Just as the first few flakes of snow signal the start of Winter, summer doesn't officially return to the Vail Valley until Bravo! has begun its season. The legendary classical music festival, which has been responsible for bringing some of the nation's greatest orchestras to the Valley, is now celebrating its 20th year, and the 2007 season promises to be one of its most ambitious. The Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival was created in 1987 by co-founders John Giovando and acclaimed violinist Ida Kavafian following their successful joint venture, the New Mexico Chamber Music Festival. From its humble beginnings, the festival has grown to rival the very landscape that houses it, due in part to the guiding hand of renowned flutist Eugenia Zukerman who took over the role of Artistic Director for the festival in 1998.The Bravo! Festival is a perfect fit for the Vail Valley, as large-scale orchestras play epic music while nestled in a landscape that can only be described in the same manner. Concert halls be damned, Bravo! places booming classical works where they belong, juxtaposed next to the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. A juxtaposition which will be evermore evident and alive this year as the New York Philharmonic, now in its fifth year of residency, offers the Vail premiere Kevin Puts' Two Mountain Scenes, a work commissioned by the Philharmonic and Bravo!.The festival runs from June 24 through Aug. 2, with more performances than we could hope to list here, but we've managed to narrow down our picks for the season. First, make sure you catch at least one performance by Bravo's three resident orchestras- The New York Philharmonic (fifth year), The Rochester Philharmonic (17th year) and The Philadelphia Orchestra, celebrating its first year of residency. Additionally, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus will be returning for its second straight year, offering powerful vocal performances that are not to be missed. Perhaps the performance we are most looking forward to is the one that will kick off the festival. On June 24, Congo Square with Winston Marsalis will open what promises to be a great season. The jazz legend Marsalis, backed by the incomparable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, combined with Yacub Addy's Ghanaian percussion and vocal ensemble Odadaaa! to create Congo Square, a hybrid of traditional African music and jazz that celebrates the roots of African music in America. The combined ensemble only formed just last year and the Valley is extremely fortunate that Bravo! was able to secure the performance for this year's festival. Other highlights for the season include a July 2 performance by Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers and her band, an evening with folk icon Judy Collins on July 18, and a July 21 performance by piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson.The majority of Bravo's performances will take place at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, with more intimate performances at smaller venues. For a complete schedule, check www.vailmusicfestival.org or call 1-877-812-5700 for tickets. And be sure to catch Plum's extensive coverage of the festival throughout the season.
Video
Our favorite moments from the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in 2006; includes interviews with world renowned conductors and musicians.
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