Conductor Tito Muñoz, the Voxare String Quartet, and Brendan James Perform at CBMF

The picturesque Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) in the mountains of Colorado offers an unspoiled summer destination for bluegrass, opera, classical music, children's programs, and more. CBMF's 21st Season, entitled "Identity Unmasked," will explore identity and its revelation or masking.

The fifth week of programming features the CBMF Symphony conducted by the Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony, Tito Muñoz, with Emily Ondracek-Peterson and Erik Christian Peterson as soloists. The orchestral program, The Mothers of Identity, includes works inspired by mothers: the moving Anna Clyne chamber work Within her arms; Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in Eb Major, K. 364; Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ, Sonata III: Mulier, ecce filius tuus; and Beethoven's Symphony No. 6.

Immediately following the orchestral concert will be an After Dark concert with the Voxare String Quartet with Emily Ondracek-Peterson and Erik Christian Peterson. The Quartet will perform its own arrangements of rock and pop songs, featuring songs by Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, and more.

Singer-songwriter BrenDan James, Gypsy Jazz, and a Parisian Gala round out the fifth week of programming at the Festival.

These concerts and more are part of the forward-looking repertoire the Music Festival is bringing to Crested Butte. See below for the full line-up of programming during the fourth week of performances, July 20-23.

CBMF Symphony: The Mothers of Identity

Thursday, July 20, 2017 | 8:00 PM

Tickets: $50-65 and include the After Dark concert | Purchase online at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org or call 970.349.0619

CBMF co-directors Emily Ondracek-Peterson (violin) and Erik Christian Peterson (viola) join the CBMF Symphony in another role - as soloists under the direction of conductor Tito Muñez.

Erik and Emily have played music together since they were 14 years old, and are two of the founding members of the Voxare String Quartet. Praised by The New York Times for her "elegant solowork," and by Strad magazine for her "dazzling passagework," Emily Ondracek-Peterson's multifaceted pursuits embody the scope, versatility, and ability required for a successful music career in the twenty-first century.

Violist Erik Peterson explores multiple areas of interest including musicology, technology, aesthetics, and education. He started playing viola at age ten in his native Chicago and has since performed on the world's leading stages. Peterson has been awarded Chamber Music America's prestigious ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

In his third season as Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony, Tito Muñoz is increasingly recognized as one of the most gifted and versatile conductors of his generation. He previously served as Music Director of the Opéra National de Lorraine and the Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy in France. Committed to working with young artists, he has conducted many festivals around North America.

Program:

Anna Clyne - Within her arms

Mozart - Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in Eb Major, K. 364

Haydn - Seven Last Words of Christ, Sonata III: Mulier, ecce filius tuus

Beethoven - Symphony No. 6

AfterDark: Voxare String Quartet

Thursday, July 20, 2017 10:00 PM

Tickets: $5 | Purchase online at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org or call 970.349.0619

Don't think that a string quartet can rock? Attend Voxare's AfterDark performance to find out. The quartet will perform its own arrangements of rock and pop songs, featuring songs by Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, and more.

Gala: Paris 19xx, CBMF Gypsy Jazz + Symphony

Friday, July 21, 2017 | 5:00 PM

Mirror Palace | Mt. Crested Butte

Single Tickets: $200 | Table of 8: $3,000 | Purchase online at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org

Bid to win spectacular lots at the silent and live auctions and feel the excitement at this annual fundraising gala! CBMF transports you back to gypsy jazz's formative years in Paris for an evening of great food, spirits, and music. Today's leading gypsy jazz musicians join forces with the CBMF Symphony to perform great melodies with swing and panache.

BrenDan James

Saturday, July 22, 2017 | 7:30 PM

General Admission Tickets: $20 | Purchase online at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org or call 970.349.0619

His songs have landed spots on over 15 major television shows and feature films and he's achieved the #1 Singer Songwriter spot on iTunes, multiple times. Now, hear one of the great today's top troubadours in person at the magical Mirror Palace Spiegeltent.

Born in New Hampshire, schooled in Chapel Hill, signed by Capitol Records by the age of 25, and road-tested with a thousand shows to date, James has certainly lived the life of a troubadour. His songs have landed spots on over 15 major television shows and feature films and he's achieved the #1 Singer Songwriter spot on iTunes, multiple times. He has formed relationships with music legends Carly Simon and Cat Stevens, enjoyed on-stage experiences with the likes of John Legend, John Mayer, and Paula Cole, and recently been asked to give a TedTalk on gun violence, love songs, and simpler societies.

Sound Hearth: Gatsby Lawn Games with Vinny Raniolo and Julien Labro

Sunday, July 23, 2017 | 11:00 AM

Private Residence | Crested Butte, CO

General Admission Tickets: $160 (includes a $110 tax deduction) | Purchase online at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org or call 970.349.0619

Dress like it's the roaring 20s and prove your dominance on the lawn! In a delightful morning event, drink champagne, play lawn games like croquet and badminton, and, most importantly, hear a wonderfully refreshing performance from Julien Labro and Vinny Raniolo.

Kids Go Free

Enjoy the Crested Butte Music Festival with the whole family with Kids Go Free! CBMF is offering a number of free fun music and art events for children throughout the season for everyone to enjoy. Youths under 18 can also enjoy free entry to select Festival performances with the purchase of one regularly priced adult ticket. Enjoy classical music, opera, dance, jazz, and bluegrass with some of today's most exciting performing artists. Kids Go Free is part of the Festival's commitment to developing the performers of tomorrow and inspiring future generations to appreciate the arts.

(Kids Go Free excludes fundraising events).

More about the Mt. Crested Butte Mirror Palace:

One of only four such structures in the U.S., the Mt. Crested Butte Mirror Palace is a semi-permanent Spiegeltent that will house all of the CBMF mainstage concerts. Flemish for "mirror tents," Spiegeltents were built around 1900 in Belgium for use as traveling dance halls and town fairs. The Mt. Crested Butte Mirror Palace is nicknamed "Victoria" and was originally built in the 1930s by the Klessens family. The numerous spiegels, or mirrors, in the tent allowed for discreet eye contact between visitors and became a legendary symbol of the wild fin-de-siècle nightlife. This tent has traveled around the world and most recently spent ten years in South Africa. In addition to housing the Festival events, the Tent is available for special events and rentals.

About the Crested Butte Music Festival:

The 2017 season offers an array of performances over seven weeks from June to August in classical music, Gypsy jazz, dance, opera, and more. Through CBMF's guest artists, residents and visitors of Gunnison County have access to performances and educational opportunities that would typically only be available in a major metropolitan area. CBMF offers educational programming and events for all ages, many of which are free or presented with a voluntary donation. Tickets are now on sale at crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.