About the Classical Salon Series:
T H R I L L I N G | E N C H A N T I N G | I N T I M AT E
This series is produced to support a prosperous landscape for classical music in the Vail Valley, gathering new listeners and lifelong enthusiasts alike. The VPAC Classical Salon Series returns this winter with a collection of three special performances in intimate spaces, curated to provide a deeper connection with classical music. Internationally-acclaimed artists perform thrilling, significant repertoire, hand-selected just for the occasion. These enchanting social experiences allow for focused listening and personal interaction with the artists, paired with a reception of wine and hors d’oeuvres.
Series Schedule:
ALESSIO BAX, solo piano | Thursday, January 30th | Browning/Illick Residence
KAREN SLACK, soprano with Joe Illick, piano | Monday, March 2nd | May Gallery Patrons Lounge
BENJAMIN BAKER, violin, with Daniel Lebhardt, piano | Tuesday, March 24th| | May Gallery Patrons Lounge
Join the Classical Salon Society with a 3-Show Pass!
JOIN THE SALON SOCIETY | Cost: $360 | Salon Society subscription provides a 20% discount on series tickets and secures your participation at all performances before tickets are released to the general public. Tickets to individual performances will be offered based on availability and will be extremely limited. To purchase, contact Tim Felton in the VPAC Box Office at boxoffice@vvf.org or (970) 845-8497 or online HERE.
SINGLE PERFORMANCE | Cost: $150 (ticket includes wine & hors d’oeuvres)
UNDERWRITE A SALON | Donation Amount: $2,500 | Consider sharing your passion for classical music in the form of a donation. As the Performance Underwriter of a Salon of your choosing, your gift directly supports artist fees and production costs for the event. You will also enjoy year-round donor benefits like Priority Ticketing and Premium Seating, as a member of the VPAC Underwriting Circle. To learn more, contact Development Director Owen Hutchinson at (970) 748-6670 or ohutchinson@vvf.org.
ALESSIO BAX, solo piano
Thurs., Jan. 30th 5pm | Browning/Illick Residence
Combining exceptional lyricism and insight with consummate technique, Alessio Bax is without a doubt “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone). He catapulted to prominence with First Prize wins at both the Leeds and Hamamatsu International Piano Competitions, and is now a familiar face on five continents, not only as a recitalist and chamber musician, but also as a concerto soloist who has appeared with more than 100 orchestras, including the London, Royal, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Boston, Dallas, Sydney, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, and the NHK Symphony in Japan, collaborating with such eminent conductors as Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Simon Rattle, Yuri Temirkanov, and Jaap van Zweden.
WATCH: Alessio Bax
KAREN SLACK, soprano with Joe Illick, piano
Mon., Mar. 2nd at 5pm | May Gallery Patrons Lounge, VPAC
Hailed by critics for possessing a lustrous voice of extraordinary beauty and artistry of great dramatic depth American soprano Karen Slack has performed with major conductors in opera houses and concert halls around the world. She was most recently seen in Verdi’s AIDA with Austin Opera, Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff with Arizona Opera and in the West Coast premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Champion as Emelda Griffith with San Francisco’s Opera Parallele, Litton’s Porgy and Bess Suite at the Bergen Festival in Norway, Mahler Symphony # 2 with Lexington Philharmonic, Beethoven’s 9th with both Quad City Symphony and Alabama Symphony and a house debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Serena in Francesca Zambello’s production of Porgy and Bess which she has performed at both Washington National Opera and San Francisco Opera. She can be seen reprising the role of Serena in San Francisco Opera’s production that was released on DVD in 2015.
WATCH: Karen Slack
BENJAMIN BAKER, violin, with Daniel Lebhardt, piano
Tues., Mar. 24th at 5pm | May Gallery Patrons Lounge, VPAC
Since winning 1st Prize at the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York and 3rd Prize at the Michael Hill Competition in New Zealand in 2017 Benjamin has established a strong international presence. Recent highlights include a critically acclaimed debut at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, recitals at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and regular appearances at Wigmore Hall.
Over the last year Benjamin has appeared as soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the East Neuk Festival, performed Beethoven’s Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra, Mozart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recorded as soloist with the BBC Concert and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He undertook tours of the USA, Colombia, China, Argentina and New Zealand and in 2019 made his debut at the Sanguine Estate Music Festival in Australia and the Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon.
WATCH: Benjamin Baker
For additional questions and information, contact Box Office Manager Tim Felton at 970-845-8497, or email tfelton@vvf.org. Development Director Owen Hutchinson is also available to discuss these events at (970) 748-6670 or ohutchinson@vvf.org.