Bravo! Vail Music Festival 2026
39th Season | June 25 – August 6, 2026
The Bravo! Vail Music Festival (Bravo! Vail) announces its 39th Festival season, returning June 25 to August 6, 2026, with more than 60 concerts throughout Colorado’s Vail Valley region. The six-week festival features internationally acclaimed orchestras—Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic—alongside distinguished chamber ensembles and guest artists from around the world.
The centerpiece of the season is a festival-long celebration of Anne-Marie McDermott’s 16-year tenure and her last as Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail. Highlights include McDermott’s performances of all five Beethoven piano concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the world premiere of Prayer for the Living by Aaron Jay Kernis—a commissioned gift to McDermott from Bravo! Vail, and collaborative performances with pianists Yefim Bronfman, Anton Nel, Gregory Anderson, and Elizabeth Roe.
Additionally, McDermott presents pianists Illia Ovcharenko, Ilya Shmukler, Fei-Fei Dong, and Chaeyoung Park in the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas in eight free concerts at the Vail Interfaith Chapel—an extraordinary artistic and educational offering for the community. Taking place throughout July, the concerts are offered free to the public with additional details and availability announced in March 2026.
“During the interview process for my job as Artistic Director of the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, I recorded my ideas and aspirations for the Festival in a small notebook,” said McDermott. “When I leaf through its pages now, I am astonished and humbled to see just how many ideas were brought to life over the course of 16 summers. In 2010, I imagined the Festival becoming a ‘hotbed’ for international musical talent and a place where musical dreams come true. As we announce the 2026 season, my last as Artistic Director, what I once could only imagine is today a reality, thanks to an extraordinary community built on generosity and trust, and inspired by excellence and a genuine passion for music. I could not be more grateful.”
Consistently cited as one of the top 10 classical music festivals in the country, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival brings world-renowned musicians to picturesque venues throughout the Vail and Eagle River Valley region for six weeks, drawing music lovers from around the world. The only festival in North America to host four of the world’s finest orchestras in a single season, Bravo! Vail celebrates its 39th season from June 25-August 6, 2026, with approximately 60 concerts—almost half of which are presented for free. Beyond its summer programming, Bravo! Vail serves the community by providing year-round low-cost music education through Music Makers Haciendo Música, a piano, violin, guitar, cello, and ensemble instruction program to help develop new generations of musicians and music lovers. Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott has led the Festival since 2011. “[Bravo! Vail] is the most high-profile — and high altitude — mountain music festival in America.” – The Times (UK) Event details, including all artists and programs are subject to change.
Visit BravoVail.org for complete season information and updates.
