Single tickets for all festival events now on sale, Festival dates: July 2–August 21, 2021
Concerts featured in Gateway Series include Time For Three, Grammy®-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion, and a “Broadway Through the Ages” evening
JACKSON, WY, June 1, 2021 – Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) announces the inaugural launch of its musically adventurous Thursday evening Gateway Series in addition to a community-engaging GTMF on the Road initiative. Single tickets are now on sale. The new Gateway Series, scheduled on Thursdays, features musically diverse works designed to reflect the Jackson area’s adventurous spirit. Presented artists include the genre-defying string trio Time For Three (July 22), the Grammy®-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion (July 29), and a Broadway Through the Ages concert with pianist Andy Einhorn and vocalists Andrea Ross and Ryan Vona (August 5).
GTMF On the Road – a free community concert program – also makes its inaugural appearance this year presenting various chamber music concerts in parks, other outdoor venues, and private homes. These concerts spotlight the talent of Festival Orchestra musicians in inspiring locales. For a schedule of public events, visit gtmf.org.
To provide expanded access for the Jackson community and worldwide, online streaming of performances will be offered with free access to the August 14 Festival Orchestra concert featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman and GTMF’s co-commission of Jessie Montgomery’s 2021 work, Five Freedom Songs, sung by Julia Bullock, in addition to the August 21 Festival Orchestra concert featuring violinist Leila Josefowicz. Additional details regarding online streaming access will be shared at gtmf.org at a later date.
This July and August, close to 200 GTMF musicians will come to Jackson, representing 80 orchestras and 55 institutions of higher learning. The Festival welcomes top talent from world-renowned orchestras in what is more than a career opportunity; it is the gathering of a close-knit community. “The Grand Teton Music Festival has not only been a part of my career, but also of my life,” says Susan Gulkis Assadi, a violist with the Festival Orchestra since 1994. “It really feels like an extended family—we all come together because we love music, Jackson Hole, and each other. Magic happens when we all arrive each summer.”
Gulkis Assadi isn’t alone in feeling this way. “Once a musician starts coming, they want to keep coming,” says percussionist and Orchestra Personnel Manager Richard Brown, who performs with the Festival Orchestra for his 45th season this summer. Even with 45 seasons under his belt, Brown is not the most senior Festival musician— that title belongs to cellist Marcia Peck, who celebrated her 50th GTMF season last year. Returning to GTMF for decades is not a unique phenomenon; 21 musicians coming this summer have played with the Festival for more than 30 seasons.
This year, Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles leads seven weeks of GTMF performances – one week outdoors and six weeks inside at Walk Festival Hall in a welcoming home for Festival orchestra musicians. As announced previously, the Festival is pleased to present guest artists including violinists James Ehnes and Leila Josefowicz, Broadway star Capathia Jenkins, soprano Julia Bullock, pianist Yefim Bronfman, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and conductors Gemma New, Stéphane Denève, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Repertoire highlights include the world premiere of Melody Eötvös’ The Deciding Machine (July 15-17) and a 2021 co-commission work by Jessie Montgomery – Five Freedom Songs – sung by soprano Julia Bullock (August 12-14). Due to the limited capacity of indoor performances at Walk Festival Hall, plus the 20 percent increase in subscription purchases for the 2021 season to date, the Festival is delighted to expand its Festival Orchestra series to include three Thursday performances (July 15, August 12, and August 19).
Six orchestral rehearsals are open to the public, with a $20 ticket purchase. Three Thursday mornings at 10 (July 15, August 12, and August 19) and three Friday mornings at 10 (July 23, July 30, and August 6), patrons can enjoy a behind-the-scenes look as the conductor and orchestra rehearse for the weekend Festival Orchestra concerts.
GTMF’s annual chamber music series featuring world-class Festival Orchestra musicians begins on Wednesday, July 14 at Walk Festival Hall and continues every Wednesday evening through August 18. Featured composers include J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Shostakovich, Bruch, Schubert, and more.
GTMF has created health and safety protocols to ensure a safe environment for performers, audience members, staff, and volunteers. The Festival installed two AtmosAir Matterhorn units, which seek out and neutralize contaminants in the air, at Walk Festival Hall. Plans will adjust in response to public health measures as they evolve.
Single tickets are now on sale. For further information about purchasing tickets, please visit gtmf.org or call 307-733-1128. The Fritz Box Office at Walk Festival Hall opens on June 21.
2021 SUMMER DETAILS
Events are held at the Walk Festival Hall unless otherwise noted
Streamed concerts with free digital access are denoted with an asterisk (*)
Festival Orchestra: Film Music Spectacular
Friday, July 2 | 6 PM
$25/$15 Reserved; $10 G/A Lawn (lawn tickets are free for age 17 and under)
Center for the Arts Park
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Music by film composers John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, and John Williams and ever-popular orchestral works from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Out of Africa, Fantasia, Apocalypse Now, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more.
