2018 Festival Highlights
Some of our favorite moments from our 2018 summer festival
In 2018 our beloved Durango was impacted by the 416 Fire, which lasted from June 1 to July 9, 2018.
Despite this, we were able to hold our summer classical music festival in a time when the healing power of music was needed the most.
Read on for some of the highlights from our 2018 festival, including the performance by our Festival Orchestra of an original composition, “Brighter Than the Flames,” by David Sterrett, commissioned in honor of all emergency personnel who responded to the 416 Fire.
The Hunts, Backtrack Vocals, and Green Eggs & Ham!
Our 2018 festival kicked off on July 7th, 2018, with The Hunts, an indie-folk band from the southlands of Chesapeake, Virginia. These seven siblings with a passion for creating compelling music and collaborating around each other’s gifts of writing, composing, and musicianship gave us a thrilling performance at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center.
Our annual Chocolate Indulgence event, with views of the Twilight Peaks and featuring delicious artisan dessert “duets” created by Animas Chocolate Company and the Ore House, was complemented by an incredible performance by a cappella powerhouse Backtrack Vocals.
Our annual family picnic and concert was held July 12th, 2018, at the Community Concert Hall, as we spent our evening with Sam-I-Am in an orchestral celebration of
Dr. Seuss.
Fairy Tales Under the Festival Tent at Purgatory Resort
From Sleeping Beauty to Prince Charming, our 2018 classical music festival was a musical fairy tale!
Featuring an incredible lineup of world-renowned guest musicians and conductors, our 2018 Festival Orchestra concerts included performances such as:
Fairy Tales
Featuring Aviram Reichert on the piano and performances of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Op. 35.
Through the Looking Glass
Featuring Narek Hakhnazaryan on the cello and performances of Adams’ The Chairman Dances, Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, and R. Strauss’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Suite, Op. 60.
Baba Yaga
Andrew Hilary Grams joined us as guest conductor and Katherine Steele was featured on the oboe. Musical selections included Mussorgsky’s Prelude to Khovanshchina, Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C, K. 314, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Wanderer Fantasy
Pianist Andrey Ponochevny joined Maestro Guillermo Figueroa and our Festival Orchestra for an evening of fantastic music, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B-flat, Op. 60, Fantasie in C, Op., 15 D. 760, “Wanderer Fantasy”, by Schubert/Liszt, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, Op. 36.
Beauty and the Beast
Featuring violinist Sirena Huang, “Beauty and the Beast” showcased pieces by Brahms (Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a), Barber (Violin Concerto, Op. 14), and Mendelssohn (Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”).
Prince Charming
The finale to our 2018 festival featured Philippe Quint on violin and our Festival Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Overture to Fidelio, Op. 72, Bolcom’s Violin Concerto in D, and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 in G, Op. 88.
Chamber Concerts in Unique Venues Around the Region
Our 2018 summer festival featured five intimate chamber concerts in venues across Durango. Highlights include:
Where the Wild Things Are
Featuring Narek Hakhnazaryan on the cello and Aviram Reichert on the piano, and held at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez, this wonderful chamber concert featured selections from Fauré, Tchaikovsky, and more.
The Bear
Our annual chamber concert held at First United Methodist Church featured intimate performances of Nielsen’s Serenata in vano, Szewczyk’s Three Episodes for Violin, Oboe, Bassoon, and Cello, and Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat. Op. 20.
Sleeping Beauty
Held under the shadows of the San Juan Mountains at Cascade Village Event Center, this chamber concert featured performances of Dvorák’s String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 97 and Brahms’ String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 18.
The Julius Quartet
The fabulous Julius Quartet joined us at Roshong Hall at Fort Lewis College for an intimate evening which included selections by Wolf, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn.
The Angel
Our final chamber concert of 2018 was held at St. Columba Catholic Church in Durango and featured performances of Graun’s Viola Concerto in E-flat, Cv:XIII:116, Mozart’s Concertone for Two Violins in C, K. 190, and Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D, BWV 1068.
The Nightowls, Pops Night Dinner & Concert, and "I Love a Piano"!
Our World Music and Pops concerts in 2018 included amazing and spirited performances under our Festival Tent at Purgatory Resort.
The Nightowls, a ten-piece ensemble that Austin Monthly named a “band to watch” brought their smooth blend of pop, R&B, and funk to the stage.
At our annual Pops Night Dinner & Concert, guest conductor Richard Kaufman and vocalist Whitney Kaufman delighted with an evening celebrating the music of Henry Mancini.
Pianist and vocalist Tony DeSare joined guest conductor Thomas Heuser and our Festival Orchestra for an infectious evening featuring DeSare’s fresh take on classics old and new, from Gershwin to Debussy to Prince.
Experience our festival for yourself!