There’s a change in the atmosphere at Music in the Mountains. It’s palpable – if undecipherable.
Throughout the festival, fans have randomly commented on an amorphous tonal shift.
“The atmosphere is more informal, friendlier,” Victor Locke said during intermission last Sunday. He and his wife, Carol, are long-term supporters of MitM and served as volunteers for 20 years. After a sparkling performance of Mozart’s flute concerto and friendly banter between soloist Demarre McGill and Conductor Daniel Raiskin, Locke added: “Something’s changed. I don’t know what it is, but this summer, something’s different.”
If you go
WHAT: Music in the Mountains final weekend.
WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College and Sky Ute Event Center.
TICKETS: $50/$70 and $200/$250.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.musicinthemountains.com or call 385-6820.
Similar comments have surfaced at other concerts. They remind me of the magical scene in Mary Poppins when she floats through the sky over London. The wind accelerates and disturbs the air. Leaves swirl, and everything changes. No one knows why, but it feels like something is different.
So, what’s changed for MitM?
It’s difficult to put into words. So, here’s my best guess.
What’s the same? The 2025 festival has continued its reputation for excellence, for drawing professional musicians of the highest caliber to Durango, and for offering compelling programs of mostly familiar but also works of our time. The staff is largely the same, helmed by Executive Director Angie Beach. For 15 years, Beach has kept the festival running smoothly.
Well-trained volunteers courteously keep events moving along with humor and congeniality. Board President Liz Hogan may be new, but she always identifies herself and has reduced introductions to friendly thank-you-for-being-here announcements. Occasionally, she introduces a local sponsor. Board leadership seems to be clearly attuned to purpose and direction.
So, what’s changed?
Artistic Director Vadim Gluzman. Since the announcement last fall as the fourth leader after founder Mischa Semanitzky, Greg Hustis and Guillermo Figueroa, who retired in 2024, Gluzman has set a tone for high-spirited camaraderie. An internationally known violinist and longtime participant and supporter of MitM, Gluzman embodies a joy in musical performance that is rare. His ebullient nature comes through in every conversation and especially in his pre-and-post-concert chats. He radiates good will even in chance encounters.
Through all, his engaged performance style invites everyone into an immersive musical experience that is singular.
It’s no wonder that music lovers are on to something when they wonder what has changed.
The final three 2025 concerts begin Friday with “Brahms and Friends,” with Conductor-in-Residence Daniel Raiskin, who is a key ingredient in the tonal shift as he brings his own extraordinary musical history to the stage. Saturday night, the last pops concert will convene at Sky Ute Event Center celebrating the music of Hollywood Westerns. And at 5 p.m. Sunday, Raiskin will conduct the grand finale, a Tchaikovsky extravaganza featuring Gluzman as soloist in the Violin Concerto and ending with the majestic Symphony No. 5.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
