by Hayden Neumann
There’s something about enjoying a symphony in the fresh mountain air that simply can’t be replicated. Luckily, the Carolinas are home to a wealth of beloved summer music festivals, many of which offer the opportunity to savor thrilling performances surrounded by our states’ most glorious natural landscapes. With countless opportunities to hear live classical music (and much more) just a day trip away from Charlotte, where will this summer take you?
Introducing WDAV’s SummerStages Spotlight
As you listen to WDAV this summer, keep an ear out for our new Summer Stages Spotlight, a series of shorts that highlight important happenings at this year’s Eastern Music Festival, An Appalachian Summer Festival, and Brevard Music Center Summer Festival. Host Judlyne Gibson checks in with artists from all three festivals in quick and insightful interviews airing daily throughout the season. Listen to a season preview below, and find additional episodes throughout the season on demand at our website.
Summer Festivals Preview
Visit Summer Stages Spotlight for more
Brevard Music Center Summer Festival | June 5 – August 6
Location: Brevard, NC | brevardmusic.org
Amidst a lovely wooded 180-acre campus lies Brevard Music Center (BMC), one of the country’s premier summer training programs and festivals for young and developing musicians.
Students receive a plethora of opportunities to perform and study with distinguished faculty and renowned guest artists throughout the summer. This season offers diverse experiences highlighted by the BMC debuts of jazz great Branford Marsalis* and Broadway luminaries Patti LuPone* and Audra McDonald*. Moments to look forward to include appearances from bluegrass virtuosos Bryan Sutton* and Béla Fleck*, classical masterpieces including Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (the “Titan”)* and the Verdi Requiem*, plus family-friendly performances like Patriotic Pops* and Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert*.
*event has passed
Eastern Music Festival | June 24 – July 29
Location: Greensboro, NC | easternmusicfestival.org
Located on the campuses of Guilford College, UNCG and other venues in Greensboro, North Carolina, Eastern Music Festival (EMF) is a nationally recognized classical music festival and summer educational program. EMF provides guidance from its prestigious faculty to over 265 young, developing musicians from across the country as they take their first steps towards careers in the arts. Some highlights throughout the season will include Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade*, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5*, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5*, and Ravel’s Bolero*.
*event has passed
An Appalachian Summer Festival | June 24 – July 29
Location: Boone, NC | appsummer.org
Now entering its 39th season, An Appalachian Summer Festival has risen to become one of the nation’s most highly respected summer festivals, acclaimed for the breadth and quality of its artistic programming. The festival continually seeks to enlighten and educate – a focus reflected in such initiatives as the festival’s discounts for children’s tickets, school coupons, and ticket prices that are typically 30-40% lower than prices for comparable events in other venues. Some events that attendants can look forward to include evenings with Leslie Odom Jr.*, Lea Salonga*, the Calidore String Quartet*, John Oates*, and more.
*event has passed
International Lyric Academy at Opera Carolina | June 19 – July 9
Location: Charlotte, NC | operacarolina.org/ila-festival
Celebrating 29 years of success, the International Lyric Academy is partnering with Opera Carolina this summer! Charlotte will play host to an intensive 5-week program that will wrap up in Vicenza, Italy for the last two weeks. Young musicians and singers from across the world will receive professional coaching and voice lessons and participate in a full range of masterclasses, individualized instruction, concerts, recitals and rehearsals culminating in performances of Le Nozze Di Figaro* by W. A. Mozart and J. Offenbach’s Les Contes D’ Hoffmann*. The festival also offers several free events, though tickets are required!