Brevard – June 20 marks the Opening Night for the 2025 Summer Music Festival at Brevard Music Center. Regardless of your musical preferences, the Brevard Music Center Summer Festival is sure to offer something of interest to music lovers. Throughout the summer, legendary performers from various genres will take the stage—from pops, folk, symphony orchestras, chamber groups, jazz, and bluegrass to operas and concertos. All performances are held in the stunning setting of the Brevard campus; many take place at the 1,800-seat open-air Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, which offers lawn seating, while others are hosted in the 400-seat Parker Concert Hall overlooking the lake, and delightful operas are presented at the Porter Center on Brevard College.
Choosing what to hear can be challenging. “This summer’s lineup is designed to surprise and delight,” says Nicolas Tzavaras, Senior Director of Artistic Planning and Educational Programs. “From the distinguished pianist Richard Goode and the Miró Quartet to the firebrand brilliance of Yuja Wang and the bluegrass virtuosity of the Steep Canyon Rangers, each week offers multiple unforgettable performances across genres and generations.”
The radiant pianist Eric Lu will kick off this year’s season by performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. This concerto is a work of poetic beauty and dazzling virtuosity, beloved by many. As Keith Lockhart must remain in Boston for the opening of the Boston Pops season, JoAnn Falletta will conduct the orchestra for opening night. Lockhart is celebrating his 30th anniversary as conductor of the Boston Pops this summer.
As Nicolas Tzavaras noted: “Keith loves to open the BMC season each year, but occasionally his Boston schedule doesn’t align. When that happens, he turns to our Principal Guest Conductor, the internationally renowned JoAnn Falletta, to take the podium in his stead. JoAnn has a deep love for Brevard and provides a joyful opening week for students, faculty, and audiences alike.” Keith will lead five extraordinary performances over the summer, conducting everything from Mahler’s Seventh Symphony to Beethoven’s Fifth, culminating in our season finale with Mozart and Vaughan Williams’s *A Sea Symphony*. “Keith’s heart is always connected to BMC’s mission, and he will direct some of our most powerful musical moments this season.”
This year’s summer program is extensive and varied. The Legendary Artists Series will feature the highly acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang on Wednesday, July 23, who will perform two concertos: The Ravel Concerto for Left Hand and the Prokofiev Concerto No. 2. Her reputation as a superstar with dazzling technique certainly suggests this is a concert not to be missed. Non-classical artists scheduled include a tribute to Swedish group ABBA on June 21, the Steep Canyon Rangers on June 24, and the gospel and soul voice of Mavis Staples on June 29. The Janiec Opera Company will present three fully staged operas and one unforgettable evening of opera selections. It is essential to review the program guide carefully to make informed choices about what you want to hear and see this summer at the Brevard Music Festival: https://www.brevardmusic.org/tickets/festival-guide/ or perhaps visit https://secured.brevardmusic.org/.
Tickets for these concerts can be purchased in subscription groupings for extra savings. For instance, The Golden Ticket offers access to 36 events with a 25% savings; or a Symphony series includes 16 Symphony concerts for a 20% savings. As Mical Hutson, the Director of Marketing and Communications, states, “Joining a series at Brevard Music Center is like becoming part of a summer-long club for music lovers. You sit in the same seat each week, surrounded by familiar faces who quickly become friends. You’re not just attending concerts—you’re part of a tradition, a community. It is the best way to experience the breadth of the festival.”
Throughout the summer, BMC offers several free concerts at the Transylvania County Library on Mondays. Individual student instrumental recitals, new music ensembles, and song programs can be enjoyed at Parker Concert Hall on weekday afternoons. On July 1, the Jan & Beattie Wood Concerto Competition Finals will take place at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, with free concerts for brass, winds, and percussion instruments later in the month.
Brevard Music Center stands as one of this country’s premier summer training programs and festivals, akin to Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts. More than 700 gifted students from around the world, ages 14 through post-college, come to Brevard Music Center every summer to study with a distinguished faculty of over 80 artists from the nation’s leading orchestras, colleges, and conservatories. The Music Center’s program is a rigorous residential summer training initiative focused on orchestral studies, piano, composition, jazz, classical guitar, bluegrass, and voice. Students and faculty work closely together during this time when many students are deciding whether they truly want to pursue music as a lifelong career. Keith Lockhart himself was a summer student on campus in 1974 and 1975.