TCM in its early years — musicians in white tuxedos with their instruments, in a pasture below the Box Canyon

Since 1973

Telluride Chamber Music

Take a break from your busy life and enjoy one of life's gentler pleasures — chamber music at its best, in one of the most spectacular settings imaginable.

Making it happen

Steady growth, new opportunities.

We strive to provide enriching experiences for everyone. Locals and visitors, kids and grown-ups, classical fans and newcomers alike. Here's exactly what we are doing to serve the community, and to create new partnerships, programs, and capacity-building that makes the next decade of TCM possible.

  • 2025

    Strategic plan 2025

    Through an extended process with experienced consultants, partners, and community, we shaped a clear direction and actionable plan for the next five years of healthy operation and growth.

  • 2025–2026

    Expanding to Norwood

    We are excited to continue bringing music to the wider region, creating broader opportunities for musicians, and more warm summer evenings of free music with our neighbors in Norwood.

  • Ongoing

    Pairing Concerts & Education

    Whenever possible, our visiting artists offer workshops, demonstrations at schools, or other community events. Student tickets make classical concerts accessible.

  • 2025 & ongoing

    Telluride Science & Innovation Center

    A new venue partnership giving our community concerts a larger, better-equipped home. Our new outdoor venue along the river trail lets us bring free classical music to everyone, dogs included.

  • 2026

    Allred's concert series

    A new program at Allred's Restaurant designed specifically to create paid performance opportunities for local musicians.

  • 2025

    Telluride Theatre with the New York Philharmonic

    Telluride Theatre, community members, and musicians of the New York Philharmonic team up for a family-engaging production of Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf, a special collaboration brought together by Telluride Chamber Music.

Want to see more opportunities in the community? Your support is the reason it happens.

The MusicFest ensemble taking a bow on stage

Music that connects us.

Our mission is to present exceptional musical performances, educational programs, and events that inspire people to connect to the arts and our community. We achieve this in intimate and welcoming environments that create transformational experiences for audiences and artists alike.

Beyond ourselves.

A draw of Telluride is the feeling that the mountains give us — that there's something beyond ourselves. We mirror that experience in music. We envision a community where:

  • All of us are elevated from the ordinary to the extraordinary through live classical music.
  • Live classical music is a resource to process life's emotional experiences — from solace to celebration.
  • Shared live classical music is an antidote to social isolation and anxiety.
  • Music helps us understand our history and place in the world.
  • There are no barriers to entry — classical music is a universal experience.

How we work.

  • Presenting the highest-quality, inspirational, and transformative artistic experiences.
  • Providing thoughtfully curated music education resources for youth.
  • Increasing accessibility by reducing barriers of entry.
  • Fostering lifelong learning and connection to the arts.
  • Sourcing artists locally and worldwide to create innovative programming.
  • Collaborating with community partners.
  • Celebrating the uniqueness of the Telluride community and its surroundings.
  • Creating an oasis where artists thrive and their careers are supported.
  • Establishing meaningful relationships between artists and TCM.

Leadership

Board & Staff

Executive & Artistic Director

Claire Beard

Board of Directors

Kathy Jepson — President
Mary Beth Mueller — Vice-President / Treasurer
Josie Preston — Secretary
Andy Atkinson
David Barmak
Jean Shimotake

Advisory Board

Dominique Bruneau
Tom Stone

Board Emeritus

Roy Malan — Co-Founder
Gordon McPhee
Dalen Stevens

Claire Beard, Executive & Artistic Director

Executive & Artistic Director

Claire Beard

A Royal Academy of Music flautist who performed on London's great stages before making Telluride home — now shaping every TCM season.