Britt Festivals Blog

A Preview of the Blues Traveler concert

2009-07-09T17:22:26Z

This review of a recent Blues Traveler concert is a nice preview for what Britt audiences are in store for at next week's (July 15) concert with the rock/jam band. The band known for its live performances continues to deliver:

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/seasonal/summerfest/articles/bluestraveler09.html

Jazz Camp Students Meet Chris Botti

2009-07-07T17:54:21Z

The Britt Institute Jazz Camp students had a special opportunity this summer. Before Chris Botti's concert at Britt on Friday, June 26th, the students were able to sit down and learn from the jazz trumpeter in a master class. Jazz Camp student Kai Sandoval played for Botti, and following Bott's feedback, the students were able to ask questions. The photos below show Kai playing for Chris Botti, Botti interacting with the students, and comparing his and Sandoval's trumpets.

Photos are by Josh Morell Image This Photography.

Children's Festival on the Britt hill next week

2009-07-07T10:44:39Z

Britt Festivals turns the hill over to The Storytelling Guild for the 43rd annual Children's Festival at the Britt grounds. This year's theme is "Powered by your Imagination." The festival runs from July 12-14, and admission is just $2 a person. Check out the Storytelling Guild's web site for hours and more details on the program.

A Perfect Evening for Jazz in the Gardens

2009-06-26T10:09:46Z

Last night (June 25), the Dana Landry Septet, Britt's Instrumental Jazz Camp faculty, brought jazz to the gardens at the Eden Valley Orchards. It was a beautiful evening with great music and a soft breeze. This concert was part of the Eden Valley Orchard's Jazz Series featuring a variety of Southern Oregon bands performing weekly in the formal gardens and outdoor ballroom of the historic Voorhies Mansion.To learn about the series, please visit Eden Valley Orchard's website.

Here are some pictures of the evening (taken by Scott Cole):

Want to know what's happening at Britt's Jazz Camp?

2009-06-23T17:15:18Z

For all the inside information about the Britt Institute summer programs with daily updates and student pictures, please visit the Britt Institute blog.

Andrew Bird Concert Review

2009-06-23T14:20:13Z

Instant review: Andrew Bird @ the Fillmore 2/19/09

Posted by Shay Quillen on February 20th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

The sold-out crowd Thursday at the Fillmore didn’t come to schmooze, dance or drink — the latter to the chagrin of the bored waitresses walking through the crowd with empty trays, who probably wish the headlining entertainer weren’t coming back for a second night. The remarkably well-behaved ticketholders came to listen to music, and that’s what they got.

The object of the rapt attention was Chicago’s Andrew Bird, the virtuoso violinist, guitarist, whistler, singer and occasional glockenspieler who, with the help of a few pedals to capture samples, can easily exist as a one-man band, though on this night he had the help of three backing musicians who rarely did anything to attract attention.

With the look and demeanor of a sincere grad student, Bird spun out beautiful melodies peppered with four-syllable words that flow trippingly off the tongue. Often he’d sketch out the song by laying down a phrase or two of pizzicato violin and looping them. Then he and the rest of the band would color in the rest of the song with bowed violin, guitar, bass and drums (and the occasional woodwind), with Bird’s whistling and vocals added on top.

The repertoire spanned all of his albums and even reached back to his old band, Bowl of Fire, for the encore, a stunning solo take on “Why,” which has become a signature piece. The older stuff was greeted with rapturous applause, but nearly half of the show came from the fine new “Noble Beast,” Bird’s most commercially successful album to date. Especially good was “Effigy,” which Bird described as being about “the guy that sits at the end of the bar and makes unsolicited comments.”

Although there was virtuosity aplenty — the rich vibrato of Bird’s whistling alone is worth the price of admission — the off-the-cuff loops gave everything a rough, homespun quality. Occasionally the layers upon layers got a little thick and messy, but more often the effect was mesmerizing. The records are great, but watching him do it live is something every music fan ought to check out.

Learn More About Andrew Bird

2009-06-22T11:05:04Z

INTERVIEW FOUND ON PITCHFORK.COM

May 22, 2007

Andrew Bird's hardly a household name but he's no longer Chicago's best-kept secret, either. Rather, the eccentric and eclectic violinist/singer/whistler/guitarist/looper falls somewhere in the middle, even if his commercial ascent is steadily swinging him closer to the former.

We recently caught up with Bird, who was simultaneously jetlagged from an extensive European tour, nervous about his upcoming appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman", and anxious to embark on his biggest American tour yet. But somewhere between the bad connections and the airport announcements, we connected on the topics of the (musical) voices in his head, keeping it simple, and playing in a band versus doing it all yourself.

Pitchfork: How did all the European dates go?

Andrew Bird: They were good, but it was a typically chaotic European tour.

Pitchfork: What makes it more chaotic than a U.S. tour?

Andrew Bird: Well, the real drag is trying to fly from country to country, day of show, with all your gear. You get hassled all the time. It's hard trying to keep it together. I started the tour with a raging fever, and then the airlines lost our gear for a week-and-a-half. Show to show we just pieced together what we could, but [Martin] Dosh had a hard time replacing pretty specific stuff. It was fine, but stressful. We just had the clothes on our back for a week.

Pitchfork: Do they still categorize you as "Americana" over there?

Andrew Bird: Not anymore. They used to do that, a little bit. Now they drop names a little more often. It's a little irritating. I've spent several months there and it's still "Jeff Buckley" and "Rufus Wainwright." It seems important to them to have those references.

Pitchfork: You could shake it up by citing misleading influences. Like Judas Priest or something.

Andrew Bird: That might be a good idea, to just derail the whole process. Lately it's moved on to "Sufjan Stevens" or "Joanna Newsom." Which is weird. But I understand people need to communicate, to better relate to you.

Pitchfork: Do you feel that anyone ever gets you pegged right?

Andrew Bird: You know, the other thing over there is that they are really listening, both to the music and to what you're saying. Nine times out of 10, it seems like they've really done their homework, to the point where you're, like, jeez. But do they get it right? I don't know. You just have to deal with all the namedropping and references until you're essentially anonymous. No one compares Tom Waits with anyone, but I guess that comes from being around a couple of decades, at least. They're not too far off in trying to describe what I sound like, I guess. They do like to get intellectual about music over there. I find whatever medium it is I'm operating in now gives me the most freedom, whereas if I was in any other genre it'd be dictated more. I have a lot of ideas, and they're not really connecting to any specific genre, but they need kind of ritual to hang everything on. I guess writing a pop tune is that ritual.

Pitchfork: From the start, a lot of people have noted elements of Eastern European music, or European music in general, in your music.

Andrew Bird: I think the French notice some of my influences, like Ravel and Debussy. They pick up on that, for sure. But I don't think it's their own music they're identifying in mine. It's more what's not there. I think that's why they're bringing in a lot of experimental or indie rock bands. I think those countries, even though their politics are oftentimes to the left, they're still fairly conservative. Especially France, Spain, and Italy. There's a uniformity to those countries. Not that there isn't ambition going on, but there's not a noticeable amount of individual expression on the street. Though that's arguable, for sure. I don't want to just make a blanket statement.

Pitchfork: Are those classical elements as pronounced in your music as some of those people might notice?

Andrew Bird: The violin is just the easiest way I have to express what's in my head. I'll just fully, unconsciously do whatever it takes to make that sound happen. Just like I would with my own voice. I don't even think of the violin as being part of any discipline. When I'm doing that tune "Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left", half of the time I may be out of my mind on stage. I may be supposed to whistle the next line but I actually sing it, or I'm supposed to sing the next line and actually whistle. Or I'm supposed to whistle and I play it on the violin. They're all very direct mediums of connection. It's all coming from the same place.

I've never approached classical music in a formal way, ever. I couldn't read very well. I'd have to play every piece and internalize it, almost as if I had written it myself. So classical music is right in there with all of the other stuff, Lester Young as well as Bartok. It's part of my collective experience. Bringing that into pop music, or writing a three and a half minute tune or melody, that just seems like the most interesting medium to put all my ideas into. Now if I hear any inflection of any specific genre of music … that's kind of why I had to go solo for so long. If I had someone around me who played with a little twangy inflection, I'd think, OK, this is a western swing tune, or this or that. My ear just makes me go there. I needed to get away from that, completely.

Pitchfork: Dissonance is almost de rigueur in rock music, but less so in classical. An ugly violin sound is still kind of shocking to a lot of listeners.

Andrew Bird: When I hear classical music today, I find a lot of it to be very static, physically. Often there's not enough dissonance, or not enough tension. But from Beethoven to the Ramones or whatever, everyone's just looking for the simplest basic hook, or motif. Beethoven's Fifth, everyone knows that. [sings] "Da da da dah." It's just what you do with that, how you work it. You can take two basic, three-chord punk rock bands, executing exactly the same stuff, the exact same notes, and one of them is great and the other one is awful. You can't really put your finger on why. Classical music, you feel like you can get away with murder, because it's considered so sacred. I like it when it just boils down to a few chords. Take all the style out, and all the appropriation, and what are you left with? I've been thinking more and more about what happens when the style gets stripped away. Lately I've been totally satisfied playing the same two chords over and over again. Just playing a B chord and a G chord back and forth. I never get tired of that. I try to remind myself that I could be playing a show, the power could go out, and something has to happen.

Pitchfork: After you disbanded the Bowl of Fire, you toured a lot as solo act, then as a duo. Now that you're a trio, do you feel like a band again?

Andrew Bird: Yeah. At moments I'm either rethinking it or enjoying it. I'm still feeling it out. It's strange, because somehow just playing with Dosh, we both respect how we had cut ourselves off for many years, and when we combined what we were doing, somehow it worked. Once you add one more variable, you wouldn't think it would change he dynamic that much, but it does. Quite a bit. I'm still trying, in the shows, to figure out how to keep the subtleties there, but still enjoy rocking out. I don't really want to let go of all the cool shit that I learned as a solo artist. I'm still juggling four different instruments, but I've got a backing band. It's just multiplying variables right now. It's kind of exciting, but it's kind of a lot to do. I'm trying to get ready for Letterman, where we have to play "Plasticities" for exactly three and a half minutes. It's basically live. There are no re-dos. I'm doing live looping, where my pizzicato has to be absolutely precise, and I have to put down my violin in exactly, like, one and half seconds, then start singing or whistling. It can be a bit nerve wracking.

Pitchfork: Couldn't you just get Paul Shaffer to do it for you?

Andrew Bird: I enjoy the perilousness of all that stuff. I almost cultivate it.

Pitchfork: Isn't that the whole reason to do all that stuff yourself, as opposed to hiring people to play all those parts for you? That element of uncertainty?

Andrew Bird: Yeah, that is part of the fun of it. The thing that keeps coming up, now that we're a three piece, is, yeah, I could just play violin and sing. But I don't want to let go. I feel like we're really starting to get somewhere. We were trying to book shows, as low-key practice shows, but then 1,000 people show up and you're, like, crap.

Pitchfork: Are you starting to write with three people in mind?

Andrew Bird: Not yet. What I want to do, and I've never done this, is to bring those guys out to the barn in late summer and just have a week of casual practice recording sessions. The problem is, I just don't like jamming. [laughs] I don't like practicing. But I do think it would be a cool thing to try. Jeremy Ylvisaker, the guy who plays bass, he's a really creative musician, and so far he's not being fully tapped for what he can do. But I haven't tried that for years, if ever. Just take people down there to record. I'm into that.

Pitchfork: You guys all live in the Midwest, but your music would fit in slightly more "hip" places, like New York or Los Angeles. Is there anything about the place you live that directly relates to the music you make?

Andrew Bird: Definitely. Especially getting out to the rural Midwest. I remember talking to a friend of mine, deciding whether to move to New York, but if I moved to New York I would probably be making much more dense music. I haven't even gotten as far as I want to go, in terms of unfolding songs. I've been hearing something in my head that I've been too overstimulated to have the patience to unfold.

Pitchfork: That's ironic, because rock or pop music-- the medium you're working in-- is generally known for its immediacy.

Andrew Bird: Right. There's always a tension between wanting to write a really concise, instant gratification type song that gets under your skin the first time you hear it, and wanting to really stretch out. I think it's a healthy tension. I think I need to, in the future, go further into textural stuff. The original question was about the Midwest, and the landscape. But Chicago and Minneapolis are the two communities I've been involved with. Minneapolis-- there are a lot of really creative people up there. I'm really enjoying it. Chicago as well, but Chicago is so familiar to me. So am I an advocate for the Midwest? I don't know [laughs]

Pitchfork: Well, a lot of other major urban centers, especially New York and L.A., are artistic destinations, places people go, whereas a city like Chicago is where a lot of people come from.

Andrew Bird: I do think people [in Chicago] are making art maybe for different reasons. That's how I've always felt. People move to L.A. waiting for something to happen to them. It takes some initiative. I think people in Chicago, or Minneapolis, I've always appreciated the sort of anonymity of it, a humbleness to the work ethic.

Pitchfork: You've released three volumes of "Fingerlings". What creative role have they played for you between recording and releasing proper albums?

Andrew Bird: Well, they've been pretty effortless, besides a little bit of sequencing and going through old recordings. But they sometimes come together and make way more sense right away than the albums do. The material is pretty disparate, from five-piece Bowl of Fire stuff to solo, but they all kind of effortlessly make sense. It's mostly live recordings, but I really believe there's more honesty in one live show than there may be in my whole output. [laughs] I don't know.

Pitchfork: A lot of people still go to shows expecting to hear the record.

Andrew Bird: I get a few kids who come up to me at the show and ask "is it supposed to be like this?" But that's kind of rare. Most people are very happy with the live show. They usually say "it makes sense to me now." I also feel like it's gotten to the point now where it doesn't really matter what kind of record I make. Everyone's expecting the next Arcade Fire, or the next Modest Mouse record, to be as good as the last record. But it doesn't really matter what kind of record I put out. It's really the whole thing. I mean, I put a lot into my records, and I won't release anything I'm not totally thrilled with. But on the other hand, it's now gone beyond that shiny plastic disc.

Pitchfork: That's another source of positive creative tension. For record buyers, the album might seem like the end product. But from the musician's perspective, about to head out onto the road, the record may just be the starting point.

Andrew Bird: Yeah. I don't like to disappear between records. I like to play shows while I'm making the record. I've never really understood bands that…I can't relate to the process of just disappearing and writing a record, all at the same time, followed by the sort of drudgery of going out on tour and trying to recreate the record, playing the same 12 songs every night.

Pitchfork: You write a lot of songs while you're traveling, but not a lot of songs about traveling.

Andrew Bird: A lot of these new songs I wrote in France, traveling on tour. "Fiery Crash"-- I wrote half of that when I was in Marseille, right before the riots. Then there are the times you're just sitting in an airport for five hours, and CNN keeps coming on. How are you supposed to keep your imagination alive when you're just getting worn down by it all? I think there's a lot of me [lyrically] desperately searching for something, to feel alive. Some of your best songs come from a desperate attempt to escape, so sitting in an airport for hours I can just start pulling out little fragments of songs from my head. A lot of times a melody will just occur to me and be my companion for a couple of months.

