Denver, CO – December 11, 2013 – World-renowned banjo player and bluegrass legend Béla Fleck will again pair with the Colorado Symphony, performing as a co-headliner at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The largest ensemble to ever play the Telluride Bluegrass stage, Fleck and the CSO perform together on Friday, June 19, 2014.
Fleck and the CSO join Sam Bush on the roster for the four-day festival, which runs June 19-22, 2014 at Telluride’s Town Park. More than one dozen additional feature artists will be announced next week. Now in its 41st year, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is among the world’s most beloved summer music festivals, drawing 10,000 music fans to the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado each Summer solstice weekend.
Fleck and the Colorado Symphony will perform The Imposter, Fleck’s original and acclaimed concerto for banjo and orchestra, which premiered at Boettcher Concert Hall in May 2013. Scott O’Neil will conduct. The festival appearance anchors a short CSO tour of southern Colorado.
In addition to The Imposter, the May 2013 concert with the Colorado Symphony included Fleck’s arrangements of classical works, including Debussy’s Children’s Corner and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Conducted by O’Neil, the concert was a highly collaborative showcase for Fleck and the CSO, featuring solos from ClaudeSim (violin), SilverAinomäe (cello) and KarlFenner (bass).
“We’re excited to be working with Béla again, who is one of the world’s great banjo virtuosos, and also a skilled and creative composer,” said Anthony Pierce, Vice President of Artistic Administration for the Colorado Symphony. “Performing at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to introduce our musicians to thousands of bluegrass fans, who will have a chance to hear symphonic music in a new way. Like Telluride’s ‘Festivarians,’ the CSO loves strings and acoustic instruments. It’s a perfect combination.”
Four-day passes for this year’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival sold out in ten minutes after going on sale December 6; single-day tickets for Friday and Saturday sold-out a few hours later.
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ABOUT THE TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
From the beginning, Telluride Bluegrass has embraced the broad branches of American roots music, inviting bluegrass/rock/reggae/jazz renegades New Grass Revival (led by Sam Bush and John Cowan) to headline the 2nd Annual festival. Since then the annual event has cultivated an adventurous acoustic genre all its own, every year hosting only-in-Telluride collaborations with many of the world’s greatest musicians. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival is produced by Lyons-based Planet Bluegrass.
ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY
The Colorado Symphony performs more than 150 concerts during its regular season at Boettcher Concert Hall and on location throughout the state and region. 2013/14 season highlights include appearances by virtuoso violinists Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell, and classical pianists Natasha Paremski and Stephen Hough. This season’s Pops and Classic Rock series feature rock greats, iconic film scores and Broadway blockbusters. The Holiday, Family and Inside the Score series offer musical favorites, captivating collaborations and interactive concerts for music lovers of all ages. The 2014/15 season will be announced in March 2014.For more about the Colorado Symphony visit coloradosymphony.org.