Anne-Marie McDermott

“I still have a million ideas,” says Anne-Marie McDermott, artistic director of Bravo! Vail since 2010. McDermott is in her 16th and final season, and is entering a new chapter in a career of several decades. She stresses that she is not retiring; rather, she is just changing her focus. “I plan to perform live in Europe and Latin America, and also to do more recording. I also hope to create a ‘piano seminar’ in various parts of the country and to do more mentoring. I couldn’t be more excited,” she exudes. 

McDermott is proud and pleased to recall her hopes for the Bravo! Vail Music Festival from her first interview in 2010 and to see so many of them come to fruition. “I imagined the festival becoming a ‘hotbed’ for international musical talent and a place where musical dreams come true,” she shares. “What I once could only imagine is today a reality, thanks to an extraordinary community built on generosity and trust, and inspired by excellence and a genuine passion for music. I could not be more grateful.” 

A Vision Realized 

McDermott is renowned for her lasting impact not only on the musical vision of Bravo! Vail, but also the cultural life of the Vail Valley. During her tenure, the festival has grown in both scope and impact as an internationally recognized destination for classical music.

Under McDermott’s leadership, Bravo! Vail has introduced an international chamber orchestra residency, doubled the number of performances offered, launched Bravo! Vail’s Symphonic Commissioning Project, established the Piano Fellows program and created new series like Classically Uncorked and Immersive Experiences. McDermott’s vision has also led to the expansion of educational offerings and the development of robust year-round community engagement programs. 

Often touted as one of the top 10 classical music festivals in the country, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival brings world-renowned musicians to venues throughout Vail and the entire Eagle River Valley region each summer. The only festival in North America to host four of the world’s finest orchestras in a single season, Bravo! Vail celebrates its 39th season from June 25 to August 6, 2026, with approximately 60 concerts, nearly half of which are free. In the other seasons, Bravo! Vail also serves the community by providing year-round, low-cost music education through Music Makers Haciendo Música, a program offering piano, violin, guitar, cello and ensemble instruction to help develop new generations of musicians and music lovers. 

A renowned pianist, McDermott performs over 100 concerts worldwide each year. She also takes on major recording contracts and has more than 50 concerts in her repertoire. The relationship between a musical organization and the public is vital, McDermott believes. “The public needs to trust what is being presented, to know that it is truly unique and special,” she says. “When the public sees the artistic director perform, it can deepen that trust. I am right there in it, and I know what the musicians are experiencing on stage.” 

The Next Movement 

This summer’s season is extraordinary, featuring special programming that highlights McDermott’s accomplishments. Bravo! Vail has commissioned the world premiere of “Prayer for the Living” by Aaron Jay Kernis, featuring McDermott. It will also celebrate its fifth Symphonic Commissioning Project with co-commissioned works by John Adams (in partnership with The Philadelphia Orchestra) and Caroline Mallonee (in partnership with the New York Philharmonic). 

Highlights will include McDermott’s performances of all five Beethoven piano concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, as well as collaborative performances with internationally acclaimed pianists Yefim Bronfman, Anton Nel, Gregory Anderson and Elizabeth Roe. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present a concert version of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and The Philadelphia Orchestra and Colorado Symphony Chorus perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

A cornerstone of Bravo! Vail’s 2026 programming and festival season is an intimate eight-concert series showcasing the complete Beethoven piano sonatas at the Vail Interfaith Chapel, as part of Bravo! Vail’s free-of-charge community concerts. 

The 32 sonatas explore Beethoven’s compositional style across three distinct periods of his career and are considered among the most important collections of works in the history of music. With them, Beethoven redefined the sonata’s value. 

Bravo! Vail also offers more than 20 free concerts in the Eagle and Lake County communities, featuring emerging artists and musicians from visiting orchestras and ensembles. 

McDermott notes that Bravo! Vail is fortunate to exist in a community with such a strong sense of philanthropy. “I know the power of music, and we have to change the idea that classical music is only for the wealthy. Music should be universal,” she says. Last summer’s free outdoor concert in Nottingham Park with the Mexico City-based Sinfónica de Mineria was popular beyond her imagination. “Because of so many encores, the show lasted three hours, with people from all walks of life.” 

The acclaimed pianist and her sisters studied on scholarships and were previously home-schooled by their mother, an Irish step dancer. She strongly believes that music, particularly classical music, should be accessible to everyone. “Music is universal,” she says. “It is also fun. At the end of the day, there has to be that over-arching sense of fun.”