From Nashville to Sundance: Singer-songwriters serenade in intimate setting
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- Allison Veltz Cruz, second from right, talks to the audience during the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series at Sundance Resort on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. To her left are fellow Nashville singer-songwriters Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz.
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- Allison Veltz Cruz, left, performs during the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series at Sundance Resort on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.
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- Laura Veltz performs during the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series at Sundance Resort on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. At right is Jimmy Robbins, another Nashville singer-songwriter.
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- From left, Laura Veltz, Jimmy Robbins and Allison Veltz Cruz perform during the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series at Sundance Resort on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.
Sundance Resort is known for its art, culture and, of course, natural beauty. While many people love the resort for its popular ski slopes, creativity is engrained in the mountainside and is fundamental to the resort. One of its most notable, but perhaps somewhat unknown, artistic ventures is the upward of 20-year partnership with the famous Bluebird Cafe based out of Nashville, Tennessee. The Bluebird Cafe features some of Nashville’s best singer-songwriters performing an acoustic writers round-style show.
Mari Turner, Sundance’s program director, believes Sundance Resort was a natural fit for the extension of Bluebird Cafe. From the start, she said, both Bluebird and Sundance have been passionate about bringing people together through music and storytelling. Sundance emulates art — from the drive up the winding canyon to the wood detail in the buildings, patrons are surrounded by art from the moment they arrive, and the Bluebird showcase is the finishing touch.
The Bluebird Cafe is broken down into two weekend performances in the winter and five weekends in the summer. The two winter performance weekends are Feb. 23-24 and March 29-30. The event, held in the Rehearsal Hall, which features high ceilings and large, sliding-glass barn doors, overlooks the Sundance pond. It is a venue that perfectly encapsulates the beauty and artistic detail of Sundance.
Artists for the first weekend included Allison Veltz Cruz, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz. These songwriters, while all having incredible voices of their own, have written and teamed up with many notable country artists, like Maren Morris, Dan + Shay, Jason Aldean, Lady A and many more. The night is intimate and fun as they tell the stories behind the songs they’ve written, talk about the process of writing the song, then perform their rendition for the crowd. The night seemed to progress too quickly as each round ended. The artists helped to create an intimate environment, frequently joking that we were all family as they would start a story or a joke about the song they wrote.
With one more weekend in March before ending the winter season, this is truly the perfect combination of art, community and nature. The Bluebird Cafe and Sundance pairing are a natural fit. With Utah’s big art and music culture and beautiful surroundings, this pairing is meant to be. Tickets for the summer shows go on sale at the end of April. If you aren’t prone to skiing or snowboarding, rest assured there is still a place for you at Sundance.