February 02, 2009
High Sierra Music has been producing world-class music festivals since 1991. An independent production company based in Berkeley, CA, the organization was founded with the first High Sierra Music Festival, its cornerstone event that takes place every July 4th weekend in Northern California, and remains committed to its grassroots origins by drawing support from its loyal community of patrons, staff, volunteers and non-corporate sponsors. In addition to the High Sierra Music Festival, the organization has produced events in Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri and Las Vegas, and presents concerts in San Francisco and the Lake Tahoe area.
An intimate yet first-rate festival nestled in Northern California’s majestic mountain range, the High Sierra Music Festival is a unique four-day music and camping festival that features an eclectic and boldly creative span of music from acoustic singer-songwriters and down-home bluegrass to high-energy funk and skillfully improvised jazz, rock and live electronica.
Held in Quincy, CA and celebrating its 18th year, High Sierra launched as a roots-oriented festival with 20 artists on one main stage and has since evolved into to a 10,000 person event with more than 75 performers on five day-time stages and in five late-night venues. The Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds in Quincy provide on-site infrastructure with opportunities to swim, bike, fish, golf and hike in the vicinity of a quaint mountain town.
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February 02, 2009
In 1966, Alan Iglitzin and other members of the Philadelphia String Quartet moved to Seattle to become the University of Washington’s Quartet-in-Residence, a position it held until 1982. During its 30-year tenure, the Quartet made numerous international tours and recorded much of the chamber music repertoire.
In 1984, Mr. Iglitzin fulfilled a lifelong dream by founding the Olympic Music Festival on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. While he originally intended the Festival to be a summer home for the Philadelphia String Quartet, Mr. Iglitzin soon discovered that Northwest audiences were seeking an idyllic setting for the enjoyment of chamber music.
Since its opening season, the Festival has grown from three weekends to twelve. Today, more than 12,000 people attend “Concerts in the Barn” every summer, many coming from as far away as Canada and California. During the summer, Festival performances are broadcast by Classical KING-FM and throughout the year on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
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February 02, 2009
The ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL (UMF)–the world’s leading two-day electronic music experience–has announced the dates for its 11th consecutive year: Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28, 2009. South Florida’s favorite music festival, internationally renowned for its memorable live performances and DJ sets from the world’s top electronic and alternative rock artists, will take place during the 24th annual Winter Music Conference at the beautiful waterfront location of Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami (the same grounds it has occupied since 2006).
The initial line-up for the first night of the festival includes Miami exclusive performances from: Tiësto, Bloc Party, The Ting Tings, Santogold and–making their first US appearance as a full band in seven years–drum and bass legends Roni Size Reprazent. Miami exclusive Artists confirmed for the second night of the festival include, Cut Copy, Deadmau5, Crystal Castles, The Presets, Hercules and Love Affair, Simian Mobile Disco, and Busy P. Carl Cox will also return to perform on both Friday and Saturday and will host the legendary Carl Cox and Friends arena with a full complement of special guests TBA. Many additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
Last year over 55,000 dance music enthusiasts coming from the entire United States and over 50 countries around the world were in attendance, marking it as the largest ever UMF event and ranking at #14 on Pollstar’s 2008 Mid Year Top 100 Concert Grosses. “The Ultra Music Festival, which started as an afterthought at the Winter Music Conference a decade ago but has now become its biggest event, more than lived up to expectations this weekend at downtown Miami’s Bicentennial Park,” wrote Miami Herald pop music critic Mike Hamersly in his review of last year’s festival (March 30, 2008). Added the Los Angeles Times (via their blog) of the Winter Music Conference April 2, “…the highlight of the week of DJ-centric festivities was surely the massive Ultra Music Festival. Taking place…over two days at downtown Miami’s Bicentennial Park, Ultra did not disappoint.”
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February 02, 2009
The Dawson City Music Festival, christened “Canada’s tiny, perfect festival” by Vancouver’s Georgia Straight, has been successfully run by volunteers since its inception in 1979.
Although it takes a little longer to get here, many are drawn by the festival’s vibrant atmosphere and sheer uniqueness. Every year the best names in Canadian music perform for an appreciative and spirited audience.
Over the years some of country’s best established and brightest up-and-coming acts have shared stages performers from across the globe in what is truly one of the most anticipated cultural events in the Yukon. Artists as varied as Tuvan throat-singing masters Chirgilchin, doe-eyed violin wizard Final Fantasy, sultry blues mistress Ndidi Onukwulu and earnest hard-rockers the Constantines have played our stages, joining the ranks of such Canadian music luminaries as Bruce Cockburn, The Sadies, Joel Plaskett, The Artist Formerly Known as Jane Siberry and the Barenaked Ladies.
The festival is held each year on the 2nd to last weekend in July, right at the height of the community’s visitor season. Tickets consistently sell out to an audience made up mostly of Yukoners, but many come from the U.S., and as far away as Europe and Australia.
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February 02, 2009
The Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining free, outdoor classical music series. Each summer, the Festival is committed to providing free classical music to all of Chicago in its new venue- the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.
The Grant Park Music Festival was conceived by Mayor A. J. Cermak during the Great Depression in 1931 when the city presented a series of free concerts to lift the spirits of Chicagoans. The following year, James C. Petrillo, the president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, vigorously labored to turn these concerts into a permanent summer tradition. Petrillo’s motives were twofold - to make classical music available for all Chicagoans, and to provide secure employment for union musicians.
