Grand Teton Music Festival Cancels 2020 Festival, Announces Immersive Filmed Festival “Music from the Mountains”

Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) announced today the cancellation of its summer festival in favor of an immersive filmed experience that will be streamed on August 21, 22, and 23 – what would have been the final days of the 2020 Festival. 

Grand Teton Music Festival is one of America’s leading summer classical music festivals. Recognized by The New York Times as one of the top ten music festivals in the U.S., and chosen by BBC Music Magazine as the “Festival of Choice 2020,” it is the most prominent arts organization in the state of Wyoming, and a national treasure.

Festival Co-Chairs Barbara McCelvey and John Costello comment: “It is with very heavy hearts that the Board has made this decision, as we know how much the community of Jackson Hole loves our music festival. However, our first responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of our audiences, our musicians, our guest artists, our staff, and the people of Teton County – and canceling the in-person festival is, sadly, the only way to do that. We are tremendously grateful to the many donors and community leaders who continue to stand with us in this difficult time, and we look forward to coming together for the exciting 60^th Season of GTMF in 2021.”

In August 2020, under the baton of Music Director Donald Runnicles, a smaller group of GTMF musicians will come together to produce Music from the Mountains, three filmed concerts provisionally including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Ravel, Barber, Bernstein, Copland, Caroline Shaw, Clarice Assad, and Melody Eötvös. Video production will be by Symmetrica. The programs will air three consecutive days online from August 21-23, and will be released in shorter segments in the weeks following on social media. GTMF is pleased to welcome two media partners for Music from the Mountains: BBC Music Magazine and Wyoming PBS. Audiences will be able to view the programs on BBC Music Magazine’s website and over three consecutive Fridays in the fall on Wyoming PBS TV.

Music Director Donald Runnicles comments: “The world is craving beauty and serenity in this moment of great uncertainty; and for us to make music this August for our audiences, in whatever configuration is safe and feasible, will be a joy for me and our wonderful GTMF musicians. May Music from the Mountains inspire us through the great repertoire of past and present, reaffirming the profound bond of humanity that prevails even through the hardest of times”.

Interim Executive Director, Simon Woods, comments: “Over recent weeks, we’ve been dreaming about what a virtual summer season could look and sound like, and how we could fulfill our mission in ways other than through live concerts. With great music-making exquisitely filmed, interviews and other filmed footage, we hope to bring into people’s homes the unique magic of music, people and nature that makes Grand Teton Music Festival so very special.”

The project will also include a program of related online content that will be available to high schools across Wyoming. Through a listening guide, and a series of short videos about instruments and repertoire, the talent of GTMF’s musicians will be an inspiration for young people across the State.

Please visit gtmf.org for updates on viewing times and details.

About the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF)

Over seven weeks each summer, the Grand Teton Music Festival unites over 200 celebrated orchestral musicians led by Music Director Donald Runnicles. These musicians represent over 60 orchestras and nearly 50 institutions of higher learning throughout Europe and North America.

As the single largest performing arts presenter in Jackson Hole with nearly 100 annual events, GTMF presents yearlong programming that includes monthly community concerts, a Winter Festival in February, the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series, and education programs for Teton County Students.