Performers say there is a unique thrill to performing in front of the smartest, most attentive audience in the country. Artists are encouraged to take risks in Telluride, and the Festivarian audience is regularly rewarded with unique blends of voices sharing the stage for the first time - as a new musical friendship cultivated backstage makes its debut on the Telluride stage.

With music on the main stage all day, intimate workshops on the Elks Park stage in the middle of town, prestigious band and songwriting contests, late-night Nightgrass concerts at every indoor venue in town, and jam sessions throughout the night in various Telluride condos and around the campgrounds, this is a week of uncommon musical riches.

The 38th Annual Telluride Bluegrass once again coincides with the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. It's a magical time of sun and light, when  the high country of Colorado puts away its skis and grabs hiking boots, kayaks, and a low-back festival chair to take in some great Bluegrass.

The 2011 artist lineup provided another magical four days of only-in-Telluride performances featuring beloved Festival veterans and inspiring new talent. The Telluride royalty of virtuosic bluegrass superpickers, soulful songwriters, and some of the biggest stars in the rootsy Americana landscape including Sara McLachlan, Railroad Earth, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford & Sons and Robert Plant & Band of Joy descended on Telluride, Colorado last year. Check back soon for the 2012 Telluride Bluegrass Festival lineup.

The festival is built around the many artists that have defined the Telluride Bluegrass sound. The weekend is sprinkled with inspired sets from Sam Bush Band, Béla Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas (performing in a trio with bassist Viktor Krauss and legendary drummer Omar Hakim), Tim O'Brien Band, and many others, kicking off in the epic festival openning set from the Telluride House Band (Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan).