Bravo! Vail Announces Re-imagined Summer Festival

Outdoor live concerts, a mobile performance stage, and virtual learning provide multiple facets for community engagement

Guest highlights include pianists Yefim Bronfman and Anne-Marie McDermott, violinist Ida Kavafian, violist Paul Neubauer, and the Dover Quartet

Bravo! Vail announces a re-imagined season July 16 - August 6, 2020, offering outdoor concerts in the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, a mobile performance stage presented by the Sturm Family and ANB Bank bringing music to local communities, and virtual educational and social offerings.

In May, Bravo! Vail announced the cancellation of this summer’s Festival as originally planned. As conditions in Eagle County improved it became clear that many of the organization’s patrons were eager to return to live, in-person performances with a limited capacity and strong adherence to all health and safety guidance and precautions.  As a result, the Bravo! Vail board and staff sprang into action to find new ways to fulfill Bravo’s mission of enriching people’s lives through the power of music.

Executive Director Caitlin Murray elaborates, “The health and safety of our musicians, patrons, staff, and community are our top priorities, and we will have a multitude of new safety measures in place at our concerts. Physical distancing and face coverings will be big parts of the experience, and all concerts will be outdoors. Bravo! Vail is flexible, respectful, and dedicated, and we are honored to be able to present live music, even in a very limited way, this summer.”

OUTDOOR CONCERTS

Bravo! Vail concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater will look quite different this summer, but they will be intimate and artistically fulfilling in new ways. With seven total performances at this location, programming highlights include the return of the Dover Quartet; violinist and Bravo! Vail Founding Artistic Director Ida Kavafian and current Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott performing the complete Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas; and world-renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman with Anne-Marie McDermott for a two-piano program. Additional guest artists include violinists Kerry McDermott, Oliver Neubauer, and Clara Neubauer, violists Paul Neubauer and Zoë Martin-Doike, cellist Brook Speltz, as well as pianist Amy Yang. The capacity for each concert will be extremely limited in accordance with Eagle County Public Health guidance. Within the amphitheater, audience seating will provide for ample physical distancing.

2020 marks the 10th anniversary for Anne-Marie McDermott as Artistic Director. McDermott comments, “I cannot imagine a summer in Vail without the inspiring, healing, and exhilarating sounds of live music-making. I am deeply humbled and touched that Bravo has found a path forward to bring our extraordinary community together through world-class chamber music performances. My musical colleagues and I are all so honored and excited that we can embrace the power of music for audiences this summer. It will truly be a memorable journey that none of us will ever forget. I have held an image in my heart of what the first notes of live music would sound and feel like when they became possible, and what a privilege this will be!”

MOBILE PERFORMANCE STAGE CONCERTS

In an exciting innovation, Bravo! Vail commissioned a custom-built mobile performance stage – the Bravo! Vail Music Box – that will bring chamber music throughout the Vail Valley with outdoor community concerts. The Music Box will enable community members to experience concerts presented to invited guests in their own communities or at their businesses at no cost. Businesses, community groups, and individuals can apply or nominate concert hosts on the Bravo! Vail website. Bravo! Vail will work with the partner organizations to manage physical distancing, group size, and safety protocols. Applications received by July 17 will be given priority consideration, and concerts will take place July 24–August 2.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Music education is a critical component of Bravo! Vail’s mission, and much of the regular programming will move online this summer. Inside the Music, which dives into repertoire and performances with an educational angle, will be available on Bravo! Vail’s website and social channels, and Little Listeners at the Library will now be online, broadening its reach to communities everywhere. During these performances, Bravo! Vail’s youngest listeners explore a musical idea or term with the performing artists. Each concert is paired with books recommended by local librarians to continue exploration independently.

Board Chair Kathleen Eck comments, “This is not the summer we imagined, but in some ways, Bravo’s offerings fulfill our mission more than ever. Our goal is to serve this community in a safe and responsible way and emerge from this challenging time with more innovation, more community engagement, and more enthusiasm than ever. Just imagine how excited we will all be to eventually welcome 2,500 people back to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. That will be a great day!”

LIVE CONCERT PROGRAMMING
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Colorado

July 16, 2020 | 7 PM

Mozart: Quartet No. 1 for Piano, Violin and Cello in G minor, K. 478

Kerry McDermott, violin
Zoë Martin-Doike, viola
Brook Speltz, cello
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

Brahms: Sextet No. 1 for Two Violins, Two Violas and Two Cellos in B-flat Major, Op. 18 

Dover Quartet
    Joel Link, violin
    Bryan Lee, violin
    Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola
    Camden Shaw, cello
Paul Neubauer, viola
Brook Speltz, cello

July 23, 2020 | 7 PM

Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2, “Quinten”

Dover Quartet
    Joel Link, violin
    Bryan Lee, violin
    Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola
    Camden Shaw, cello

Bacewicz: Quartet (1949)

Kerry McDermott, violin
Oliver Neubauer, violin
Clara Neubauer, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola

Dohnányi: Quintet No. 1 for Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano in C minor, Op. 1

Dover Quartet
    Joel Link, violin
    Bryan Lee, violin
    Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola
    Camden Shaw, cello
Amy Yang, piano

July 27, 2020 | 11 AM

The Complete Beethoven Violin & Piano Sonatas, 1/3

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 12, No. 2
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 12, No. 3

Ida Kavafian, violin
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

July 28, 2020 | 11 AM
The Complete Beethoven Violin & Piano Sonatas, 2/3

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, “Spring”
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30, No. 1
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2

Ida Kavafian, violin
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

July 29, 2020 | 11 AM
The Complete Beethoven Violin & Piano Sonatas, 3/3

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30, No. 3
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, “Kreutzer”
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96

Ida Kavafian, violin
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

July 30, 2020 | 7 PM

Schubert: Sonata for Viola and Piano in A minor, D. 821, “Arpeggione”

Paul Neubauer, viola
Amy Yang, piano

Barber: Adagio for String Quartet

Dover Quartet
    Joel Link, violin
    Bryan Lee, violin
   Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola
   Camden Shaw, cello

Mendelssohn: Octet for Four Violins, Two Violas and Two Cellos in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Dover Quartet
    Joel Link, violin
    Bryan Lee, violin
    Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola
    Camden Shaw, cello
Oliver Neubauer, violin
Clara Neubauer, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Brook Speltz, cello

August 6, 2020 | 7 PM

Schubert: Marche Militaire in D Major for Piano, Four Hands, D. 733, No. 1
Schubert: Fantasy in F minor for Piano, Four Hands, D. 934
Brahms: Sonata in F minor for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 34b

Yefim Bronfman, piano
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

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About Bravo! Vail Music Festival

The Bravo! Vail Music Festival brings world-renowned musicians to picturesque venues throughout the Vail Valley for nearly seven weeks, drawing music lovers from around the world. Bravo! Vail is the only festival in North America to host four of the world’s finest orchestras each season. In addition, internationally acclaimed chamber artists and soloists perform a wide array of unique and carefully curated chamber music programs. Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott has led the festival since 2011.

Please visit bravovail.org for updates.