Brevard – No matter what your musical preference is, the Brevard Music Center Summer Festival will undoubtedly offer something of interest. Throughout the summer there are opportunities to hear legendary performers in all genres. No well-known group has been forgotten—from pops, folk, symphony orchestras, jazz, bluegrass, Broadway performances, operas, concertos, and chamber groups, all will be coming to Brevard. You will undoubtedly find and hope to hear a beloved person performing this summer at the Brevard Music Center. Primary BMC performance venues include the 1800-seat, open-air Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium (with lawn seating) and the 400-seat Parker Concert Hall. Tickets to the Summer Festival run from June 1 through August 25, and start at as low as $25. For savings, subscription packages with a choice of seats, of course, are available. Just go to brevardmusic.org/tickets or call the BMC Box Office at 828.862.2105.
Led by Artistic Director Keith Lockhart (known as the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra), Brevard’s hallmark is its powerful sense of community that re-emerges every June as faculty and students work together to present almost 100 performances and events to more than 40,000 enthusiastic fans from across the country. Every year the program can be overwhelming with choice. Hopefully, some of our readers are already familiar with the campus and incredible summer performances. Primary BMC performance venues include the 1800-seat, open-air Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium and the recently built, architecturally beautiful 400-seat Parker Concert Hall.
Opening night will start with Joyce Yang returning to Brevard to play Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto, followed by Prokofiev’s Symphony No 5 on June 21st. Keith Lockhart will be there to conduct the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. The internationally acclaimed Yang will be returning to the United States after having played in Australia in May. Many undoubtedly are familiar with the 3rd Piano Concerto and how technically difficult it is. Joyce Yang was awarded the Silver Medal at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition award in 2005, is said to be blessed with “poetic and sensitive pianism” as she captivates audiences with her virtuosity, lyricism, and interpretive sensitivity.
Prior to the Opening Night, there will be several musical gatherings taking place. One in particular is Olga Kern, giving a recital with the Asheville Symphony on Saturday, May 18th at 2:00 PM at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. She will be performing Tchaikovsky’s monumental Piano Concerto No. 1. On June 1st there will be an NC Guitar Celebration to celebrate the culmination of the 2024 Blue Ridge Guitar Camp with Bryon Sutton. On June 8th the Kenny Barron Trio will give a concert at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. On Thursday, June 13th the classical guitarist Adam Holzman will offer a program of classical guitar favorites in the Parker Concert Hall, and on Friday, June 14th, BMC’s all-star faculty and students join together for a night of Jazz@Brevard.
Brevard Music Center stands as one of this country’s premier summer training programs and festivals, much like Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts. More than 700 gifted students, ages 14 through post-college, come to the Music Center every summer to study with a distinguished faculty of over 80 artists from the nation’s leading orchestras, colleges, and conservatories.
Brevard’s hallmark is the powerful sense of community that re-emerges every June as faculty and students work together to present over 100 performances and events, encompassing multiple music genres, to more than 40,000 enthusiastic fans from across the country. Over the past 85+ years, BMC has been privileged to welcome world-class soloists including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Frederica Von Stade, Olga Kern, Garrick Ohlsson, and other talented virtuosi.
The summer festival also features the popular BMC Presents series, having brought non-classical artists as rich and diverse as Steep Canyon Rangers, Amy Grant, Béla Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Lyle Lovett, The Manhattan Transfer, Garrison Keillor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter, Paul and Mary, PDQ Bach, Judy Collins, and Michael Feinstein to the Brevard stage.
For opera lovers, Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company presents fully-staged operas and other operatic showcases each summer festival season. Past performances have included classic operas such as Rigoletto, Così fan tutte, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Carmen, and La Bohème, as well as more modern works like Street Scene, Albert Herring, Sweeney Todd, and the world premiere of Falling Angel.
So who will be there this year? Which favorite artist will you be able to hear this summer? Go to the Brevard Music Festival website, look at the incredible summer programs, and decide what you want, or simply must attend. Go to www.brevardmusic.org. to look at the summer selection of programs and decide. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear someone whose musical ability amazes you. Brevard Music Center is a treasure tucked away in Western North Carolina. Their Summer Festival for 2024 is about to begin.