At the beginning of this year, could any of us have imagined that the Bravo! Vail Music Festival would be bringing concerts to communities throughout the Valley on a mobile stage, applauding our piano and violin students' recitals on Zoom, or holding virtual lectures, receptions, and events? In these extraordinary times, we are more committed than ever to enriching people’s lives through the power of music, in a safe and responsible way.
From that deeply rooted commitment, we conceptualized new and innovative ways to safely bring music to the Vail Valley this summer. We presented live, limited-capacity concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and streamed them to audiences around the world. The new Bravo! Vail Music Box, a custom-designed mobile performance stage, transported musicians to settings throughout the Valley. Programs like the After-School Piano and Violin Program, Little Listeners, and Inside the Music all continued online, thanks to the generosity of our partners and patrons.
Bringing live music to our community has never been a greater privilege and has never held as profound a meaning, particularly during this 10th anniversary season of Anne-Marie McDermott's extraordinary leadership and artistic vision.
We express our endless gratitude to the many people who make this festival possible. Your generosity and loyalty brought live music to our community this summer, even during this unparalleled time of change and uncertainty. Your trust and investment brought to life the Festival's mission: enriching people's lives through the power of music. Thank you.
The 2020 Annual Report is also available as a digital PDF that can be downloaded and printed.
Click here for the printable 2020 Annual Report.
Bravo! Vail enriches people's lives through the power of music by producing the finest performances by the greatest artists, fostering music education, and promoting a lifelong appreciation of the arts.
The 2020 Festival was reimagined through strategic planning rooted in three guiding philosophies. Bravo! Vail's impact on the community and commitment to the mission; nourishing donor and patron relationships; and providing the highest level of artistic excellence.
The health and safety of our musicians, patrons, staff, and the community are our top priorities. If it is safe to do so, we are committed to fulfilling our mission of enriching people’s lives through the power of music.
The long-term relationships and trust with our donors, partners, and patrons is of utmost importance.
As always, all performances presented by Bravo! Vail will meet the Festival’s standards of artistic excellence.
What started as a far reaching idea during a Bravo! Vail staff meeting — a vision of a piano on a flatbed trailer — led to the construction of a brand new, custom-built mobile performance venue: the Bravo! Vail Music Box. Designed exclusively for Bravo! Vail, the Music Box is acoustically excellent, with room for a Yamaha AvantGrand piano and chamber ensemble. Throughout the Bravo! Vail season, the Music Box traveled up and down the Vail Valley, bringing joy at each performance, both on stage and in the audience.
Individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations volunteered to host Community Concerts. Over the course of the summer season, musicians performed 41 concerts in outdoor community settings from East Vail to Gypsum, with more than 1,000 people attending, following all safety protocols including mask-wearing and social distancing.
Donors and their invited guests enjoyed beautiful music during our Front Porch Serenades, at which the Music Box was placed in a driveway or a neighborhood common area for an exclusive live performance.
Inside the Music moved from stage to screen and remained an intimate look into musicians' lives and their perspectives on music making, in the context of today’s world.
Little Listeners moved from local libraries to living rooms, broadening this program’s reach to communities everywhere.
In place of the traditional receptions, Cocktails & Conversation events were held via Zoom on what would have been opening night of each orchestra’s residency.
The Golden Circle Soirée, an exclusive event for Bravo! Vail’s most generous and dedicated donors.
Inside the Music moved from stage to screen and remained an intimate look into musicians' lives and their perspectives on music making, in the context of today’s world. Each episode included artist interviews and a musical performance, all filmed in Vail.
The episodes are available on Bravo! Vail’s website, and together comprise a fascinating mini-series documenting the 2020 season.
All episodes are available online.
Episode I: Anne-Marie McDermott, Bach & Shostakovich
Episode II: Dover Quartet & Beethoven
Episode III: Ida Kavafian & Beethoven Sonatas
Episode IV: The Neubauer Family
Little Listeners moved from local libraries to living rooms, broadening this program’s reach to communities everywhere. Bravo! Vail’s youngest listeners explored a musical idea or concept with Bravo! Vail’s resident artists via weekly interactive performances on Zoom. Each age-appropriate program introduced new themes, followed by an at-home musical activity using household items.
In place of the traditional receptions, Cocktails & Conversation events were held via Zoom on what would have been opening night of each orchestra’s residency. Donors enjoyed interactive conversations with Bravo! Vail leadership, musicians, and special guests from orchestra partners, discussing Bravo! Vail’s history, evolution, and future.
