Community Engagement
GTMF’s mission to provide exhilarating musical experiences goes beyond presenting concerts at Walk Festival Hall. We’re committed to engaging with our community through interactive programs that reach people of all ages.
“The Grand Teton Music Festival is building bridges in Jackson and beyond through partnerships, access and engagement. Via our free programming, in-person and online, and supporting local music education and young musicians, the Festival is committed to enriching lives in our community through extraordinary musical experiences.”
~Matt Lusins, GTMF Board of Directors
GTMF On the Road
GTMF On the Road brings live classical music to audiences in Teton County and surrounding communities through free concerts presented in partnership with community organizations in welcoming locations.
All ensembles feature members of the Festival Orchestra, made up of exceptional musicians from 75 orchestras and 55 institutions of higher learning. GTMF’s Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich leads programs that are accessible to all ages and bring the music to life with explanations, demonstrations and conversations with musicians.
GTMF On the Road is made possible by program sponsors Mary & Don Shockey and the National Endowment for the Arts. Special thanks to JH Land Trust for hosting GTMF at Greenspace on the Block.
Musical Adventures
Join Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich and embark on Musical Adventures on Monday mornings at Greenspace on the Block in downtown Jackson and Tuesday mornings at Teton Village Commons. These are fun, informative and engaging music sessions for young children and their adult caretakers. Geared for listeners ages one through five, classes will also be fun and accessible for all ages. Come with us on a musical adventure to sing, dance and move through the exciting world of music!
Special thanks to JH Land Trust for hosting GTMF at Greenspace on the Block.
Grand Teton Music Festival hosted the 6th Annual Scholarship Competition in honor of Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles this summer in Jackson, Wyoming.
The competition is open to graduating high school seniors from Wyoming, Idaho, or Montana who are pursuing a music degree in college. The first round is a pre-screened video submitted online. Six semi-finalists will be invited to perform for a panel of judges including Maestro Donald Runnicles on July 17, 2023. Three finalists will be chosen to compete for $50,000 in scholarship awards. Since its inaugural year in 2018, the competition has awarded $210,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana who are pursuing their studies in music.
Congratulations to our 2023 Scholarship Competition Winners!
- 1st Prize ($25K): Emily Goldner-Morgan, soprano – Timberlake High School, Athol, ID
- 2nd Prize ($15K): Tyler McKay, piano – Madison High School, Rexburg, ID
- 3rd Prize ($10K): Nickoli Kumm, alto saxophone – Cody High School, Cody, WY
Coombs Outdoors Partnership
Coombs Outdoors and the Grand Teton Music Festival have partnered to create access to music lessons and opportunities for Coombs Outdoors participants. The two local nonprofits have worked together to launch a summer-long program, the Coombs Ukulele Club, that offers Ukulele lessons to Coombs participants once a week for the duration of the summer.
“Coombs Ukulele Club is a part of a larger initiative of the Grand Teton Music Festival to prioritize and create access to music for everyone in our community. We are excited to be actively working towards equity in the arts through our partnership with Coombs Outdoors by providing free access to music education and experiences. We have been inspired by the passion and excitement that the Coombs Ukulele Club participants have shown for music and learning. This is a partnership we are committed to continue and expand through additional programs in the future.”
~Emma Kail, Executive Director
GTMF Education Partnerships
This summer, GTMF will partner with music education organizations in Jackson to connect Festival musicians and local music students.
Teton Music School’s Summer Strings Camp for middle school students will be visited by a resident string quartet for a special performance and clinic instruction.
High school students performing in the MusicLand’s Jackson Hole Youth Orchestra will be led by a Festival musician guest conductor for their summer session.
Students of both camps will be invited to Chamber Music concerts and Open Rehearsals throughout the summer and will culminate their sessions with afternoon performances on the stage at Walk Festival Hall. GTMF is proud to connect young musicians in our community with opportunities to deepen their lifelong relationship with music.
Musical Road Trips
GTMF’s Musical Road Trips is an animated educational series for elementary school students that explores the world of classical music. Music teacher and host Meaghan Heinrich explores music from each of GTMF’s On Location concerts and teaches students about the music through different activities like dancing, singing, drawing, etc. Each episode also features an exclusive interview with one of the musicians from each of the concerts.
Watch videos
Pre-Concert Talks
Before each Festival Orchestra concert, Festival Musicians present educational introductions to the evening’s performance. Learn before you listen, with lectures beginning at 6 PM on Fridays and 5 PM on Saturdays in the Barbara Furrer Goodman Memorial Garden near Walk Festival Hall’s north entrance.
StringFest
StringFest unites orchestra students from local schools for an intensive workshop led by an expert clinician. The clinic gives students the opportunity to learn alongside a broader set of peers and concludes with a concert showcasing their newly refined skills and talents. This project was funded in part with an Arts for All grant provided by Teton County.
Community engagement and education programming supported by:
Anonymous
The Brent & Shelby Belote Foundation
Botwinick-Wolfensohn Foundation & Wolfensohn Family Foundation,
in memory of Elaine & James Wolfensohn
Frank A. O’Neil Family Foundation
Karen Rockey
Mary & Don Shockey
Marguerite & Matt Stoner
