FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2016 CONTACT: Jesse Locks, [email protected], (916) 548-‐7716
Music in the Mountains Announces Headliners for 35th Anniversary SummerFest Concert Series including
Music Legends Judy Collins & Don McLean plus a new outdoor venue! June 22 through July 3, Music in the Mountains will launch the biggest initiative in their thirty-‐five year history of presenting SummerFest with an unprecedented twelve concerts, bringing the classics to life in new ways, new places and new formats. Most notable, music legends including Grammy Award-‐winning singer Judy Collins and folk rock singer-‐songwriter Don McLean, will headline the SummerFest outdoor concerts at the new and improved Gateway Park Pavilion in Penn Valley. The sprawling 87-‐acre park includes a 3,500-‐square-‐foot stage pavilion, picnic and lawn areas. “The new venue has allowed MIM to expand its programming and patron amenities,” explained Executive Director Dr. Mieko Hatano. “We are able to offer more premium table seating to our patrons to make SummerFest more comfortable, more festive with new food and drink options, and a truly magical musical experience. For more than half a century, Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-‐album body of work. MIM’s string quartet joins Collins as she sings the songs that have inspired three generations – “Both Sides Now”, “Send in the Clowns”, and more. Don McLean is one of America’s most enduring singer-‐songwriters and is forever associated with his classic hits “American Pie“, ”Vincent”, “Castles in the Air”, “And I Love You So” and “Crying”. Since first hitting the charts in 1971, McLean has amassed over 40 gold and platinum records world-‐wide and, in 2004, was inducted
into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. Share the magic of this magnificent artist under a “Starry, Starry Night.” The pops and classics are showcased in a major way this SummerFest with five conductors – MIM Resident Conductor Ryan Murray, MIM Artistic Director Pete Nowlen, Jeffrey Reed, Lucinda Carver, and David Lockington – taking on the sublime music of Felix Mendelssohn, a Mozart marathon featuring the Mozart Piano Quartet in G Minor with special guest pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski and his epic final symphony, two of the all time great works for string orchestra including Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings and Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, and a stirring program of Russian favorites including the 1812 Overture. Other special SummerFest programs include "From Broadway to Hollywood," with music from the stage and screen. “Beethoven’s Pastoral – Plus, The Planets” by Holst celebrates music under the stars. And "Pet Sounds" is a symphonic recreation of the music of The Beach Boys. Every endless summer smash hit, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The season concludes with the popular Patriotic Pops program on July 3rd, conducted by Pete Nowlen. Leading MIM in this exciting new festival experience is new Executive Director Dr. Mieko Hatano. Dr. Hatano comes to MIM with an extensive background arts administration. Before her move back to the West Coast, she served as Executive Director of Symphony Orchestra Augusta in Georgia for three seasons. Featured as one of Musical America’s “Rising Stars in Orchestra Leadership” in 2012, Dr. Hatano led the organization to an increase in both its subscription and single ticket numbers, create the Knox Music Institute, and raise over $16 Million in a capital campaign to restore and renovate an abandoned art deco theater in downtown Augusta. Also joining Dr. Hatano is MIM’s newly appointed Artistic Director Pete Nowlen. For the last two year’s Nowlen has been MIM’s Artistic Advisor and before that an accomplished musician in the festival orchestra. He is also a professor at UC Davis and Sacramento State. Finally rounding out the team is Chorus Director Ryan Murray who is highly regarded throughout California. Murray’s dynamic conducting, engaging persona and deeply held passion for the arts have allowed him to steadily build a robust career conducting professional orchestras since the age of 22. In addition to his recent appointment as Music Director of Fresno Grand Opera, Murray is the Music Director of Townsend Opera, the Associate Conductor for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Music Director for the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra; with whom he made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in 2014.
Tickets Tickets for SummerFest go on sale Friday, April 1 to the public. For more information, or to order tickets, please log onto www.MusicInTheMountains.org or call the MIM Box Office at (530) 265-‐6124. Fact Sheet: SummerFest Wednesday, June 22 Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto Amaral Center, Nevada County Fairgrounds Show 3pm Friday, June 24 Beethoven’s Pastoral – Plus, The Planets! Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Saturday, June 25 From Broadway to Hollywood Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Sunday, June 26 A Mozart Recital Amaral Center, Nevada County Fairgrounds Show 3pm Sunday, June 26 All-‐Mozart! Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Tuesday, June 28 Seductive Serenades Amaral Center, Nevada County Fairgrounds Show 3pm Tuesday, June 28 Don McLean Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Wednesday, June 29 American Classics – Gershwin’s An American in Paris Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Thursday, June 30 An Evening with Judy Collins Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm Friday, July 1 Russian Fireworks – 1812 Overture & More! Gateway Park Pavilion, Penn Valley Show 8:15pm