The Golden Circle Soirée, an exclusive event for Bravo! Vail’s most generous and dedicated donors, safely welcomed a limited audience to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, and was also available via live stream for those who preferred to experience world-class chamber music from the comfort of their homes.
Investing in recording and broadcast technology allowed Bravo! Vail to maintain the level of excellence that our audiences expect, both online and in person.
Six cameras with cinema-quality lenses were strategically positioned around the stage and seating areas of the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Camera moves followed the musical score, creating exceptionally sensitive and profound virtual concert experiences masterminded by Tristan Cook, Bravo! Vail’s Filmmaker-in-Residence.
These streamed concert programs have been viewed over 6,500 times by people from 28 countries and all 50 states.
In response to the limited capacity requirement, which extended not only to the audience but the musicians on stage as well, Bravo! Vail went back to its roots with intimate, powerful, and inspiring chamber music.
The 2020 Festival also included a new series, Immersive Experiences. Performed over three consecutive days, this series created a fascinating journey into one of the most innovative and influential composers of all time.
With just a handful of musicians on the stage, and a socially distanced, masked audience in the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, the Thursday Evening Chamber Concerts took on remarkable intimacy and intensity. Live streaming expanded access to virtuoso performances of beloved repertoire for a global audience.
As a new series in 2020, listeners immersed themselves in Beethoven's complete sonatas for violin and piano. Bravo! Vail's Artistic Director, Anne-Marie McDermott and Bravo's founding Artistic Director, Ida Kavafian performed the sonatas in their entirety over three consecutive days. Pre-concert lectures and artist talkbacks added to the immersive experience and was unlike anything the Festival had presented before.
Bravo! Vail invited a small group of chamber musicians to spend the summer in Vail and perform in a variety of concerts up and down the Valley. During their residency, each of the musicians played a critical role to fulfilling Bravo's mission and expressed pure joy at the opportunity to perform and share the power of music with our incredible community of music lovers.
“I will never forget the conversations with musicians that we invited to come to Vail this summer. It was important that they were not only great musicians, but also could embrace the spirit that we wanted to bring to our Vail community. And after months of uncertainty, the thought of being able to come together and make music was overwhelming.
My sense was that once live music came to Vail, there would be an exhilaration and joy like none of us had ever experienced, even for those of us with long careers in music. That is exactly what happened. Every single performance was life-changing. We were—and remain—filled with gratitude to have had the opportunity to make music together in the beautiful Vail Valley during this unforgettable season."
–Anne-Marie McDermott, Music Director
The entire Bravo! Vail community celebrates the 10th anniversary of Anne-Marie McDermott's extraordinary direction and vision as Artistic Director of the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. Her artistic inspiration and unwavering commitment to our community were particularly instrumental to the success of this year's Festival, and we are proud to have her leadership through 2023.
In honor of this milestone, Bravo! Vail has commissioned a piano concerto for Anne-Marie by the acclaimed American composer Chris Rogerson, with its world premiere planned in Vail.
In striving to fulfill our mission of enriching lives through the power of music during this unusual time, Bravo! Vail stretched its imagination to create meaningful experiences for the children in our community in a safe and healthy way.
More than 700 people tuned in to Zoom for eight year-end recitals of Bravo! Vail’s After School Piano and Violin Programs this spring, more than doubling the typical in-person attendance of 300.
After-School Programs
A Music Box recital at Red Sandstone Elementary School included performances from five after-school program students.
More than 70 families registered for Little Listeners in Your Living Room, which featured interactive educational performances by resident musicians on Zoom, followed by an at-home musical activity using household items like pots and pans.
Congratulations to Carlos J. Taal Jimenez, winner of the 2020 Luis D Juarez Honorary Music Award!
“I will use the scholarship to continue to pursue a Bachelors in Music/Jazz Studies and Business Marketing degree. I hope to continue to encompass many qualities that fit Bravo’s statement: ‘Bravo! Vail supports the next generation of performers, administrators, and music-lovers.”
Bravo! Vail will forever be grateful to our generous donors whose support made it possible for the power of music to resonate throughout the Vail Valley, especially during this singular 2020 season.
Festival photography provided by
Tomas Cohen Photography
Festival Filmmaker-in-Residence
Tristan Cook
877.812.5700
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