Jeff and Paige from Boulder celebrate 20 years of Meadow Music concert series

Paige Doughty (left) and Jeff Kagan of “Jeff and Paige” perform at the Colorado Chautauqua in 2023. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

When husband-and-wife team Jeff Kagan and Paige Doughty look back on their Boulder legacy, they can say exactly where it all began – with their Meadow Music concert series.

“It was kind of the test bed for our whole career,” Doughty said. “It’s the beginning of Jeff and Paige.”

Together, Kagan and Doughty form the musical group Jeff and Paige. Their songs, performed throughout the Front Range, teach young children about environmental responsibility.

This year, the couple is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Meadow Music Series – a series of free summer concerts at Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline. The series is held in partnership with the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, where Kagan formerly worked.

“When you look at the longevity of the program, it’s really incredible the impact that can be had when a city organization partners with artists and educators,” Doughty said. “It’s a regular event, and it continues to strengthen the community during the summer.”

Each Meadow Music concert includes a hike with the audience along the park’s McClintock Trail before the show. Each hike highlights an “animal of the week” and a “color of the week” for the young participants to focus on while hiking.

“For me, that’s the most extraordinary part of the program,” Doughty said of the hike. “It’s really anchored in nature.”

On Monday, Meadow Music will officially celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special “alumni” concert. All former Jeff and Paige concert attendees are invited to visit Chautauqua Park at 4 p.m. to meet the musicians again, request songs and take photos.

At Monday’s show, the alumni will be asked to perform some dance moves during the first song. A “graduate” of Jeff and Page’s concert, who is now studying music and environmental studies, will play violin onstage alongside Kagan and Doughty.

Kagan and Doughty have two decades of concert experience and are often asked for selfies and conversations by teenagers and adults who have previously attended their concerts.

In Meadow Music’s first year, Kagan said, three families came to the opening concert. By the end of the first season, the audience had grown to about 25 people. In 2019, over 900 people attended each concert.

“We benefit greatly from it,” Kagan said. “It’s definitely a community offering, but we’re very happy with this program.”

Just as Meadow Music has changed, so have Kagan and Doughty. Over the past 20 years, the couple have had two children, put their music on streaming platforms and founded their nonprofit organization, Rainbow Socks.

For Kagan, who plays guitar and writes the duo’s songs, music and nature go hand in hand.

“Science can be a little daunting,” he said. “I remember feeling a little overwhelmed by science in middle and high school. I love the idea of ​​introducing larger scientific concepts … that also connect to everyone’s lives.”

Kagan and Doughty admit that there have been times during their 20-year career when they considered stopping the program, but the joy their music brings to children and families has kept them going.

“This work has had an impact,” Doughty said. “It’s about connecting people with nature. That’s what it’s all about.”

Monday’s walk begins at 5:30 p.m., with the concert scheduled for 6 p.m. Former students who would like to attend the concert are asked to register at givebutter.com/qCgAjv.