With Mack Bailey

May 15 – 17, 2026 at the Soldner Center

Friday, May 15, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 16, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, May 17, 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Free, maximum 5 participants

This weekend retreat will be offered to five Roaring Fork Valley veterans at no cost to the participants. Each of the sessions will be designed to help veterans gain mental wellness through the power of music. The veteran participants will engage in four group sessions and two individual sessions over the course of the retreat. During that time each veteran will be paired with a professional songwriter for five hours of working together to write their own song to be performed with the songwriter at the end of the retreat. They will also receive the gift of a new guitar for continued guitar instruction and therapy work following the retreat.

Click the button below to register.

Mack Bailey, Aspen resident and former touring musician and board-certified music therapist, founded what is now called Music Therapy Retreats in 2019 as a viable option for those grappling with the aftermath of trauma. Bailey’s personal story of depression, his passion for music and his unwavering commitment to making a difference led to the creation of the organization that would forever alter the lives of veterans and other at-risk populations suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mack is also dedicated to training music therapists in the “Music and the PTSD Brain” continuing education program and in furthering music therapy research and mental health in his local community of Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado.

Why the Soldner Center?

Paul Soldner was a World War II veteran serving as a medic in Patton’s third army and the Battle of the Bulge. On May 5, 1945 his division liberated Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. The experience changed the course of his life. He decided instead of becoming a doctor, he wanted to devote his life to the arts.

The experience never left him although he seldom spoke about it. He and his wife Ginny hand-built their home and studio over 40 years and he became an internationally famous Ceramic Artist.

Now the Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has decided it’s time to share this place with veterans to hopefully help heal their wounds and memories. If you are a veteran or knows a veteran who lives locally, we invite you to join us on this caring and hope-filled journey.