On Oct. 8, the Glenwood Springs Community Concert Association (GSCCA) begins its 2024-2025 season with maestro pianist Jared Freiburg, along with the “Vagabonds,” performing covers of classic artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis at Glenwood Springs High School.
Although founded as a nonprofit in 2001, GSCCA has been around since 1947 with the same everlasting goal: to bring outstanding live music to the Roaring Fork Valley community at an affordable price.
“We usually try to get a nice mix of different kinds of music … to appeal to different people,” Board President Kathy Kline told The Sopris Sun.
Kline has lived in the Valley since 2009 and has regularly attended the concert series with her family. She joined the board in 2017 and became president this year. She said that her time with the organization has been rewarding on many fronts — but specifically the vetting process for performers.
“One of the most rewarding parts about being on the board is that we get to select the concerts for the following year. That’s going to happen at the end of September this year, when we’ll be selecting the acts that will perform next [season]. That is a really fun thing to do,” she stated.
This second show of the season, Nov. 23, brings The Nayo Jones Experience to the stage. The audience will be taken on a musical journey guided by the mesmerizing vocals of jazz virtuoso, and classically trained flutist, Nayo Jones. This will be the first concert in the series taking place at Mountain View Church.
Jeremy Stolle, a veteran musical actor who appeared in “The Phantom of The Opera” on Broadway and in other hit musicals, such as Disney’s theatrical production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” presents “No More Talk of Darkness” on March 8 at the Mountain View Church.
On April 2, GSCCA welcomes the Orchid String Quartet, a Los Angeles ensemble of highly sought-after string players who have toured with some of the world’s most prominent artists — such as Ariana Grande, Panic! At the Disco and Adele. That show takes place at Glenwood Springs High School’s auditorium.
The season will conclude with “Sing Us a Song, You’re the Piano Man,” an evening with Jim Witter and his sidemen performing hits from Billy Joel’s repertoire along with some other lesser-known ones. That closing show is on May 2 at Glenwood Springs High School.
Annual memberships for the concert series go for $60 per adult and get you in for all five concerts. Family season tickets cost $130, which includes two adults and their children under the age of 18. Students can attend all five shows for just $15. Kline said that the prices are set to encourage all to join in the fun, while not breaking the bank.
“We try to encourage families to come because these are very family-friendly concerts,” she added. “That’s a good selling point because we’re wanting to make [live music] affordable to people. We like to say that … ‘It’s one of the best kept secrets in the Roaring Fork Valley.’”
Kline added that GSCCA is hoping to get some additional support. “We like people to get involved with the background work that goes into this. We have a couple positions open on the board, and we’re really looking for someone who is very savvy in social media and technology to help us with our website and with our Facebook page,” she stated.
Since the GSCCA is a nonprofit, everything is made possible through community engagement, donations and membership fees. Information about the organization’s activities can be found on its website, listed below, which Kline encourages folks to check out.
For more information and to become a member, visit www.gsconcertassn.org