As Petrillo pursued his dream of a concert series in Grant Park, the area just south of the park was being transformed for the Century of Progress Fair to commemorate Chicago’s 100th anniversary. Among the developments was a venue for daily concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In 1934, Petrillo was appointed to the newly created Park Commission and convinced the commission that a permanent series of open-air symphonic performances in the new shell would benefit the city. With the venue, seats, security, parking and $100,000 raised from the public, Petrillo inaugurated the symphonic series in 1935.
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February 02, 2009
The Mendocino Music Festival was established in 1986. It was the founding dream of local musicians Walter Green, Allan Pollack, Susan Waterfall and music lovers to present fine music with a mix of professional and local musicians, and the opportunity for classical music education on the Mendocino Coast. With the cooperation of the community and the Department of Parks, the first festival was presented in a tent on the Mendocino Headlands State Park in July, 1987. The tent seated 400 people and the orchestra consisted of 56 musicians. Four orchestra and four chamber concerts were presented.
In 1989, a fully staged opera was added. In 1992, a Young Musicians Scholarship Program began, a program that continues today with a name change to the Emerging Artists Program. The Piano Series began in 1996 and presents master pianists in an intimate daytime lecture/recital format. The Village Chamber Concerts began in 2005 and feature local musicians in daytime concerts at different venues in Mendocino and Fort Bragg.
In 2008 the Mendocino Music Festival will present fifteen evenings of music including three orchestra concerts, two evenings of opera, two chamber concerts, jazz, folk, world music and Big Band. Three of these concerts will include dance performances.
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February 02, 2009
The 57th season of the Peninsula Music Festival begins on Tuesday, August 4 and concludes on August 22. All nine symphony concerts are performed in the wonderful acoustics of the intimate Door County Auditorium in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The PMF Orchestra consists of outstanding musicians from around the country and the world, most of whom have been returning to the Festival for many years. The programs have been planned to include a variety of interesting music, some new and some familiar. The season includes an outstanding arrary of guest artists. These are but a few of the reasons you should plan to attend. For a brief video of Music Director Victor Yampolsky talking about a few of the factors that make the PMF Orchestra a unique and special institution, click here. Looking for a particular composition or guest artist? See our 2009 season index…
Music Director Victor Yampolsky and Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop discuss the season and preview each concert in short video previews that can be viewed on this site. You may also subscribe to these videos as podcasts via this link. For complete schedule and program details, click here.
Brief History of the Peninsula Music Festival
Thursday August 6, 1953 marked the first concert of the Peninsula Music Festival. In 1951, the Festival was just an idea. Thor Johnson founder and conductor of the Festival had a dream of organizing a festival built around a chamber orchestra, performing the rich repertory for small orchestra which was seldom heard. He had mentioned this idea to Mr. and Mrs. Lorenz Heise who were extremely interested in the idea due to their love for music. After a few years of committee meetings and budget planning, the organization was formed.
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February 02, 2009
The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) announces its most artistically diverse lineup to date for the upcoming 2009 festival, including several commissioned works and a wealth of original productions showcasing a wide variety of American and international musical traditions. Now March 18 through April 5, including an opening night concert by Bonnie Raitt with special guest The Randall Bramblett Band. Buy tickets for that concert online or by phone at 912.525.5050 beginning Thursday, January 8th at 10 a.m.
Our Mission
The Savannah Music Festival is dedicated to presenting a world-class celebration of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth, and unite artists and audiences in Georgia’s first city.
For nearly three weeks in late March and early April, the SMF produces over 100 programs for adults and children in theatres, schools and historic and intimate venues. Featuring an array of musical performances that includes dance, film and narrative programs, more than 400 classical, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and international artists make SMF a distinctive destination event and one of the highlights of springtime in Savannah.
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February 02, 2009
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee every June. Bonnaroo brings together some of the best performers in rock and roll, along with dozens of artists in complementary styles such as jazz, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and just about any contemporary music you can think of. In addition to dozens of epic performances, the festival’s 100-acre entertainment village buzzes around the clock with attractions and activities including a classic arcade, on-site cinema, silent disco, comedy club, theater performers, a beer festival, and a music technology village.
For its peaceful vibe, near-flawless logistics, and unrivaled entertainment options, Rolling Stone magazine named this revolutionary entertainment experience one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll.
For companies looking for information on renting the property for events, festivals, competitions, etc. Also please visit www.greatstagepark.com for a virtual tour and area information. greatstagepark@bonnaroo.com
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January 01, 2009
FANTASY WORLDWIDE Film Festival is an independent not-for-profit organization and the only film festival of its kind bringing together various fantasy, science-fiction and anime genre. Located in Toronto, Canada, the festival has the opportunity to harness the second largest per capita movie-going audience in North America and exhibit globally produced feature, short, animation and documentary films from the genre that has provided 19 of the 20 top best selling box office hits of all time. Filmmakers from all over the world bring their work to celebrate the global imagination, legends and science-fiction on the wide screen.
FANTASY WORLDWIDE aims to celebrate the beauty of fantasy which often provides a key to perceiving reality. Our power to build the future begins with a dream, a fantasy, and that is probably why the fantasy genre has become a mainstream in film industry across the world.
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