Magazine July 2016 9www.artsmagazine.info

Symphony of the Mountains announces its 2016-2017 season line-up themed, “Music Without Borders.” This season’s concert of-ferings include collaborations with The Krüger Brothers, Barter Theatre and Carl Tanner along with special concerts around the globe.

The season begins with three outdoor concerts in three states in three nights. “Mu-sic to Your Arts Desire” begins Friday, July 22 at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The performance moves to Uni-versity of Virginia’s College at Wise in Wise, Virginia, Saturday, July 23 for a free concert on the lawn and finally the performance Sunday, July 24 at Allandale Mansion in King-sport, Tennessee. Featuring performances by saxophonist, Scott Kallestad, pianist Steve Sensenig and soprano Bree Jordan, these family-friendly concerts are the perfect start to the symphony season.

In September, the symphony partners

with the world-famous bluegrass trio, The Krüger Brothers, to perform their composi-tion “Spirit of the Rockies.” Born from the storytelling of native tribes in Canada, “Spirit of the Rockies” is a poetic, spiraling tale about ghosts, relationships and guides - both seen and unseen.

Concerts begin Sept. 16 at Lee Theatre

in Pennington Gap, Virginia, with a perfor-mance Sept. 17 at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, and Sept. 18 at the Woodrow W. McGlothlin Center for the Arts in Emory, Virginia.

The Krüger Brothers then host Sym-phony of the Mountains for several concerts outside of the region: the Carolina In The Fall Festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, concerts in Altdorf, Basel and Zürich, Switzerland and three concerts in Toronto, Canada where the inspiration for “Spirit of the Rockies” began.

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Symphony of the Mountains announces season

‘Words and Music’ event is at Heartwood

and young musician Cameron Lugo perform-ing the beautifully intricate Tchaikovsky “Violin Concerto.”

Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” for double string orchestra and solo string quartet is performed side by side with Symphony of the Mountains Youth Orchestra. This benefits young players and encourages their family and friends to experi-ence live, symphonic music.

Symphony of the Mountains peforms a Family Concert March 12, 2017 at Heritage Hall, Mounain City, Tennessee. These interac-tive concerts include an Instrument Building Workshop, which allows children to build instruments from everyday items, which they then use during the concert. Following the concert, audience members and musicians interact during the Instrument Petting Zoo.

The next day, approximately 1,200 area students experience the concert at no cost. Students are bused in from all participating regional schools.

On April 1, the symphony performs Verdi’s “Requiem.” It is a massive undertak-ing due to the sheer number of required musicians, soloists and choirs. Through

partnerships with ETSU Choirs, Emory & Henry Choir, UVA-Wise Choir and Appalachian State University, the symphony is able to execute this piece at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport.

The season finale brings featured guest artist, famous tenor and audience favorite, Carl Tanner to the Eastman Employee Center. He performs favorite songs from operas, operettas and musical theater. Prior to the concert, he teaches a master class to area college and university students at no cost to participants.

Discounted season ticket packages are available by calling 423-392-8423 or visiting www.SymphonyoftheMountains.org.

“This is an incredible opportunity to create awareness of our local arts offerings throughout the world and therefore attract people to our region,” says Melissa Roberts, general manager of the symphony.

Each season the choral component, Voices of the Mountains, performs a concert on their own. “In Flanders Fields” is per-formed at Central Presbyterian Church in Bristol, Virginia, Oct. 29 and features a va-riety of patriotic music in honor of Veteran’s Day.

On Nov. 13, the symphony renews its much-anticipated partnership with Barter Theatre to perform “Chicago” at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. This bi-annual collaboration brings together live, professional theater with a live, professional orchestra.

December 3 and 4 bring the Holiday Concerts including a variety of Yuletide favor-ites, both classic and contemporary. Guest performers are 160 children from Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy, 60 stu-dents from Mountain Mission School Choir, 90 young musicians from Academy of Strings, and Voices of the Mountains. Topped off with an indoor snow flurry, visit from Santa Claus and a cookie and punch reception, it’s certain to be a concert to remember. Dec. 3 is at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, and Dec. 4 is at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.

“By the Fireside with Symphony of the Mountains” is presented by Pro-Art Associa-tion Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. This holiday favorite brings the celebration to J.W. Adams Com-bined School in Pound, Va.

The second half of the season begins March 4 at the Eastman Employee Center with beloved masterworks such as Schubert’s “Symphony No. 4, D. 417, C Minor (Tragic)”

As a culmination of Writers’ Day events of the Virginia Highlands Festival, there is a showcase of readings by Sharyn McCrumb, Don Johnson and Catherine Bush, accom-panied by music from Wyatt Rice, Claiborne Woodall and Jack Hinshelwood.

The event is Friday, July 29 at 7 p.m., at Heartwood. Admission is $10 but is free of charge for participants in the Writers’ Day events held earlier in the day.

Rice and Woodall play as a guitar duo throughout the region. Hinshelwood is the executive director of The Crooked Road, and a longtime guitar accompanist to McCrumb’s reading from her Ballad novels.

Rice is a member of the Tony Rice Unit and a master of the new acoustic style of

flat-picked guitar. He has frequently per-formed on the Grand Ole Opry and with nu-merous artists including Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and the Lonesome River Band.

Woodall has placed highly in several guitar competitions and performed with numerous acoustic groups throughout the region. He has performed at the Smithsonian Institution, NPR, Floydfest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots and acoustic venues throughout the East.

Hinshelwood began playing traditional music, much of it Appalachian and bluegrass fiddle tunes, on the guitar in the 1970s. He found success in numerous guitar contests, winning the Knoxville World’s Fair Guitar Championship, the Galax Fiddler’s Convention Guitar Contest and the Wayne Henderson

Guitar Cham-pionship. He plays fiddle and guitar with the Celtibillies but is primarily known as the execu-tive director of the Crooked Road, based at Heartwood in Abingdon, Virginia.

July brings talent to Storytelling Live

The Symphony of the Mountains season begins in late July.

Sharyn McCrumb reads during “Words and Music.”