The Bravo! Vail Music Festival (Bravo! Vail), a top U.S. classical music festival and the only festival in North America to host four orchestras each summer, announces composer Chris Rogerson as its next Artistic Director. Selected from an applicant pool of internationally renowned musicians and arts leaders, Rogerson assumes Artistic Director Designate role immediately and the Artistic Director title on September 1, 2026, for an initial three-year term.
Selected from an applicant pool of internationally renowned musicians and arts leaders, Rogerson assumes Artistic Director Designate role immediately and the Artistic Director title on September 1, 2026, for an initial three-year term.
“We are thrilled that Chris will lead Bravo! Vail in its next era – his commitment to artistic excellence, sophisticated and innovative programming, and approach to community engagement all align perfectly with Bravo! Vail mission and goals for the future. It will be an exciting new chapter for Bravo! Vail,” said Caitlin Murray, Bravo! Vail’s President and CEO.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we welcome Chris and look to the future with excitement and inspiration. We are honored to embark on the exciting journey ahead with Chris Rogerson as our next artistic director for our beloved festival," said Hank Gutman, Board Chair. "This collaboration promises to elevate our mission and enrich the cultural tapestry of Vail for years to come."
Rogerson becomes the fourth Artistic Director in the Festival’s history, succeeding Anne-Marie McDermott after her 16-year tenure. His appointment underscores the Festival's continued commitment to new works and education, alongside core orchestral and chamber music programming.
“Bravo! Vail represents the highest level of music-making in an incomparable natural setting. From its founding in 1987, it has served as a beacon of artistic integrity and a place of limitless artistic possibility.” stated Chris Rogerson, incoming Bravo! Vail Artistic Director Designate. “I have the deepest admiration for the artistic directors who have shaped this festival and am honored to carry forward that legacy. I have been fortunate to have contributed to the festival as a composer and have seen firsthand how magical it is: a place where excellence and collaborative joy are inseparable, and where decisions serve the music and the artists who bring it to life. The opportunity to lead the festival into its next chapter alongside the incredible team is profoundly meaningful and tremendously exciting.
Rogerson is an accomplished American-born composer. His music has been performed by artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, J’Nai Bridges, and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, as well as leading orchestras and ensembles across the country. For the past decade, he has served as a member of the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 2023, Rogerson received the prestigious Elise L. Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Rogerson’s relationship with Bravo! Vail spans multiple commissions, including Samaa’ for piano, gongs, and strings, premiered in 2022 by Anne-Marie McDermott and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Commissioned in honor of McDermott’s 10th anniversary as Artistic Director, the work was the first premiered as part of Bravo! Vail’s Symphonic Commissioning Project, an ongoing initiative supporting the creation and premiere of new orchestral works.
Prior to his appointment with Bravo! Vail, Rogerson served as Composer-in-Residence of Young Concert Artists and as Composer-in-Residence and Artistic Advisor for both the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Amarillo Symphony. He has also received awards and fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Chamber Music America, the Theodore Presser Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and Copland House.
In addition to being a member of the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he also studied, he is an alumnus of the Yale School of Music and Princeton University. His advisors have included Jennifer Higdon, Aaron Jay Kernis, Martin Bresnick, and Steve Mackey.
Bravo! Vail will announce its 40th anniversary season—Rogerson’s first as Artistic Director—in December of 2026.
