The Wintergreen Summer MusicFestival returns for 21st season.
Yoko Kimura with the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument.
Photo by John Broughton
In 1995, after Wintergreen resident Sarah McCracken visited the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado, she and others in this Nelson County resort community “decided that the hill should be alive with the sound of music,” explains Erin Freeman, artistic director of Wintergreen Performing Arts Inc.
And so, in the summer of 1997, the organization launched its inaugural Summer Music Festival—a series of 17 public concerts, five master classes, and 12 open rehearsals. Fast forward 21 years, and this summer more than 180 events are planned for the festival, which takes place July 8 to Aug. 5 and is expected to draw more than 10,000 visitors to the bucolic mountaintop retreat.
Most of the festival’s events occur at Wintergreen Resort’s outdoor Dunlop Pavilion, a temporary concert hall that holds up to 400. Other performances take place in nearby venues, including Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nellysford and Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows in Roseland.
Concerts represent a wide array of music, including Western classical, jazz, African-American spirituals, and Appalachian folk music. Additionally, the festival comprises seminars about art, music and wine sponsored by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and other organizations, and cooking classes with area chefs, including Christian Stiltner, executive chef of the Whiskey Jar in Charlottesville. Also on offer are a variety of events ranging from silent films of the 1920s to an immersive choir camp for adults.
This year’s theme, “Building Bridges: Celebrating Connections that Only Music Can Make,” is, according to organizers, an opportunity to bring people together through music.
“I wanted to make connections between what is often considered ‘traditional’ classical music and music of other cultures,” says festival executive director Julianne Akins Smith. Composer Daron Hagen will conduct his concerto “Genji,” which takes the name of the protagonist of the epic 11th-century Japanese narrative, The Tale of Genji. The concerto is arranged for a koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument that will be played by Yoko Kimura, and orchestra. Kimura will also give a public lecture about the koto and meet privately with students.
Conducter Mei-Ann Chen will direct Aaron Copland’s fan favorite “Appalachian Spring” while violinist Rachel Barton Pine plays two MountainTop Masterworks performances and the Masters of Soul perform Motown favorites.
“Musicians love coming to Wintergreen,” says Smith. “The beauty, the musical experience, and the wonderful patrons all make it an inspiring place for musicians to renew their love for their art.” For the full schedule, go to WintergreenPerformingArts.org
