Summer sounds sizzle in the Valley
All in all, in 2009, the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival will present eight concerts on the grounds of the old Orkney Springs Hotel, a national historic landmark property now owned by the Shrine Mont Camp and Conference Center in Orkney Springs, Va., in southwestern Shenandoah County.
The fist act up on stage …to set the pace of the summer is Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul. On Friday, July 17, the woman who defines Celtic fiddle playing for a generation of Americans returns triumphantly to the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival! Eileen Ivers has been called the queen of the Irish fiddle, its Jimi Hendrix, the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today, and its future. The nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and her band Immigrant Soul are best known for the amazing voyages they take with their unique sound. She takes a Celtic tune on a wild ride infused with Latin, jazz, Caribbean and world music flavor before bringing it all back home to where she started, proving the Boston Globe’s opinion of her as “a beautifully inventive fiddler.” Ticket prices are $30 reserved pavilion, $25 general admission lawn.
No time is wasted, as The Dixie Hummingbirds, a Festival institution, buzz into Orkney. While they have always remained deeply rooted in the gospel tradition, their influence has made itself known far and wide in American popular music. Perhaps the great singer, the late Isaac Hayes put it most eloquently: “In the beginning, after the Word…there was the Dixie Hummingbirds.” The group, which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year, broke into the popular consciousness in 1966 when they prompted a standing ovation at the Newport Folk Festival.
Still greater fame was in store a few years later when they backed Paul Simon on his smash hit “Loves Me Like a Rock.” The Birds’ own rendition of the tune won them a Grammy in 1974. This tour engagement of the Dixie Hummingbirds is partially funded through the American Masterpieces program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts program, American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius, a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. Ticket prices are $25 reserved pavilion and $20 lawn.
The past meets the future, when Charlie Chaplin’s music returns to the people. There’s no better way to experience the art of Charlie Chaplin than the way his original audiences did—on the big screen, with live musical accompaniment.
And there’s no better person to introduce his artistry than Dan Kamin, who trained Robert Downey Jr. for his Oscar-nominated performance in “Chaplin” and has written two books about the comedian. “Charlie Chaplin at the Symphony,” presented by the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, features Kamin and the Fairfax Symphony, with guest conductor Grant Cooper, the conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Kamin plays a “Classical Clown” mime that creates havoc with the conductor and the orchestra during the first set.
During the second set, he unmasks and introduces two of Chaplin’s short films, with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra playing a sound track of original music composed by guest conductor Grant Cooper of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Ticket prices are $37 and $32 in the reserved pavilion and $27 on the lawn.
This project is partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by the Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. This concert is also supported in part by a grant from the Shenandoah Community Foundation.
Another master in her own right, Valentina Lisitsa, a magnificent young piano soloist, continues the lasting melody the next night. She’ll will join the Fairfax Symphony to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in her first appearance at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival. “To put it simply, Lisitsa is a gigantic talent,” the Baltimore Sun writes. Her playing is “electrifying” and she brings unexpected depth to her music, the Sun continued. The Chicago Tribune says her technique “glitters like cut glass.” The orchestra, under the director of guest conductor Grant Cooper, will also feature Beethoven’s Seventh symphony. Ticket prices are $37 and $32 in the reserved pavilion and $27 on the lawn. This concert is also supported in part by a grant from the Shenandoah Community Foundation.
The week will seem like it has flown by, when Béla Fleck take up the reins the next weekend. Considered by many the world’s best banjo player, filled with passion, Béla actually went to Africa in order to trace the roots of his instrument, and not surprisingly came back with an album, a movie and world-class musicians. His album, based on the trip, “Throw Down Your Heart,” is some of the best and most meaningful music of his career. He teams with Toumani Diabaté, one of the African musicians featured on the album and in the movie. He is one of the world’s best kora players, an African instrument that is sort of a cross between the banjo and the harp. Reserved pavilion ticket prices are $30 and general admission are $25.
Could we be on Bourbon Street, or is it still Orkney Springs? Many people say that time is frozen out there. For nearly half a century, Preservation Hall Jazz Band has brought the sounds and spirit of New Orleans jazz to audiences worldwide. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, for British royalty or at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, the band’s music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit. On August 8th, they’ll perform an evening of music that is inimitably American. Reserved pavilion ticket price is $32 and the general admission lawn price is $27.
The last weekend promises two concerts you’ll never forget. On a Friday night of September 2009, on the 5th day, the first of the last two musical treats of the Festival season entices listeners … Travis Tritt has sold more than 25 million albums and earned two Grammy Awards and three County Music Association awards over the course of his storied career. On his newest album, “The Storm,” he collaborates with musical greats to create a powerhouse collection of songs that emphasize the lesser-known soul side of Tritt’s singing.
Multi-talented musician, composer and producer Jerry Douglas’ talents are widely known, both to his fellow musicians and to enthusiastic audiences whose tastes span the musical spectrum. In addition to being widely acknowledged as America’s foremost master of the Dobro, the nine-time Grammy winner is a forward thinking recording artist whose musical inspirations encompass all genres. These two old friends will play amazing music in their special acoustic show. Reserved pavilion ticket price is $40 and general admission lawn is $35.
Some say (who is “some”?), that the best is always left to the last. Attendees will judge for themselves if that is true this season. We shall see. As America’s new First Family of Bluegrass, Cherryholmes stormed to the top of that world by winning the 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year – no small feat, considering that the competition included Alison Krauss and Union Station and the Del McCoury Band.
Most recently, the band was nominated for two Grammy awards. Their career total of four nominations includes at least one for every one of their records. Their high-octane music has been called “bluegrass on steroids.” The New York Times said the band has a “mesmerizing presence.” Reserved pavilion ticket price is $27 and general admission lawn is $22.
The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival’s 2009 summer season Gold level sponsors are Shenandoah Memorial Hospital – Valley Health, Shenandoah Valley Music Festival Guild and the Virginia Lottery. The Silver level sponsors are Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and ShelRand Enterprises and the Bronze level sponsors are Graves-Light Wealth Management of Wachovia Securities; Lenhart Obenshain PC; Rodney Shepherd – Woodbury Financial Services; Shentel and Tracy Miller – Edward Jones Investments.
The Festival’s 2009 Official Providers are Holiday Inn Express and Shaffer’s Barbecue and Catering, and the ticket sponsor is Bryce Resort.
The 2009 Media Partners are The Northern Virginia Dail; The Free Press; WUSQ 102.5 FM; WAZT-TV; WMRA 90.7 FM; WSIG 96.9 FM; WLTK 103.3 FM/WBTX 1470 AM; WMXH 105.7 FM/WRAA 1330 AM; WHSV-TV3 Winchester; WZRV 95.3 FM/WFTR 1450 AM; WVPT-Virginia’s Public Television; Shentel Cable Company; ShenandoahValley.com, and 7Bends.com.
For more information about the Valley’s remembrance-of-a-lifetime concert series, go to www.musicfest.org, or call (540) 459-3396.
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