More Than Music
Michael Sachs conducts on opening night of the Classical Music Series at Strings Music Pavilion in 2023. Courtesy of Strings Music Festival / Daniel Kelley.
Strings Music Festival is synonymous with music in the mountains but it wasn’t until the pavilion was built in 2008 that their programming expanded. With indoor facilities, executive director Elissa Greene was able to start an education program, rent the space to other community entities and host winter shows, effectively bringing year-round programming to Steamboat Springs.
In the decade and a half since, that programming has taken off. “It was really a mission that we should be serving our community year-round,especially since they helped us build the facility,” says Katie Carroll, Strings’ director of programs.
That vision for the community inspired Strings to house community events, like CASA’s popular Dancing with the Stars annual fundraiser and Steamboat Symphony Orchestra concerts several times per year. Between these community events, Strings School Days programming (which hosted eight events in the pavilion last fall) and concerts, the facility has gone from being mostly empty to mostly full. And, 60% of those programs are free, including Strings School Days programming for students in pre-k through twelfth grade, Intersections at Steamboat Art Museum and Music on the Green.
Patrons gather for Music on the Green on Thursdays during the summer months at the Yampa River Botanic Park to catch a free Strings performance. Courtesy of Strings Music Festival.
Still best known for their concert lineup, the process to book artists has improved as Strings has formed stronger connections with various musicians. In 2023-2024, there will be 15 evening concerts between November and March, a jump from past years when, in 2019, there were just seven.
Several years ago, as the board considered their mission, they decided to explore presenting more comedy. That led to hosting Second City for the past few winters, which led to crossover in the literary world, most recently hosting Fran Lebowitz and David Sedaris last summer.
New programming is not something that Strings has shied away from. “We’re working on presenting more theater,” Katie says. “We’ve done it successfully with Strings School Days for several years but we want to make it available for everyone, not just the schools.
In 2024, Strings will focus on adding more theater and comedy to the lineup as well as providing more all-ages programming, especially in the fall and winter. “We want to provide more for families in the community and not just evening concert-goers,” Katie says. For family shows, Strings offers lower ticket prices, shorter shows (60 minutes), and an earlier start time.
They are also working to expand community partnerships for new free programming; in 2024 Strings will again partner with Steamboat Art Museum to present three free classical concerts. This was a partnership from previous years that is expanding because of popularity, with over 100 people at past concerts.
At the end of the day, Katie says, it all comes down to balance. “Balance for the entire year and not just one season is always top of my mind,” she says. “Our space is here and we want people to be in it, and that’s people of all ages.”