Reviews
MahlerFest in the News
"The whole project, then, is a testimony to the fine work done in the US, but outside the metropolitan centers."
Review of Mahler Symphony No. 3, No. 4, and Selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Gunning Symphony No. 10 - Althouse, American Record Guide, January/February 2026
"...the unexpected panorama of enchantment prior to its coda is meltingly realized."
On Record - MahlerFest 36 & 37: Mahler and the Mountains: Kenneth Woods conducts Symphony No. 4 & Selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn - Richard Whitehouse, Arcana.fm, October 8, 2025
“Woods Once Again ‘Defies’ the odds at MahlerFest 38” – Review by Kelly Dean Hansen, June 6, 2025
“MahlerFest 2025 Culminates with Tragic Symphony” – Peter Alexander, Sharps and Flatirons Blog, May 12, 2025
“Reimagining Mahler: A Festival of Immersion, Interpretation, and Impact | An Interview with Ethan Hecht” – Denver Arts and Culture, May 8, 2025 (No longer available online)
“Boulder’s MahlerFest 38, a Rally Cry of Protest Songs, Defiance and the Sixth Symphony at Its Core” – Ella Cobb, Daily Camera, May 8, 2025 (also published in the Longmont Times-Call May 9, 2025)
“Resistance is Never Futile: MahlerFest 38 Showcases Music of Defiance” – Kelly Dean Hansen, Boulder Weekly, May 6, 2025
“Mahler & Gunning: Symphonies” – John Quinn, MusicWebInternational.com, February 13, 2025
“Musgrave and Mahler” – Guy Rickards, Klassisk Musikk, November 28, 2024 (the link will open in Norwegian but there is an English option in the address bar)
“Mahler: Symphony 2 (Colorado MahlerFest)” – John Quinn, MusicWebInternational.com, August 15, 2024
“‘Mahlerei’ -As Inspired by Zero Mostel” – Joseph Horowitz, Unanswered Question (An Arts Journal blog), August 12, 2024
“On the Record – MahlerFest XXXII: Joshua DeVane Sings Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Kenneth Woods Conducts Symphony No. 1” – Review by Richard Whitehouse on Arcana.fm, July 22, 2024
“On Record – MahlerFest XXXVI: Kenneth Woods Conducts ‘Resurrection’ Symphony & Musgrave’s Phoenix Rising” – Review by Richard Whitehouse on Arcana.fm, July 19, 2024
“Colorado MahlerFest XXXVI (CD Review)” – Karl Nehring, Classical Candor, June 26, 2024
“Woods Builds Biggest MahlerFest Around Smallest Symphony” – Kelly Dean Hansen, Freelance Classical Music Writer, June 5, 2024
“Why Colorado MahlerFest Matters” – Joseph Horowitz, Unanswered Question (an Arts Journal blog), May 24, 2024
“MahlerFest 2024 Explores Connections” – Peter Alexander, Sharps and Flatirons Blog, May 14, 2024
“MahlerFest” – Grantee Profile for the Boulder Arts Commission/City of Boulder, Emi Smith, May 14, 2024
“Moving Mountains” – Kelly Dean Hansen, From Boulder Weekly COVER ARTICLE, May 8, 2024
“Embracing Everything with Colorado MahlerFest” – Emma Mantooth, SCFD Newsletter and website, May 2, 2024
“Online Concert – April Fredrick, Stacey Rishoi, Brennen Guillory, Gustav Andreassen, Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra / Kenneth Woods: Mahler’s Liederabend” – Richard Whitehouse, Arcana.FM, January 8, 2024
“Talking Heads: Kenneth Woods – Ten Years After…” – Richard Whitehouse, Arcana.FM, October 11, 2023
“MahlerFest XXXV (CD Review)” – Karl Nehring, Classical Candor, August 23, 2023
“The Marriage: The Mahlers in New York” – Peter Davison, Corymbus blog (Peter Davison reviewing Joseph Horowitz’s book after they met at the MahlerFest 36 Symposium), June 6, 2023
“Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection,” Boulder Chorale, Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra, Kenneth Woods (Conductor), Macky Auditorium” – David Woodward, review published in The Wayfarer, the newsletter of The Gustav Mahler Society of the United Kingdom
“MahlerFest ‘Rises’ with Five Landmark Concerts” – Kelly Dean Hansen, freelance music writer, June 4, 2023
“Boulder’s 36th (!) Mahlerfest — A Communal Labor of Love” – Joseph Horowitz, Unanswered Question (an Arts Journal blog), May 23, 2023
“Celebrating Mahler: How Colorado Became Home to the Longest-Running Festival for One of the World’s Greatest Composers” – Henry Carnell, 5280.com, May 17, 2023
“MahlerFest Will ‘Rise Again’ with 36th Season” – Peter Alexander, Sharps and Flatirons blog, May 16, 2023
“Review: Mahler: Symphony 5 (Colorado Mahlerfest)” – Lee Denham, MusicWeb International, May 14, 2023
“An Interview with Kenneth Woods on his new recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony” – Lee Denham, MusicWeb International, May 12, 2023
“MahlerFest Rises Again, Celebrating the Composer’s Second Symphony” – Ella Cobb, Boulder Daily Camera, May 11, 2023 (behind a paywall)
