Baby Sun prowls the pavilion lawn for puppies to pet at opening night of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony season this Monday.
Monday brought my favorite evening of a Sun Valley summer, the opening night of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. The glamorous soprano Deborah Voigt lent her spectacular skills to an evening of Wagner, Wolf and Strauss.
Nestled snugly in a sliver of shade between the Pavilion lawn, where the serious symphony goers lounged, and the free-for-all behind us where children frolicked, the Sun family joined good friends for an evening of pizza, wine and sensational music.
Baby Sun is a year older, and a lot faster than she was at her first symphony visit, so my ability to completely enjoy the sounds wafting from the awesome orchestra were slightly hampered by her extreme excitement. What was capturing her attention, you ask? Dogs. Baby Sun’s first word was dog, and every time she spies a furry four-legged friend she squeals and rushes off to pet it. As any regular symphony attendee will know, dogs are almost a required accessory on the symphony pavilion lawn, and we were surrounded. There was a gorgeous golden retriever on one side, who patiently let Rose clamber all over her, and, yes, an actual puppy on the other side, whose owners seemingly brought him along to be “socialized.” As they were trailed by a band of children wherever they ventured, I think they succeeded.
Besides the secondary entertainment, Baby Sun did enter into the spirit of the evening, stopping mid-puppy-pat to clap whenever the crowd did, and even attempting to match Ms. Voigt’s thrilling arias with her own high-pitched squeals (I’m not seeing an operatic career in my daughter’s future). And therein lies one of the many things that makes the symphony so special, it caters to all. Nowhere else in the world can you enjoy world-class music for free, while relaxing on a lawn with a picnic and good friends, as your 4 year-old safely plays soccer a few feet away. It’s a unique Sun Valley experience.
For more from the first night of the season, the Symphony posted a slide-show on their Facebook page. And be sure to head there tonight at 6:30 p.m. for the second performance, featuring William VerMeulen on the horn. For a taste of the evening’s offerings, here are conductor Alasdair Neale’s video notes on the upcoming performance:
Video not displaying? Click here .
Happy Trails!
If there is one thing synonymous with summer in Sun Valley it’s the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. It is a Sun Valley original. There is no other place in the world where you can lie on a lawn surrounded by the peaks of the Pioneer, Smoky and Boulder mountains and soak up the sounds of a world class orchestra serenading you.
The symphony has been running for 28 seasons and is the largest privately funded free-admission symphony in America. It gathers together some of the best classical musicians in the country for two weeks every summer. There’ll be oboists from the Omaha Symphony, bassoonists from Baltimore, violinists from Des Moines, cellists from Fort Worth, as well as a slew of guest artists and soloists.
For me, the symphony is an annual must-do. Years ago, before Little Sun and Baby Sun were in the picture, I used to head to the lawn behind Sun Valley Lodge most every night for two glorious weeks in July and August. After a long day in the office, relaxing on the cool grass with a simple picnic garnished from Bald Mountain Pizza moments before, was simply heaven.
Mr. Sun, who in our early days in the valley was a wildland firefighter, was always off protecting our forests during the summer months, so it wasn’t until last year that he finally got to share in my favorite summertime activity. We took the whole family along to the Pops evening on the first Saturday of the season. As with many musical events in Sun Valley, the symphony is very child friendly (if they get too rambunctious, an impromptu playgroup tends to form just out of earshot on the lawn). But on this evening my 3 year-old and 9 month-old were transfixed (probably all that classical music I played to them in the womb). Baby Sun was clapping and squealing along with the audience and Little Sun sat blessedly still for almost 15 whole minutes.
This year, I vow to try at least one night inside the Pavilion itself, I’ve always been reluctant to give up my much coveted spot on the lawn, but after my experience at the San Francisco Ballet’s performance earlier this month, I’m beginning to see the light.
