Press Releases
Festival Recognizes Kiltinens for Role in “Rockland”
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Pine Mountain Music Festival presented its 2011 Laura Jean Deming Award to John and Pauline Kiltinen of Marquette for their exceptional contributions to the Festival and to the creation and premiere of the new opera “Rockland.”
The presentation was made June 23 at the recital by Finnish baritone Esa Ruuttunen and pianist Craig Randal Johnson at Reynolds Recital Hall in Marquette. In his presentation remarks, Peter Van Pelt, executive director of Pine Mountain Music Festival, praised the Kiltinens for their role in creating “Rockland” and championing its development over the past several years, and for their generous financial support, and said “No recipient of this award could possibly be more deserving.”
The Laura Jean Deming Award, named for the founder of Pine Mountain Music Festival, is given annually to an individual, group or organization that has rendered outstanding service to the Festival. Last year’s awardee was Karlyn Rapport, also of Marquette.
It was John Kiltinen who first brought the idea of “Rockland” the opera to Pine Mountain Music Festival, following a discussion with the Finnish composer Jukka Linkola in 2005. At that time, Linkola was in Marquette for the premiere of his double bass concerto featuring Evan Premo, performed at Finn Grand Fest. When Linkola heard the story of the 1906 events in the town of Rockland, Ontonagon County, he said, “I’d like to write an opera about that.” Kiltinen then told the Board of PMMF about it, and in due course the Board formally adopted the project.
John and Pauline Kiltinen were members of the “Rockland” Task Force, which oversaw all the special fund-raising, marketing and management tasks connected with the opera premiere. Van Pelt said the Kiltinens’ role was indispensable. “It is not so rare that someone brings a good idea to an organization,” he said, “but it is very rare for that person to back it up with energy and active assistance and financial support. John and Pauline did all that, in spades.”
“Rockland” was the culmination of the Festival’s 2011 season, and was a major production, with a cast of over 50 and an orchestra of 43 musicians. It was performed for a packed house on July 15 and 17 at the Rozsa Center in Houghton, and audience reactions to it were extremely favorable, with comments such as “phenomenal,” “blown away,” “luscious music,” and “huge accomplishment.”
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera and classical music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other towns in the Upper Peninsula. Visit the web at http://www.pmmf.org or call 888-309-7861 for more information.
Party and Auction to Benefit Festival
Thursday, August 25, 2011
On September 15 the Pine Mountain Music Festival is hosting a party celebrating the “Rockland” season. All are invited.
The festive event will be held from 6:30 to 10 pm at Brownstone Hall in Atlantic Mine. Guests will enjoy savories and sweets, along with wine and punch. White Water will provide music for dancing, and there will be door prizes for all.
Auction items include a two-night package for two at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, an “Explore Keweenaw” hiking package with Charles Eshbach for up to four people including pasties from Toni’s, an Isle Royale Queen package for two plus overnight stay and breakfast for two at Dapple Gray Bed & Breakfast, a roll-top desk, a picnic basket loaded with picnic gear and goodies, a tub of well-rotted manure from horses and goats who listen only to classical music, and other must-have items.
Pine Mountain Music Festival produced many concerts and recitals in June-July this year in Dickinson County, the Marquette area and the Keweenaw Peninsula, culminating with the new opera “Rockland” which premiered to a full house at the Rozsa Center on July 15 and 17. Peter Van Pelt, executive director, says, “The 2011 season was a huge success artistically, and now we are down to the last stages of making it a success financially as well. No wonder we want a party!”
Tickets are $25. Call 906-482-1542 for information or to reserve your space, and send check to PMMF, PO Box 406, Hancock MI 49930.
Arts and Culture Organizations Benefit the Community
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Healhy communities need healthy arts and cultural organizations. Here in the Keweenaw we are blessed with many groups that work hard and make our lives richer.
A couple of years ago I had a visitor from out of state, a first-time visitor to the Keweenaw. He was a financial auditor, not an arts person, and had been in the area less than 24 hours when I met him. He said, “This seems like a really good arts destination.” Wow, I thought, that is fantastic. That is why many of my friends live here, and even an outsider “gets it.”
Pine Mountain Music Festival this summer produced a major new work, “Rockland,” an accomplishment more typically done by opera companies in major metropolitan areas. Thanks to generous support from a large number of private donors, the Festival was able to amaze others in the opera world. This was a landmark event for the U.P. in historical, cultural and musical terms.
“Rockland” the opera is based on true events in the town of Rockland, Ontonagon County, in 1906. Its development was helped by collaboration with the Rockland Historical Museum, a treasure supported more by enthusiasm than by dollars. We have a remarkably strong roster of historical organizations here. Keweenaw County, by far the smallest county in the state in terms of population, has a historical society with a membership (over 1,000) that is larger than that of virtually any other county-based historical society in the state – amazing.
We have several excellent art galleries, an active Copper Country Community Arts Council, and a host of talented artists doing outstanding and varied work among us.
We have depth in the music field, too. The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, the Copper Country Suzuki Association, Pine Mountain Music Festival and a host of smaller groups and individuals provide a range of high-quality musical events that delight us all year-round.
Special mention should be made of the Calumet Theatre, a jewel of the Keweenaw, which has hosted an unbelievable variety of events, artists and audiences over the years. The much newer state-of-the-art Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan Tech is able to host bigger productions and is a huge asset to the region. The Calumet Players amuse and enthrall big audiences every year.
Most of these organizations are 501(c)(3) entities, which means that donations are tax-deductible. And they need donations! In the case of Pine Mountain Music Festival, the main source of revenue is private donations, followed by ticket sales and earned income. To varying degrees, these organizations would not exist and would not provide their life-enriching services without generous donations.
The opera “Rockland,” five years in the making, has generated a huge amount of positive comment, certainly for its music, but also for its powerful themes about regional history and the labor-management and social issues that pervaded life a century ago and still resonate today. The opera had its “Old World Premiere” in mid-June in Nivala, Finland. Even though we viewed it as our story, the audiences there viewed it as their story, since they were seeing a story of their grandparents or great-grandparents who had emigrated here.
“This seems like a really good arts destination.” The reason why? It’s all about participation and support. A community gets the cultural life it deserves. Thank you to all the people who work and volunteer for these cultural organizations, and a big thank you to all the people who patronize and support them. It’s a winning combination.
Peter Van Pelt
Executive Director
Pine Mountain Music Festival