Mail Tribune Photo Gallery of the Los Lonely Boys

2009-06-16T11:25:28Z

Even though it was a very stormy night, Andrew Kemp, a photographer from the Mail Tribune took some great pictures of the Los Lonely Boys. To view his gallery of pictures, please click here.

Post Your Review on Brittfest.org

2009-06-15T14:57:18Z

After you go to a Britt Festivals concert this summer, don't forget to post your concert review on the Britt website. Tell us all your thoughts! Can't wait to here what you have to say. This will help us determine who to bring back in the future!

We Weathered a Stormy Start!

2009-06-15T09:39:10Z

Patrons at tonight's Los Lonely Boys concert are hardy music fans! The rain started coming down hard during opening act Frobeck's set, and we had to put the show on hold because of the lightning in the area. Because of the safety concerns with performing on stage during a lightning storm, and because of the threat to the lighting and sound system, we powered down until the danger passed.

For over an hour we waited to see whether the storm would pass in time for the band to put on a full show. Los Lonely Boys were finally able to take the stage at about 9:15 tonight, and put on a great, high-energy performance. Patrons who stuck out the rain were rewarded for their patience! Seeing people dance under their rain ponchos was truly a beautiful sight!

Thank you to all Britt patrons who endured the elements tonight. Thanks also to Britt volunteers, who continued working their posts even as their clothes became soaked. We so appreciate your patience and endurance, and hope to see you all back at Britt soon.

-Sara King Cole, Marketing Manager, Britt Festivals

Britt Introduces Member Hospitality Tent

2009-06-11T18:30:12Z

This summer, Britt introduces the Member Hospitality Tent ($600 or higher member donation). The tent will be located just inside the main entrance to the Britt hill at all concerts, and will offer upper level members a taste of some of the Rogue Valley's finest food and beverage purveyors.

To take advantage of this member benefit, simply stop by the Hospitality Tent when you come to Britt this summer. You'll be greeted by a Britt representative and encouraged to enjoy a tasting and socialize with other members.

The Hospitality Tent will be open from the time the gates open at 5:45 p.m., and will close just before intermission (during the Classical Festival, the tent will close before the concert starts). Stop in and let Britt say thank you for your membership support!

This weekend the Hospitality Tent will feature:

Friday, June 12 - Crater Lake Cellars Winery

Saturday, June 13 - Rising Sun Farms

Eagle Scout Project Completed on the Britt Hill

2009-06-11T17:54:09Z

As Jordan DeGraw's Eagle Scout project, the upper restroom facility on the Britt hill was completely renovated this Spring. This project would not have been possible without the support and assistance of many great organizations and individuals. A special thanks to the following for their generous donations of time, skills, money and supplies:

BSA Troup 167 Boy Scots, leaders and parents
Completely Floored, Inc.
Budge-McHugh Supply Co.
Gale Contractor Services
Extra Morgan Fine Homes
Jim Eagar Mechanical
Sherwin-Williams Co.
Shawn & Maryann DeGraw
John Schmidt
Mike Morrison

Here is a before and after picture of the upper restroom facility at Britt:

BEFORE

AFTER

Come Celebrate Britt Festivals in Jacksonville this Weekend!

2009-06-05T10:31:36Z

In celebration of Britt's 47th season, Downtown Jacksonville will host Britt Festivals annual kick-off merriment at Britt 2009—A Vintage to Remember on Sunday, June 7 from 12-4 pm. This event is FREE and open to all interested in celebrating Britt's success and experiencing the simple joys of the Rogue Valley. Festivities will include:

Wine Walk

• 15 Applegate Valley wineries paired with Jacksonville merchants
• Commemorative Britt wine glasses for $18
• FREE Jacksonville t-shirt (while supplies last)

Music

Alcyon Massive (hip-hop/reggae)
South 3rd Street
12-2 pm

Indubious (reggae/funk)
South 3rd Street
2-4 pm

Rick Wadman Trio (jazz)
Corner of California and Oregon Streets (old telephone building)
2-4 pm

All About Howie

2009-06-04T14:49:41Z

Howie Mandel will perform at Britt Festivals on June 19 at 7:30 p.m. with John Mendoza opening. Get ready to laugh!

Here is an interview with Howie:

Kidsday interviews comic Howie Mandel
BY RICHARD RINALDI, ALYSSA SCALA AND JESSICA SIXT
Kidsday Reporters

May 2, 2008

We met comedian and game-show host Howie Mandel when he was in New York recently. We like his NBC show "Deal or No Deal."

We know you are an actor and a comedian. Do those past experiences make you a better game-show host?
Yes. I get to work in front of an audience as I do when I do stand-up comedy. On my show I can act very dramatically. Sometimes they are going to open the case and whatever is in that case is going to change somebody's life and I can stretch it out and make it dramatic and scary. And right when they think they are going to open it, I tell them we are going to open it when we come back.

Which do you prefer being, a TV host, comedian or actor?
I like doing everything. When you grow up, hopefully you will get to do everything you love. I get to do everything I love. I like just being busy. So I can do stand-up one day... then I fly home this week and I will tape some shows for "Deal or No Deal" and get to be a game show host. Then I will stay at home and write sometimes. Last night I was on a show called "Monk," so I get to act. I do voice-overs and I do cartoons.

What are the craziest things you've done to get a laugh?
When I was your age ... I got in trouble for and punished for what I seem to get paid for today. I am saying behave and be good, I had no idea when I was your age that it would become a job. What a lucky guy I am that whatever I am became my job.

Do people still ask you to blow rubber gloves up on your head?
I don't do it often, but if certain people ask me, I will. [Howie did the stunt for us!]

We read that you did not want to host "Deal or No Deal." Is this true?
Absolutely. I did not want to be a game-show host. Then my wife saw a tape of the show and told me to take the deal. I didn't believe her and she said, "Take it, it will be good for you." I took the show, and it is a big hit and my wife spends the whole day going, "Na nana na." She was right.

We watched a bit of your character Bobby online. Do you enjoy doing his voice? Does it annoy your family?
[In Bobby's voice:] Actually, this is my real voice. And I talk like this so people won't make fun of me. I don't really use the voices around the house.

On your Web site we read about your upcoming project "Howie Do It." Can you tell us a bit about it?
Yes. It is a hidden camera show. We are going to hide a camera and then we are going to spend a couple of months trying to find it. We are going to hide a camera and play jokes on people.

What is your favorite part of hosting the show?
Watching people win a lot of money having all their dreams come true. That is the neatest thing ever. Can you imagine being some place where you can play a game and the person tells you they have never really owned a home or they are in debt or their kids want to go to college but they can't afford it and then all of a sudden they win that money and the kids can go to college or people can get married and they can have a baby. And they can move into a house they never had.

If you were a contestant, what case would you pick?
I don't have a lucky number. You know the beauty of our game is nobody knows what is in what case. My birthday is on the 29th, so I would pick 29. But there are only 26 cases so I would leave with nothing.

Is the banker a real person? If so are you friends with him?
Yes, he is a real person and I am not friends with him, I find him very mean. He really is mean. He says nasty things on the phone and I don't repeat a lot of the stuff that he says. He tries to get people to leave with as little money as possible.

How many kids do you have and do they think that you are funny?
Three. I have told them throughout their life that I am very, very funny, so hopefully they believe me. Sometimes they think I am funny, but I am their dad. Sometimes I am their dad first and then funny second, or sometimes third or sometimes seventh. I want them to do their homework and be good. Right now one of my children is a teacher. One of my children teaches second grade, so she is already a grownup. My son is 18 and I have a 15-year-old daughter still in high school.

Here are some videos of Howie in action:

Britt taking your pledge calls for SOPTV tonight!

2009-06-03T16:03:53Z

Staff and board members of Britt Festivals are excited to take your pledge calls tonight on SOPTV. So make sure to tune in to Channel 8 from 6 to 9 tonight! Here is a great letter from Mark Stanislawski from SOPTV explaining why you should pledge:

Dear SOPTV Viewer,

This week public television stations across the country go-to-the-air to ask their viewers to support their stations. Since the mid-70's public television stations pooled their resources to develop a nationally coordinated approach for on-air fundraising called "Festival."

Times have changed, but the basic premise endures. Televised membership drives work because of the special relationship and appreciation viewers have for public television programming. When we appeal for viewer contributions after a program, there is almost a 100% probability that the viewers we're speaking to just finished watching and enjoying that program. That's why pledge drives continue to be the most efficient and effective means to encourage viewers to become supporting members.

Today, viewers' pledges of financial support during on-air drives accounts for a little over 17% of SOPTV's projected revenues this year. But when you consider the number of active members who renew via mail that first joined SOPTV during a past pledge drive, that figure is over 90%.

"Pledging" is uniquely American

Unlike public service broadcasters in other countries, public broadcasting in the United States has a distinctively different funding model which largely depends on individual and community support. Smaller stations (with smaller budgets) like SOPTV have a higher proportion of federal support (38%) than larger stations like KQED in San Francisco or Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland.

While we're hopeful federal funding will remain stable this year, we have experienced cuts in each of the last two fiscal years, which makes your individual support that much more important to the programs you enjoy.

In England, the public service broadcasting (the BBC) is paid as tax for receiving television. That works out to some $250 USD per year per household! In comparison, funding for public broadcasting (television and radio) in the United States amounts to about $1.30 per taxpayer.

So, pledge continues to be a critically important--and very visible--part of our funding. Overall membership support provides nearly half of SOPTV's total operating budget. This is why every pledge and every member matters.

Your Pledge Counts!

Your contribution makes a HUGE difference in the service we provide to all viewers in southern Oregon and northern California.

Being able to use our broadcast service to talk to you about the importance of your continuing support SOPTV is a privilege, and we make every effort to be as efficient as possible! Thanks for your understanding and support of SOPTV!

Mark Stanislawski
President & CEO (and a proud 24 year veteran of Pledge Drives), SOPTV

2009 Classical Festival Program Notes Available to Download!

2009-06-01T15:36:19Z

The 2009 Classical Festival program notes are now available to download by clicking on each classical performance on our performance page. These informative program notes provide audience members at every Britt Festivals Orchestra concert clues about how and what to listen for. These are great guides!

This year's program notes are written by Mark Knippel, a University of Oregon student who is earning his master's degree in music composition. Knippel is already a published composer.

Britt Institute EdenVale Concert Series

2009-05-27T16:29:18Z

The Britt Institute and EdenVale Winery have teamed up to present a great series of concerts at Eden Valley Orchards this summer called Britt Institute in the Gardens.The concerts feature faculty, alumni and students of Britt’s education programs. All proceeds benefit Britt Institute Scholarships.

All concerts are on Tuesdays at the Eden Valley Orchards located at 2310 Voorhies Road in Medford and start at 7 p.m. The cover is $10 per person. Light fare will be available, along with wine, beer and soft beverages. For more information, visit www.brittfest.org, stop by 216 West Main Street, Medford or call 541-690-3852.

Here is the line-up:

6/30-Flamenco in the Gardens
Dúo Flamenco
Dúo Flamenco, based in Ashland, Oregon, features Grant Ruiz on guitar and vocals and Terry Longshore on cajón, percussion, and vocals. This fiery duo will bring southern Spain to EdenVale -the arid, sun-drenched mountain plateaus; tiled courtyards with elegant, whispering fountains and caves filled with gypsy passion; and a history flowing with ecstasy and anguish.

7/7-Guitar in the Gardens
New West Guitar Group
Britt Jazz Camp alumni John Storie* returns to the Rogue Valley with his headline making group New West. John has performed across the country and is gaining recognition as a leading figure among young musicians.

7/14-Opera in the Gardens
Baritone Mike Morris*
Soprano Madeline Abel-Kerns*
California-based baritone Michael Morris and New York soprano Madeline Abel-Kerns present an extraordinary concert of solos and duets from Aida, Tosca and more. Don't miss this reunion of two of Britt's favorite faculty members and the West Coast's very own opera stars, filling the gardens with voice.

8/4-Strings in the Gardens
Arianna String Quartet*
Returning to EdenVale after their acclaimed concert last summer, the Arianna String Quartet promises to provide a lovely evening of string quartet repertoire. Pre-concert music will be provided by the eight string quartets studying with them as part of Britt Festivals' String Quartet Academy.

8/18-Gabe in the Gardens
Gabe Young* and Friends
Thirteen year old saxophonist Gabe Young is already making a splash in the Rogue Valley. When he first arrived at the Britt Jazz Camp three summers ago at the ripe age of ten, the saxophone faculty said "This kid is something special." Come hear what makes him special, along with Sophie Javna, Wesley Wade*, Kristina Meyer*, Ian Wurfl* and Rafferty Swink.*

9/8-Guitar in the Gardens Lineage
Gary Wade, Justin Wade and Wesley Wade* comprise the guitar ensemble, Lineage. Father, son and grandson are considered to be among the finest guitarists in the valley. Enjoy three generations of music in the making!

ALSO AT EDEN VALLEY ORCHARDS:

Thursday Night Jazz in the Gardens
6/25 at 6 p.m.-Dana Landry Septet
Britt's Instrumental Jazz Camp Faculty Concert
Join pianist Dana Landry and six nationally known faculty members from the Britt Institute's Instrumental Jazz Camp for a night of sizzling jazz. This evening only: $5 cover charge.

* designates participant being past or present faculty, alumni or students of the Britt Institute

Okkervil River Will Open for Wilco on June 30!

2009-05-22T16:28:51Z

The Austin art-rock group Okkervil River will be opening for Wilco on June 30th at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville! If you don't know who they are, you should! Here is a great link from NPR with audio from a live concert they did in Washington, D.C.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14727366

Oompa-Loompas at Britt Pavilion

2009-05-22T16:06:05Z

There were Oompa-Loompas all over the Britt hill last night at the Jacksonville Elementary School musical! I was so impressed by the talent of the students! They were wonderful. The hard work that went into the show by Wendi Stanek and Jim Finnegan, both teachers at the school, was very evident.

What was so amazing was the list of parents and community members printed in the program that helped put the show together. How neat it is to have all of these people so committed to this experience for the children of Jacksonville.

I really enjoyed the show and hope that the Medford School District won't cut the funding on music education in the elementary schools because I can't wait to go and see the Jacksonville Elementary School's musical next year!

Here are a few pictures that Vicki Rosette, Office Manager at Britt Festivals took of the performance.

Britt Institute Student Earns Money for Britt Summer Programs

2009-05-18T09:18:57Z

Channel 10 News recently did a news story about how the recession is impacting local children. Natalee Morales, a reporter for KTVL, conducted an interview with Tucker Phillips, a Britt Institute String Quartet Academy student, who shared his story on how the recession is impacting his life.

The story showed how Tucker is learning the value of money and taking the initiative to pay for his new cello, set him back $2,100. He also wants to attend the Britt String Quartet Academy this year, which costs $700 after the scholarships he received from Britt. So how is a 13-year-old paying for all this? He is working. He works odd yard jobs around the Medford area and is slowly paying off his cello and saving money for camp.

After the television news story aired on Channel 10, Tucker received a few phone calls from people who saw him on TV who wanted to provide him with jobs. One woman heard Tucker's story and decided to have him mow her yards. She says Tucker does awesome work and they share something in common. She plays the cello, too.

