Press Release: Grand Teton Music Festival Announces Chamber Music and Community Programs for its 64th Season in 2025
[JACKSON, WY, April 3, 2025]— The Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) announces complete programs for its 2025 Benoliel Chamber Music series of six concerts—including the North American premiere of a GTMF co-commissioned work for harp—as well as a robust lineup of family and community presentations, including Musical Adventures, On the Road, Family Jam with Time for Three, pre-concert talks and open rehearsals. Details are also announced for the eighth annual Donald Runnicles Musical Arts Scholarship Competition, which takes place July 26 and 27.
Tickets to all GTMF’s 64th season programs, which run from July 3–August 23, go on sale on Tuesday, April 8 via the Festival website or by phone at 307.733.1128.
The full schedule of 2025 summer programs is available at gtmf.org.
BENOLIEL CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
From July 9 through August 13 at Walk Festival Hall, the Benoliel Chamber Music series offers six weekly chamber music programs featuring Festival musicians and guest artists in small ensembles performing repertoire ranging from Haydn, Beethoven, and Barber to Fauré, Ravel, and Carlos Salzedo alongside music by composers of today such as Danny Elfman, who is best-known for his film scores; jazz violinist Meg Okura; Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw; and Australian composer Alex Turley.
In addition to their orchestra appearances, Guitarist JIJI (July 23) and pianist Andrea Lam (August 6) join Festival musicians in chamber programs of Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 and Dobrinka Tabakova’s Stone Trail for Piano Quintet, respectively. Also featured on the chamber music series this summer are the North American premiere of Lynne Plowman’s Life Cycles, a GTMF co-commissioned concerto for harp and string orchestra, performed by Festival Orchestra harpist Elisabeth Remy Johnson and conducted by resident conductor Benjamin Manis; and a special presentation of Prokofiev’s classic tale of Peter and the Wolf with a Wyoming flair, also led by Manis and narrated by GTMF’s Stoner Family Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich. Complete chamber music programs are listed below. Tickets are $35 for adults; $5 for children and students.
PRE-CONCERT TALKS
The summer season features eight weeks of Festival Orchestra concerts—five led by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles—each with a free pre-concert talk for ticketholders. Beginning one hour before each concert, these engaging and educational chats reveal insights into the composers, repertoire and stories of the music on that night’s program. Talks take place in the Barbara Furrer Goodman Memorial Garden near Walk Festival Hall’s north entrance. Talks are sponsored by the Goodman Family Foundation, in memory of Roy and Barbara Goodman.
July 3 & 5: Meaghan Heinrich, Education Curator
July 11 & 12: Benjamin Manis, Resident Conductor
July 18 & 19: Ling Ling Huang, Violin
July 25 & 26: Caroline Gilbert, Viola
August 1 & 2: Meaghan Heinrich, Education Curator
August 8 & 9: Heather Kurzbauer, Violin
August 15 & 16: Meaghan Heinrich, Education Curator
August 22 & 23: Heather Kurzbauer and Mary Corbett, Violins
OPEN REHEARSALS
Festival Orchestra open rehearsals take place every Friday morning from July 11 through August 22 at 10 AM at Walk Festival Hall. These behind-the-scenes looks take audiences behind the scenes as the conductor and orchestra rehearse for the weekend Festival Orchestra concerts. During rehearsals, Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich and special guests will gather on the deck for a casual opportunity for attendees to ask questions about the music. Tickets are $20 for adults; $5 for children and students.
2025 DONALD RUNNICLES MUSICAL ARTS SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
Applications are open for the eighth Annual Scholarship Competition in honor of Music Director Donald Runnicles on July 26 and 27 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 at Walk Festival Hall on Saturday, July 26 for a panel of judges including Maestro Runnicles. Three finalists will be chosen to compete for $50,000 in scholarship awards on Sunday, July 27. Both rounds are free and open to the public. The application deadline is Monday, May 5.
FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Grand Teton Music Festival is committed to engaging with its community through interactive programs that reach people of all ages. A myriad of offerings provide instruction, fun, and learning for thousands in Jackson and its neighboring communities.
Musical Adventures continue this summer, July 3 through August 19, led by GTMF Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich. These free events are fun, informative and engaging music sessions for young children and their adult caretakers. Geared for listeners up to age five, the 27 sessions are also accessible for all ages, and held downtown at Jackson Hole Land Trust’s Greenspace on the Block on Monday mornings, in Teton Village on Tuesday mornings, and in Idaho communities of Driggs, Tetonia, and Victor on selected Wednesdays.
On the Road events bring live classical music to audiences in Teton County and surrounding communities through free concerts presented in partnership with community organizations in accessible locations, ranging from Teton Science School’s Murie Ranch in Grand Teton National Park and the Teton Raptor Center to the Alta library, Teton Village, Jackson Hole History Museum, as well as Pierre’s Theatre in Victor, Idaho. Participating ensembles feature members of the Festival Orchestra. Meaghan Heinrich leads programs that are appealing to all ages and bring the music to life with explanations and demonstrations.
Music @ Hole Food Rescue’s Sprout Mobile
Families will discover how percussion instruments function and create their own instrument to take home, join Meaghan Heinrich for a fun sing-along, and enjoy a free healthy lunch from Hole Food Rescue’s Sprout Mobile on select Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11:30 AM.
The Coombs Outdoors Partnership creates access to music lessons and opportunities for Coombs Outdoors participants. The nonprofit has worked together with GTMF 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, followed by a public performance on Friday, August 15 at 6:30 PM in the Barbara Furrer Goodman Memorial Garden near Walk Festival Hall’s north entrance.
