Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles leads the Festival Orchestra including a world premiere by Melody Eötvös and co-commission by Jessie Montgomery
Esteemed guest artists include 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
JACKSON, WY, March 16, 2021 – This summer, the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) and Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles are thrilled to “Welcome Home” their musicians, patrons, and community from July 2 to August 21, 2021. GTMF celebrates its 60th season with seven weeks of performances – one week outdoors and six weeks inside Walk Festival Hall. GTMF 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.
Sir Donald Runnicles remarks, “I’m looking forward to having us all come back together for our 60th season, when we return home to the Festival we love. It’s my honor and privilege to make music and share it with our extended family in the beautiful surroundings of Jackson Hole.”
GTMF’s 60th season launches with a week of limited-capacity outdoor concerts in its Festival Tent including the annual special patriotic pops concert on July 4 featuring Broadway star Capathia Jenkins. Audiences of all ages can look forward to a Film Music Spectacular evening featuring compositions by John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, and John Williams (July 2). Sir Donald Runnicles – a renowned opera conductor and music director of Deutsche Oper Berlin – leads a night of beloved arias from such operas as La bohème, La traviata, Carmen, and The Barber of Seville with soprano Heidi Stober, mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts, tenor Robert Watson, and baritone Thomas Lehman (July 6).
The Festival Orchestra moves to Walk Festival Hall with British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician award, performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and the world premiere of Melody Eötvös’ The Deciding Machine (July 16–17). GTMF is also proud to have co-commissioned Jessie Montgomery’s 2021 work Freedom Songs sung by soprano Julia Bullock (August 13–14). Yefim Bronfman joins the Festival Orchestra those evenings for Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. Guest conductor Stéphane Denève leads the Festival Orchestra with violinist James Ehnes performing Barber’s Violin Concerto (August 6–7), and Sir Donald Runnicles returns to the podium for the 60th season finale, joined by 2018 Avery Fisher Prize winner Leila Josefowicz, performing Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, alongside Ravel’s Alborada del grazioso and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony (August 20–21).
In addition to the star power of GTMF’s 2021 guest artists, several GTMF musicians stand in the soloist spotlight this summer including harpist Elisabeth Remy Johnson and flautist Angela Jones-Reus with Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major (July 23–24), conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Trombonist Michael Mulcahy performs Carl Vine’s Five Hallucinations under the direction of guest conductor Gemma New (July 30–31).
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. Program details for those concerts will be released in May 2021.
In light of the pandemic, GTMF is developing health and safety protocols to ensure a safe environment for performers, audience members, staff, and volunteers. The Festival installed two AtmosAir Matterhorn units – based on bi-polar ionization technology – at Walk Festival Hall in 2020, which seeks out and neutralizes contaminants in the air. Tests performed by Microchem Laboratory have confirmed that the presence of coronavirus is reduced by 99.92% within 30 minutes of exposure to the AtmosAir devices. Additional health measures include adjusting venue capacity and seating plans, and wearing masks. Quick and regular testing of musicians and staff will occur throughout the Festival. Plans will adjust in response to public health measures as they evolve leading up to the summer.
Subscriptions go on sale March 30. Single tickets go on sale in May. The Fritz Box Office at Walk Festival Hall opens in June. For further information about purchasing tickets, please visit gtmf.org or call 307-733-1128.
2021 SUMMER DETAILS
Events will be held at the Walk Festival Hall unless otherwise noted. The Festival Tent will be located in the Center for the Arts Park in downtown Jackson.
Festival Orchestra: Film Music Spectacular
Friday, July 2 | 6 PM
Festival Tent
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.
Special Event: Patriotic Pops
Sunday, July 4 | 6 PM
Festival Tent
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
Festival Tent
Donald Runnicles, conductor
Heidi Stober, soprano
Irene Roberts, mezzo-soprano
Robert Watson, tenor
Thomas Lehman, baritone
A night of arias from the world’s most beloved operas—including La bohème, La traviata, Carmen and The Barber of Seville.
Festival Orchestra: Pictures at an Exhibition
Friday, July 16 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 17 | 6 PM
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
Festival Orchestra: Mozart & Tchaikovsky
Friday, July 23 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 24 | 6 PM
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
Festival Orchestra: Britten & Elgar
Friday, July 30 | 8 PM
Saturday, July 31 | 6 PM
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
Festival Orchestra: Barber Violin Concerto
Friday, August 6 | 8 PM
Saturday, August 7 | 6 PM
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
Festival Orchestra: Bronfman Plays Beethoven
Friday, August 13 | 8 PM
Saturday, August 14 | 6 PM
Donald Runnicles, conductor
Julia Bullock, soprano
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Strauss: Don Juan, Op. 20
Jessie Montgomery: Freedom Songs (GTMF Co-commission)
Beethoven: Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C minor, Op. 37
Festival Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Season Finale
Friday, August 20 | 8 PM
Saturday, August 21 | 6 PM
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
Chamber Music at Walk Festival Hall
Wednesday, July 14 | 8 PM
Wednesday, July 21 | 8 PM
Wednesday, July 28 | 8 PM
Wednesday, August 4 | 8 PM
Wednesday, August 11 | 8 PM
Wednesday, August 18 | 8 PM
GTMF’s Chamber Series on Wednesdays at Walk Festival Hall features the artistry of GTMF’s world-class Festival musicians. Enjoy core classical repertoire mixed with rarely heard gems.
About the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF)
Over seven weeks each summer, Grand Teton Music Festival unites 228 celebrated orchestral musicians led by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles. These musicians represent 64 orchestras and 47 institutions of higher learning throughout Europe and North America. 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 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. For more information, visit gtmf.org.
Media Contact:
Patricia Price
8VA Music Consultancy
patricia@8vamusicconsultancy.com
