Steamboat Springs Arts & Culture

Steamboat Springs' roots are deeply embedded in ranching and Western traditions, but with several art galleries, a chamber-based music festival, live theater and an extraordinary-large number of artists living in the area, Steamboat is a very cultured town.

Strings in the Mountains Music Festival
Strings in the Mountains Music Festival summer season will include more than 170 artists performing in a wide variety of classical and contemporary shows, and youth and family productions. Strings in the Mountains was launched in 1988 to bring world-class music to Steamboat Springs. During its inaugural season, 1,400 people attended its musical concerts, and the summer-long festival has grown by leaps and bounds ever since with over 30,000 people enjoying performances last summer.

Musicians of all specialties have played in the Strings Music Tent, which is located at the corner of Pine Grove and Mt Werner Roads in the new Music Festival Park. Under the musical direction of Yitzhak Schotten and Katherine Collier, and the artistic direction of Andres Cardenes, Strings has presented outstanding string ensembles and chamber orchestral concerts, jazz, bluegrass, country, world music and theater productions. Its performers have included Leonard Slatkin, Garrison Keillor, The Colorado Symphony, The Miami String Quartet, Hilary Hahn, Natalie MacMaster, Nickel Creek and Asleep at the Wheel. Strings in the Mountains also hosts Steamboat's Music on the Green, a free weekly summer concert series held at the local botanic park.

Steamboat Springs Arts Depot - Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts
A renovated historic train depot is the home of the Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts and a gallery full of unique creations. The Depot's Small Works Gallery is dedicated to presenting contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists working locally, regionally and nationally.

The Depot and the Steamboat Springs Arts Council also host several art shows throughout the year, including its annual studio arts tour, Stagecoach to the Flat Tops, near the close of summer. This guided tour takes participants though several art studios from Stagecoach, located 18 miles south of Steamboat, to the Flat Tops, about 30 miles from town.

Tread of Pioneers Museum
The Tread of Pioneers Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting the material relative to the history of Routt County and promoting an appreciation for the area's rich historic heritage. Displays include a 1908 Queen Anne-style Victorian home with Routt County artifacts, a Native American exhibit, a display of western life memorabilia and a history of skiing exhibit.

Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp
In 1913, Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield fulfilled their dreams of creating a summer arts camp in the mountains. Now, eighty-nine years later, Perry-Mansfield is recognized as the oldest and most unique performing arts school and camp in the nation.

Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Steamboat Springs, the camp offers classes each summer from mid-June to mid-August to young dancers, actors and actresses.

Throughout the years, a number of distinguished alumni, faculty, and guest artists have passed through the doors of Perry-Mansfield. The list includes: Dustin Hoffman, Joan Van Ark, Lee Remick, Agnes de Mille, José Limon, John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Julie Harris. Perry-Mansfield continues to prepare emerging young artists for the stage. Recent alumni are performing with Ballet Hispanico, Munich Ballet, Paul Taylor, Rotterdam Danseacademie, and on Broadway and television.

The Emerald City Opera
The Emerald City Opera produces professional-caliber, classical opera in the heart of the Yampa Valley. Combining world-class artists from the esteemed opera houses of the world with local professionals, The Emerald City Opera promotes the vocal and performance arts at the highest level.

The Emerald City Opera offers two separate concert series throughout the year and mounts a full-scale, complete opera production each August.

The Emerald City Opera is proud to present its inaugural opera performance featuring the finest singers from such acclaimed opera houses as The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Opèra National de Paris, and the Florida Grand Opera. As well, more than half of the stellar cast and crew are working artists who reside within the Steamboat Springs community itself.

Literary Sojourn
Each year, about 400 book lovers from across the country gather in Steamboat Springs to celebrate the joy of reading and meet the creators of their favorite books. Throughout the event, authors share their thoughts on the characters in their stories, their lives as writers and how they create their published works. Past celebrity speaker include Pulitzer Prize winner E. Annie Proulx; best-selling mystery authors Robert Crais, Tony Hillerman and Michael Connelly; and Oprah's Book Club authors Chris Bohjalian, Jacquelyn Mitchard and Andre Dubus III.
Tickets typically go on sale in June. For additional information contact the Bud Werner Memorial Library at 970-879-0240, Off the Beaten Path Bookstore & Coffeehouse at 1-800-898-6830 or visit the Web site at www.literarysojourn.org

Arts for the Soul
Arts for the Soul is a unique week long retreat/seminar in early September for adults who appreciate the arts and want to learn more. A place of inspiration where 30 enthusiastic individuals, at whatever level, can study art, writing and music in the shadow of the magnificent Rockies.

Northwest Ballet
Steamboat's Northwest Ballet has helped to shape culture in the Yampa Valley by providing local dancers of all ages with year-round professional instruction. Members also produce and perform in high-caliber dance productions that are comparable to those in much larger communities.

Steamboat Community Players
The Steamboat Community Players presents a variety of popular community theater productions annually at its theater, The 7th Street Playhouse. Formed in 1972 under the auspices of the Arts Council, the Steamboat Community Players is now an independent non-profit organization.

Steamboat Dance Theater
Formed in 1975, the Steamboat Dance Theater includes 80 local dancers, choreographers and dance teachers. The Steamboat Dance Theater sponsors classes and appearances by guest artists and master teachers, as well as an annual dance concert to sell-out audiences.

Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra
Established in 1991, the mission of The Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra is to perform music for the residents and visitors of Northwest Colorado with an emphasis on community outreach, musician development, and music education for youth.