Tucker still needs more work. If you or someone you know needs some yard work done and would like to help Tucker earn his way to the Britt Institute String Quartet Academy, please call Tucker at 541-664-3234 or email him at jaynicie@gmail.com.

Britt Festivals 2009 Fine Arts Poster

2009-05-15T15:16:56Z

Britt Festivals unveiled its 2009 Fine Arts Poster at a reception last night (May 14) at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville. This year's work is a watercolor by Rogue Valley artist Julie Bjorlie. She was in attendance and signed posters. This year's poster is the 26th in a series celebrating Britt through visual arts.

Judy Bjorlie has captured perfectly what the Britt hill looks like from stage and was able to do so since she has been a cellist in the Britt Orchestra for 33 consecutive years. Judy began playing at Britt when the overhead lights were made from tin coffee cans and the plywood floors had holes here and there. On a rainy night, water was collected in tarps hung above the orchestra, which could (and sometimes did) unexpectedly empty, dousing musicians and causing a sudden evacuation of the Britt stage.
Judy brought her on-stage perspective to her subject choice for this year's Fine Arts Poster. "I thought Britt audiences might like to see what I see from the cello section on the Britt stage. Sometimes the velvet sky and emerging stars are so beautiful that it is a challenge to stay focused on the conductor. I love it when the playing is especially beautiful and I am surrounded by gorgeous music. You can feel your spirit soar above the orchestra," says Bjorlie.

In addition to the Britt Orchestra, she also plays with the Rogue Valley Symphony and in chamber music ensembles. She taught orchestra in the Medford schools before retiring to explore her interest in painting.

Judy is one of six owner/artists of Art & Soul Gallery in Ashland, Oregon, where 30 regional artists exhibit paintings. She paints traditional watercolors of landscapes, portraits, florals and animals, and has work currently in homes and businesses in the United States, Asia and Europe.

Eagle Scout Project for Britt Looking for Community Support

2009-05-06T17:41:00Z

Jordan DeGraw, a high-school student and Eagle Scout, is working on achieving his Eagle Scout Award and wanted to do something for Britt as his service project. Jordan is a Britt volunteer and he noticed the need to renovate the upper bathrooms at the Britt Pavilion, and decided that this would be his perfect project.

The Eagle Scout Troup 167 will be cleaning, repairing and renovating the upper bathrooms and is seeking community support to offset the costs of this project.

He is looking for the following goods and services to be donated:

Demolition team: Saturday, May 9
Painters and Handy People to help install new mirrors, light fixtures, sinks and stalls: Saturday, May 23 and Monday, May 25
Plumbing supplies
Installer: to install laminate on the bathroom floors

If you are interested in assisting the Eagle Scout Troup, please contact Jordan DeGraw at 541-245-3370 or email him at mdegraw57@charter.net.

The Heartless Bastards Will Open for The Avett Brothers

2009-05-06T14:33:20Z

Britt Festivals is pleased to announce that The Heartless Bastards will open for The Avett Brothers on August 29 at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville. Check out this video of the band.

A Classic Trolley

2009-05-04T10:34:53Z

Do you know that you can catch a free trolley ride up to the main gate of the Britt Pavilion before each concert? That's right! Thanks to the city of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce allowing Britt to lease the trolley, you don't have to lug your ice chest and folding chairs all the way up the hill by foot. Take a free ride and arrive perspiration-free at the front gate. You can find the trolley after 6 p.m. stopping at the main public parking lots and then moving on down the road to the overflow parking at Bigham Knoll.

The history of the trolley is rather unique. A locally owned company "Classic Trolley" built the trolley in 1984, under the leadership of company founder Wally Wilson, who is a native of the Rogue Valley and started the company in 1982. For almost 20 years the company has been producing trolleys and these gems can be found in San Francisco, Honolulu, Alaska, Guam, Switzerland and many other locations worldwide.

Wilson started building trolleys after a friend who owned a tour company in San Francisco asked him to put his construction skills to work in restoring a trolley that he had purchased. Wilson is a man who likes to do things right, so he got a hold of some design prints from 1884 and restored that first trolley to its original glory. After this, he started manufacturing trolleys, creating the highest quality and most accurately detailed replicas of 1890s California street trolleys, including the varnished solid oak wooden seats and shiny brass fittings.

John Hagler, President
Classic Trolley, Inc.

In 1984, the Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) purchased the trolley that is currently in use in Jacksonville from Classic Trolley and leased the trolley to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and Britt Festivals, along with other local nonprofits and private parties, but in December 2006, unable to afford the operation costs of the trolley, RVTD donated the trolley to the city of Jacksonville.

Classic Trolley is pleased the trolley is now permanently in Jacksonville. "I am so glad that they are running the trolley in Jacksonville. It is part of that town. It warms my heart to know that something that we took great pride in building is recognized and used in the valley," says John Hagler, son-in-law of Wally Wilson and current president of Classic Trolley.

Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce board member Terri Gieg agrees, "The history of this town comes to life on that trolley. The thing about the trolley tours is that it's about so much more than coming to a town of old buildings and riding around. This town has a heart. It's about life and people. There is a rich history here and so much to see!"

Seven Things You Didn't Know About Chris Botti

2009-04-30T09:45:05Z

This Newsweek video reveals seven things about Chris Botti that you probably didn't know before. Botti will be performing here at Britt Festivals on June 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Volunteer Hearts are Stronger

2009-04-28T14:22:38Z

Sharon Johnson's column in today's Medford Mail Tribune says that people who volunteer are much healthier. We couldn't help but think of our Britt volunteers and their big hearts!

Read the complete article at this link.

Britt Institute Students Need Scholarships

2009-04-23T09:55:07Z

As the squeeze on family budgets tightens, there is an increasing trend of students needing more financial assistance to attend the Britt Institute summer programs: the Instrumental Jazz Camp, Saxophone Workshop and String Quartet Academy.

Typically, 50 percent of Britt students request financial assistance to attend Britt's educational programs. This year, an overwhelming 80 percent of applicants have requested financial assistance in paying for the tuition, room and board fees associated with attending Britt's programs. Approximately 100 talented young musicians will be selected through a highly competitive audition process. Scholarship awards start at $175 per student but even this modest subsidy makes a huge difference in a family's ability to send their student to a music program that has the power to enrich and shape a young life.

Along with the increasing need for Britt's programs and scholarships, the cost of providing programs and academies also grows each year. Housing for students in the SOU dormitories has increased by 100% in just four years. In order to maintain the caliber of the program and provide scholarship assistance, we look to the community for support.

The Britt Institute relies on the generosity of donors and the success of fundraisers such as the annual Britt Bash to provide the funds needed to bring these talented young musicians to study with the best and brightest faculty in the country.

Even with the generous support already received this year, the Britt Institute needs additional funds in order to meet the needs of this year's students.

The Britt Institute will present a number of events this summer to raise money for scholarships, including Jazzed about Jazz: Jazz Camp's 20th Anniversary Concert on Saturday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville.

You can help too! For more information on what you can do to assist a student attend a Britt Institute program this year, please contact Development Director Carrie Kaufman at 779-0847 x 124.

Q&A with Cowboy Junkies' Michael Timmins

2009-04-21T13:26:54Z

Here is a great Q&A with Cowboy Junkies' Michael Timmins. The band recently played a benefit concert for War Child, a network of independent organizations working across the world to help children affected by war. The Cowboy Junkies will play at Britt on Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m.

American Latino TV Nominates Los Lonely Boys for an Award

2009-04-16T08:45:47Z

Los Lonely Boys, who will perform at Britt on Friday, June 12, have been nominated for Favorite American Latino Hitmaker by the American Latino Syndication for the 3rd Annual American Latino TV Awards.

American Latino Syndication, a division of Los Angeles-based LATV Networks, recently announced the nominees for the 3rd Annual "American Latino TV Awards" show, with voting and promotion scheduled to begin this week. The "American Latino TV Awards" is a celebration of American Latino TV's historic seventh season.

"American Latino TV Awards" serves to recognize excellence and achievement in the American Latino community and is a tribute to the individuals, organizations and projects that have been featured in the producers' seven-season library of multi-award winning and groundbreaking television shows.

The nominees (four per category in six categories) for the unique awards show format were selected by a team of American Latino TV producers. This year's awards show hosts five exciting new categories: Favorite American Latino Hitmaker, Favorite Alternative Athlete, Favorite American Latino Newcomer, Favorite Live Performance, Most Outspoken American Latino, as well as returning category Most Inspiring American Latino.

The winners will be decided by online voting and announced during the nationally syndicated broadcast of the American Latino TV Awards special, which will begin airing later this summer in over 70 cities nationwide. A promotional campaign of TV, radio, local and national print and online ads will direct viewers to www.AmericanLatinoAwards.com which provides a detailed list of nominees, along with a short video segment of each one, and the ability to cast votes.

Why become a Britt member?

2009-04-13T14:55:55Z

Why become a Britt member?

Britt tickets are currently on sale to members now through May 25, and general public ticket sales begin May 26. While you might think of early access to tickets as a prime benefit of Britt membership (and it is!) there are lots of great reasons to make a membership contribution. Here are just a few:

Your contribution supports a southern Oregon treasure
You’re part of the “Britt experience”
You support valuable arts education programs under the Britt Institute
You’re part of a community of supporters
And, of course, members have first access to tickets at Britt through the member pre-sale, and great benefits like ticket exchange privileges, access to the wait list, and more

Already a Britt member? Share with us why membership is important to you!

Chris Smither Will Open for Tommy Emmanuel on July 24

2009-04-08T14:50:44Z

Britt Festivals is proud to announce that American folk/blues singer, guitarist and songwriter Chris Smither will open for Tommy Emmanuel on Friday, July 24th.

National Public Radio says, "[Smither] taps his foot to keep the rhythm, much like the late blues legend John Lee Hooker. His guitar-picked guitar lines are sleek, unhurried and insistent. And then there's the voice—equal parts gravel and molasses, Smither's singing sounds like a distillation of the folk and blues heroes he grew up listening to in New Orleans."

Below are video excerpts from Chris Smither's long awaited concert DVD, available now at: www.smither.com. Video by Kathy Wittman Audio by Keith Richardson.

Who is Andrew Bird?

2009-04-07T08:56:40Z

If you don't know who Andrew Bird is, here is a great article describing his music and performance style. I am glad that I read more about him, because I think his performance at Britt on July 16 is going to be one of the concerts that we will all be glad we went to see.

Trace Adkins wins Single of the Year

2009-04-06T10:16:04Z

Trace was awarded Single of the Year for "Your Gonna Miss This" at the ACM Awards Sunday Night. When accepting his award Trace said, "This song was recorded by a father whose oldest daughter had just gotten married. It was very personal to me, and I didn't think other people would relate to it the way that I did". "Your Gonna Miss This" is on the American Man - Greatest Hits Volume Two CD. Congratulations Trace!

Here is a video of his moving performance from the ACM Awards.

Chris Botti on TODAY

2009-04-06T09:54:41Z

Here is the video from Chris Botti on the Today Show. He will be performing at Britt Festivals on June 26, 2009.

Les Claypool on Jimmy Kimmel Live

2009-04-06T09:36:05Z

Check out Les Claypool on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Les Claypool will play at Britt on Sunday, June 21.

Britt's 2009 Season Announcement

2009-04-02T17:33:44Z

Britt Festivals announced its 2009 season on Tuesday, March 31 at our annual media appreciation luncheon. We had a large showing from our media partners and many of our board members. The lunch, which was catered/donated by Silver Ridge Outfitters was delicious, with their homemade dutch oven cooking. And of course, the announcement of who is coming to Britt this summer was the highlight of the day.

This season we are looking forward to all of the performers, especially Sheryl Crow, Trace Adkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Natalie Cole and Howie Mandel. And we are looking forward to booking even more great performers that we will share with you as we book them.

It is always great to hear feedback from our patrons, so please don't hesitate to tell us what you think about the season line-up on our forums page.

Britt Bash 2009

2009-03-17T16:30:15Z

A special thank you to all who attended and contributed to the success of the 2009 Britt Bash. It really was a great event!

Tisa Cawthon celebrates after winning the bidding on the NASCAR racing package.

Miss Rogue Valley Kirsten (a Britt Institute Sax Workshop alum) makes a
pitch for scholarship contributions.

Maggie Parsons raises her paddle during the call for scholarship contributions.

Happy Birthday Peter Britt!

2009-03-12T08:41:31Z

Today we celebrate Peter Britt's 190th birthday. The Britt staff is having birthday cake here in the Britt office today in honor of this extraordinary man.

Peter Britt (1819-1905) came to Jacksonville in 1852 after immigrating from Switzerland and spending seven years in Illinois. Like others, he hoped to make money mining gold, though his real passion-and ultimate success-came with photography and horticulture. He is credited with taking the first photograph of Crater Lake, planting the region's first fruit trees and opening Southern Oregon's first winery.

His estate, now the site of Britt Festivals, still bears the fruit trees and other vegetation he planted there more than a century ago. We are proud to provide to provide high quality performances on the estate of a man who had such an impact on the region.

To learn more about Peter Britt and his legacy, please visit http://www.peterbritt.org.

John Trudeau Remembered

2009-03-06T16:43:19Z

A memorial celebration for Britt Festivals' Founder and Conductor Emeritus John Trudeau is this Saturday, March 8, at Hoffman Hall at Portland State University, where Trudeau taught for 32 years. The memorial is open to the public.

The memorial program includes performances from the PSU Brass Ensemble, the Portland Brass Society, and the Portland State University Chamber Choir. Many colleagues and friends will share stories, including Britt's Classical Festival Administrator, Angela Warren.

In memory of this great man, here is an excerpt from John Trudeau's book Touches of Sweet Harmony, where Trudeau summarizes the beginning of Britt Festivals.

The Beginning

Take the dream of an individual, add a historic gold-mining town, and a nearly perfect summer climate, and you have the recipe for an outdoor summer music festival. The creation of the internationally-known Britt Music Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, resulted from the effort and shared interest of two men. I am one of those men, and the other is my long-time friend, Sam McKinney, who first came across the southern Oregon community of Jacksonville and suggested it might be the place to make a dream come alive. Let me tell you the story as I remember it.

In the late summer of 1962, Jacksonville looked much as it had a century earlier, when trail scouts, trappers, and miners pushed their way through the narrow streets. There was the Brunner building, built in 1853, that at one time had a two-foot layer of dirt around the foundation to guard against Indian fire arrows; the Beekman Bank, built in 1863, where miners had deposited the gold they had pulled out of the nearby hills; and the U.S. Hotel where President Rutherford Hayes and other luminaries enjoyed the most luxurious rooms in town when it first opened in 1880. Not much had changed in a hundred years, but it was about to.

The city's goals and our proposal for a music festival became intertwined, making 1962 a memorable year for Sam and me and for the City of Jacksonville as well. More than forty years have passed since our "discovery" in Jacksonville, but the spirit, the excitement, the optimism, and the growth of both town and festival continue.

Britt's 2009 season will be announced in 30 days!

2009-03-02T08:50:52Z

Renew your membership today to stay on our members-only advance mailing list.

