Breckenridge Arts + Culture
Live music. Live theatre. Independent film. Living history.
Breckenridge Arts and Culture is where the mountains meet the arts — and where every season brings something worth making the drive for.
Music in the mountains. Theatre under the stars. Independent film, public art, hands-on workshops, and stories rooted in local history. The Breckenridge Arts District is a year-round creative campus where nationally recognized arts organizations, local artists, and community experiences come together in the heart of downtown Breckenridge.
The district is anchored by a group of independent nonprofit organizations, each bringing a distinct artistic or cultural discipline and perspective to Breckenridge’s creative community: Breck Film, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, Breck Create, Breck History and National Repertory Orchestra.
5
Non-profit arts organizations
5
Distinct Venues
14
Buildings
365
Days of Programming
50+
Years of Creative History
Organizations
NATIONAL REPERTORY ORCHESTRA — WORLD-CLASS ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
The National Repertory Orchestra (NRO) is an educational music festival that balances the needs of the musicians with the needs of the community, teaching musicianship, mentorship and leadership to create socially-conscious musicians and prepare them for a career in music.
The NRO is honored to reside in the beautiful and historic ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado and perform the majority of their concerts in the state-of-the-art Riverwalk Center. The orchestra also performs several engagements within the state of Colorado.
During the eight-week season, the NRO performs as many as 21 orchestral concerts and over 32 free, community, family friendly concerts. Providing a unique opportunity for young, talented musicians to gather invaluable experience playing a broad variety of orchestral and chamber works, led by Music Director Michael Stern and joined by world-renowned guest conductors.
In addition, the NRO prepares these talented young people with real-world insights into today’s opportunities and responsibilities for symphony musicians. Members of such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, many of whom are NRO Alumni, participate in multi-day residencies.
BRECKENRIDGE BACKSTAGE THEATRE — LIVE THEATER PERFORMANCE
Summit County’s first nonprofit arts organization — and still going strong. Since 1976, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre has been enriching, educating, and entertaining residents and visitors through the power of live performance. They’re the resident theatre company of the gorgeous 137-seat Breckenridge Theater in the heart of historic downtown, and every production is an invitation to be a little more alive. From beloved community staples to bold new works, this is where the story unfolds.
BRECK FILM — BRECKENRIDGE’S HOME FOR MOVIES + CINEMA
Breck Film delivers compelling film experiences year-round through the Breck Film Society and the annual Breck Film Festival. Held in September, the festival celebrates the art of film-making with a diverse selection of filmmakers gathered from around the globe to engage and inspire with their unique storytelling. Add in 90+ independent films and premieres, plus forums and parties amidst the fall colors in the Colorado Rockies, and its no wonder that USA Today named the Breckenridge Film Festival as one of the Top 20 Film Festivals in the United States.
Home base is the Eclipse Theater, a 150-seat cinema in the heart of Breckenridge that keeps the lights on all year with first-run features alongside classic, independent, and arthouse screenings.
BRECKENRIDGE HISTORY — DISCOVERING THE STORY BEHIND BRECK
Breckenridge History enhances our community’s future by discovering, preserving, and sharing our diverse and extraordinary history. Originally the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance, the organization was established in 2006 by the Town of Breckenridge to manage town historic assets, execute historic preservation projects, curate exhibits, and share the history of our community through museums, guided tours, and other public events and programs. In 2015, Breckenridge History opened its archives room to serve as both a repository of one-of-a-kind archival materials as well as a research facility. Breckenridge History has undertaken a variety of one-time capital preservation and interpretive projects, both within town limits as well as at outlying sites on Town of Breckenridge and Summit County Government open space, and in partnership with the US Forest Service. Our scope, or “area of concentration,” includes the greater Breckenridge area, defined as Hoosier Pass (southern boundary) to Tiger Road/the Swan River (northern boundary), and from the Ten Mile Range (western boundary) to the Continental Divide (eastern boundary).
BRECK CREATE - VISUAL ART, MUSIC + CREATIVITY IN BRECKENRIDGE
Breck Create stewards the town’s cultural facilities and partners with the resident companies to deliver a year-round menu of arts experiences that are as ambitious as they are accessible.
The organization’s mission is to deliver inspiring creative experiences that enrich the quality of life and place for all who live, work or play in Breckenridge. Breck Create supports and serves artists, creatives, cultural enthusiasts, visitors and the community at large by providing a year-round schedule of performances, festivals, exhibitions, art classes and creative community events.
VENUES
RIVERWALK CENTER
A 750-seat indoor performance venue on the banks of the Blue River — and the summer home of the NRO and Breck Create’s biggest performances. Big enough to hold a full orchestra. Intimate enough to feel every note.
BRECKENRIDGE BACKSTAGE THEATER
A beautifully renovated 137-seat theatre in the heart of historic downtown — home to Breckenridge Backstage Theatre. The lobby doubles as a gallery space, so the art starts before the curtain rises.
ECLIPSE THEATER
A 150-seat cinema and the official home of Breck Film. Year-round screenings of first-run blockbusters, independent films, and art-house cinema — plus the annual Breck Film Festival in September.
OLD MASONIC HALL
A beautifully restored 1892 landmark and Breck Create’s home for contemporary visual art. Rotating exhibitions, immersive art experiences, community events and the Breckenridge Arts + Culture ticket office make it the perfect place to begin your creative adventure.
RIDGE STREET ARTS SQUARE
Don’t let the parking lot fool you. When the Ridge Street Arts Square comes alive, it becomes one of the best outdoor venues in the district — a flexible public square where Breck Create hosts festivals, concerts, and community gatherings against a backdrop of some of the finest views of the Tenmile Range you’ll find in town. Adjacent lawn and stone seating complete the picture.
Breckenridge Arts District
The Breckenridge Arts District is a hub for creative experience, bringing together studios, galleries, performance spaces, historic landmarks, public art, restaurants, cafes and other creative businesses that animate and populate a vibrant cultural corridor in downtown Breckenridge.
The district’s core attraction is the lively Ridge Street Arts Campus of renovated historic structures that now function as studio spaces for classes, workshops, affordable rentals by local artists and visiting artist-in-residence programs.
The Breckenridge Arts District is a Certified District in the Colorado Creative Industries Creative District Program.
For more information on happenings throughout the Arts District: