Festival Amadeus celebrates 10 years of music

Mozart’s final opera, “The Magic Flute,” will be the highlight of the Glacier Symphony and Chorale’s Festival Amadeus as the event celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The opera will be the two-show finale after a full week of chamber and orchestra concerts held in Whitefish from Aug. 8-13.

“This is really a special thing, to produce this concert version of ‘The Magic Flute,’” conductor John Zoltek said. “It’s not only going to be a great performance, but it also requires a lot of people to do this. It’s kind of a big deal for us to produce this. It’s really quite special, it’s not just another concert.”

“The Magic Flute” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 12 and 13, at the Performing Arts Center. Concert-goers who purchase a Festival Amadeus five-concert or three-concert pass are also included in an Opera Night reception post concert at the Firebrand Hotel across from the PAC.

Scaled down to fit the short rehearsal time and needs of the orchestra, this modern concert version of the opera will feature photographic projections and English subtitles.

A cast of singers from Montana and the rest of the U.S. will include Ricardo Herrera as Papageno, Kirk Dougherty as Tamino, Hanna Brammer-Dillon as Pamina, Emily Peragine as Queen of the Night, Stephen Morscheck as Sarastro and Andrew Surrena as Monostatos. The cast also includes Amy Logan, Amy Chisholm, and Katie Christiansen as the Three Women; Brad Seaman and Jim Hann as Two Priests; Rebecca Spear as Papagena and a select chorus of the Glacier Chorale.

Zoltek got the festival started 10 years ago with the idea for a summer celebration of classical music here in the Valley.

“I brought the idea of creating the festival to the board of the Glacier Symphony and Chorale,” Zoltek recalls. “It was basically my vision to do this classical music festival that would be based largely in Whitefish and in summer — it gives us a lot of exposure in the summer. People keep coming back to see the festival on a yearly basis. It’s a very positive thing.”

Since the first years of the festival, Zoltek said the event has downsized to just one week of music but has improved in quality every year.

Having a celebration of fine arts in Whitefish highlights a community that supports all of the art and culture that can be found here, he notes.

“We’re providing a cultural art experience. I’ve been here for 20 years, I know the enthusiasm for classical music here,” Zoltek said. “[The festival is] just a way of enhancing the artistic offerings that we have currently in the Valley.”

This year’s musical lineup features a diverse selection of chamber and orchestral works with a slew of talented soloists.

Tuesday, Aug. 8, Orchestra Night 1

To open the festival, guest pianist Tanya Gabrielian will take the stage for Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4 in G” under Zoltek’s baton. The concert will also feature Mozart’s “Impresario Overture” and “Symphony No. 39 in E flat Major.” That will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC.

Gabrielian performed in the festival in 2014. With degrees in piano and viola from the Royal Academy of Music in London, she made a name for herself at age 20 with victories in the Scottish International Piano Competition and Aram Khachaturyan International Piano Competition.

Wednesday, Aug. 9, Chamber Night 1

The following night will be the first chamber music night, “Sonata, Suite and Solos,” held at the O’Shaughnessy Center at 7:30 p.m. That concert will feature Gabrielian and violinist Yevgeny Kutik playing Beethoven’s “Sonata for violin and piano No. 1” and Igor Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne.” Solo piano works by Chopin and Gershwin and a violin piece by Michael Gandolfi will conclude that program. Kutik is also in his second year of performing in the festival.

A repeat performance of that program will come in Bigfork on Friday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church.

Thursday, Aug. 10, Orchestra Night 2

Works by Prokofiev and Mendelssohn will come during the second orchestra night on Thursday at the Performing Arts Center. Kutik will solo in Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor,” followed by Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4 in A Major.” The concert will open with Beethoven’s “Coriolan Overture.” The performance is 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 11, Chamber Night 2

The second chamber night on Friday will feature the Fry Street Quartet performing Hayden’s “Quartet in B flat Major,” Debussy’s “String Quartet in G minor” and Beethoven’s “Quartet in A minor.” That concert will start at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center. That concert will also repeat on Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork.

Sponsors of Festival Amadeus 2017 include Glacier Bank, the Firebrand Hotel, Hammer Nutrition, Flathead Electric Co-op, Toyota and Whitefish Credit Union.

Tickets for Festival Amadeus: Fully transferable passes are available for $169 for a five-concert pass (two chamber, two orchestra, one opera) or $119 for a pick three-concert pass (includes one opera and choice of chamber or orchestra nights). Pass purchasers are included in one of two post-opera receptions held at the Firebrand Hotel, across the street from the PAC. They also receive a complimentary gondola ride to the top of Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Passes are not available to purchase online. To order, call the GSC Box Office 406-407-7000 Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will also be available at the venue day of show between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. nightly.

Single concert tickets are available online at www.gscmusic.tix.com Prices are: Orchestra Concerts: $35 tier 1, $30 tier 2, $10 youth; Chamber: $25 all tiers, $10 youth; Opera: $49 tier 1, $39 tier 2, $25 youth; Bigfork Chamber: $25 general admission; $10 youth. Visit gscmusic.org for details and pricing or call the GSC Box Office, 406-407-7000. All concerts, artists and venues are subject to change.

Camp Festival Amadeus

The North Valley Music School is also holding the Camp Festival Amadeus at Whitefish Middle School. Students will get to work with the guest performers and instructors during several “Musical Journey” talks, which are also open to the public. Those programs will be free of charge and located in the lobby of the middle school.

The schedule for Camp Festival Amadeus includes, on Monday, Aug. 7 from 3-4 p.m. a Camp Festival Amadeus Honor Recital by students and soloists; on Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 3-4 p.m. a Musical Journey with selected vocal cast from the Magic Flute, and at 6:30 p.m. students will perform at the Whitefish Farmers Market at Depot Park; on Wednesday, Aug. 9 from 3-4 p.m. a Musical Journey with Tanya Gabrielian, piano, and Yevgeny Kutik, violin; on Thursday, Aug. 10 from 3-4 p.m. a Musical Journey with Quinton Morris, a virtuoso violinist from Seattle and a camp faculty member; and on Friday, Aug. 11: noon-1:30 p.m. a student concert performance, featuring the full student orchestra and ensembles, onstage at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

For more information, contact call 406-862-8074 or visit www.northvalleymusicschool.org.