Tagged: America's Music Festivals

Airs Monday, August 20 at 11:00 a.m.  Bang on a Can’s Summer Music Festival focuses on new and adventurous contemporary music. For three weeks each summer, performers and composers alike head to the industrial heart of the Berkshires collaborate on, create and perform new music pieces. The festival is hosted at the Massachusetts Musuem of Contemporary Art and culminates with an incredible six hour concert in the museum. Known for its spirit of originality and experimentation, the festival concentrates on developing talented young musicians who are not afraid to play outside the box. This year’s festival included classes in improvisation techniques, an Orchestra of Original Instruments by Mark Stewart and an African dancing and drumming rhythm seminar by Nani Agbeli. Guest faculty over the years has included Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen and Meredith Monk.

Airs Monday, August 13 at 11:00 a.m.  Can there be any more beautiful place than the Berkshires in the summer? 210 acres of lawns and meadows echo with the dulcet sounds of classical music every summer in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Held on the beautiful grounds of the Tanglewood estate, the Tanglewood Music Festival is one of the country’s largest, oldest and best-known festival. Each year, the festival attracts over 350,000 visitors. Each season offers not only a vast quantity of music, but also a vast range of musical forms and styles, all of it presented with a regard for artistic excellence that makes the festival unique.

Airs Monday, August 6 at 11:00 a.m.  “Classical Music with a View” is the tagline for this festival in Western Washington. Indeed, The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival has both incredible music from world-class artists and some of the best views of the rugged Washington coastline. Orcas Island is nestled among the San Juan Islands and is a popular vacation destination, with excellent hiking and whale watching. The festival boasts an impressive roster of artists, thanks to the talented Aloysia Friedmann (Artistic Director) and Jon Kimura Parker (Artistic Advisor).