Colorado MahlerFest facts for kids

Colorado MahlerFest is a special yearly event held in Boulder, Colorado. It celebrates the amazing music of an Austrian composer named Gustav Mahler. Each year, the festival focuses on one of Mahler's big symphonies. While its official name is "Colorado MahlerFest," people often just call it "MahlerFest" followed by a Roman numeral, like MahlerFest XXXV. It's one of only two groups in North America to win a special Gold Medal from the International Gustav Mahler Society!

What is MahlerFest?

MahlerFest is a festival that brings Mahler's powerful music to life. It's a chance for people to hear his symphonies performed live. These are often very long and grand pieces of music. The festival also explores Mahler's music in new ways.

The Festival's Founders and Leaders

The festival was started by a conductor named Robert Olson. He led MahlerFest for many years until he retired in 2015. A conductor is someone who directs an orchestra. After Robert Olson, Kenneth Woods became the new Artistic Director in 2016. The Artistic Director helps decide what music will be played and how the festival will run.

New Music and Young Talent

Kenneth Woods has brought new ideas to MahlerFest. He has added more contemporary music. This means music written by composers living today. The festival also invites "Visiting Composers" each year. Some of these have included Jesse Jones and David Matthews.

MahlerFest has even presented the first performances in America of some pieces. These are called "American premieres." For example, they performed Kurt Schwertsik's 'Nachtmusiken' for the first time in the U.S.

The festival also helps young conductors learn and grow. They have a special program called The Mahler Conducting Fellowship. Many talented young conductors have been part of this program.

Exploring Mahler's Music Deeply

MahlerFest works hard to understand Mahler's music as best as possible. They study how Mahler wanted his music to be played. They also use the newest scholarly editions of his music. These are special versions of the music score that have been carefully checked by experts.

The festival has even performed world premieres of new versions of Mahler's music. A "world premiere" means it's the very first time a piece is performed anywhere. For example, in 2017, they played a new version of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. In 2019, they performed the new official editions of Mahler's First Symphony and a piece called Blumine.

Learning from Experts

Each year, MahlerFest hosts a special meeting called a symposium. At this symposium, leading experts on Mahler come from all over the world. They share their knowledge and discoveries about Mahler's life and music. Past speakers have included famous scholars like Donald Mitchell and Henry-Louis de La Grange.

Awards and Recognition

Colorado MahlerFest received a very important award. It was given the gold medal of the International Gustav Mahler Society in Vienna. This happened in September 2005. This award shows how important and respected MahlerFest is in the world of classical music.