Music In The Mountains

Becoming a housing donor is a great way to support our Festival in a fun, unique, and rewarding way, all while helping our musicians focus on their craft in a welcoming environment. Most importantly, hosting a musician isn’t just about providing a place to stay—it’s also about building lasting connections. You can see perfect examples of this in these photos! In the first photo, housing donor Joan Rhoades is pictured with musician Ebonee Thomas. The two have become wonderful friends through the housing program. Joan and Ebonee are pictured here in Austin, where Joan recently visited to see her perform! The last two photos show Board President and housing donors, Liz Hogan, and her husband, Keith Lucas, who recently traveled to Mexico to celebrate the wedding of their longtime hosted musician, Valory Hight! (Congratulations, as well, to Valory and her new husband!) These stories are perfect examples of the longterm, meaningful relationships that can develop through our housing program, and that we hope you'll create as a housing donor for our 2025 Festival Season! If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a housing donor for our 2025 season, we are currently seeking new and longtime housing donors to provide accommodations for our musicians for select date ranges during July 9-August 4, 2025. For more information, and to download the housing donor form, visit https://lnkd.in/gW5D9936. Thank you for helping support our Festival in such an important way!

We can't wait to welcome our phenomenal musicians back to Durango this summer, and we need your help in housing them! Become a housing donor for the 2025 Festival season, and consider opening your guest unit, condominium, or spacious private area in your home to our Music in the Mountains orchestra musicians. We are currently seeking new and longtime housing donors to provide accommodations for our musicians during the following date ranges: July 9-14; July 14-August 4; and July 18-August 4. Housing donations for musicians are a key element in the production of our summer festival. As one of the festival’s largest costs, we rely on the generosity of area property owners to offset our housing expenses. Housing donations count towards individual donor benefits, including complimentary concert tickets, open rehearsal day passes, and more. Thank you for helping us continue to offer our exceptional classical music festival to our region, and for helping us make our summer festival unforgettable for both our musicians and audience! For more information, and to download the housing donor form, visit https://lnkd.in/gW5D9936

We have been busy putting the final touches on our summer Festival schedule, and we can't wait to share all we have planned with you! Get ready for an unforgettable season of world-class performances and experiences, all set against our stunning Southwest Colorado backdrop. Stay tuned for the official release of our 2025 Festival schedule later this month, and be sure you're subscribed to our newsletter to be the first to know all the details! (If you aren't yet signed up, you can join at https://lnkd.in/e-6HrA2b).

We're #hiring! We are currently seeking a vibrant, dependable Summer Festival Assistant to join our team this summer! This part-time, seasonal role is perfect for college students eager to learn about event planning, teachers seeking additional summer income, or energetic retirees passionate about community involvement. Join our beloved summer festival and help us continue our tradition of celebrating music and culture in our community! If you or someone you know is looking to engage in meaningful work that brings music and joy to the community, all while gaining valuable experience in event planning and nonprofit operations, we invite you to view the full job description and apply at https://lnkd.in/gehPCk2v. Join us this summer to make lasting memories and connections while supporting an inspiring cultural tradition in Durango! ??

We are now accepting applications for students who wish to perform in our annual "Take a Bow" Community Concert on May 3rd, 2025! “Take a Bow” was designed to showcase our musical youth by giving our local music teachers a performance and recital opportunity for their students. It is open to solo performances on any instrument (instrumental solos which require piano accompaniment are accepted, with a piano provided at the venue). All genres and styles are accepted with no fees required. "Take a Bow" is open to all music students ages 5-18, and all students must be registered by their music teacher by April 1st, 2025. This is a perfect opportunity for any music student to perform in a formal recital and is being offered to our community of young musicians and their teachers at no charge! The concert will be open to the community, and will take place on May 3rd, 2025, at 4:00 pm at Roshong Recital Hall at Fort Lewis College, with a reception to follow. For more information, and to register online, visit https://lnkd.in/gFb7CuG8 Thank you for helping us spread the word by sharing this with any music teachers or students who would be interested in performing!

