America is a melting pot and its classical music is no different. The 4th of July is the perfect time to celebrate the diversity in American concert music. We asked you what your favorite American music was, and you delivered! We’ve put together the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming weekend.

Every summer the classical music world comes to Colorado. The Centennial State boasts more summer classical music festivals per capita than any other state! With nearly 20 festivals, it’s impossible to get to all the concerts you’d like to see, so CPR Classical brings the music to you during our 10-week Summerfest programming special.

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.

When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at the age of 35, he left his wife Constanze with two children, almost no money and his manuscripts. Constanze was determined to keep her beloved husband’s memory and music alive. “She did everything she possibly could to promote Mozart,” says Colorado pianist Katie Mahan.

Vijay Gupta was a 19-year-old violin prodigy when he joined the LA Philharmonic. Now he runs Street Symphony, an organization bringing music to clinics, jails and homeless shelters on Skid Row.

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.