Artistic director, Keith Lockhart. Photo by Mike Belleme
The 81st season of the Brevard Music Center (BMC) Summer Festival, which includes 80 performances encompassing multiple musical genres, will run from Friday, June 2, through August 18. The season, which marks Keith Lockhart’s tenth anniversary of artistic leadership at BMC, features a roster of internationally acclaimed artists, including Lee Ann Womack, Lyle Lovett and Garrick Ohlsson, a season-long Kurt Weill celebration, operatic productions and classical favorites.
“The festival has wonderfully diverse offerings,” says BMC president and CEO Mark Weinstein. “One night you can hear a classical pianist and the next a Grammy award-winning country artist.”
Opening weekend begins on Thursday, June 22, with Opera’s Greatest Hits, ensemble pieces from the world’s most beloved productions, followed on Friday by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by the BMC Orchestra under the direction of Lockhart. BMC’s Saturday Spectacular features Grammy, CMA and ACM award-winning artist Lee Ann Womack.
“As always, when I have a show in North Carolina, I’m looking forward to playing for real music lovers,” says Womack. “There’s such a rich musical history in the state and it has cultivated an appreciation for roots music that I can identify with.”
The season-long celebration of the music of German-born composer Kurt Weill, who is acclaimed for his collaborations with playwright Bertolt Brecht, includes free lectures, book readings, operas and concerts. Highlights include Weill & Schoenberg: From Berlin to Hollywood on July 5, Change the World, It Needs It!–A Broadway to Classics Cabaret on July 6, and two performances of the opera Street Scene, featuring Weill’s Tony Award-winning score, on July 27 and 29.
The BMC Presents series, which focuses on blues, film, folk, pop and bluegrass, features the Brevard Blues & BBQ Festival with Tinsley Ellis, Roomful of Blues and others, Friday and Saturday, June 2–3. Other series highlights include Ricky Skaggs and his Kentucky Thunder band performing on June 27 and the April Verch Band on July 18.
On July 8, BMC celebrates the 35th anniversary of Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by showcasing the movie on the big screen with John Williams’ score performed live by a full symphony orchestra. “Watching the movie to live music is an amazing experience that’s great for kids,” says Weinstein. “Many people don’t realize how important the music is to the film.”
Other BMC Summer Festival highlights include The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan, The Marriage of Figaro, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and much more. The season finale, featuring Verdi’s Requiem takes place on August 6.
“BMC is a great place to experience music at affordable prices, in a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere,” says Weinstein. “You can bring some wine, sit under the stars and listen to your favorites or to something you’ve never heard before.”
BMC Summer Festival is at 349 Andante Lane, Brevard. Single tickets start at $15 and may be purchased online at brevardmusic.org, by calling 828.862.2105, or at the BMC box office, also at 349 Andante Lane. Subscriptions may be purchased throughout the summer festival season.
