At Wintergreen, everything’s looking up

The inspiration for this year’s Wintergreen Summer Music Festival will be easy to see once you’ve reached Nelson County’s Wintergreen Resort. All you have to do is look around at the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you’ll understand why the musicians are heading for the hills.

“Appalachian Roots: A Cultural Kaleidoscope,” which runs Monday through Aug. 2, will use plenty of music, as well as drama, films, seminars, nature hikes and even cooking classes to explore different facets of the region’s enduring cultural influence.

“Virtually every day, you can come to the festival and make a whole day of it,” said Larry Alan Smith, artistic and executive director of the festival.

On Aug. 1, Graham II from the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance will present “Appalachian Spring,” the landmark dance work featuring Aaron Copland’s music.

Two plays based on works by Lee Smith will be featured, both performed by actress Barbara Bates Smith. “Ivy Rowe’’ is from “Fair and Tender Ladies,” and “On Agate Hill” is based on the novel of the same name.

To capture the beauty and challenges of the Appalachian Trail and the diverse communities it runs through, the festival also will feature more outdoor events this year, including a festival day at the Frontier Culture Museum in

Staunton on July 31, hikes to suit a variety of fitness levels, the “Appalachian Routes” 5K run-walk and a “Journey on the James” canoeing outing to teach children and families some skills so they can continue to enjoy Central Virginia’s rich natural resources long after the festival is done.

There are 228 events in all — and purists shouldn’t worry, because there’s plenty of the classical music that has made the festival a summer destination. In fact, if you’re trying to win reluctant family members over to the world of classical music, here’s your chance to lure them with complementary activities that already may interest them.

The popular Coffee Concerts are back, at 11 a.m. July 12, 19 and 26 and Aug. 2. Listen for everything from classical chamber music to Ruth Crawford Seeger’s “Piano Sonata” to Michael Daugherty’s “Dead Elvis” to the folk music of TigerLily.

Smith said that this year’s concert programs are filled with works that reflect the German, Moravian and English roots of classical music.

The first of the main classical concerts, Classics I, begins at 7:30 p.m. July 10 and 3 p.m. July 12 with Benjamin Britten’s “Simple Symphony, Op. 4,” Daron Aric Hagen’s “Adagietto,” Franz Xavier Pokorny’s “Concerto in D Major for Flute and Orchestra” and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade in C major, Op. 48.” Concerts in the series will include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, Joseph Haydn, Edward Elgar, Samuel Barber and Richard Wagner.

New this year will be the Heritage Concerts, which celebrate the sounds of the region. “Gospel Music on the Mountain,” at 8:15 p.m. July 11, features Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir, while St. Andrew’s Legion Pipes and Drums will stir up the Scottish and Irish blood in many Appalachian natives at 1:45 p.m. July 18. The military-style pipe and drum unit will assemble in the parking lot next to the Mountain Inn, and folks can follow to create a parade to the Blue Ridge Terrace for the concert.

Mike Seeger will open the festival’s pops concert series on July 15, followed by Wells and Woodhead in “Foolz” on July 22 and Pianafiddle on July 29.

The world premiere of Nelson County playwright Peter Coy’s adaptation of Igor Stravinsky’s “A Soldier’s Tale,” reset in the Civil War, is on tap for July 16 and 17. 

Details

Wintergreen Summer Music Festival

Opening Night Reception and Performance

Reception at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Skyline Pavilion and performance at 7:30 p.m. at Evans Center, both at Wintergreen

$50

Black tie optional; golf attire acceptable

http://www.wintergreenperformingarts.org

325-8292