As a past Britt member, you know that membership contributions are the lifeblood of Britt. Without the support of so many in the community, Britt as we know it would simply not exist. When you renew your support, you help Britt continue to offer the artists and performances you love, and to be a meaningful part of life in southern Oregon. Renew your membership today and help keep "the Britt experience" alive!

Four Million Dollar Taxi Ride

2009-02-24T16:51:25Z

We have all probably had the sinking feeling when we realize that we have left something precious behind in a restaurant, taxi or hotel room. Imagine how you would feel watching a taxicab pull away with something worth $4 million dollars still inside it.

That was exactly what happened to Philippe (pronounced "Philip") Quint, the Grammy-nominated violinist who will play at Britt this summer on August 14.

Last April, Quint was returning home to New York City from Dallas, where he had performed with a 1723 Antonio Stradivari "Ex-Kiesewetter" violin that had been loaned to him. After unloading his luggage from the cab, Quint turned to retrieve the 285 year-old instrument. All he saw was the taxi's retreating tail lights pulling away from the curb, with the violin still inside.

Unable to get the cab's license number, the panicked 34-year-old musician called the police and the taxi commission before heading back to the Newark Airport-where his plane landed and his ride began-to view taxi mug shots with authorities.

The taxi that he had rode in was a minivan, a clue that narrowed his search to just eight possible cabs. The next day, the driver was identified and contacted. Mohammed Khalil immediately looked inside his taxi, which had been parked overnight on a Newark street, and found the four million dollar Strad inside.

It was only six hours from when he lost the violin to when he got it back, but Philippe Quint said in a media interview that it felt like six years.

When the taxi driver returned the violin to him, Quint pulled out his wallet and gave Mohammed all the money he had in it, which ended up to total about $100. But when Quint finally returned home with the violin in hand, he started thinking about what would be the best way to reward him for what he had done. He thought the best way was to give a part of himself, which is his music.

On May 7, as a way to thank the taxi driver, he gave a performance at the Newark Liberty International Airport's taxicab holding area. He played for a half an hour, playing five selections. The cabbies clapped and whistled and danced in the aisles.

The city of Newark awarded a Medallion (its highest honor) to Mohammed Khalil, who has driven a taxi there since 1985. As he had planned for months, Khalil retired from driving a cab the day he took Philippe Quint home.

Cheers to OSF!

2009-02-16T11:51:00Z

Britt Festivals would like to join in the celebration of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's (OSF) 50th anniversary of their outdoor Elizabethan Stage, which opens in June for another year of wonderful performances! As an outdoor venue, Britt Festivals knows how special outdoor performing venues are in southern Oregon. Audiences have fallen in love with the region's clean air, warm breezes and bright twinkling skies full of stars.

OSF is dedicating the 2009 season to principal theatre and scenic designer, Richard L. Hay, acknowledging his creative work that spans more than 50 years at OSF and includes the design of all three theatre spaces, beginning with the current Elizabethan Stage in 1959, half a century ago.

The 2009 OSF season opens at 8:00 p.m. this Friday, February 20, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre on the battlefields of Scotland with William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth, directed by guest artist Gale Edwards.

For a full schedule of performances at OSF, visit osfashland.org.

Britt Institute Prepares for Summer Programs

2009-02-11T14:02:30Z

Over 125 students attend one of three Britt Institute summer camps every summer—Instrumental Jazz Camp, Saxophone Workshop, and the String Quartet Academy. Students have the opportunity to study with faculty from throughout the United States who are masters in their field. Studies include theory, history, improvisation, master classes and performances.

Who is behind the scenes making these educational programs happen? That would be a group of amazingly committed camp faculty and a woman who has always been passionate about arts education, Joelle Graves.

As Education Director at Britt Festivals, Joelle has a long list of details to check off her list before the first students arrive for Britt's Instrumental Jazz Camp in June. Details that include where students are going to sleep, what they are going to eat, what they are going to do during their extra time and how to transport them from one place to another.

She does all of this preparation and pays attention to every single detail in an effort to make the Britt Institute camps stand apart. She ensures that everything runs seamlessly, from the student's arrival to their departure. Her motto is "listen and do," meaning she listens to the feedback she receives (direct and indirect) and takes action. For example, if string students mention that the chairs are too hard to sit on four hours at a time, she finds different ones that are more comfortable. She is more than willing to go above and beyond to make the camps the most positive experience in these young lives.

~Posted by Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant, Britt Festivals

Podcast Interview with Dave Anderson

2009-02-04T11:55:23Z

Principal Bass of the Britt Festival Orchestra, Dave Anderson, was featured in a podcast interview called Contrabass Conversations in May of 2008. We just found out about this and wanted to share it with you.

ABOUT DAVE ANDERSON
In addition to serving as Principal Bass of the Britt Festivals Orchestra, Dave is a prolific composer, active teacher, and electric bassist. He serves as Principal Bass for the Louisiana Philharmonic, and he plays in metropolitan New Orleans and beyond in a variety of bands.

ABOUT THE PODCAST
Contrabass Conversations is a weekly podcast produced by double bass blogger Jason Heath. The primary goal of his podcast is to foster and develop learning and communication in the global double bass community. Interviews, performances, and double bass news and resources are covered on the podcast as well as listener feedback and cool bass links.

The podcast is intended to entertain as well as educate, and topics are presented in a lighthearted fashion on most episodes. As the podcast progresses, a body of reference material will continue to develop for future generations of double bassists.

To subscribe to this podcast, visit Jason's web site.

Britt Festivals Goes Above and Beyond Accessibility Requirements

2009-01-29T15:09:55Z

“I am very passionate about making Britt Festivals accessible to all patrons. People with disabilities or special needs might be a very small percentage of our audience, but they sure are the most appreciative,” says Julie Gurwell, Britt’s director of patron services. Julie has made it her mission to go above and beyond to make Britt Festivals fully accessible and provide a truly welcoming experience to all patrons on the Britt hill.

Being accessible and responsive to patrons’ needs starts from the ticket-buying process. Advance communication with Britt concerning your needs is very important. All requests go directly through Julie or Britt's Box Office Manager Marie Carbone and there is a process that they go through to make sure that they correctly understand each patron’s needs.

For example, this past summer Julie received a request from a patron who is hearing-impaired, asking for a sign interpreter for the Michael McDonald performance. Not a lot of us know that interpreting music and vocals requires a special set of skills and preparation. Julie arranged for a professional performance arts interpreter from Portland for this occasion. She saw this as an opportunity for other hearing-impaired patrons to partake in the Britt experience and contacted the Deaf Services of Southern Oregon. In the end, there were 14 hearing-impaired patrons who got to enjoy the Michael McDonald concert that normally wouldn’t be able to do so.

The biggest challenge at Britt is the fact that the venue is on a hillside. Assisting patrons with accessible parking, and informing patrons of the drop off area are a couple of solutions in meeting this challenge. Other solutions include providing assistance from the parking lot and continued training for volunteers and staff.

Britt does set aside seats in the reserved seating section for people with mobility and sight needs and also offers a wheelchair accessible area within the venue. Julie’s ultimate goal is to offer more accessible parking and constructing more ramps within the venue.

Britt is committed to providing superb service by treating all patrons with courtesy and attentiveness while complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and applicable state and local laws. If you have any suggestions or comments on things we can do better, please call Director of Patron Services Julie Gurwell at 541-779-0847 x 111 or email her through our contact us page.

~Posted by Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant, Britt Festivals

Medici TV

2009-01-26T09:24:47Z

This could be old news for most of you, but I just discovered this wonderful thing called Medici TV! This site provides real-time free classical performances by renowned artists. This is so exciting!

In the age of YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Youmeo, Twitter and Flickr, making classical music available as web-delivered content is a smart move. This is a great way to make classical music more relevant and accessible to younger generations.

Here is an interview with Medici TV director Hervé Boissière. He makes an interesting observation: "It has become increasingly apparent that the combination of audio-visual elements and the Internet is the new and more effective way for reaching new audiences and promoting artists."

And why is it called Medici TV? Well, the Medici family was one of the greatest supporters of the arts during the Renaissance, commissioning a wide array of music, painting, poetry and architecture. Seems logical to me. Plus it is easy to remember the next time I am in the mood to attend a concert!

~Written by Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant, Britt Festivals

27th Annual Britt Bash

2009-01-19T16:15:16Z

The countdown is on…only 53 more days before the 27th Annual Britt Bash. The organizers of the event are planning a festive evening of fine dining and exciting auction items followed by dancing to live music. Plus, it is for a great cause. This is a fundraiser supporting Britt Festivals’ arts and education programs.

The Britt Institute, our educational arm since 1985, provides quality summer music programs, the Music in the Mornings™ listening program for elementary students throughout southern Oregon, internships, lectures and master classes. All proceeds from the Bash will go towards the community arts and education programs sponsored by Britt Festivals.

Here are details of the Britt Bash:

Date:	Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Time:	5 p.m. Reception and Silent Auction
	7 p.m. Dinner, Live Auction, Gold Circle Raffe & Dancing to AnnieMac
Cost	Single Ticket $125 ($75 tax-deductible)
	Couple Ticket $250 ($150 tax-deductible) 2 tickets included
	Table Reserved for 10 people $1,250 ($250 tax-deductibe)
Dress:	Festive Attire
Location:	Rogue Valley Country Club
Purchase tickets onine at www.brittbash.org.

I am so excited to kick up my heels to the AnnieMac band. They played this summer as the opening act for Three Dog Night. AnnieMac draws on old-school R&B riffs, deep soul, and emotion-inspired lyrics for hard-edged originals and highly danceable covers. Often compared to The Band, Little Feat and The Allman Brothers Band, AnnieMac delivers guitar rock that speaks to the heart. Check out their web site.

There are some great auction items this year, including my favorite item, a Fender Telecaster Guitar signed by the musicians seen on the Britt stage in 2008! What a great collector’s item for your home office or entertainment room. It’s definitely something you could brag to all your friends about.

Other auction items include:

An auction favorite! Private wine cellar dinner for 10, hosted on the Britt Hill by Peter Adesman & Robin Miller and Chef Alex Schulenburg. Includes reserved seats to concert of bidder's choice;
- Start your engines! NASCAR Racing for two—classroom training and driving on a professional track. Airfare and four nights hotel included;
  - Sunriver home for four days, three nights (sleeps up to 10) and a round of golf and dining credit at Broken Top Club for a lucky foursome;
    - Only at the Britt Bash! Valley View “Anna Maria” Merlot bottle signed by David Crosby, Steven Stills and Graham Nash. If that’s not enough, buy another Valley View “Anna Maria” Merlot signed by Mark Knopfler to add to your one-of-a-kind wine collection.

Britt Festivals Visits The Big Apple in Search of 2009 Performers

2009-01-08T08:24:42Z

This week the executive director of Britt Festivals, Rick Hood, and Mike Sturgill, director of programming, are traveling to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Conference in New York City. So what are they doing in the Big Apple?

Rick and Mike are scouting artists to bring to Britt Festivals for the 2009 performance season. Some people think that Britt has already booked the performers for this year. In fact, artists are just beginning to book their 2009 tour schedules.

“We are excited to see who is touring this year and are looking forward to bringing the best and brightest talent to southern Oregon,” says Mike Sturgill. “This conference is a great way for us to meet with agents and artists to invite them to participate in our season.”

The APAP Conference is a grand extravaganza of performance arts exhibits, meetings, workshops, performance showcases, networking opportunities, amazing ideas, astonishing things to see and hear, and unparalleled fellowship and collegiality.

If you were the director of programming at Britt, who would you want invite to Britt this year? Tell us on our discussion forum.

Britt's Opening Night cellist wins rave reviews from New York Times

2008-12-17T10:29:57Z

Although it's several months off, I was just reminded of how much I look forward to the Opening Night of Britt's Classical Festival. It's a night of celebration and anticipation, as the members of the Britt Orchestra reunite for the first concert of the season. This year the orchestra will be joined by cellist Alisa Weilerstein on July 31 for Opening Night. I just read a performance review of Alisa in The New York Times. The reviewer called her "great fun to watch" and "buoyant and youthful" and said it was as much fun to watch her as it was to listen to her.

Alisa's energy and talent will be a perfect fit for what's always a magical night on the Britt hill. Take a look at the review.

Tributes to Britt's Founding Conductor

2008-11-13T09:15:07Z

Britt's founding conductor John Trudeau passed away peacefully in his Portland home last week. Take a look at articles in the Medford Mail Tribune, The Oregonian, and a post from Britt Orchestra Violinist Bruce Sweetman. John's legacy lives on at Britt, and he will be greatly missed. If you have memories of him, we'd love to read them.

Excerpt from Touches of Sweet Harmony

2008-10-24T17:36:27Z

Have you ever wondered how Britt Festivals started? In 2006, John Trudeau, the founding music director and first conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra, published a book about his experience of seeing his lifelong dream of starting a music festival become become a reality. The book is a detailed account of the beginning of Britt, starting in the early 1960s.

For a taste of the book, here's a humorous moment from Trudeau's book, Touches of Sweet Harmony.

No Bells, Just Smelly
Even in serious music, lighter moments can happen. I can recall several concerts where unexpected events took both the orchestra and the audience by surprise. On one beautiful evening on the hillside in 1964, the orchestra opened the concert with Mozart’s Overture to the Marriage of Figaro. The piece starts out at a lively pace and sustains that pace to the very end.

We were approximately a third of the way through the overture when I noticed a restlessness in the back of the orchestra. Some musicians, particularly the clarinet, bassoon and French horn players were rolling their eyes toward the sky while others appeared to be sniffing the air around them and raising their eyebrows in a querulous manner. As we continued playing, more and more players became aware of their colleagues reactions, until finally an objectionable odor reached the front of the orchestra and the source of the problem became evident.

A skunk had decided to take up residency under the pavilion and as the music progressed, it, too, progressed from the back of the structure to the front. The “perfume” was still fairly well confined to the stage area, but as it wafted up the hill, the audience began to stir as well. One could detect soft-spoken words, giggling, and just a slight bit of panic with some people moving farther up the hillside in hope of escape.

We finished the overture—in somewhat record time—to a mixture of laughter and applause. I couldn’t resist turning to the audience and saying, “Thank God he doesn’t write our reviews.” At that point everyone seemed to relax a bit except, of course, our general manager, Ron Bartlett, who had the unenviable task of persuading the uninvited guest to seek asylum elsewhere. Armed with flashlight and best wishes from the less adventurous, he carried out a responsibility he never before dreamed of having.

As is so often the case, things that have the potential for disaster do sometimes result in the opposite. The story of “Mozart and the Skunk” found its way into the Associated Press and appeared in a Berlin newspaper the next day, giving us our first international recognition.

If you'd like to read more about Britt's origin, Touches of Sweet Harmony is available at Britt Festivals’ office for $12.

Great Reasons to Become a Britt Volunteer!

2008-10-15T17:32:15Z

Being a volunteer is definitely a state of mind and lifestyle choice. It can be something that we do for a couple of hours once a week or several times a month, or it can be a one-time thing. It is something thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling. Of course, volunteering is something that everyone can do. Most people would say that they just don’t have time, but I would argue that it is more of a matter of how you choose to spend your time. I am proud to say as a full-time college student with a double major and being a single mom, I found the time to volunteer two nights a week to teach scuba diving, coach my daughter’s basketball team and help a marine biologist with her research once a month (all things I am very passionate about).

