Colorado Music Festival’s 50th Anniversary Season kicks off on July 9 and 10 with Japanese virtuoso violinist, Himari -Peter Oundjian, Music Director

Colorado Music Festival (CMF) presents its 50th anniversary season from July 9 through August 9, 2026 at Chautauqua Auditorium, featuring the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Peter Oundjian, and guest artists, chamber music and educational programming. 

 The Festival welcomes world-class musicians from around the country who arrive in Boulder to perform as the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Additionally, nine guest artists, two internationally acclaimed chamber groups and four guest conductors will be featured throughout the season.

 The first Festival Orchestra concerts on July 9 and 10 feature a once-in-a-generation violinist, Himari, a 14-year-old phenom (turning 15 on June 24) who has already received substantial awards and recognition. She will perform the popular and technically demanding Violin Concerto by Sibelius. Other music on the program includes a world premiere by local composer Carter Pann, written as a tribute to longtime Festival supporter Ralph “Chris” Christoffersen, and Tchaikovsky’s heroic Symphony No. 5.

 “Himari recently debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony. Do not miss this opportunity to witness her playing. It’s impossible to imagine the brilliance and majesty she possesses at this tender age,” said Oundjian. “We extend a warm welcome to you to come experience the opening of our anniversary celebrations with this epic program.”

For more information about CMF and to purchase tickets, visit ColoradoMusicFestival.org or call the Chautauqua Box Office at 303.440.7666.

Other Festival highlights include:

• July 12, Free Family Concert — This free event features Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, offered in both English and Spanish. A Family Lawn Fair in partnership with the Chautauqua Association follows the performance.
• July 14, Canadian Brass — The world-renowned brass quintet performs selections from Bizet's Carmen, plus works by Mozart, Bach, Brahms, The Beatles and Coldplay. 
• July 16 and 17, Festival Orchestra — Pianist Yuja Wang makes her Festival debut with Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Piano Concerto, plus Oundjian conducts Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
• July 19, Festival Orchestra — Former Colorado Symphony Music Director Jeffrey Kahane leads all six of Bach’s celebrated Brandenburg Concertos.
• July 23 and 24, Festival Orchestra — Six-time GRAMMY®-winning conductor and Music Director of the Nashville Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducts an all-American program, including Aaron Copland’s Rodeo and John Corigliano’s Chaconne from The Red Violin, played by Njioma Grevious. Slatkin will also lead a conducting workshop on July 24 at Chautauqua. More information at org/education.
• July 26, Festival Orchestra — Pianist Tony Siqi Yun performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in an all-Mozart concert, which also includes the composer’s Haffner
• July 30 and 31, Festival Orchestra — Music Director Peter Oundjian helms one of music’s grandest spectacles: Holst’s The Planets. Cliburn Gold Medal-winning pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii performs Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, and the program begins with a world premiere by composer Leigha Amick, a Boulder native.
• August 2, Festival Orchestra — Philadelphia Orchestra principal clarinetist Ricardo Morales performs Copland’s Clarinet Concerto as well as Rossini’s challenging Introduction, Theme and Variations. The program, conducted by Gemma New, concludes with Ravel’s beloved Ma mère l’oye (“Mother Goose”) suite.
• August 4, Danish String Quartet — By audience request, the Danish String Quartet returns to CMF with a program of Mozart, Shostakovich and Ravel.
• August 6 and 7, Festival Orchestra — Pianist Michelle Cann returns to perform the world premiere of a concerto by composer Valerie Coleman, and the evening concludes with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.
• August 9, Festival Orchestra Season Finale — Music Director Peter Oundjian closes this landmark season with Mahler’s Third Symphony.

Tickets start at $31. CMF offers $15 tickets for youth (ages 18 and under) and students with a current school ID. For more information, visit coloradomusicfestival.org/ticket-info.

For a full media kit, including details on performances and events, as well as high-res images, visit coloradomusicfestival.org/mediakit.

About Colorado Music Festival

Founded in 1976, the ?Colorado Music Festival (CMF)? presents a summer season of classical music concerts performed by professional musicians from around the world at the historic Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder. Guest artists from around the world join more than 100 all-star musicians, who comprise the CMF Orchestra, in performances that inspire and engage concertgoers of all ages. Under the music direction of Peter Oundjian, the CMF thrills audiences of more than 20,000 each season with programming that embraces the most beloved classical music repertoire, while integrating world music and the works of exciting modern composers. ColoradoMusicFestival.org