Britt Festival Orchestra unveils performances for 60th anniversary season | Community
The “Diamond Anniversary” season includes a new commissioned piece composed and performed by pianist Sebastian Chang, who is one of four soloists performing throughout the season.
JACKSONVILLE, Ore. — The Britt Festival Orchestra unveiled its summer lineup for the 60th “Diamond Anniversary” on Thursday, gearing up for three weeks of outdoor performances from June 17 through July 3.
According to the Britt Music & Arts Festival, the program includes a diverse mix of composers and guest artists, with a particular focus on black composers at a Juneteenth concert. It includes a newly commissioned piece composed and performed by pianist Sebastian Chang, who is one of four soloists performing throughout the season.
The final concert features the 10-person ensemble “People of Earth” performing the West Coast premiere of a Britt-commissioned piece. Meanwhile, the season’s Family Show will be offered as a morning concert, featuring the return of popular narrator Bruce Campbell.
“We’ve spent months dreaming up a festive and dynamic season to mark the return of the entire Britt Festival Orchestra to our beloved Rogue Valley,” said BFO Music Director and Composer Teddy Abrams. “The 2022 season is a demonstration of our deepest artistic values: showcasing the greatest creative talents of today alongside the most powerful orchestral music of the past.”
“Between the breadth of programming and the virtuosity of our orchestra, our goal is to remind southern Oregon of the jewel that is the Britt Festival Orchestra, and to reaffirm the bonds that have made the relationship between the members of BFO and the community so strong for 60 years,” Abrams continued.
Tickets
Tickets will go on sale from 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 11 on the Britt website: BrittFest.org. There will be no member presale for BFO concerts.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Britt Box office, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 216 W. Main St, Medford, Oregon, or by calling 541-773-6077.
- Reserved premium: $49
- Standard Reserved: $29
- Lawn seats: $20
- Children and students: $10 with a valid student card
Family show (11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28):
- Reserved: $15
- Lawn seats: $5 (BrittKids Klub members get in FREE with paid adult admission. Up to 3 per adult with a valid BKK card.)
Gigs
WEEK 1
June 17: Spectacular Anniversary
With a special commission as a world premiere.
Sebastien Chang, piano
- Timo Andres – Everything Happens So Much
- Sebastian Chang – Piano Concerto “The Empress”
- West Coast Premiere: Commissioned in 2022 by the Britt Music and Arts Festival. Dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Britt Festival Orchestra
- Ludwig Van Beethoven – Symphony No. 3
June 19: June 19 Celebration
With music by black composers.
Seth Parker Woods, cello
- Valerie Coleman – Umoja
- Tyshawn Sorey- For Roscoe Mitchell
- Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson – Calvary Ostinato from Wailing
- Adolphus Hailstork – from Symphony No. 4, still hanging on
- Julius Eastman – Female
WEEK 2
June 24: Truths must be told
- Davone Tines, baritone
- Star-Spangled Banner, arr. Michael Schachter
- Davóne Tines – Concerto No. 1 “Sermon”
- Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10
June 26: Orchestral Colors
A program highlighting the textures, colors and depth of the orchestra.
Orchestra only
- Michael Tilson Thomas – Showa/Shoah
- William Grant Still – In Memoriam: Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy
- Igor Stravinsky – Symphony in three movements
WEEK 3
June 28: Family show – special morning program: 11:00 a.m.
One hour family program
Bruce Campbell, narrator
- Dave Anderson – “Celebration”
- Nathaniel Stookey – The composer is dead!
July 1: American Soundscapes
Works using American folk and popular musical heritage as a source of inspiration.
Tessa Lark, violin
- Gabriel Kahane – Nocturama
- Leonard Bernstein – Serenade after Plato’s “Symposium”
- Antonin Dvořák – Symphony No. 8
July 3: Rhythms of the Barrio
With a special West Coast Premiere commission.
Earth People
- Tania Leon – Ser
- Dafnis Prieto – Tentacion – command / West coast premiere
- Arturo Márquez – Danzón No. 2 (conducted by conductor Gabriel Kahane)
- George Gershwin – Cuban Overture
- Maurice Ravel – Bolero