Press Release: Grand Teton Music Festival Marks Record-Breaking Summer in 2024

63rd season ends with highest-ever attendance and revenue; Board of Directors welcomes new members

[JACKSON, WY, September 10, 2024]—The Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Walk Festival Hall this past summer, and in doing so, achieved a 13% increase in attendance over last year’s festival, as well as a nearly 20% increase in ticket income. Over the eight-week festival, which ran from June 27 through August 17, the Festival Orchestra, Chamber Music, and Gateway series performances, plus education and engagement activities, totaled more than 100 musical experiences that reached more than 22,000 people in and around Jackson and the Teton community.

The 2024 Festival’s signature programming showcased 16 Festival Orchestra concerts—including two guest conductor debuts (David Danzmayr and Juraj Valčuha), stellar soloists, and the annual semi-staged opera (Mozart’s The Magic Flute); five Chamber Music performances; four Gateway series presentations, highlighted by the duo of pianist Conrad Tao and dancer Caleb Teicher, and banjo duo Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn; two special events featuring a recital by pianist Garrick Ohlsson and a Festival Orchestra concert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma; and two free outdoor community concerts at Center for the Arts Park. Repertoire ranged from the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue—performed in three arrangements throughout the Festival—to works by Dvořák, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Missy Mazzoli, Clarice Assad, Melody Eötvös and more.

“Our record-breaking attendance and ticket sales reflect the caliber of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and our maestro, Sir Donald Runnicles,” said GTMF Executive Director Emma Kail. “This summer, we hosted our first community events in Tetonia and Victor, Idaho, and we are eager to continue to connect communities in Jackson and over the pass with our top-tier musicians. We are grateful for the support of our community, and proud to bring exhilarating musical experiences to Jackson and beyond.”

At GTMF’s Annual Board meeting on August 17, five new Directors—Casey Bowlin, Jan Davis, Stephanie Key, Laurentius Marais, and Shari Turpin—were elected, as were three new Life Directors: David Augé, Barbara McCelvey, and Stanley Seidler.

Casey Bowlin is the Chairman and CEO of Sunstar Insurance Group in Memphis, Tennessee and a member of the Sunstar Insurance Group Executive Committee and Board of Directors. After service as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, he joined E. H. Crump and Company as an insurance salesman and eventually became that firm’s President. He then served as Chairman and CEO of Sedgwick Global Ltd., President and insurance CEO of Summit Global Partners, Inc. and President and CEO of Regions Insurance Group before founding Sunstar.

Jan Phillips Davis worked as a stringer/reporter in New York City, where she was born and raised, for various print and magazine titles, as well as for Ogilvy and Mather Advertising Company and American Express. She served on the Board of the Jackson Hole Land Trust from 2018 to 2024 on the Stewardship, Advancement and RPARK 10-Year Anniversary Committees.

Stephanie Key is a 20-year GTMF musician and supporter of the Festival, having served as a judge for the Donald Runnicles Musical Arts Scholarship Competition and frequently liaised with Festival patrons and donors. She has served as Second Clarinetist at the Dallas Symphony since 2021.

Laurentius Marais is an Executive Vice President at Compass Lexecon. He holds graduate degrees in mathematics, statistics and business administration from Stanford University. At the Stanford Graduate School of Business, he earned a Ph.D. degree, completing a dissertation on applications of computer-intensive statistical methods to topics in accounting. He has served on the faculties of the University of Chicago and Stanford University.

Shari Turpin, Founder of Pearls By Shari, grew up in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Her jewelry making started as a home-based business that grew while homeschooling their children. Pearls By Shari has become a nationwide brand with its own brick and mortar locations, as well as being in all Neiman Marcus department stores and on their website.

David Augé was a member of the Board from 2003-2016 and served as president from 2009-2010. He worked to set the Festival up for success by launching the Home on the Range capital campaign, which secured musician housing in perpetuity for more than 40 musicians and their families each summer.

Barbara McCelvey served on the Board from 2011-2024, as board co-chair 2021-2023, and as chair 2023-2024. She led the Festival through transitional times and promoted stability through her steady leadership, expanding access to musician housing, renewing its commitment to the Festival Orchestra, and launching a capital campaign.

Stanley Seidler served from 1992-2000 and 2010-2011. During his Board tenures, Stan co- chaired the For a Sound Future campaign, which raised $10 million to establish the Festival endowment, and the Home on the Range campaign, which expanded musician housing.

GTMF’s year-round programming begins this December with a series of three concerts and four Met Opera in HD rebroadcasts, presented through June. Tickets for year-round events will go on sale October 1. The GTMF website will have full details.

In addition, audiences around the country can tune into the seventh season of Live from the Grand Teton Music Festival, GTMF’s national radio broadcast series co-hosted by Sir Donald Runnicles and General Manager Jeff Counts. The latest season consists of 13 hour-long programs. The shows are available to listen to on GTMF’s website and SoundCloud and as a podcast through Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon. To learn more about where to listen to Live from the Grand Teton Music Festival, visit gtmf.org/radio.

About the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF)
Over eight weeks each summer, Grand Teton Music Festival unites over 250 celebrated orchestral musicians led by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles. These musicians represent 84 orchestras and 72 institutions of higher learning in North America and Europe. In addition to orchestral concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, the summer season also features visiting guest artists and chamber music on weekdays, and many free community engagement programs presented throughout Teton County.

Grand Teton Music Festival is one of America’s leading summer classical music festivals. Recognized by The New York Times as one of the top 10 music festivals in the U.S. and chosen by BBC Music Magazine as their 2020 “Festival Choice,” it is the most prominent arts organization in the state of Wyoming and a national treasure. As the single largest performing arts presenter in Jackson, Wyoming, with more than 100 annual events, GTMF presents yearlong programming that includes community concerts 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. For more information, visit gtmf.org. Follow @grandttetonmusic.

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Image: Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles with the GTMF Festival Orchestra
Credit: Cody Downard

Media Contact: Rachelle Roe
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