Sun Valley Summer Symphony
Contact: 208.622.5607
www.svsummersymphony.org
The Sun Valley Summer Symphony (SVSS) exhilarates the senses with outstanding classical performances offered free of charge in the breathtaking setting of Sun Valley. This non-profit organization was founded as the Elkhorn Music Festival by Dr. Carl Eberl in 1985. Since then, the orchestra has since grown from twenty musicians to a full ensemble. Dr. Eberl is now the Conductor Laureate of the SVSS, having been succeeded in 1995 by Alasdair Neale. The Symphony presents a magnificent season for 2005. Two highlights of the season will be Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, and the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert. Pops conductor Erich Kunzel will conduct the annual evening of pop favorites. The concert season also features selections by Brahms and Strauss, among others. Featured guest artists will include cellist Lynn Harrell, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, and pianists Jon Nakamatsu and Horacio Gutierrez. Performances under the Symphony Tent on the Sun Valley Esplanade begin with the Chamber Music Series starting July 25, 2005. All concerts begin at 6:30. For the eleventh year, the SVSS presents the much-anticipated Edgar M. Bronfman Chamber Music Series under the direction of cellist, Steven Honigberg, member of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Potomac String Quartet. The Chamber Music Series seeks to expose audiences to classical and contemporary chamber music. Featuring performances by Principal Musicians of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, along with guest artists, the series is held every summer during the last week of July under the Sun Valley Symphony Tent on the Sun Valley Esplanade. Selections by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schubert, Bolling, and Franck will be performed in the 2005 season. Performing in the final concert of the series will be pianist Jan Nakamatsu. Each year, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony also hosts the Sun Valley Summer Music Workshops during the first week of its season. This program for elementary, middle school, and high school students has grown from an enrollment of 35 students in its first year to 140 students in 2004. The workshops offer local, regional, and visiting students an opportunity to participate in master classes and ensemble coaching sessions led by Sun Valley Summer Symphony musicians from across the United States and England. These inspiring instructors are highly skilled performers with a passion for sharing their gifts with young musicians. Workshops take place Monday through Friday, August 1-5, 2005, with morning and afternoon sessions as well as rehearsals. They include master classes, chamber music instruction, sectionals, ensemble rehearsals, and music appreciation classes. The workshops culminate in two concert performances on Friday, August 1, in the Sun Valley Symphony Tent on the Sun Valley Esplanade off Dollar Road. Participation in the workshops and attendance at the concerts are offered free of charge.