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of this year's youth scholarship programs! This year, between our 2025 Youth Ambassador Scholarship and our Juilliard Extension Scholarship, we are proud to present eight prestigious scholarship award packages to these incredible students. Scroll through to get to know each of the recipients, and please join us in congratulating these talented young local musicians! Thank you to all who support Music in the Mountains and our year-round education programs for making these opportunities possible! #musicscholarships #musiceducation

Please join us in welcoming two new members to our Board of Directors! The ongoing success of Music in the Mountains is due in large part to the strength and commitment of our dedicated Board, and we are proud to announce the appointment of two exceptional individuals: Renee Goodman and Debra May. Both bring a wealth of experience, dedication, and passion for the arts that will enhance our mission to share world-class music and educational programs with the community. Please join us in welcoming our newest board members, and read on to get to know them both! Renee Goodman is a daughter of Polish immigrants and Holocaust survivors, and brings a rich cultural and artistic background to the Board. Renee is an active member of the High Noon Rotary Club and is deeply committed to the community. She brings to the Board her artistic sensibility, business acumen, and a heartfelt belief in the healing power of music and art. Says Renee, “I am motivated to advance the mission of Music in the Mountains and bring its message to the Durango community and beyond." A proud Durango resident for over seven years, Debra May is a well-known community leader. Debra has extensive experience in fundraising and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves on the Boards of the Durango Cowboy Gathering and La Plata Open Space Conservancy and has been an active member and past president of Durango Friends of the Arts. “Music in the Mountains is the highlight of the year in Durango, and I’m excited to contribute to its success,” says Debra. “I’m passionate about supporting this incredible organization and promoting its positive impact on our community.” As we continue to inspire audiences with exceptional performances and educational programs, the addition of Renee and Debra to the Board of Directors reflects our commitment to growth, diversity, and excellence. We are very fortunate to have them by our side as we continue to grow and evolve! #boardofdirectors #community

Calling all businesses! You can support the arts and gain exposure for your brand by advertising in our 2025 Festival Program! Plus, if you reserve your ad space before January 31st, you'll enjoy our exclusive Early Bird discounted rates! Advertising in our festival program is an effective way to draw awareness of your brand among tourists and audiences alike, all while supporting an organization that fosters cultural and educational experiences in local schools all year long. Festival programs are distributed to approximately 15,000 attendees and enjoy substantial pass-along readership via circulation at sponsoring businesses, ensuring your ad will reach a wide and engaged audience. Ad sizes start at a quarter page and are accessible for businesses of all sizes, and artwork is not due until early May. We would love to have your business be part of our Festival in a whole new way by advertising with us this summer! Reserve your ad space for our 2025 festival program now, and take advantage of Early Bird pricing through January 31st! To reserve your space and view all advertising rates, as well as to take a peek inside last year's program, visit https://lnkd.in/gdFf79hQ.

There’s so much to come in the new year ahead, and we can’t wait to share it all with you later this spring! Until then, enjoy this little preview of just some of the things we have planned for 2025, which are all made possible by your support. ?? In one of the season’s first concerts, new Artistic Director Vadim Gluzman will perform and lead a festival strings ensemble in Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" masterpiece, alongside other works, including "Concerto per Archi" by Nino Rota, known as the composer for Fellini’s brilliant films. As if that weren’t enough, the same program will also feature Michi Wiancko’s "Folia," offering musicians a chance to play on wood blocks and tambourines, stomp their feet, and even jump if they can. ?? Mozart will have his moment with "Symphony No. 25" and "Piano Concerto No. 23," introducing a new pathway for the festival with acclaimed pianist Janice Carissa, the inaugural “Arkady Fomin Young Artist in Residence” in partnership with Vadim’s North Shore Chamber Music Festival “Stars of Tomorrow” program in Chicago. ?? Demarre McGill, one of the premier flute players of his generation, brings his lyrical expressiveness and technical prowess to Mozart’s "Concerto for Flute and Orchestra" on a program that also features Shostakovich’s mighty "Symphony No. 5." McGill has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Baltimore orchestras. ?? Plus, we’ll be taking our Dinner & Family Concert to a whole new level, with a performance of the world famous production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs! And yes, there will also be a Pops Night extravaganza featuring the incredible Pops conductor, Richard Kaufman, and amazing world music too! All of this is just a small taste of the thrilling 2025 festival we have planned for you this July 10-August 3, 2025. On behalf of our artistic leadership, board of directors, musicians, staff, and volunteers, we thank you, and wish you a very happy New Year! We cannot wait to share all that is ahead with you in 2025.

We're closing out the year with a very special message from our Artistic Director, Vadim Gluzman! Excitement for our 39th season has been building since we first announced Vadim's appointment as our next Artistic Director in September. Now, as we look ahead to 2025 on these final days of the year, we’re eagerly preparing to launch a bold new chapter in the Music in the Mountains story. We hope you will, as Vadim encourages, become supporters of Music in the Mountains, and help us share the excitement that our Festival brings to the community. As Vadim says, the essence of music-making is friendship, and we cannot wait to share the year ahead with all of you, our friends and supporters! If you would like to show your support financially before the end of the year, you can do so at https://lnkd.in/dbuvbrvN. Thank you for being an ambassador of our world-class organization!