Whether you donate blood to the Red Cross, volunteer at Britt Festivals, spend the morning planting flowers in a community garden, participate in a bake sale for a local high school or assemble a team for the Relay for Life cancer walk, there are volunteer opportunities for everyone, in every place, to fit every schedule.

I think it is really important to view volunteering as something we do for our own happiness and fulfillment rather than some form of charity that we perform for others. It should become something that we do on an daily (or weekly or monthly) basis as an essential part of our lives, rather than something we plan to do in the intangible future, in that mystical place of “when I have more time.” The time is now! Because you are doing something that is good for yourself, you will actually want to do it. It will not feel like a burdensome task—pick your passion the possibilities are limitless!

OK, as I crawl off of my soapbox, below are reasons why you should volunteer for Britt Festivals. Britt is an amazing place to volunteer and we strongly believe in the true spirit of volunteerism. If our organization doesn’t fit into your passion, you should definitely seek another organization that does—I’m sure you can find one.

•    Because you can! Britt Volunteers can be as young as 16, and we have positions for any skill set; from ushering to ice cream scooping, we can find a position for you.

•    To get out of the house and do your part to make Britt Festivals a continued success for future generations to come.

•    The Britt hill is the best place in southern Oregon to spend a summer evening; why not do it while volunteering and giving back to your community?

•    There’s a whole lot of “community” in the entire Britt Festivals organization; why not be a part of an amazing group of people?

•    To spend “quality time” with family and friends and to make new friends who share the same passion.

•    It is a great way to teach your children about community involvement the old fashioned way… Lead by example!

•    You get to be around motivated people. People who spend their free time doing volunteer work are often wonderful souls with big hearts and great attitudes.

•    To share your skills and gain knowledge. Folks who volunteer at Britt Festivals gain a unique insight into how the entertainment/venue industry works. Many volunteer opportunities are exercises in management and organization skills, outside of what you might normally do at your “real” job.

•    To contribute to a local non-profit organization.

•    You’ll feel an inner sense of accomplishment and fulfillment knowing that not only have you contributed to making Britt Festivals a wonderful place to be, but you’ve also grown as an individual.

And if that’s not enough, here are even more reasons…

•    Your kids would rather play videogames or surf the net than spend time as a family. Volunteering as a family is a fun team-building experience and great way to get your kids involved in their community, while instilling important values in them.

•    When you stay home, you get too many telemarketing calls.

•    It’s hard to win a game of solitaire. You get a chance to meet people who may come from completely different backgrounds and it is an eye-opening experience and chance to personally grow by getting to know them.

•    The nightly news is depressing and your favorite shows are all reruns. So, get off the couch, get out there and do something. Volunteering at Britt Festivals can provide an enormous amount of hope and happiness in your life.

•    If you don't go out each day, you get old. Volunteering makes you feel useful and connected. You’ll be a positive contributing part of the local community because you are more involved, which will make you feel younger at heart.

•    Volunteering is a fun opportunity that gives you the ability to “try on many different hats,” it’s awesome to be able to have the chance to try new things and expand your horizons.

•    It changes your outlook. The volunteer spirit teaches you to think about ways to do something about any problem you come across rather than watch helplessly or simply complain.

•    Your mom would be proud of you. At night when you go to sleep, and in the morning when you wake up, you know in your heart that whatever evils and problems afflict this world; you are making it a better place (one volunteer job at a time)

•    We live in a world where everything seems to have a price; the feeling of accomplishment and pride you get from volunteering is priceless.

Written by Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

The Story Behind the Peter Britt Statue

2008-10-08T16:07:38Z

If you've been to Britt in the past couple of seasons, you've probably seen this statue near the entrance to the park. It's, of course, a depiction of Britt Festivals' namesake, Peter Britt. Britt was a Swiss immigrant who arrived in Jacksonville in 1852. He began taking portraits and panoramic landscapes for 44 years beginning in 1856.

While Britt is best remembered for capturing the landscape of Jacksonville's early history on film, local business owner Jeff Levin, of MacLevin's Whole Foods Restaurant in Jacksonville, along with other residents, felt that photos did not accurately portray the character of their favorite pioneer. They decided to commission a statue of Peter Britt with his camera, eight years ago (2000).

Initial depictions of Britt, created with the help of historic photographs, portrayed him in his trademark frock coat, hat and beard, standing next to a box camera on a tripod. Levin began a campaign in January 2004 to raise $10,000 for a statue of Peter Britt, with hopes of having it in place by the Britt Festivals season, that June.

Levin and others soon realized that it was going to be challenging to raise the money necessary to have the statue erected. In addition to the original $10,000, another $3,000 was needed for a concrete base, bronze plaque (which was later stolen and has yet to be replaced) and other incidentals. Originally, they were only accepting donations of $500 or more, when the project was several thousands of dollars short, they began accepting any donations they received, and were able to meet their financial goal.

Levin commissioned Yreka artist Ralph Starrit for the creation of the statue, which would be placed on the Britt grounds near the original homestead of the photographer and entrepreneur-a fitting tribute for someone who preserved the majority of the town's history through photography.

It took Starrit one year (working on and off) to complete the statue. Starrit realized that the 7-foot statue was different than most people would envision, but says that his style is unique and, "when people first look at it, they kind of don't know what to think. Then as they look at it, it kind of grows on you." The statue itself is made of metal, mostly from recycled materials. He had multiple pictures of Peter Britt and fuly immersed himself in Jacksonville's history for inspiration. When designing the statue, he decided to make it stylized, but made sure to keep the likeness of Peter Britt. Starrit is still very pleased with the statue, but disappointed that the plaque that was once in front of it was stolen a couple years ago and has not been replaced.

Starrit has been a sculptor for over 30 years and resides in Yreka, California. He is currently working on a dragon to be displayed somewhere between Medford and Ashland.

Written by Kirsten Agard and Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant

Here are some events going on in our region that you should definitely check out!

2008-10-08T10:11:41Z

Event: Classical Guitarist Scott Kritzer in concert
Date: Friday, October 10, 8:00 PM
Location: Chateau at the Oregon Caves, 1900 Caves
Highway, Cave Junction, Oregon 541-592-3400
__________________________________________________________
Event: Preschool Puppet Theatre
Date: Friday, October 10, 1:00 PM
Location: North Mountain Park Nature Center 620 North
Mountain Avenue Ashland, OR 541-488-6606
__________________________________________________________
Event: Annual Oktoberfest
Date: Saturday, October 11, 5-8:30 PM
Location: Saint George's Episcopal Church, Roseburg, OR

__________________________________________________________
Event: TECH N9NE with KRIZZ KALIKO & KUTT CALHOUN;
GRAVE PLOTT & PROZAK, and SKATTERMAN & SNUG
BRIM in concert.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008 8:00 PM
Location: McDonald Theatre, 1010 Willamette St. Eugene,
OR
http://secure.mcdonaldtheatre.com/customer/home.php
__________________________________________________________
Event: The Subdudes in concert.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 8:00 PM
Location: The Rogue Theatre 143 SE "H" St.
Grants Pass,OR
http://roguetheatre.musictoday.com/RogueTheatre/calendar.aspx
__________________________________________________________
Event: Dance to the Future
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 7:30 PM
Location: Soreng Theater, 1 Eugene Center, Eugene, OR
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2883&pid=6330684 or call 541.682.5000.

Britt's 2008 Season Ends with Artistic and Popular Success; Likely to Have an Operating Deficit

2008-10-02T09:08:43Z

Open letter from Britt Festivals Executive Director Rick Hood

With The Black Crowes performance on September 7, we closed another exciting Britt Festivals season. The 2008 season included 43 performances, and our total attendance was approximately 69,000, which was about 17% higher than in 2007. Last year, we heard your requests for a strong lineup in 2008, and we delivered with concerts like Bonnie Raitt, Crosby Stills & Nash, the Britt Orchestra with Midori, Mark Knopfler, Billy Idol, Return to Forever, Wynton Marsalis and much more.

While we celebrate those successes, we also must acknowledge that Britt is operating in the midst of a rapidly-changing industry. Artists are relying on tours for a larger part of their income, due in part to the way electronic music downloads have affected traditional record sales. As a result, artist fees have skyrocketed. In 2008, our artist fees were about 33% higher than in 2007, making the total amount we paid in artist fees the highest in our history.

The confluence of industry changes, high artist fees, and the current economic climate has affected our ability to cover operating expenses in 2007 and 2008. At this point, we’re projecting that our 2008 year-end deficit will come to about 11% of our budgeted revenues.

While this is serious news, we are fortunate in that Britt remains a well-capitalized organization, thanks to a history of frugal fiscal management. We have financial reserves and a growing endowment in place.

As a non-profit organization, ticket sales only cover about 65% of our operating costs. The balance comes from memberships, corporate sponsorships and other contributed income.

We are at a crucial point in Britt’s history, and we are reviewing every aspect of our business to ensure that we remain an integral part of the landscape in southern Oregon. We are conducting surveys, and are developing new ways of looking at membership, programming, audience development and institutional giving. We encourage you to talk to us as well--post comments here on our web site, participate in surveys and let us know how we can continue to serve you. Your feedback is important as we plan for the 2009 season.

Thanks for all you do to make Britt one of the best things about southern Oregon. We look forward to providing you another great lineup of concerts and educational programs in 2009.

So what is imeem anyway?

2008-09-30T14:02:21Z

Recently, I was asked to come up with a list of suggestions for social networks that the Britt Festivals should join. On the top of my list was imeem. In short, you take MySpace + Facebook + Photobucket + Limewire and you get imeem. It's what you get when social networking meets personal private networking.

Don't feel like you're out-of-the-loop, lame or old if you haven't heard of it-you're definitely not alone. But the way things are going, you will certainly hear about it soon. One study found that imeem has taken over Yahoo's throne by becoming the No. 1 streaming music site in the United States. USA Today stated, "According to imeem executives, imeem has more than 25 million visitors per month[3] with over 65,000 new users every day." -USA Today

The primary focus of imeem is to share media in many different forms: music, videos, photos, blogs, etc. As a visitor, you have access to music, videos, pictures, blogs and polls; however, commenting, rating, tagging and the posting of new content requires a user to register an account (which literally takes two minutes two create). Imeem gives you the power to create and share play lists; you can also search for a particular artist, view playlists featuring that artist, and listen to them.

Imeem is like Facebook or MySpace because members are encouraged to create personal pages with information about themselves. But since it is a social media site, these pages are centered on artists and albums, with personally created playlists.

A key feature promoted by imeem is the media playlist. Content posted from multiple sources may be collected into a playlist that can be posted for comments, tags and ratings. Creating a playlist is extremely easy (my 8-year-old daughter can do it). You type in the name of an artist or a song, and a page pops up with related media: individual songs, playlists created by others and even photos or animations created by other members. Click the "playlist" tab, name your playlist and a song or video has just been added to the mix. It's as easy as that!

Playlists can consist of videos, music or images. With the "Remix Player," music and images may be combined into a single presentation with customizable image transition effects.

It's really rad that you can create a slideshow of pictures and put it to the music of your choosing. With the pop-out player, you can put on your desktop and listen to it while you're working on other things. You can make a playlist consisting of music, videos or photos of your choosing. The options are endless. I'm sure you could think of at least 10 great slideshows you could make, right now.

Imeem provides a number of mechanisms to make content available to users outside of the site through RSS syndication and embedding content into external sites. However, as of July 22, 2008, MySpace deletes any updates or comments have the word ‘imeem' upon posting, making it impossible to even mention the site. But, you can still use imeem on facebook, your personal website, pandora, plentyoffish and many others.

Another great feature is how imeem links users through topic groups related to common interests. These groups can serve as online communities for artists, bands, clubs, films, schools, festivals, concert tours, friends and sports enthusiasts. Britt Festivals recently joined the Oregon and Portland groups, and we created our own Britt Festivals group (see the link below to join our group).

Now that you are an imeem expert (yeah you're back in the loop-cool and trendy), open your own imeem account and share your music, pics, blogs, etc. with us! Don't forget to add us as a friend and join the Britt Festivals page.

Britt Festivals' imeem Page

Posted by: Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

2008 Volunteer Appreciation Party

2008-09-24T15:17:51Z

Every year, Britt Festivals throws a volunteer appreciation party to celebrate our amazing volunteers. This year, we had 400+ volunteers who donated thousands of hours; they performed all kinds of services, like ushering, taking tickets, cleanup, staffing the concessions, and much more. Here are some photos from this year's 2008 party. Thanks again guys, for everything. We couldn't do it without you--you're awesome!

Check these events out!

2008-09-23T17:25:09Z

Though, we are all sad that the Britt Festivals 2008 season is over, there are still some amazing art events taking place in our area. Here are a few upcoming events you should not miss!

The 20th Annual Foreign Film Week at Varsity Theater in Ashland, Oregon September 26- October 2
Festival tickets good for all six films are now on sale at the Varsity Theatre box office. General admission festival tickets are $35.00 dollars per festival ticket (all six films). Student and Senior festival tickets (all six films) are $25.00 dollars. Tickets for individual films are also available at the door the day of the showing, seating permitting, adults $7.50, seniors 62 and older $5.50. Festival tickets (not individual tickets) are discounted 20% for Ashland Independent Film Festival members.

For further information please call 800-541-0912 (Monday through Friday 9:00 - 5:00) or 541-488-0619 (evenings and weekends). For schedule of shows go to http://www.catheatres.com/Page.asp?NavID=142

Rogue Valley Symphony with pianist Jon Nakamatsu at The Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford, Oregon October 4 at 8:00 P.M.
Program:
Liszt - Les Prelude
Saint-Saens - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Dvorak - Symphony No. 8

"Besides being an astounding technician, Nakamatsu shows impeccable taste; he puts a high gloss on anything he plays." -Chicago Tribune

Jon Nakamatsu came to instant international attention on the day he won the Gold Medal at the Tenth Annual Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997. He was named Debut Artist of the Year in 1998 by NPR's Performance Today and was profiled by CBS Sunday Morning and by Reader's Digest magazine. Since then he has become one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation, with a reputation for strength and immaculate technique, as well as for interpretation -- "he understands the music of our time from his heart rather than his head" (Salonmagazine).

For further information call (541) 552- 6398 or go to http://www.rvsymphony.org/index.shtml

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon
Currently Operating- November 2
The Shakespeare Festival is still in full swing and you should definitely catch a few plays before the 2008 season is over. Whether you’re in the mood for classics like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Othello, a modern comedy like The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler or the sobering tragedy A View From the Bridge; the Shakespeare Festival has something to offer everyone.

For further information go to http://www.osfashland.org/index.aspx
or call Toll-Free: (800) 219-8161

Slightly Stoopid, Historic Ashland Armory October 8th
Even if you’re not one of Slightly Stoopid’s fans (and judging from MySpace there are a lot of them with over 7 million profile views!), you should know what you are going to get at the show- competent and talented dub/ska jams oozing California sunshine. Seeing them play in the intimate setting of the Ashland Armory will be amazing- making this a show not to miss!

