The 2025 concert season has come to a close, and we’ve got our eyes on summertime concerts around the state. Whether you’re local to Colorado's plethora of summer classical music festivals or you’re up for a trip, check out our picks for concerts this June.
Denver Chamber Music Festival: Beethoven’s complete works for cello + piano
June 9 & 10, 7:30 p.m., Newman Center
It’s a cornucopia of Beethoven across two programs. The Colorado Cello Quartet is made up of cello stars local to Colorado, and they bring you Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano. It marks the start of the five-day festival.
Flatirons Chamber Music Festival: The Space Between Us
June 15, 4 p.m., Ruby Red Farm
This short festival is packed with meaning. Their second program and its title are inspired by none other than a thought-provoking quote by Yo-Yo Ma: “create a connection in the space between yourself and another person or group of people, and then allow something beautiful to flow between you.”
Hear music featuring Inuit throat singers, Mendelssohn's joyous Quintet in B Flat Major, a piece Ravel considered a turning point in his career and two duos connected to Colorado.
National Repertory Orchestra: Discover Dreams
June 21, 6 p.m., Riverwalk Center
Whimsy meets romance meets drama. Conductor Michael Stern and the National Repertory Orchestra explore dreams and their ability to inspire life in a program of masterworks by Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Tchaikovsky.
Bravo! Vail: Brahms Piano Quintet with McDermott + Minería
June 24, 7 p.m., Donovan Pavilion
Back by popular demand this year (and I am certainly one of their adoring Colorado fans), the Sinfónica de Minería String Quartet teams up with Artistic Director and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott to kick off Bravo! Vail’s chamber series. Some of the same musicians who made last year’s performance so unforgettable return, including conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto on violin and cellist William Cestari.
Brahms’ Piano Quintet is the centerpiece, with exciting percussive works to round out the program.
Strings Music Festival: Contrasts in Classical
June 28, 7 p.m., Strings Music Pavilion
The Strings Music Festival isn’t exclusively classical, but we love its unique line-up. Where else can you hear Mary Chapin Carpenter and a Mozart Horn Concerto on opening weekend? The opening classical concert features a nonet of musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra playing Haydn, Rossini, and Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3, featuring hornist Nathaniel Silberschlag.
Central City Opera: The Barber of Seville
June 28, 7:30 p.m., Central City Opera House
The 2025 season for the fifth-oldest professional opera company in the country kicks off with Rossini’s timeless “The Barber of Seville.” And since this is opening night, check out the opening night dinner or the pre-concert talk. Rossini’s matchmaking barber is up to his hijinks again.
Telluride MusicFest: An die Musik
June 29, 6 p.m., Mai Residence
A celebration of German and Austrian music kicks off the 47th season of MusicFest from Telluride Chamber Music. You’ll hear some of the greatest names in the game - Beethoven, Brahms, Bach and more - in an intimate performance and reception.
And, of course, check out what you can hear on CPR Classical's Summerfest this year, from Aspen, Vail and beyond.
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, or on radio signals around Colorado. You can also tell your smart speaker to “Play CPR Classical."
