Big Sky Classical Music Fest: From Trumpets to Timbales
Seventh annual event offers variety of musical styles
Presented by the Arts Council of Big Sky and Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center, the seventh annual Big Sky Classical Music Festival is slated for Friday through Sunday, August 11th–13th, in beautiful Big Sky, MT. The festival features three nights of world-class music — two of which presented with free admission.
The first night of the festival, attendees will enjoy an intimate recital at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. The performance will feature one of the foremost trumpet players on the scene today, Mary Elizabeth Bowden, who will be joined on stage by pianist Molly Morkoski and violinist Angella Ahn. The show will begin at 7:30pm, and tickets can be purchased at www.warrenmillerpac.org. Admission is $35 for premium seating, $25 general, and $15 for budget.
Classical trumpeter and Gold Medal Global Music award winner Mary Elizabeth Bowden has been described by Gramophone Magazine as “brilliant” and “radiant in new repertoire for trumpet.” Bowden, a Yamaha Performing Artist, is highly regarded for her artistry and virtuosity as a soloist, and has been praised for the clarity, purity and power of her sound. Among the pieces that will be performed are Eric Ewazen’s “Trio for Trumpet, Violin, and Piano.”
Pianist Molly Morkoski has performed as soloist and collaborative artist throughout the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and Japan. Her playing has been recognized by The New York Times as “strong, profiled, nuanced…beautifully etched…an energetic and focused player…with flexibility and warmth…” and The Boston Globe has called her “outstanding.”
Angella Ahn enjoys her success as the violinist for the Ahn Trio. Comprised of Angella and her two twin sisters, the trio was born while all three studied at the Juilliard School of Music. They now tour the world, playing in such venues as New York’s Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Argentina’s Teatro Colon, and The Beijing Concert Hall. Angella is currently professor of violin and viola at Montana State University, as well as the artistic director of the Big Sky Classical Music Festival.
Saturday features a free outdoor concert in Town Center Park with Mambo Kings. The quintet, together since 1995, are enjoying great success as upstate New York’s foremost Latin jazz ensemble, and have rapidly earned a national reputation for their explosive blend of Afro Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. Since their orchestral debut in 1997 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Conductor Jeff Tyzik, Mambo Kings have appeared at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and in Pops concerts with orchestras in Baltimore, Vancouver, Detroit and Dallas.
The concert will begin at 6pm with an opening ensemble, followed by Mambo Kings at 7pm. Food and beverage vendors will be available at Town Center Park.
On Sunday, the Big Sky Festival Orchestra will perform a free concert outdoors in Town Center Park. The orchestra will be conducted by Maestro Peter Bay (Austin Symphony Orchestra) and features some of the best musicians from Montana, as well as Concertmaster Jessica Matheas from the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and several musicians from the Utah Symphony. Soloists Mary Elizabeth Bowden on trumpet and Angella Ahn on violin will be featured during a performance of Hummel’s “Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major.” Other selections on the program include Mozart’s “Symphony No. 31 in D Major,” Vaughan Williams’ “Lark Ascending,” and Schubert’s “Symphony No. 3 in D Major.”
The concert will start at 5pm and admission is free. In case of inclement weather, the rain site will be the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and the event will start one hour later. Food and beverage vendors will again be available at Town Center Park.
Other free events throughout the weekend include an open rehearsal/discussion with the Mambo Kings ensemble on Saturday afternoon from 1–2pm in the Talus Room at Big Sky Resort. There is also a Masterclass with students from the Montana State University String Camp from 10–11:30am in the Talus Room, also free and open to the public for observation. Finally, the MSU String Camp Orchestra will perform a free concert at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. No tickets are required.
For more information about the festival, please call (406) 995-2742 or visit www.bigskyarts.org. The festival is also supported by the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, the Smith Family Foundation, Big Sky Resort, ERA Landmark Real Estate, The Big Sky Resort Tax, and Montana Public Radio. •