For further information, call Low Down Board Shop (541) 488-8969

These are just a few of the hundreds of cultural events taking place in our valley, you should get out there and take them. (Do you have any suggestions for an event in the Rogue Valley?)

Posted by Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

2008: A Season to Remember

2008-09-19T10:55:41Z

From Crosby, Stills & Nash’s three-part harmony, to B.B. King’s bring-down-the house performance, to Billy Idol’s spiky white blond hair, to Midori's force-of-nature playing, to Willie Nelson's “Whiskey River,” to G. Love's bluesy hip-hop lyrics to The Black Crowes’ uncanny vocals—2008 was a memorable season.

Crosby, Stills & Nash opened the season and did not disappoint their audience. I am still amazed that they won a Grammy before I was even born and were able to convert me into a fan. Stills’ guitar work was phenomenal, Nash was energetic and funny, and Crosby’s vocals were amazing. It was a true indicator of what the upcoming season had to offer.

Watching the 82-year-old “King of Blues” B.B. King play was indescribable. He has been performing for six decades, and was absolutely phenomenal! It obviously isn’t easy for him to perform (he said his age and health were to blame), and he did so while sitting, but the quality of his playing and singing have not been affected in the least. He rocked the hill! Giving us a performance straight from the dusty roots of the South as well as the depths of his soul, this concert is one that will be hard to forget.

Needless to say, I was more than excited when I heard that Billy Idol was going to be playing at Britt. I have loved that man since I was five years old, I remember singing “Rebel Yell” dressed up in my mom’s clothes in front of a mirror with a brush—haha. Riding the wave of my childhood nostalgia, I prepared myself for an evening of ‘80s punk rock. The set was incredible; hit after hit he laid it all out on the table, giving the audience exactly what they wanted.

To be honest, I had never even heard of Midori before I started working for the Britt Festivals, but I heard she was amazing. She played a dramatic concerto by Shostakovich—the moon rose over the hill, the crowd was eager with anticipation, crickets were chirping and the evening temperature was an unbelievable 90 degrees. It a magical night under the beautiful Oregon sky—the stuff of dreams. Both Midori and the Britt Orchestra (as always) were fabulous; we never wanted it to end!

The most surprising thing about the Willie Nelson concert was not his performance but the diversity of the crowd. You could find yourself bumping elbows with all types of people—bikers, 20-somethings, grandmas and grandpas, cowboys and cowgirls, “rockers” and young families. Is a testament to how enduring his music is and that the appeal seems to be for people in many different walks of life. It’s no wonder, with almost 700 songs—titles like “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain,” “Johnny One Time,” “I Gotta Get Drunk” and “Always On My Mind”—Willie has something to offer to everyone, and did an incredible job of it at the show.

For anyone who has never seen G. Love and Special Sauce in concert, I have to tell you that you are really missing out. G. Love’s genuine personality and passion for his music are contagious. G. Love proved that the only thing better than looking at him is listening to him perform. It was probably one of the only shows I have ever been to that I actually saw girls swooning (ok, so I thought it was funny), but once you get past that part of G. Love, you realize that he is an amazing musician. He has the ability to transport you to a back-porch in the Deep South, drinking a cold beer with company in the summertime.

As the end of the 2008 season came, there was one final performance not to be missed. Although The Black Crowes haven’t released a new album in seven years, they were absolutely brilliant! Chris Robinson’s voice is like his own amazing instrument—his intonation and inflection of certain lyrics and notes to compliment the arrangement are unmatched in most of today’s musicians. Looking around at the crowd, I realized just how difficult it is to see The Black Crowes in concert and not dance. It seemed that everyone was in some type of groove.

The 2008 season was extraordinary; I had so much fun seeing all of the talented performers. I cannot wait to see what next year will bring! I have been to concerts all over the country and none even come close to comparing to Britt. I love that you can bring your own picnic, wine, beer, blanket, chairs and friends for an intimate evening under the stars, with musical stars of all genres. What is your memory of the 2008 season?

This post was written by Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

John Butler Trio Photos

2008-09-17T16:27:25Z

John Butler Trio

Here are some great pictures that Josh Morrell from Image This Photography took of the John Butler Trio concert on behalf of Britt:

G. Love & the Special Sauce Photos

2008-09-17T16:14:51Z

G. Love and the Special Sauce Concert

Here are some great pictures that Josh Morrell from Image This Photography took of the G. Love and the Special Sauce concert on behalf of Britt:

Photos of The Black Crowes

2008-09-12T14:50:42Z

Take a look at the photo gallery of The Black Crowes at Britt on September 7, 2008, taken by Mail Tribune photographer Andy Atkinson.

The Black Crowes- A Band Worth Listening To?

2008-09-19T10:56:26Z

Recently, there was a scandal at Maxim men¹s magazine. The Black Crowes'
label didn't make advance copies of their new album available for review, so
needless to say, they were surprised when they saw Maxim's review in their
March issue. Then someone inside the magazine leaked information that the
music reviewer gave The Black Crowes¹ new CD a review without even listening
to it, which may have been why they gave them a menial 2 1/2 stars out of 5.
Maxim apologized profusely to its readers and the band. The following is an
email The Black Crowes received from Maxim:

'Of course, we always prefer to (sic) hearing music, but sometimes there
are big albums that we don't want to ignore that aren't available to hear,
which is what happened with the Crowes. It's either an educated guess
preview or no coverage at all, so in this case we chose the former.'

I think if the magazine is going to tell The Black Crowes their new album
stinks, at the very least they should listen to the album first. Also, the
magazine¹s review was pretty harsh towards lead singer, Chris Robinson (see
link below)- calling him ³boozy, competent and in slavish debt to the
Stones, the Allmans and the Faces.² While I do agree that their new CD does
sound similar to their last CD, (what band¹s doesn¹t?) I think they have
moved away from sounding like the afore-mentioned bands, into a more
Grateful Dead sound, with less singing and more instrumental genius. Of
course Chris Robinson still has an incredible voice and the CD is pretty rad
(at least 3 stars worth), in my opinion.

The Black Crowes¹ manager was outraged at the review and said, ³It speaks
directly to the lack of the publication¹s credibility. In my opinion, it¹s a
disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the
public. What¹s next- Maxim¹s concert reviews of shows they never attended,
book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?²

This has definitely made me rethink how seriously I take any type of review-
even from a well-known publication like Maxim. Who exactly is doing the
reviewing and why are they qualified to review? What do you think?

Maxim¹s Review:
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/resources/2008/02/maximreview.jpeg
This post was written by Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

G. Love's Britt Experience

2008-09-08T17:24:08Z

Take a look at what G. Love had to say about his performance at Britt last Friday, September 5. It's always nice to hear that an artist enjoyed their time at Britt!

G. Love's blog

A Blogger's Perspective on Judy Collins

2008-09-08T13:03:12Z

Take a look at Jim Wickre's blog post about his experience at the Judy Collins at Britt last week.

http://jimwickre.blogspot.com/2008/08/judy-collins-at-britt.html

Why I Love G. Love's Music

2008-09-19T10:57:12Z

G. Love, a self-proclaimed hip-hop bluesman, will play the Britt Festival on Friday. During the online chat with G. Love on Wednesday on the Britt website, the thing that stood out the most to me was his genuine personality and passion for his music. He also has an immense knowledge of blues and names many of the key players in blues history (like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Booker T, Jimmy Smith, Frosty Collins and Bukka White) beginning as early as 1920 in a verse of his song, "Blues Music"-taught me a thing or two.

When I am in desperate need of a distraction on a never-ending roadtrip (which seems to be happening a lot lately), I pop in G. Love’s first self titled cd and wait for my song to come on- "Baby's Got Sauce," it’s an amazing song which offers both a hip-hop hook and an endearing tribute to a domineering woman in his life- something I can totally relate to because I am one haha...

Of course, G. Love’s cds are in that rare class of music that you can listen to countless times without getting bored with them- I can listen to his cds all the way through without skipping anything- pretty close to a miracle for me. Whether cruising on a road trip, kickin’ back with family & friends or out on a date & trying to set the mood, his music feels good- you can’t help but smile while listening to it.

G. Love’s music always makes me feel like I'm on a back porch in the deep-south, drinking a cold beer with close friends in the summertime. If you like that feeling, you absolutely cannot miss his show this Friday!

This post was written by Kirsten Agard, Marketing Assistant

Carney Opening for The Black Crowes on 9/7

2008-09-04T17:54:27Z

Due to unforseen cirmcumstances, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, originally scheduled to open for The Black Crowes, have cancelled. L.A.-based blues/rock band Carney will replace them.

Here is a video of them off of YouTube. I think it will be fun to hear them live!

Willie Nelson Photos

2008-09-04T16:39:57Z

Here are some great pictures that Josh Morrell from Image This Photography took of the Willie Nelson concert on behalf of Britt:

FINISH THE SUMMER WITH A GREAT SHOW AT BRITT!

2008-09-02T15:35:51Z

Britt Festivals goes out with a bang with performances this week by G.Love & Special Sauce, Bill Evans Soulgrass and The Black Crowes.

Featured Concert: Bill Evans Soulgrass with special guest Sam Bush

Bill Evans first joined Miles Davis' group at the age of 22 in 1980, and went on to record six records and tour the world with Davis numerous times over a four-year period. He then toured and recorded three CDs with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and later played with Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Steps Ahead and Mick Jagger, among others. The saxman has been touring almost exclusively with his own band since 1990, playing well over 100 concerts per year worldwide. He has recorded 15 solo CDs and received two Grammy nominations, one for Soul Insider (2002) and the other for Soulgrass (2006). For this tour, Bill Evans has assembled a powerhouse touring band of Chris Howes, Ryan Cavanaugh and Joel Rosenblatt, who will roll into Jacksonville on Saturday, September 6, to give a rockin' performance that blends jazz, bluegrass and Americana. The “King of Newgrass” Sam Bush joins Bill Evans as a special guest and The John Jorgenson Quintet opens the show. Reserved and lawn tickets still available.

The Avett Brothers Concert

2008-08-29T14:57:52Z

I just read a blog from a Britt Patron about her experience at The Waifs / The Avett Brothers / Lucinda Williams concert. It is a fun post to read.

~Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant, Britt Festival

This Week at Britt - Michael McDonald, Lucinda Williams & Willie Nelson

2008-08-26T17:42:13Z

This week at Britt Festivals:

Wednesday, 8/27
Michael McDonald / The Rogue Suspects featuring Jeff Pevar

Thursday, 8/28
Lucinda Williams / The Avett Brothers / The Waifs

Saturday, 8/30
Willie Nelson / Liz and Lincoln

Monday, 9/1
Bonnie Raitt with Special Guest The Curtis Salgado Band

Tree Dedication to Honor Teddi Wade

2008-08-26T09:57:28Z

On Friday, August 22, 2008, a tree was planted and dedicated to former Director of Volunteer and House Operations, Teddi Wade. Teddi gave more than 20 years of service to Britt Festivals.

In honor of the special occasion, volunteer Sharon B. gave the following remarks:

I would like to start with a quote from Harriet Tubman. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world. I believe those words describe our Teddi to a “T.” Not only is it her way of being, but also her inspiration to all of us.

We are here tonight to honor a woman who gave us 22 years of strength, passion and a lot of patience!!!!

So, why a tree? A tree starts with a seed, just like an idea sparks growth, the seed sprouts and sets down roots to create stability and symbolizes the relationship of our internal spirit that we share with others. The trunk and branches grow up and away reaching to the sky, just as those first ideas achieve their goals, and inspire us to continue to believe we can achieve whatever goals set before us.

When Teddi became the Britt Volunteer Coordinator she planted those seeds, those ideas, and through all these years, the good, the not so good, and the fabulous, she has “watered those seeds,” tended to the seedlings, and encouraged them grow. That is why we are dedicating a tree as a symbol of her contribution. The long lasting life of a tree, the nobility, and the beauty that graces our lives everyday

So on this beautiful hill, on this wonderful night of dance, her favorite show....
I am very honored on behalf of the Britt Society Board and all Britt Volunteers to officially present this Red Bud Forest Pansy tree in honor of Teddi Wade. May it grow and flourish on this spot overlooking the audience and the stage, just as she has stood on this hill and inspired all of us to reach for the stars and change the world.

Thank you dear Teddi for all you are and all you have given us.

Join Britt's first live chat with Bill Evans

2008-08-21T13:53:13Z

Chat with multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans tomorrow, Friday, August 22 at 9 a.m.

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings, going well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. In the early 1980s he worked extensively with the legendary Miles Davis, becoming his right-hand man in concert and in a series of recordings. Davis said of Evans, "Bill is one of the greatest musicians I've come upon."

Evans steps into more adventurous territory with his album Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and bluegrass into a seamless and wholly-unique hybrid of American styles. He performs with special guest mandolinist Sam Bush at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville on Saturday, September 6 at 7 p.m.

Join the live chat at 9 a.m. Friday to talk with Bill about his music, his life on the road, and much more!

A Conversation with Gabriel Mark (this year's Britt poster artist)

2008-08-19T15:42:17Z

Gabriel Mark doesn’t look like what I expected; he doesn’t have any visible tattoos, no long hair, and no paint under his fingernails. When I met with him to find out more about his inspiration for this year’s Britt fine arts poster, he looked like a typical young professional, dressed in khakis and a polo. He is kind, personable and has a warm smile. Yet, there is nothing typical about Gabriel Mark.

At 32, Mark has caught the eye of collectors and galleries worldwide, with several public murals and paintings housed in numerous collections. He recently finished a commission to paint pirate scenes for Big Kenny, of the country music duo Big & Rich, who wanted pirate paintings for his Nashville home.

He dropped by the Britt Festivals offices recently to chat with me about his inspiration for the Britt fine arts poster he painted titled “The Gift of Spring.”

Mark: The history of Jacksonville and Britt was what really inspired me.

Britt: Who is the woman in the picture?

Mark: I asked my wife, Naomi, to model for me. It isn’t a portrait, but I painted the woman in my wife’s likeness.

Britt: Tell us about the dress your wife is wearing in the painting.

Mark: Anne Wilton, who is a member of the Belles & Beaus Old West Victorian Society of Jacksonville, helped us create a costume for Naomi to wear that looks like it dates back to the 1800’s.

Britt: How many sittings did it take to complete the painting?

Mark: I used photographs and sketches mostly. But photographs do not show color accurately, so I had her complete a couple sittings so I could get the color just right.

Britt: Does the tree that she is resting on really exist?

Mark: Yes. It is above the Britt pavilion. If you to walk up Fir Street (the street that runs beside the pavilion), you would see the tree on the left as you approach the top of the hill.

Britt: How long did it take you to complete the painting?
Mark: I painted it off and on over a period of six months.

Britt: Overall, was your wife pleased with the painting?

Mark: Yes, I think she likes it.

Britt: If you were to paint another Britt fine arts poster, what would you paint?

Mark: A bar scene.

Britt: Why a bar scene?

Mark: Well, I am currently working on some paintings of bar scenes and that is what I am really into right now.

Britt: Were your artist friends jealous that you painted the Britt poster this year?

Mark: Yes.

Britt: Would you say that you name is more recognized in the Rogue Valley after being the artist of the Britt fine arts poster?

