Superstar violinist Joshua Bell headlines the National Repertory Orchestra’s Denver debut on July 9th at the Newman Center. Bell, along with the young professional musicians of the NRO, will perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin. CPR Classical will be there and we hope you will join us!

Summerfest Postcards are audio snapshots of some of Colorado’s summertime classical music festivals. There are nearly 20 festivals across the state, from a small chamber music series in Denver, to a mountain festival so large it drives the summer economy of its host town.

Colorado summers bring musicians from around the world to play in festivals across the state. From symphonies in ski towns to metropolitan chamber music, the Centennial State is a destination for classical music.

Venezuelan-born male soprano Samuel Mariño is bringing the artform back into the spotlight with a stunning natural voice and gender-defying performances.

Sundays started with Mass for the Mozart family who were working musicians for the Archbishop’s weekly church service. But after Mass, Sundays were spent with friends playing games, drinking beer and going for strolls. The Mozarts like to bowl and play Bölzlschiessen, a game of shooting darts at painted targets with air guns.

Spirituals are rooted in a history of pain and hope. Today, Colorado Matters presents a “Journey to Freedom” with the Spirituals Project Choir based at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Our colleagues at CPR Classical spent the last year sharing spirituals chosen by the choir’s director, M. Roger Holland II.

This Juneteenth, pianist Lara Downes remembers the freedom that has been hard fought and hard won.

The first several decades of 4th of July celebrations meant nothing to those who were enslaved. What was there to celebrate? M. Roger Holland, II shares why Juneteenth takes on a meaning of independence. And it’s all related to the spiritual “Great Gettin’ Up Morning” as part of Journey to Freedom: The Spirituals Radio Project.