Lake Tahoe Summerfest prepares for series of August classical concerts

A series of classical music concerts featuring a 38 piece symphony orchestra of world-renowned artists highlights Lake Tahoe SummerFest in August. Weekend performances include Friday and Saturday night symphonies and Sunday programming for families.

The three-weekend series on the campus of Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, Nev. will feature music, theatre and American Impressionism, striking a chord with art and music lovers of all ages. A 500-seat outdoor venue in a specially-designed acoustical concert tent will offer pure, unencumbered music from acclaimed violinists, trumpeters, clarinetists and bassists.

Notable highlights throughout Lake Tahoe SummerFest Concerts:

Fall in love on the first night: Lake Tahoe SummerFest opens, Friday August 3, with Dvorak’s Romance Opus 11, and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Cello. VIP passes for all concerts include an after-concert reception with food and wine as well as the opportunity to mingle with the musicians and Artistic Director/Conductor Joel Revzen.

Intimate chamber concerts: What would it be like to have 3 to 8 musicians performing in your living room? Here's an opportunity for acoustic heaven with a series of chamber music concerts on each of the first three Saturday evenings in series, August 4, 11 and 18. These intimate evenings will feature renowned musicians from the Lake Tahoe SummerFest Orchestra and soloists playing works of Mozart, Brahms, Schubert and Schumann.

Achieve Beethoven bliss: SummerFest Concerts will share a rare glimpse at a five-year cross section of Ludwig Von Beethoven’s composing genius in three epic works that blazed a trail in classical music history. The “All About Beethoven” program on Friday, August 10 reaches a climax with “Eroica,” his crowning achievement also known as Symphony No. 3 Opus 55. Dark, mysterious and indicative of his increasing deafness and social isolation, Beethoven’s Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus and Concerto No. 4 for Piano also grace the program and lend a triumphant vacation crescendo for travelers.

Summer spent abroad: Lake Tahoe SummerFest opens a Pandora’s box of European classical recitals on Aug. 17 with its "Summer in Italy" program, featuring a series from Rossini beginning with "Overture to L'Italiana in Algieri," the always sentimental Vivaldi with "L’estate" and ending with the finale of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony #4.

Here’s a sampling of the internationally-renowned musicians performing:

Cornelius Dufallo, Principal 2nd Violin, is a constant innovator at the forefront of the American contemporary music scene. The New York Times calls him one of the “new faces of new music” and praises his “alluring” solo performances and “imaginative” compositions. A virtuosic and versatile violinist, Dufallo plays both acoustic and electric violin and moves seamlessly from classical to pop and jazz styles.

Kingsley Wood, Principal Double Bass, is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra who began playing the bass at the age of 13 with local Jazz musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining the Met he was a member of the Louisville Orchestra.

Daniel Gilbert, Principal Clarinet, is a Yale and Juilliard School trained musician and now serves as associate professor of Clarinet at the University of Michigan. He previously held the position of Second Clarinet in the Cleveland Orchestra from 1995 to 2007. He also serves as principal clarinet of the chamber orchestra, City Music Cleveland.

Billy Hunter, Principal Trumpet, is currently Principal of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Assistant of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra in Chicago. Previously he was Co-Principal with the New World Symphony and Spoleto Festival Italy orchestras and has performed as guest with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Germany, Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina. Other orchestras he has performed with are the New York Philharmonic, Boston, Baltimore and Dallas Symphonies.

Ticket prices are $85 for VIP seating, $50 in the Guest section and $25 in the Friends area, and for a limited time children 12 years and under are half price. VIP tickets and Season Pass holders are invited to backstage access and VIP Receptions with the Artistic Director/Conductor and orchestra after the concerts.

For more information visit: www.tahoesummerfest.org or call 775-298-0245.

The Lake Tahoe SummerFest collaboration also continues to seek partnerships with other recognizable performance and visual art luminaries from the area, including the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor State Park. (www.laketahoeshakespeare.com/)

About Lake Tahoe SummerFest
Lake Tahoe SummerFest is a celebration of the arts that enriches the cultural, educational and economic vitality of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Lake Tahoe SummerFest provides world class music, art, theatre and seminars to local, national and international audiences while supporting cultural tourism and economic development. For more information visit, www.tahoesummerfest.org.