TELLURIDE – The Telluride MusicFest presents classical chamber music to audiences the way it is meant to be heard – played by first-class musicians in an intimate setting.

For its seventh season, the Telluride MusicFest returns the brilliant players of Trio Solisti – violinist Maria Bachmann (artistic director of Telluride MusicFest), cellist Alexis Gerlach and pianist Jon Klibonoff, as they perform four concerts of music by Mendelssohn in celebration of his 200th birthday. Trio Solisti will also perform “CAFÉ MUSIC” by Paul Schoenfeld, the title work of their latest album, which was released by Bridge Records in May 2009.

The festival will present works by composer-in-residence Philip Glass, including the Colorado premier of his “Sonata for Violin and Piano” (2008), a piece composed for Bachmann, and the world premier of Glass’s “Sextet for Strings” (a transcription of his Third Symphony).

For a sneak preview of Philip Glass's “Sonata for Violin and Piano” (2008) performed by Bachmann and Klibonoff, go to: witfnewreleases.blogspot.com/2009/03/witf-listeners-get-sneak-preview-of-new.html.

Invited guest artists to the Telluride MusicFest include: violist Hsin-Yun Huang (Taiwan), violist David Harding (Vancouver, B.C.), violinist Ayano Ninomiya (Japan), and cellist Wendy Sutter. Together with members of Trio Solisti they will perform works by Brahms, Beethoven, Ravel, Bartok, Schumann, and Schoenfield.

Tickets for this year’s festivals, with concerts beginning June 24 and running through July 5 at various locations, are available at www.tellurideticket.com. A complete schedule of concerts and events is also listed on the website.