About Us

The Big Picture of

Music in the Mountains

Music in the Mountains (MIM) is a unique organization that marries world-class performances with a deep commitment to music education.

SummerFest

At the heart of MIM is the SummerFest classical festival. In the days leading up to July 4th, it’s a thriving performing arts festival celebrating music, community, art and culture. The concerts culminate in a joyous celebration of our country’s birth.


SummerFest features the MIM Festival Orchestra and soloists – comprised of extraordinary professional musicians from all over the country – and our own MIM Chorus of dedicated volunteers. You’ll thrill to powerful masterworks, pop favorites, and new pieces hot off the presses.



SummerFest takes place in several different venues:

  • The Nevada County Fairgrounds, in the charming “red barn” of the Amaral Center – magically transformed into an elegant concert hall – as well as outdoors on the lawn under the stars amid the tall Ponderosa pines.
  • Peace Lutheran Church with its fantastic acoustics.
  • The Dunham Estate where great music, food and atmosphere combine for an unparalleled experience.

Music Education

Woven throughout MIM is a deep commitment to music education. Balancing in-depth initiatives such as our nationally recognized Young Composers Project, and broad reach programs such as Carnegie Hall’s Link Up, MIM’s multi-faceted approach touches the lives of over 5,000 students each year. We work closely with school districts, music teachers and parents in advocating for the importance of music education. And where schools cannot provide due to lack of budget, MIM steps in to create solutions. Such programs include Take 5 for Music, Link Up, Peers for Peers and MusicLive, all of which bring classical music to school age children.

Mission & Values

We envision a thriving community inspired by transformative music.

  • We are serving a community of engaged, connected, and caring people in harmony with each other and their surroundings.
  • We are presenting inspiring concerts and accessible educational programs for everyone.
  • Our music brings hope, joy, and comfort.
  • We will provide transformative music by presenting inspirational concert experiences.
  • We will present accessible education programs for everyone.

Our Mission is to inspire, engage, and connect our community through extraordinary musical experiences.

Core Values

Accessibility

Our concert programming, presentations, and music education programs are approachable and accessible for all.

Artistic Excellence

We value performances at the highest level of talent and artistry and strive to present guest artists and performers who embody this standard of excellence.

Building Community

We value creating connections among the diverse members of our community, fostering communication and unity through the beauty of music.

Collaboration

Recognizing the interdependence of our social, economic, and artistic community, we value collaboration and a collaborative spirit.

Donor Centric

We believe that all types of donors – monetary, volunteer or otherwise – are central to our success.

Education

Because we know that learning changes minds and lives, we value creating knowledge through the teaching of appreciation for music.

Engaging Programming

We strive to create programs that foster a sense of peace, joy, inspiration, and belonging through exciting musical experiences.

Ethical

In all that we do, we strive to be honorable, fair, transparent, and accountable to the community we serve.

Inclusion

We foster an inclusive community that celebrates all the rich contributions of our audience members, staff, performers, and volunteers.

Nurturing the Human Spirit

We believe music is more than entertainment; Music has the power to unite, heal, and transform people.

To further expand on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion we are developing statements that more fully explain our commitments.