Mark: Yes. Even more than me, my wife is more recognized now.

A Wonderful Evening

2008-08-18T10:42:45Z

I attended the final classical show last night with pianist Jon Kimura Parker. I have to admit the last time I went to a classical concert was when my grandmother made me attend with her when I was in middle school. I have been missing out! I now kick myself for not attending all of the classical concerts this year.

The talent level of the Britt Orchestra blew my socks off. These musicians come from all over the country to play at Britt for three weeks. It is pretty amazing that these musicians come here, stay with host families all over the Rogue Valley and share with us their musical talent for three weeks in the summer.

But I am reminded that this is how Britt Festivals begun. Classical music under the stars was the vision of founders John Trudeau and Sam McKinney. When you attend a classical concert at the Britt Pavilion, you get a sense that this is what is supposed to be performed, what the hillside was destined for. It feels right.

My favorite part of the evening was when the orchestra and soloist Jon Kimura Parker played Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major for Piano and Orchestra. The sultry, floating Charleston rhythm and the back and forth between trumpet and piano was fun and exciting to listen to.

The orchestra closed the evening with Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The playing of Fanfare for the Common Man gave me chills up and down my spine. When they stood to take their final bow, I didn’t want it to be over.

It was very nice to attend a Britt concert that the audience was very aware of concert etiquette. Except for the couple beside me playing gin rummy the entire performance and shuffling their playing cards every five minutes, the audience didn’t make a peep.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening. The moon was full and peeking over the top of the Britt pavilion. The crickets were out and there was a soft breeze on the back of my neck that kept me cool and feeling relaxed. I can’t wait to welcome the Britt Orchestra back next season. Next season, I will be first in line for tickets to every one of their performances.

This post was written by Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant

A Familiar Fanfare

2008-08-15T16:19:10Z

Britt's 2008 season ends on Sunday evening, August 17, with the orchestra's performance of Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. This work has been called one of the greatest American symphonies, and it will serve as a celebratory ending to the Classical Festival. The most familiar part of the Symphony for most will be the strains of Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." Copland had already written the fanfare when he composed the symphony, and he used it as the basis for much of the finale in the full-length Symphony No. 3. The "Fanfare for the Common Man" has been used for countless occasions, even the Olympics!

To get a taste of what you'll hear on the Britt hill, take a look at this YouTube video of a live perfomance of "Fanfare for the Common Man."

String Quartet Academy's final concerts

2008-08-15T15:21:49Z

Britt Institute's String Quartet Academy is winding down its two-week camp. This year, 41 high school and college students from all over the country participated in the Academy, learning from the Arianna Quartet, and enjoying master class and Q&A time with Britt guest artists Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson and Midori. Britt's Music Director Peter Bay also joined the students to conduct their string orchestra rehearsal.

The students have been perfoming throughout the valley, and they finish off the camp with a two-part recital tomorrow, Saturday, August 16, at SOU's Music Recital Hall, at 11 a.m and 2 p.m. The recitals are free and open to the public. Come hear the results of the student's hard work!

Pictured below are the students performing on the streets of Jacksonville, prior to last Saturday's Britt Orchestra concert.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is coming soon!

2008-08-14T17:27:33Z

I am so excited to see Hubbard Street Dance Chicago! I have really gotten into the dance craze lately, with this summer's "So You Think You Can Dance" television show. The show showcases the talent of amateur dancers. We will have professional dancers on the Britt stage in only seven days! Check out these videos I found on You Tube of them performing at other venues:

LICKETY SPLIT:

THE CONSTANT SHIFT OF PULSE:

EXTREMELY CLOSE:

We still have tickets left for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Call our box office at 773-6077.

-This blog post is posted by Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant

More Good Times at Britt

2008-08-14T17:10:04Z

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performed in style on July 25. Take a look at these images by approved photographer Josh Morell, including a beautiful night sky photo.

Good Times at Britt

2008-08-14T16:57:57Z

George Thorogood and the Destroyers rocked Britt on July 26. Take a look at these images by approved photographer Josh Morell.

G. Love's thoughts from the road

2008-08-11T14:36:44Z

G. Love & Special Sauce perform at Britt on Friday, September 5, along with Tristan Prettyman and the John Butler Trio. Take a look at G. Love's Tour Diary.

This Week at Britt - Midori, Family Concert & a Star-Spangled Evening

2008-08-11T14:36:15Z

This week at Britt Festivals:

Monday, 8/11
The Arianna String Quartet with special guest vocalists

Friday, 8/15
Midori

Saturday, 8/16
Family Concert—The Orchestra from Planet X

Sunday, 8/17
Star-Spangled Evening with Jon Kimura Parker

Read about the String Quartet Academy

2008-10-08T09:18:45Z

Britt Institute's String Quartet Academy is blogging about all the exciting events happening with students and the Arianna String Quartet. Read all about what's happening at camp.

Britt Orchestra and String Academy offer free music!

2008-10-08T09:18:24Z

Classical music lovers are in for a treat this weekend! Members of the Britt Orchestra perform a free chamber music concert on Sunday afternoon at Westminster Presbyterian in Medford, and the String Quartet Academy students perform Saturday night in downtown Jacksonville with a "quartet on every corner," and on Sunday afternoon at Schmidt Family Vineyards. See our schedule for more details.

Pre-concert talk with Bruce Crawford on Friday, Aug. 8

2008-08-11T14:34:30Z

Katy Korngold Hubbard, granddaughter of one of our featured film score composers was scheduled to give the pre-concert talk on Aug. 8 at The Golden Age of Silver Screen (Part I) featuring Janet Sung, but she is unable to come. She has been replaced by Bruce Crawford, who is a passionate film music expert. Peter Bay is very excited about Mr. Crawford’s participation and Britt patrons will love what he adds to the concert experience.

Mr. Crawford will be giving the pre-concert talk prior to our Fri., Aug. 8 program and speaking from the stage during the concert just prior to the Bernard Herrmann/Hitchcock pieces regarding his personal experience with the composer and some anecdotes about the Hitchcock films and their music. He will also be providing some context for the film works featured on our Aug. 9 concert.

In 1998, Bruce produced a 2-hour special for NPR on Bernard Herrmann’s film music (Hitchcock films in particular) and he also produced a 2-hour NPR special on Miklos Rozsa (especially the score to Ben Hur). These are two of the main composers we are featuring during our two-night “Golden Age of the Silver Screen” concerts.

Crawford travels the country and is a leading film music expert. He recently was featured with the Minnesota Orchestra as narrator for a film music festival they offered.
He has all sorts of stories to share and is anxious to talk with others who share his passion for film.

Bruce’s website is www.omahafilmevent.com if you’re interested in seeing more information about him.

Pictures of the orchestra rehearsing

2008-08-06T09:55:38Z

These are some beautiful pictures of the Britt Orchestra rehearsal that Jamie Lusch of the Mail Tribune shot. (Click on the Britt Orchestra album)

String Quartet Academy Connoisseur Concert

2008-10-08T09:18:02Z

The String Quartet Academy Connoisseur concert scheduled for tomorrow, Aug. 6, at the Rogue Valley Manor, has been cancelled. However, there are still opportunities to hear the talented strings students! Take a look at our schedule for more details.

Classical Festival Opening Night Champagne Picnic

2008-08-11T14:33:22Z

On Friday, August 1st, in honor of the Britt Festivals Classical Festival, Britt held an Opening Night Gala Champagne Picnic catered by the Jacksonville Inn. Here are some great pictures highlighting the event.

This Week at Britt - Brooks & Dunn and The Golden Age of Silver Screen

2008-08-11T14:32:49Z

This week at Britt Festivals:

Wednesday, 8/6
String Quartet Academy Connoisseur Concert

Thursday, 8/7
Brooks & Dunn

Friday, 8/8
The Golden Age of the Silver Screen Part 1

Saturday, 8/9
String Quartet Academy Celebration of 2008 Classical Season - A String Quartet on Every Corner!
The Golden Age of the Silver Screen Part 2

Britt patron blogs about orchestra rehearsal

2008-08-11T14:32:23Z

A Britt patron listens in on the Britt Orchestra rehearsal and shares her thoughts on her blog. Check out what she has to say.

A Volunteer's Perspective...

2008-08-01T12:20:54Z

This post was written by Britt Festivals Volunteer Rick Cornelius.

Long before I moved to the Rogue Valley in the mid 90's, summer vacations to southern Oregon would invariably include several evening performances at the Britt Festival, in part because the venues were great but also because the people working at the Festival. The ushers to the concessionaires always gave the impression that they really enjoyed being a part of the Britt Festival. Now that my sons have gradulated from high school (which translates to more free summer hours for their father), I decided this past spring to make a committment as a volunteer for this Britt season. Everyone I'd spoken to over the years said they enjoyed their time as a volunteer, not to mention all of the great shows a volunteer gets to see just by giving their time to help others. Now that I am halfway through my first summer as a volunteer, I have certainly enjoyed the experience. Moreover, I've also learned that there is something special with being a Britt volunteer that goes far beyond simply putting in the time to see the shows. I've learned that the "veterans" at the Festival take a great deal of pride in the service and dedication that comes with being a volunteer. The Britt volunteers I've worked with this summer express a genuine affection and pride in their association with the Festival. Many speak of a sense of community within Britt and are usually quick to include with their initial introduction the number of years they've been a volunteer on the "hill." What a great way to spend a summer...an opportunity to work with a fraternity of people who love good music and enjoy giving their service and time to a great organization.

Only a few hours left to enter to win Steve Miller tickets!

2008-08-11T14:31:03Z

Only a few more hours until our contest is over! Post your funniest, most touching or entertaining Britt experience to win a pair of lawn tickets to the Steve Miller Band/Joe Cocker concert THIS Sunday, Aug. 3 at the Lithia Motors Amphitheater. Post your story here by noon on Friday, Aug. 1. The winning entry will be determined by Britt staff. So let’s hear it—what has been YOUR best Britt experience?

Britt’s Hidden Gems - August 08

2008-08-11T14:30:25Z

Don’t let these special concerts at Britt pass you by! See what critics are saying about some of the artists coming to Britt’s stage in August.

The Golden Age of Silver Screen (Part I) featuring violinist Janet Sung — Friday, August 8

Every August, over 100 professional musicians from America’s great orchestras and some of the world’s best-loved guest soloists come together to offer extraordinary classical music under the stars at Britt. This summer, Maestro Peter Bay has planned a two-night tribute to The Golden Age of the Silver Screen. On the first night, August 8, guest soloist Janet Sung (violinist) will mesmerize patrons with her lustrous tone and dynamic interpretations of Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto.

“To say that Janet Sung plays the violin well is like noting that Baryshnikov is graceful or that Ernest Hemingway knew English.” —Harvard Gazette

“Guest violinist Janet Sung showed complete command of the piece [Korngold Violin Concerto], from its lighter, softer moments to its more frantic, fast-paced interludes. Sung helped make the piece fascinating.” —Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Learn more or buy tickets

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago — August 22

Exuberant, athletic and eclectic, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has been an innovative force in dance for three decades. Under the leadership of artistic director Jim Vincent, the company performs powerful and diverse dances from choreographers around the world.

“Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is one of a handful of dance companies that regularly appear in Annenberg’s Dance Celebration series, and for good reason. The high-spirited modern troupe puts on a great show that consistently fills up the auditorium.” —Philadelphia City Paper

“Intriguing, tantalizing…lush and gorgeous.” —Chicago Tribune

“Hubbard Street’s skillful ensemble and leading-edge repertory place the company in the vanguard of contemporary dance in the U.S., and rival those of well-known European dance companies like Nederlands Dans Theater and Cullberg Ballet.” —Pittsburgh City Paper

Learn more or buy tickets

Judy Collins — Sunday, August 24

Judy Collins, a self-proclaimed American idol of 1957, is the definition of a living legend. Her influence in music and politics has spread over decades. Judy Collins keeps growing and challenging herself, writing books and songs, and performing. The blessing, she says, is having had the pleasure of doing her work, and having people read her books, listen to her music and come to her concerts.

“Judy continues, with music of hope and healing, to light up a world that needs music that matters, and speaks to the heart.” —Ad Age Magazine

“She was and she remains a queen of American music, blessed with a voice one critic likened to liquid silver. Schooled in classical piano Judy Collins could have made a life in any area of music she chose, but in the turbulent 1960s it seems that folk music chose her.” —Australian Broadcasting Corporation

“…Her voice, clear and vibrato free but inflected with delicate little shivers, [creates an] impulse to turn your head up, close your eyes and tune in to messages from far, far away.” —The New York Times

Learn more or buy tickets

Lucinda Williams / The Waifs / The Avett Brothers — Thursday, August 28

Britt patrons will witness a night of remarkable music when Lucinda Williams, The Avett Brothers and The Waifs take the stage on August 28. These artists offer performances full of vulnerability and honesty. If you are looking for a little country, folk, blues, bluegrass and pop, you will find it all in one night at Britt.

“For over a decade Williams’ working-class eclecticism and broken heart have fueled the best country records around…Williams has always been in a class of her own, i.e. alone.”
—Newsweek.com

“[Williams’] performance had a sense of discovery, an edge of the excitement you feel when you reunite with an old friend.” —Los Angeles Times

“At its best, The Avett Brothers’ music sounds carefully unproduced, its conscious lack of gloss letting the full force of the band’s lyrics—from boyish lust and firebrand defiance to matrimonial love and childhood nostalgia—connect on the other side. Fans don’t leave Avett Brothers’ shows dissecting accidental sharps and flats. They leave raving about the experience.” —Indy Weekly

“The country/honky-tonk folk rock trio from Australia possesses sheer instrumental virtuosity. Whether it’s acoustic guitar, mandolin or dobro, The Waifs’ performances on these strummed instruments are a delight.” —Associated Press

Learn more or buy tickets

JOIN CLUB BRITT TODAY!

Stay up to date on all of the exciting events at Britt by joining Club Britt. Join now if you'd like us to communicate with you via the web for:
* Concert recommendations to match your interests
* Instant notifications if a concert is cancelled or added
* Britt’s monthly e-newsletter Britt Buzz
*Online discussion forums
*The Britt Blog
* Online performances reviews and ratings http://www.brittfest.org

This Week at Britt - Classical Festival and Steve Miller

2008-08-11T14:28:28Z

Classical lover? Or blues/rock lover? Either way, you are in luck.

Here is this week's lineup:

Friday, 8/1
Opening Night Gala Champagne Picnic
Classical Festival Opening Night featuring pianist Ingrid Fliter

Saturday, 8/2
Colors of the Orchestra with trumpeter Alison Balsom

Sunday, 8/3
Arianna String Quartet with special guest Anton Nel
Steve Miller Band / Joe Cocker

Chopin's Heart

2008-08-11T14:27:55Z

The timing of the article "Poland says no to DNA testing of Chopin's heart," is ironic, with the Britt Classical Season just around the corner (this weekend). Pianist Ingrid Fliter will be performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 on Friday, August 1st.

The heart of Polish-born composer Frederic Chopin rests in the Church of the Holy Cross, in Warsaw, Poland. The Polish government has rejected a request by scientists to run DNA tests on the heart. They had hoped to test their belief that the musical genius might have suffered and died from cystic fibrosis, and not of tuberculosis, as his death certificate says.