“Worth the Wait: Expanded Colorado MahlerFest culminates with large-scale Second Symphony, three years later than planned” – Kelly Dean hansen, Boulder Weekly, May 11, 2023
“MahlerFest XXXIV: Sawyers: Symphony No. 5; Mahler Symphony No. 5 (CD review)” – Karl W. Nehring, September, 2022
“Awe-inspiring Third Symphony Crowns Most Ambitious MahlerFestal” – Kelly Dean Hansen, May 31, 2022
“MahlerFest Rolls Out 35th Year with Symphony No. 3, a Love Letter to Nature” – Adam Goldstein, Daily Camera, May 19, 2022
“MahlerFest Includes Works by Bartók, Casella, Guest Composer Christopher Gunning” – by Peter Alexander, Sharps and Flatirons, May 16, 2022
“Colorado MahlerFest Announces it’s 35th Season – What Mahler Tells Me” – Press Release, April 20, 2022
“In concert – Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra / Kenneth Woods – MahlerFest XXXIV: Sawyers & Mahler Fifth Symphonies” – By Richard Whitehouse, Arcana.FM, December 15, 2021
“Macky Reopens Grandly with MahlerFest” – by Kelly Dean Hansen, September 7, 2021
“34th MahlerFest Ends with Splendid Festival Concert” – By Peter Alexander, SharpsandFlatirons.com, August 29, 2021
“2021 MahlerFest Features Hike, Concerts, Decadence and Debauchery’” – By Peter Alexander, Boulder Weekly, August 19, 2021
“MahlerFest’s post-pandemic return includes Mount Mahler escapade, free Bandshell concert and more” – by Kalene McCort, Daily Camera, August 18, 2021
“Colorado MahlerFest Announces MahlerFest XXXIV – The Return” – Press Release, July 2, 2021
“2020 Virtual MahlerFest To Feature Acclaimed Pianist David Korevaar May 13“ – Broadway World, May 11, 2020
“Colorado MahlerFest Will Be Virtual, May 13- 17″ – By Peter Alexander, SharpsandFlatirons.com, May 6, 2020
“Colorado MahlerFest Announces 2020 Virtual Colorado MahlerFest May 13 to 17, 2020” – Press Release, May 5, 2020
“Colorado MahlerFest Joins List of Cancellations” – By Peter Alexander, SharpsandFlatirons.com, April 8, 2020
“Colorado MahlerFest Cancels MahlerFest XXXIII – ‘Visions and Visionaries’” – Press Release, April 6, 2020
MahlerFest Festival Artist “David Korevaar Named Distinguished Professor” – CU-Boulder announcement, September 13, 2019
MahlerFest included in“6 Inviting Places In Colorado To Experience The Performing Arts”
“Beyers, Devane, Korevaar Standout Performers at MahlerFest XXXII” – by Kelly Dean Hansen
“MahlerFest XXXII offers two orchestra concerts in expanded schedule” – by Peter Alexander, Boulder Weekly, May 16, 2019
“31 Things to do in Boulder in May 2019” – All Things Boulder, April 29, 2019 (No longer available online)
“7 creative classical concerts that shake up Colorado’s music season” – Denver Post’s The Know, April 29, 2019
“Kenneth Woods Helms Fourth Season as Artistic Director of Colorado MahlerFest” – MusicCO International, April 18, 2019
“Why I’m Conducting the Unofficial Mahler First” – Slipped Disc, April 13, 2019
“Colorado MahlerFest to Present World Premiere of New Critical Edition of Mahler’s First Symphony“ – MahlerFest Blog
“Grace Notes: Brief News Items From the Classical Music Scene in Boulder” – Sharps and Flatirons article by Peter Alexander, August 20, 2018
“Colorado MahlerFest Announces Continued Growth and Investment Including Hiring an Executive Director” – Colorado MahlerFest press release, July 17, 2018
Sunday, May 21, 2018 – The Boulder Daily Camera – MahlerFest XXXI Orchestra Concert Review by Kelly Dean Hansen
Friday May 11, 2018 – The Boulder Daily Camera – MahlerFest XXXI Preview Article by Kelly Dean Hansen
Monday, October 2, 2017 – The Guardian – Obituary for Donald Mitchell, Mahler scholar
Sunday, May 21, 2017 – The Boulder Daily Camera – MahlerFest XXX Orchestra Concert Review by Kelly Dean Hansen
The Boulder City Council Declares May 21, 2017 as MahlerFest Day – The Official Declaration.
MahlerFest Announces the 2017 Class of Mahler Conducting Fellows
Obituary for Stanley Ruttenberg, President and President Emeritus of the Colorado MahlerFest.
February 13, 2017 – The Gustav Mahler Stichting Nederland announces the near-term availability of a new facsimile package consisting of the particell and orchestral score of the Abschied from Das Lied von der Erde.
Sunday, May 22, 2016 – The Boulder Daily Camera – MahlerFest XXIX Orchestra Concert Review by Kelly Dean Hansen
Saturday, May 21, 2016 – Interview with Kenneth Woods – Sharps and Flatirons – Peter Alexander
Sunday, May 15, 2016 – The Boulder Daily Camera – Kelly Dean Hansen
Thursday, May 12 – Colorado Public Radio – Colorado Matters – Brad Turner – Nathan Heffel
Monday, May 02, 2016, The Classical Source- “Kenneth Woods takes the reins of the Colorado MahlerFest”