Festival Orchestra: Free Family Concert – Once Upon a Time at the Movies
Saturday, July 3 | 4 PM
Event is free and open to the public; tickets are required
Center for the Arts Park
Jerry Hou, conductor
Meaghan Heinrich, GTMF Education Curator and host
A storytelling-focused, interactive experience designed for kids and families, this shortened concert features well-known music from the movies.
Festival Orchestra: Patriotic Pops
Presented by Rocky Mountain Bank
Sunday, July 4 | 6 PM
$25/$15 Reserved; $10 G/A Lawn (lawn tickets are free for age 17 and under)
Center for the Arts Park
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Patriotic favorites presented outdoors – fun for the whole family!
Festival Orchestra: A Night at the Opera
Tuesday, July 6 | 6 PM
$25/$15 Reserved; $10 G/A Lawn (lawn tickets are free for age 17 and under)
Center for the Arts Park
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Heidi Stober, soprano
Irene Roberts, mezzo-soprano
Robert Watson, tenor
Thomas Lehman, baritone
A night of arias from two of the world’s most beloved operas—Carmen and La traviata.
Chamber Music Series: Poulenc, Mozart, Bruch & Grieg
Wednesday, July 14 | 8 PM
$30
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Thursday, July 15 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Pictures at an Exhibition
Thursday, July 15 | 8 PM
Friday, July 16 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 17 | 6 PM
$75
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Melody Eötvös: The Deciding Machine (World Premiere)
Dvořák: Concerto for Cello in B minor, Op. 104
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Chamber Music Series: Dohnányi & Rota
Wednesday, July 21 | 8 PM
$30
Gateway Series: Time For Three
Thursday, July 22 | 8 PM
$40
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Friday, July 23 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Mozart & Tchaikovsky
Friday, July 23 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 24 | 6 PM
$75
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Angela Jones-Reus, flute
Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp
Clarice Assad: Bonecos de Olinda
Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major, K. 299 (297c)
Kodály: Dances of Galánta
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien
Chamber Music Series: Bach, Beethoven & More
Wednesday, July 28 | 8 PM
$30
Gateway Series: Third Coast Percussion
Thursday, July 29 | 8 PM
$40
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Friday, July 30 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Britten & Elgar
Friday, July 30 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 31 | 6 PM
$75
Gemma New, conductor
Michael Mulcahy, trombone
Britten: Four Sea Interludes from “Peter Grimes,” Op. 33a
Carl Vine: Five Hallucinations for Trombone and Orchestra
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36
Chamber Music Series: Schumann & Beethoven
Wednesday, August 4 | 8 PM
$30
Gateway Series: Broadway Through the Ages
Thursday, August 5 | 8 PM
$50
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Friday, August 6 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Barber Violin Concerto
Friday, August 6 | 8 PM
Saturday, August 7 | 6 PM
$75
Stéphane Denève, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Ravel: Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose): Suite
Barber: Concerto for Violin, Op. 14
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
Chamber Music Series: Brahms Piano Quartet & More
Wednesday, August 11 | 8 PM
$30
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Thursday, August 12 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Bronfman Plays Beethoven
Thursday, August 12 | 8 PM
Friday, August 13 | 8 PM
*Saturday, August 14 | 6 PM
$75
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Julia Bullock, soprano
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Strauss: Don Juan, Op. 20
Jessie Montgomery: Five Freedom Songs (GTMF Co-commission)
Beethoven: Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C minor, Op. 37
Chamber Music Series: Shostakovich, Bruch & Schubert
Wednesday, August 18 | 8 PM
$30
Festival Orchestra: Open Rehearsal
Thursday, August 19 | 10 AM
$20
Festival Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Season Finale
Thursday, August 19 | 8 PM
Friday, August 20 | 8 PM
*Saturday, August 21 | 6 PM
$75
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Ravel: Alborada del grazioso
Stravinsky: Concerto for Violin in D Major
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
About the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF)
Over seven weeks each summer, the Grand Teton Music Festival welcomes close to 200 celebrated orchestral musicians led by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles. These musicians represent 80 orchestras and 55 institutions of higher learning throughout Europe and North America. In addition to orchestral concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the summer season also features visiting guest artists and chamber music on weekdays.
GTMF is the single largest performing arts presenter in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with nearly 100 annual events. GTMF presents yearlong programming that includes monthly community concerts, a Winter Festival in February, the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series, and education programs for Teton County students. GTMF is a 4-star charity as rated by Charity Navigator and has a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
Media Contact:
Patricia Price
8VA Music Consultancy
patricia@8vamusicconsultancy.com