Britt Classical Festival Begins...

2008-08-11T14:27:26Z

Every August, over 100 professional musicians from America's great orchestras and the world's best loved guest soloists come together to offer extraordinary classical music under the stars. The orchestra will take the stage, the moon will rise over the pavilion, crickets will begin their rhythmic serenade and the sparkling music of Chopin will remind us once again of the special thrill of classical music under the stars.

This year's festival includes pianist Ingrid Fliter, trumpeter Alison Balsom, the Arianna String Quartet with special guest pianist Anton Nel, a weekend of "The Golden Age of the Silver Screen" paying tribute to the golden age of movie music featuring violinist Janet Sung, violinist Jaime Laredo, cellist Sharon Robinson, and pianist Sara Davis Buechner. Encounter the musical genius Midori. Join pianist Jon Kimura Parker for a "Star-Spangled Evening" featuring the work of Gershwin and Copland. And best of all, become enchanted by your very own Britt Orchestra!

This Week at Britt - Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy & George Thorogood

2008-08-11T14:27:08Z

It’s another fantastic week to be a music junkie in southern Oregon, with excellent local and roadshows throughout the week.

Local highlights include One Horse Shy, and a fantastic band from the Eugene area, HiFi Ramblers.

Saturday night is the highlight of this week’s roadshow roster, with George Thorogood and the Destroyers bringing blues-rock tunes to Britt.

Wednesday, 7/23
An Evening with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in Concert

Thursday, 7/24
Clint Black / One Horse Shy

Friday, 7/25
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy / HiFi Ramblers

Saturday, 7/26
George Thorogood and the Destroyers / Buddy Guy

Britt is way more than concerts!

2008-07-18T13:22:35Z

Did you know that Britt Festivals is much more than putting on great concerts? We have an educational arm that has been busy this summer hosting extremely talented students at our summer camps. Each summer, the Britt Institute offers young musicians a chance to study and perform with some of the nation's top professional musicians and instructors. These one- and two-week camps in jazz, saxophone and strings are intensive, challenging and inspiring.

Check out Dr. Rhett Bender's blog that gives you an inside look at the 2008 Sisiyou Saxophone Workshop. Dr. Bender was the camp director this year. He is also an associate professor of music at Southern Oregon University.

In two weeks, the String Quartet Academy will kick-off. One of the only camps in the nation that focuses solely on string quartet repertoire, Britt Institute’s String Quartet Academy offers intermediate to advanced students between the ages of 14 and 22 a comprehensive musical education. The special training and expertise of the faculty, The Arianna String Quartet, challenges young musicians to expand their technique and musicianship in ways that will change their approach to music forever.

Out of 81 students who auditioned to participate in the academy, 39 students from across the nation and three international students were accepted to attend the camp this year. There are six students representing the Rogue Valley. Due to the generosity of Britt donors and patrons, over $20,000 in scholarships have been provided to students attending this camp. The String Quartet Academy camp runs from July 30 to Aug. 16, 2008.

The students will be showcasing their skills at three performances:

String Quartet Academy Connoisseur Concert—Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Skyline Plaza at the Rogue Valley Manor in Medford. This concert is available to residents of the Manor.

String Quartet Academy Celebration of 2008 Classical Season: A Quartet on Every Corner!—Saturday, August 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. in downtown Jacksonville. There will be a total of 10 quartets each comprised of four students—two violins, one viola and one cello. The students perform pieces composed by Joseph Haydn, the “Father of the String Quartet."

String Quartet Academy Final Recital—Part One will be performed Saturday, Aug. 16 at 11 a.m. and Part Two follows at 2 p.m. Both parts will be at the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Great Hall in Ashland. This concert is free and open to the public.

'Children's Festival' at the Britt Gardens This Weekend!

2008-08-11T14:24:32Z

If you see a lot of children at the Britt Pavilion this weekend, it isn't for a Hannah Montana concert. It's the 42nd annual Children's Festival hosted by the Jackson County Library Services and the Storytelling Guild.

More than 35 booths and activities will offer arts and crafts, puppet-making, face-painting and more. In connectio with the festival's 2008, "What's All the Buzz About?" there will be a science booth offering hands-on exploration of the wonders of bugs, featuring everything from ladybugs to tarantulas. There also will be live entertainment for children, food from teh Dragon Deli and lots of storytelling.

Admission is $2 per day for adults and children. Visit storytellingguild.org.

The Festival began as a small storytelling program, billed as: “A Child’s Fun ‘N Fantasy Afternoon,” which was to be held under the trees at Britt Gardens. The turnout for this one-day event was so tremendous, 200 children, that it was repeated the next day for another 300 children!

It was apparent that this was an important program and plans were readied for a true Festival in 1968. The Storytelling Guild and the Jackson County Library began planning by recruiting volunteers from the mothers who attended the first Festival. Sixteen volunteers and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women planned for that second year.

The second festival drew 2,000 children. The third, 4000 and by 1981, the Children’s Festival was attracting 15,000 visitors! (At that time the Jackson County’s Parks and Recreation program was busing in children from recreation sites throughout the county.) Today the average attendance, over the course of three days, is between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors. Click here to find out more about the history of the Children’s Festival.

This year's schedule is:
Sunday July 20th 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Monday July 21st 9 am – Noon and
5:30 – 8:30 pm
Tuesday July 22nd 9 am – Noon

Check out Tristan Prettyman's Blog

2008-08-11T14:24:06Z

Tristan Prettyman, who will be performing with G. Love & Special Sauce on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. writes her own blog. Check it out! http://www.tristanprettyman.com/blog

AnnieMac at Britt

2008-08-11T14:23:18Z

I am so glad that our director of programming booked AnnieMac to open last night’s show with Three Dog Night. The AnnieMac band is a band to experience! They are a local band, based out of Ashland, who draws on old-school R&B riffs, deep soul, and emotion-inspired lyrics for hard-edged originals and highly danceable covers.

I really enjoyed the song, "Look at Me, Don't Look at Me." As a woman, I really related to the lyrics of this song. I think good music is the kind that touches the soul, and the AnnieMac band sure touched my soul last night.

To check out where AnnieMac will be performing next, visit their website.

Jesse Cook live on JPR today

2008-08-11T14:22:26Z

Guitarist Jesse Cook will perform live in the JPR studios at 12:30 p.m. today, Friday July 11. Tune in to the Rhythm & News service (89.1 in the Rogue Valley) to hear Jesse and his bandmate Nicholas Hernandez perform and talk with JPR's Eric Alan.

Free Music in Ashland Tonight!

2008-10-08T09:17:22Z

Britt has two music events tonight! In addition to the Three Dog Night concert in Jacksonville, the Britt Institute's Siskiyou Saxophone Workshop students will perform a recital in Ashland. The students will play in a saxophone orchestra at 6 p.m., prior to the Ashland City Band concert, at the band shell in Lithia Park in Ashland.

The saxophone performance in Lithia Park is free and open to the public. Come enjoy the music of these talented students!

For more information about the Ashland City Band, take a look at their web site.

Photo by Leigh Hood.

Pictures of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

2008-08-11T14:19:14Z

Check out these great pictures that Andrew Kemp from the Mail Tribune shot at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis concert on July 3rd. They are outstanding! Thanks for capturing the true essence of Britt, Andrew!

Punch Brothers Interview

2008-08-11T14:18:52Z

Peter Koelsch of the Ashland Daily Tidings interviews Chris Thile of the Punch Brothers. Click here to read the article.

BB King Brought Down the House!

2008-08-11T14:17:55Z

This post was written by Britt Festivals Marketing Specialist Krissy Rowan.

I fell in love with the blues last night (July 1). “The King of Blues,” BB King, celebrates his sixth decade of performing. Let me tell you, he truly is king! At 82, BB King can still bring the house down.

BB King now performs sitting down. He explained to the crowd that he is suffering from diabetes, and at 82 years old, he needs to sit down to play. Throughout his set, he shared stories of his blues past, his experience of growing up in the Deep South during segregation and his misadventures with women.

My favorite part of the evening was when he sang “You Are My Sunshine.” He told the men in the audience to always revere the woman in your life and make her feel important.

"When Love Comes to Town," a song that Bono of U2 wrote for BB King was phenomenal. Those guitar rifts that BB King plays with his Lucille (his guitar)...simply amazing.

The concert was a fabulous experience and a history lesson on the blues. This morning I downloaded BB King’s Live album on my iPod before I left for work. He has got me hooked.

What you don’t know about BB King…

2008-08-11T14:17:29Z

King has taken part in more than 60 albums, with different artists or on his own. He has won 14 Grammys and received dozens of awards and honors over the years, and he still performs several nights a week. He belongs to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, and stands in the 3rd position of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Question: What is B.B. King's Real Name?

Answer: B.B. King was born Riley B. King. When he became a disc jockey in 1948, he began going by the name Beale Street Blues Boy. That evolved into Blues Boy King, which was later shortened to the now famous B.B. King.

Question: Why does B.B. King call his guitars “Lucille?”

Answer: The name of his guitars comes from a gig back in 1949. A couple guys there got into a fight over a woman, and they ended setting the club on fire. B.B. King scaped, but then he realized he had forgotten his guitar inside. Risking his life to save the guitar, he asked what the name of the woman that the two men were fighting for was, and it turned out to be Lucille. Ever since he has named his guitars "Lucille" (there are several "Lucilles"!), and Gibson even released an official model resembling B.B. Kings modifications, in 1981.

More Interesting Facts About B.B. King:

- Married twice: in 1944 and 1958
- Divorced twice
- Member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Diabetic
- He likes gambling
- He has two honorary doctorates in music from Yale and Brown
- Vegetarian
- He is very active in guitar workshops & seminars, and is very keen on teaching guitar.
- He is a Licensed Pilot
- He doesn't smoke, nor drink
- He owns clubs in Memphis, L.A. and NYC

The Reviews Are In

2008-08-11T14:16:14Z

Check out two Mail Tribune reviews of Britt shows:

Earth, Wind & Fire

Under the Radar Festival

A Britt Institute Alum Plays the Britt Stage!

2008-08-11T14:15:43Z

On The One, a jazz/funk/soul ensemble from San Diego, opens for Earth, Wind & Fire tomorrow night, Thursday, June 26. One of On The One’s co-founders is saxophonist Jesse Molloy, who has strong ties to Britt and the area. He’s a graduate of Ashland High School and SOU, and he’s an alumnus of Britt Institute’s Instrumental Jazz Camp, which he attended when he was 16, in the mid-‘90s. You may have seen him on an ad for SOU that’s currently running on local television.

It’s fitting that Jesse’s performing on the Britt stage this week, as the 2008 Jazz Camp students are in session. Jesse says, “It’s exciting for myself and On The One that the Britt music experience has come full circle. It’s an honor coming back to play after attending Britt Jazz camp in high school.”

Jesse and the rest of the band will be “giving back” when they teach a master class to the Jazz Camp students tomorrow afternoon.

This year’s Jazz Camp students will be in the audience tomorrow night to watch On The One and Earth, Wind & Fire—we’ll be watching to see who might be back at Britt in a few more years!

What Happened at the Neville Brothers concert?

2008-08-11T14:13:50Z

Audience members at last Thursday’s (June 12) concert had an unusually long intermission (well over an hour) between Dr. John and The Neville Brothers’ sets.

While Britt management made one announcement to the audience about the technical difficulties, we sincerely apologize for not keeping everyone up to speed throughout the solution process. Our apologies also for the long wait.

What was the hold-up?

To answer, first here's a little background about the sound equipment on stage. The monitor console controls all the sound on stage. During the afternoon sound check, the sound technician saves all the settings on a digital card that gets inserted into the monitor console. When the performance time comes, the technician simply puts the card into the console, and everything is in place.

On Thursday, after Dr. John’s performance, the technician inserted the card with the pre-programmed settings for The Neville Brothers, but the digital files somehow got contaminated. The technician tried re-booting the monitor console a few times, but then it crashed. Without the monitors, the musicians on stage can’t hear themselves or each other properly, so they need it in order to perform. Fortunately, our sound company had a back-up console available, and they were able swap it with the one on stage. The crew hurried to get everything up and running as quickly as possible.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience this caused for our patrons. Fortunately, the Neville Brothers were able to play their full set once the equipment was ready.

First Impressions

2008-08-11T13:22:49Z

This post was written by Britt Festivals Marketing Specialist Krissy Rowan.

This summer marks the first time I attended a performance at Britt Festivals. I have attended concerts at different venues across the country, and let me tell you that Britt has a unique quality that no other venue can match. The smell of picnics and freshly uncorked wine mixed with laughter and smiles is a refreshing change of pace. I haven’t felt so relaxed for a long time.

There is a sense of community at the Britt pavilion that I didn’t realize still existed. Strangers actually chat with each other! I even saw a woman ask the people sitting behind her at the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert if she was blocking their view. What a stark contrast to the way people treat each other on a day-to-day basis.

Not only does the amazingly beautiful atmosphere at the Britt Pavilion blow my socks off, the performances so far this season have been pretty amazing as well.

I loved Crosby, Stills and Nash! It was neat that Graham Nash was bare foot during the entire performance. Their performance style was engaging and casual. The band shared stories, made fun of how long they have been playing music and joked about the fact they never play a song twice the same way since they have gotten older.

Speaking of being older, watching the baby boomers around me enjoying the music of their youth is a testament of the impact the band had back in the 1960s and 70s. Even though I am only in my mid-twenties, I found their music meaningful and timeless.

Nash really got the crowd going with some choice words for George W. Bush. The band has always spoken out on political causes, and world citizens speaking out on causes they believe in. There is no question of the group’s political leanings, with lyrics like “military madness is killing your country.”

The second half of the show was mellow, with lots of acoustic numbers. The repetitive dark acoustic riff and the wonderful harmonies of “Guinnevere” performed by Crosby and Nash was simply enchanting.

My favorite moment of the evening was when the audience got to sing-along to “Our House.” It was so much fun and made me feel like we were all connected.

The band finally rocked it hard with “Wounded World,” “Southern Cross,” and “For What It’s Worth.”

I was kind of disappointed that there wasn’t an encore, but overall the show was fulfilling and fun.

LeAnn Rimes rocked the house! That girl has some lungs. On June 9th, I attended her concert and enjoyed it very much! LeAnn showed her songwriting talent in this concert (she co-wrote the songs on her new album Family).

Every woman in the audience could totally relate to the song, “Good Friend and a Glass of Wine,” the quintessential anthem for women. The teens in the crowd really seemed to enjoy when LeAnn sang “I Want You to Want Me," a song by Cheap Trick, originally recorded in 1977 for their album In Color, though the version from the band's 1978 album At Budokan subsequently became better known than the original. I have to admit I was on my feet for this song, right along with my 12 year-old concert neighbor.

LeAnn’s comments to the crowd were really sweet. She thanked everyone more than once, saying she’s seen performers come and go during her time as a performer and is grateful to remain popular.

A word of warning to all: it only takes one performance to get hooked on Britt Festivals. It is truly a unique experience. I have tickets to see Michael Franti Spearhead on the 21st and I cannot wait!