You gotta love Colorado summer traditions: chasing down wildflowers, firing up the grill, hiking through the Rockies, and setting your radio to CPR Classical! Tune in for Summerfest 2025, June 23 through Aug. 17, an eight-week celebration of Colorado summer and music festivals here in the Centennial State.
Calendar of special events
Along with your daily dose of festivals on Summerfest Spotlight, tune in for these special events, and scroll to read details about each:
| June 23 | Daily | BROADCAST: Summerfest Spotlight begins daily! Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at noon. |
| June 25 | 9 a.m., 6 p.m. | BROADCAST: Wednesday Aspen Takeover of Summerfest spotlight begins. Listen every Wednesday. |
| June 27 | 3 - 7 p.m. | BROADCAST: Patty Painter-Wakefield hosts our Summerfest 2025 kick-off block party! |
| June 29 | noon | BROADCAST: Bravo! Sundays from Vail of Summerfest spotlight begins. Listen every Sunday with host Jessie Jacobs. |
| June 30 | 9 a.m., 6 p.m. | BROADCAST: Grieg’s Peer Gynt at the Colorado Music Festival featuring Kabin Thomas as narrator (2024 recording). |
| July 4 | 1 p.m. | BROADCAST: The all-American Aspen Music Festival and School’s 2024 Independence Day concert. |
| July 16 | 1 p.m. | BROADCAST: Grieg’s Peer Gynt at the Colorado Music Festival featuring Kabin Thomas as narrator (2024 recording). |
| July 20 | 6:30 p.m. | EVENT: Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 with the Colorado Music Festival. See you at the Chautauqua in Boulder! |
| Aug. 3 | 12 p.m. | BROADCAST: Grieg’s Peer Gynt at the Colorado Music Festival featuring Kabin Thomas as narrator (2024 recording). |
| Aug. 10 | 4 p.m. | EVENT: CPR Classical Presents: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich and the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, streamed LIVE from Aspen at the Denver Art Museum. See you at the DAM! |
What's on your radio this summer?
Patty Painter-Wakefield puts on her chef’s apron — invite the neighbors, set up your Bluetooth or smart speaker, maybe the BBQ and Adirondack chairs. Then, join thousands of classical listeners across Colorado from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27, to hear a season preview of summer festivals from Bravo! Vail, Aspen, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, and more.
CPR Classical brings the Colorado festivals to you daily — tune in Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at noon for a celebration of festivals like the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado College Summer Music Festival in Colorado Springs, Central City Opera, the National Repertory Orchestra and more. And to sweeten the deal, hear recent festival recordings every week during our Wednesday Aspen Takeover and Bravo! Sundays from Vail.
It’s a great American concert celebration for the Fourth of July. Tune in at 1 p.m. for a special broadcast of Aspen Music Festival and School’s 2024 Independence Day concert. Join in the sing-along and hear the National Youth Piping Band of Scotland.
Listen to the Colorado Music Festival’s 2024 performance of Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt, with a special twist! Hear Henrik Ibsen’s story hosted by CPR Classical’s own Kabin Thomas in his unique, contemporary narration. CMF Orchestra conducted by Gemma New.
- June 30, 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- July 16, 1 p.m.
- Aug. 3, 12 p.m.
- July 20, 6:30 p.m. CPR Classical Presents: Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 with The Colorado Music Festival at Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium.
- Aug. 10, 4 p.m. CPR Classical Presents: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich and the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, streamed LIVE from Aspen at the Denver Art Museum.
In addition to Aug. 10’s Aspen LIVE at the Denver Art Museum, stay tuned for more information on upcoming Aspen livestreams you’ll be able to watch here at cprclassical.org!
What’s looking good around the state this summer?
It wouldn’t be a Colorado summer without Colorado summer music festivals. Here’s what caught our eye on the concert calendar and our picks of programs to check out:
Aspen Music Festival and School
July 2: A free Mariachi Celebration concert
July 7: A special recital with violinist Tessa Lark, cellist Joshua Roman, and bassist Edgar Meyer
Aug. 10: CPR Classical Presents Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich streamed LIVE at the Denver Art Museum
Aug. 15: Violinist Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1
Read more about their season.
Colorado Music Festival
July 3 & 6: Helene Grimaud plays Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1
July 10 & 11: The world premiere of Joan Tower’s “Love Returns” for saxophone and orchestra
July 20: CPR Classical Presents Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1
July 27: Xuefei Yang plays Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”
Read more about their season.
Bravo! Vail
June 22: Yefim Bronfman plays Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
June 25: A free concert featuring the Sinfónica de Minería String Quartet
July 10: Gil Shaham plays Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” with the Philadelphia Orchestra
July 23: Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé” with the New York Philharmonic
Read more about their season.
National Repertory Orchestra
June 28: Strauss’ “Don Juan” and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4
July 4: Fourth of July Spectacular
July 26: Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” and Brahms’ Double Concerto
August 6: Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Schumann‘s Symphony No. 1 ‘Spring’
Read more about their season.
Need more music in your life? Check out our classical ensemble guide to discover even more groups performing this summer.
Hear CPR Classical by clicking “Listen Live” at the top of this website, or download the Colorado Public Radio app. Listen on your radio to CPR Classical at 88.1 FM in Denver, at radio signals around Colorado. You can also tell your smart speaker to “Play CPR Classical."
