Alexander Scheirle, the Crested Butte Music Festival's Artistic and Managing Director since 2004, also enjoys an international career as a cellist, performing concertos, chamber repertoire and orchestral music. At Crested Butte, he plays as principal cellist of the Festival Symphony Orchestra, as a soloist and in recitals. Resident in the USA since 2007, he was born in Germany and trained at the Conservatories in Cologne, Aachen and Saarbruecken and at the Guildhall School in London, UK, and has performed and recorded around the world with composers, soloists and conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Mstislav Rostropovich, Christopher Hogwood and Trevor Pinnock. From 1991 until 2007 he was principal cellist of the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, which is based in the city of Augsburg, and became its Artistic Director in 2000, remaining in the post for seven years. During his time as Artistic Director of the orchestra, it recorded almost 20 CDs, attracting praise from the world's music media, including FANFARE, BBC Music Magazine and Klassik.com.

This season bass baritone Keith Miller returned to the Metropolitan Opera with appearances in Carmen, Rigoletto, and La Fancuilla del West, and made his debuts at the Seattle Opera as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and the Washington National Opera as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly. This summer he makes his debut at the Glimmerglass Festival as Escamillo in Carmen, and next season he returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the new production of Anna Bolena and Billy Budd, and makes his debut at the Colorado Opera as Riolobo in Florencia en Amazonas.