Steamboat Pilot & Today

Why aren't there more young people attending classical music concerts?

That was Karina Serkin's first question when she took the job as director of marketing for the Strings in the Mountains music festival this year.

In March, she gathered a group of her friends, in their late 20s and early 30s, to discuss the issue. Some of them were musicians, like herself, and some were just classical music lovers.

They agreed that part of the problem is the community, Serkin said. "On a weekend, you can go to a free concert or go mountain biking instead of going to a classical concert."

Solution No. 1: When Serkin decided to tailor a concert to attract listeners in their 20s and 30s, she scheduled it on a no-excuses Wednesday.

"This can be a unique and fun thing to do after work," she said.

The other reason younger people don't regularly come to classical concerts, Serkin and her friends agreed, is the price of a ticket.

Solution No. 2: Tickets to Wednesday's concert will cost $10 for attendees between ages 21 and 39.

There will be happy-hour specials served at the Strings Cafe before the concert. Appetizers and dinner also are available at the cafe.

Serkin's father is a classical pianist, and she spent her childhood at concerts and classical music camps. As an adult, she has performed with the Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra.

Serkin chose the "Mostly Mozart" concert for her youth-focused "Contempo Concert" series because of its quality and accessibility.

"It's exciting and pure classical music," she said. "Mozart is up there, if you think in terms of artwork, with Michelangelo. It's just one of those things you should know."

Dominique Moralez will sing. Moralez is in town for Emerald City Opera's production of "The Merry Widow" and is one of today's most sought-after young tenors on the international opera scene.