Hot Summer Days Cooled Off in Breckenridge Style

When most people think of Colorado, they immediately associate skiing, snowboarding, and snow packed mountains with the home of the Rocky Mountains. However, once the snow melts and the weather warms, Colorado gives new meaning to summertime. Colorful wildflowers spring into bloom as locals and visitors replace ski goggles with sunglasses and snow boots with flip flops. In fact, many may even argue that skiing and snowboarding are merely activities to keep the state busy in anticipation for the popular festival season that marks a true Colorado summer.

While each mountain town plays host to its own lineup of events, Breckenridge has traditionally provided residents and visitors with a variety of classical and contemporary concerts throughout the summer. Located at the Town of Breckenridge Riverwalk Center, the ten-week music festival has been a constant summer tradition since 1981.

Surrounded by the quaint shops, cafes and Breckenridge lodging options that line the historic Town of Breckenridge, the Riverwalk Center's amphitheatre is an award-winning performing arts facility nested on the banks of the Blue River. At 9,600 feet, the music combines with the Rocky Mountain scenery to create a perfect Colorado summer evening.

Breckenridge's Summer Music Festival quickly heats up with the Blue River Series on Friday, June 27th. The soulful and poignant voice of Richie Havens graces the Riverwalk Center with what's sure to be an unforgettable experience shared by a musician who was not only a prominent act at Woodstock, but also in the Greenwich Village music scene in the early 1960s. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show. The concert starts at 7:30pm.

July brings the Cowboy Junkies to the stage on the 11^th as the four original members combine the genres of country and rock in a performance that will likely combine popular favorites with rare gems. The show starts at 7:30pm and tickets are $34 in advance ($39 day of show).

Ensuring that Breckenridge gets a mixed dose of musical styles, Grammy nominee Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy bring fierce fiddle playing to the stage and will surely have the audience participating in the Celtic tradition of step dancing. This Sunday evening performance gets started at 7:30 on July 20^th with advance tickets selling for $28 ($34 day of show).

In addition to these national acts that make up the non-classical Blue River Series, The Breckenridge Music Festival also hosts The Champagne Series from mid-July through mid-Augusts. Local residents open their homes to classical music in an intimate setting ten Sundays through the summer, making the series not only a local favorite, but a treat for visitors as well. Receptions are held before each concert with dessert served after. Tickets are $40.

The Blue River Series and The Champagne Series are only a part of the scene of the Breckenridge Music Festival. Chamber and orchestra concerts round out the musical series with a variety of performances that run through August 16^th. While traditional concerts include the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, other nights are reserved for specialty themes, such as "Swinging at the Summit" (July 31^st), "Slavic Fest" (August 1^st), "Baroque Bash" (August 5^th), Brass Night (August 6^th), "Love in Vienna" (August 8^th), "Porgy and Bess and the American Theatre" (August 9^th), "Cabaret Night" (August 13^th), and "American Dances" (August 15^th).

The variety of genres and acts that will grace the town of Breckenridge this summer is sure to appeal to most any music lover. After a sunny day of enjoying the many activities the mountains have to offer, the Breckenridge Summer Music Festival cools down the day in true Colorado style.