Sitka Summer Music Festival facts for kids
The Sitka Summer Music Festival is a special event that celebrates classical music in Sitka, Alaska. It's a month-long festival focusing on chamber music, which is music played by a small group of instruments, often in a room or hall rather than a large concert hall.
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About the Festival
The festival happens every year in early summer, usually in June. Musicians come in three different groups. Each group performs three concerts before a new group arrives to play the next set of concerts.
Every season, there are about ten evening concerts. These are the main events of the festival. There are also free, informal "brown bag" concerts, where people can bring their lunch and enjoy music. The festival also holds fun events and cruises to raise money.
All the evening concerts are held at Harrigan Centennial Hall in downtown Sitka. This place has amazing views! Through its glass walls, you can see Crescent Harbor, the Eastern Channel with its small, tree-covered islands, and even snow-capped mountains. Sometimes, you might even spot a bald eagle flying by.
The festival's offices are in Stevenson Hall. This building is part of the historic Sheldon Jackson College campus in Sitka. The festival also keeps its large collection of sheet music in the Stratton Library, also on the former Sheldon Jackson College campus.
The person in charge of the music and performances is the artistic director, Zuill Bailey.
Other Music Events
Besides the summer festival, the Sitka Summer Music Festival also puts on other concerts. They have a series called Autumn and Winter Classics in Anchorage. The festival's main office is located in Anchorage.
In February and June, the festival also sends musicians on a winter and summer tour. A small group of musicians, like a piano quintet (which is a piano and four other instruments), travels to small towns across Alaska. The winter tour visits different communities each year, but the final concert is always held in Sitka.
Festival History
The Sitka Summer Music Festival started in 1972. It began as a casual get-together for musicians who had studied with famous teachers like Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky. Paul Rosenthal organized this first musical reunion.
Their concerts were very popular, so the reunion became an annual festival. Paul Rosenthal directed it, and it grew bigger over the years. The Autumn and Winter Classics in Anchorage began in 1980 and have continued ever since.
In 2020, the festival had to go online. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it unsafe to hold live concerts.
Musicians Who Have Played
Many talented musicians have performed at the Sitka Summer Music Festival since it began in 1972. Here are some of the notable musicians who have shared their music:
Cello Players
- Zuill Bailey
- Anthony Elliott
- Denise Djokic
- Gregor Piatigorsky
Piano Players
- Doris Stevenson
- Edward Auer
- Jerome Lowenthal
- Ursula Oppens
Violin Players
- Andres Cardenes
- Arturo Delmoni
- Paul Rosenthal
You can find a full list of all the musicians who have played at the festival on their website.
