Season Info
Welcome to our 20th anniversary season! I am honored to be leading such a dynamic and exciting organization on the cusp of its third decade. Our upcoming season both honors our roots, and points the way to the future. The legacy created by Laura Jean Deming, Christine Seitz, Don Schleicher, Kathy Tompkins and many others, is alive and well. Their vision lives on and we are forever grateful for the gift they have given us. As we continue to maneuver through these difficult economic times, we have never forgotten our history and the twenty years of successful music making behind us.
This year we offer another exciting season of concerts with a combination of the old and the new, the familiar and the unfamiliar, and old friends and new friends. We welcome eight Resident Opera Artists to the area who will be seen in Verdi's masterpiece, La Traviata; a musical revue featuring the music of Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin prepared by Festival favorite Jerry DePuit; a concert of art song led by returning artist Stephen Sulich; and our opening Gala concerts hosted by long time Festival stalwart, Lucy Thrasher.
We are especially excited to reprise Evan Premo's opera The Diaries of Adam and Eve, which had its world premiere with the Festival in 2007. To round out the evening we will present another world premiere, a string quintet based on the Anishinaabe creation story. This evening, entitled "In the Beginning...," features the work of the U.P.'s own Evan Premo and points the way to the future of classical music. Our thanks to the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts for their support of this event.
Returning for the 16th year are our friends in the Bergonzi String Quartet. They will be the featured musicians in The Diaries of Adam and Eve and will be joined by Evan Premo to present the world premiere of his string quintet. They will also present an exciting evening of their own, featuring the music of Shostakovich, Beethoven and Debussy. Also returning is the graceful piano playing of Ralph Votapek. It will be exciting to welcome him back to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary.
We welcome back Stas Venglevski and his quartet to lead us in an evening of Tango, featuring the music of Piazzolla. We continue to bring some of the nation's finest young chamber musicians to the area and will feature them in their own concerts and in the opera orchestra.
I would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of our staff and volunteers. They are the engine that drives this beautiful Festival. However, it is you, our patrons, that must be thanked the most for giving us the support and opportunity to continue our work. It is for you that our passion and commitment regenerates itself year after year. I look forward to seeing you all in the concert hall this summer.
Joshua Major
Artistic Director