This summer’s Family Jam features GRAMMY®-winning trio Time for Three as they present a fun, interactive program exploring the infinite possibilities of music that introduces the whole family to the wonders of string instruments—a presentation for all ages on Thursday, July 10. Snacks and refreshments are served at 5 PM, and the performance begins at 6 PM in Walk Festival Hall. Meaghan Heinrich will host a kid-friendly, pre-concert instrument petting zoo at 5:30 PM on the Deck of Walk Festival Hall. Tickets are free, but required. Reserve at gtmf.org.
YOUTH INSTRUMENTAL PROGRAMS
GTMF offers a number of programs with community partners that are designed to provide instruction on musical instruments, as well as performance opportunities for participants that complement their learning.
- NEW! GTMF Youth Ukulele Jam takes place every Monday at 11 AM between June 30 and August 18. Designed for children ages 6 to 12, participants learn the basics of tuning and playing a ukulele and singing a variety of engaging songs. B.Y.O.U. (Bring your own ukulele). Application opens on April 15 and will be open until the program is full.
- Camp Jackson Music Festival is a joint program by GTMF and Teton County/Jackson Parks & Recreation’s Camp Jackson. Taking place the week of July 21, participants will work together to present a condensed version of GTMF’s summer opera, Hansel and Gretel. Led by Education Curator Meaghan Heinrich, the music rehearsals will be complemented throughout the week by activities that explore all aspects of opera production, culminating with a performance for parents and families on the final day.
- MusicLand/Jackson Hole Youth Orchestra Camp is for intermediate and advanced instrumentalists in grades 7 through 12. Participants have the opportunity to collaborate with GTMF musicians, as well as teachers and musicians from MusicLand/JH Youth Orchestra. This year, the camp will also feature a composition component, allowing students to enhance and explore their composing skills. The camp includes a field trip to a Festival Orchestra rehearsal and concludes with a 6 PM performance onstage at Walk Festival Hall on Tuesday, August 12.
- Teton Music School’s Summer Strings Camp is for middle school students and will feature a performance and instruction by a resident GTMF string quartet. Students will also be able to attend a Festival Orchestra Open Rehearsal and end the week with an afternoon performance onstage at Walk Festival Hall on Friday, July 18 at 2:30 PM.
- Practice Kindergarten, a program of Teton Literacy Center, has partnered with GTMF to create an early childhood music education class experience that will introduce participants to the kindergarten music classroom. The 2025 class will be held from August 4-14.
For more information on GTMF’s Community Engagement and Education programs, visit the GTMF website.
To renew or purchase a subscription now, or to buy single tickets beginning April 8, visit gtmf.org or call 307.733.1128. The Fritz Box Office at Walk Festival Hall will be open from June 26 through August 23, 2025.
OUTDOOR CONCERT
Friday, July 4 at 7 PM
Jayne & Al Hilde, Jr. Patriotic Pops | Center for the Arts Park
GTMF Festival Orchestra
Benjamin Manis, conductor
Sara Duchovnay, soprano
Clay Hilley, tenor
Celebrate the Fourth of July in downtown Jackson with patriotic favorites. Resident Conductor Benjamin Manis leads the Festival Orchestra and vocalists Sara Duchovnay and Clay Hilley in this popular concert packed with fun for the whole family. The program celebrates American music, featuring highlights from Bernstein’s West Side Story, John Williams’ film music, selections from Copland’s Old American Songs and more.
Reserved seats $35-$50; $15 children/students. Lawn seats free.
BENOLIEL CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
All performances take place at Walk Festival Hall. Tickets: $35; $5 children/students.
Wednesday, July 9 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
Benjamin Manis, resident conductor
Salzedo Whirlwind
Lynne Plowman Life Cycles (North American premiere)
Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp, with string orchestra
Beethoven Piano Trio in C minor
Beethoven Septet in E-flat Major
Wednesday, July 16 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
Benjamin Manis, resident conductor
Meaghan Heinrich, narrator
Alex Turley Mirage
Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
Brahms. Piano Quintet in F minor
Wednesday, July 23 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
JIJI, guitar
Böhme Sextet for Brass
Meg Okura Phantasmagoria
Haydn String Quartet in C Major, “Emperor”
Boccherini Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major
Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A Major
Wednesday, July 30 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
Caroline Shaw Thousandth Orange
Fauré Piano Trio in D minor
Barber String Quartet in B minor
Ravel String Quartet in F Major
Wednesday, August 6 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
Andrea Lam, piano
Beethoven String Quartet in F minor, “Serioso”
Dobrinka Tabakova Stone Trail for Piano Quintet
Brahms Piano Trio in B Major
Wednesday, August 13 at 7 PM
Festival Musicians
Shostakovich Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano
Brahms Clarinet Trio in A minor
Danny Elfman Piano Quartet
Dvořák Serenade for Wind Instruments
The full schedule of 2025 summer programs is available at gtmf.org.
About the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF)
Over eight weeks each summer, the 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.
GTMF 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 Hole, Wyoming with nearly 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.
GTMF On the Road is made possible by program sponsors Mary and Don Shockey. Additional funding for education and community engagement programming provided by Anonymous, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Frank A. O’Neil Family Foundation, Rendezvous Mountain Rentals, Karen Rockey, Marguerite and Matthew Stoner, and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund. Special thanks to Jackson Hole Land Trust for hosting GTMF at Greenspace on the Block.
All programs, dates and artists subject to change.
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Media Contact:
Rachelle Roe, 312.618.6655
Arts, Etc. Public Relations
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