It is with considerable sadness that I announce that this will 
be the final Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival in its present 
configuration.  Significant changes have occurred which made this 
decision inevitable, although not without some misgivings.
  Our Musical Director, Scott Kirby, will soon be moving to 
France for an indefinite period.  His vision has guided the Festival 
for the past several years, for which we are enormously grateful, 
and we wish him every success as he pursues life changes and 
new musical horizons.  However, his departure leaves a void that 
none of us are prepared to fill.
  As a Board, we are extremely proud of what we have 
accomplished over the past twelve Festivals.  The Rocky Mountain 
Ragtime Festival has earned a reputation as the top festival in the 
country for the promotion of new music as well as classic ragtime 
and we have premiered many new works here.
  To maintain what we have established will require a new 
visionary musical director and fresh volunteers, for your current 
Board is in need of a rest.  We will continue to maintain our logo, 
our 501(c)(3) status and our website and we welcome inquiries 
from any person or persons interested in the future direction of this 
wonderful musical event.
  In the meantime, we intend to go out with a bang instead of a 
whimper.  We have a stellar line-up and it promises to be a major 
musical celebration!  If you are a faithful attendee, we know you will 
enjoy this final fling, and if you've always wanted to come to a 
Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival but haven't quite gotten it 
together to do so, we encourage you to plan to be with us this year 
and join the fun as we cap a baker's dozen of great Festivals with 
the best one yet!
	--Jack Rummel, president