with Mark Masri and Anne Cochran. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening.

Thank you John and Carrie Hayden for hosting the event at your gorgeous home.

And thanks to all our donors for supporting all we do here at Strings!

Modern Storytelling

It’s not very often that we have the opportunity to hear a World Premiere. And it’s even less often that we have the chance to talk with the composers of a World Premiere.  But this week Strings Music Festival brings you two World Premieres, plus another new performance and the chance to talk with the composers. 

Modern Storytelling week presents two nights of music, multimedia, dance, traditional folksongs, folklore and popular tales, all of which tell a story through music. With an original Native American inspired folk tale and a new take on Alice in Wonderland, you’re sure to be captivated by each story. Before the concert, hear the inspiration behind the compositions by attending our free Meet the Composer talks at the Bud Werner Memorial Library.

 The Elements

Meet the Composer – Tuesday August 2, 12:15pm at the Bud Werner Memorial Library

World Premiere – Saturday, August 6, 8:00pm at the Strings Music Pavilion

Marilyn Taft Thomas’s The Elements are five short sound poems representing the elements Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Space Time. Featuring strings, winds and percussion, the musical blend of instruments combined with tempo changes and dynamics depict important resources on our planet.

Eagle Girl

Meet the Composer – Wednesday August 3, 12:15pm at the Bud Werner Memorial Library

World Premiere – Wednesday August 3, 7:00pm at the Strings Music Pavilion

David Stock’s Eagle Girl is an original story inspired by Native American folktales. A small ensemble plays music similar to the haunting sounds of the Native American flute and drums. Behind the ensemble, images flip on a projector screen to bring the story to life. Throughout the piece, a narrator tells the story in the traditional folktale manner. The combination of illustration, music and narration will leave you wanting to find out what happens next.

 Alice: Reimagining Wonderland

Meet the Composer – Friday August 5, 12:15pm at the Bud Werner Memorial Library

Performance – Saturday August 6, 8:00pm at the Strings Music Pavilion

Joseph Hallman’s Alice: Reimagining Wonderland is the biggest production ever held on the Strings stage. Complete with music, dance, song and narration, fifteen dancers and musicians tell a variation on Lewis Carroll’s famous tale of Alice in Wonderland. This performance will feel like a Broadway play as well as a chamber music concert.