Of course the lawn experience has been enhanced in recent years, with a large LED screen displaying the action inside for all the concerts, apart from the Edgar M. Bronfman In Focus series (which begins this Sunday). The season officially begins however, on Monday July 30 – and I’ll be there to cover it. See the full schedule here, but some highlights include Saturday, August 4th for Pops Night and the family concert the following Saturday that features the world premier of a Sun Valley Summer Symphony Commission, Cowboy Bill by Alex Orfaly. The performance also includes narration by writer Ridley Pearson. For the one night I may squeeze in up there without the children, my pick is Thursday, August 9, Musicians Choice Chamber Music, featuring Mozart and Brahms
Happy Trails!
Orchestra concerts begin at 6:30pm, unless otherwise noted, and last 60-75 minutes. The Pavilion opens for concerts at 5:30pm. Pavilion seating is available from the East Entrance (West Lake Road) for each of the nine evening orchestra concerts. Ushers will direct the line for seating inside the Pavilion. Reserved seats will be released for general seating at 6:15pm.
Sun Valley Summer Symphony Benefit Concert
Featuring Chris Botti, Grammy Award-winning jazz instrumental artist
Sunday, July 29, 6:30pm
Sun Valley Pavilion
Sunday, July 22 – Tuesday, August 14
The largest privately funded free-admission symphony in America, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony celebrated its 27th season in the glorious Idaho mountains last summer. Founded in 1985 as the Elkhorn Music Festival by Dr. Carl Eberl, professor emeritus at the College of the City University of New York, and his wife Julianne, the orchestra grew from 22 musicians to 55 at the time of his retirement. Under the leadership of Maestro Alasdair Neale since 1995, the orchestra has grown to more than 100 players and presents free concerts to over 50,000 people annually.
Sun Valley Summer Symphony
In Focus Series: Week of July 22
Orchestra Season: July 29 – August 14
Schedule and Repertoire TBA
The largest privately funded free-admission symphony in America, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony celebrated its 27th season in the glorious Idaho mountains last summer. Founded in 1985 as the Elkhorn Music Festival by Dr. Carl Eberl, professor emeritus at the College of the City University of New York, and his wife Julianne, the orchestra grew from 22 musicians to 55 at the time of his retirement. Under the leadership of Maestro Alasdair Neale since 1995, the orchestra has grown to more than 100 players and presents free concerts to over 50,000 people annually.
Visit www.svsummersymphony.org for more information
For one month every summer, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, the largest privately funded free admission symphony in America, calls the Sun Valley Pavilion home. Bring your blanket, low-backed chairs and cooler for lawn seating or sit inside the shady Pavilion for the concerts.
2011 Summer Concert Series- July 24-August 16
-Edgar M. Bronfman In Focus Series – July 24 – July 29
-Benefit Concert – July 31 (ticketed event, featured artist Jackie Evancho, Soprano)
-Orchestra Festival – August 1 – August 16
-Summer Music Workshops – August 1 – 5
The Sun Valley Summer Symphony celebrates the majesty of its Alpine setting with the beauty of outstanding free classical music performances, and enriches our lives through artistic, educational and cultural programming, made possible through the philanthropic generosity of its community. This concert series is free to the public except for the August 1 Benefit Concert featuring Garth Brooks.
Chamber Music Concert Dates:
-Edgar Bronfman Chamber Music Concert Series: July 26, 28 & 30 – Free Admission
-Summer Symphony Benefit Concert Featuring Garth Brooks on Sunday, August 1
Please contact the Sun Valley Summer Symphony for tickets to the Benefit Event.
-Summer Symphony Concert Dates: August 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 – Free Admission
For more information about the individual concert dates please visit the Sun Valley Summer Symphony website.
(208) 622-5607
Mark your calendar and turn on your radio! On Monday, February 8, “Performance Today” (an American Public Media program) will broadcast the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s performance of Elgar’s “In The South” recorded live at the August 9, 2009 symphony concert at the Sun Valley Pavilion.
If you are listening in Sun Valley, tune into 91.9 FM KWRV at 9am on Monday, February 8
This is the first time the Sun Valley Summer Symphony will be heard on national radio. “Performance Today” is a program produced by American Public Media, broadcast on 245 affiliate stations across the country and heard by 1.2 million people each week. Those outside of the Wood River Valley can go to http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/stations/ to find out when the program will air in your area.
