Grand Teton Music Festival

The Grand Teton Music Festival is a year-round classical music and opera presenting organization in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The non-profit organization was founded in 1962.

The primary season is a seven-week summer classical music festival. Over 250 classical musicians from more than 84 different orchestras and 72 institutions of higher learning in North America and Europe participate in the summer festival.^[1] The Festival presents family events, gateway series, chamber music, classical crossover artists, and orchestral concerts.^[2] In recent years, the Festival has also included year-round experiences with performances The Met: Live in HD opera broadcasts, chamber music, guest artist performances, community concerts and events.

The Grand Teton Music Festival was founded in 1962 initially as part of the Jackson Hole Fine Arts Festival. Conductors Ernest Hagen and George Hufsmith led the orchestra as music directors until 1968 when the Fine Arts Festival selected conductor Ling Tung as their successor.^[3] Maestro Tung moved the concerts from Jackson Lake Lodge and the Jackson High School gym (referred to as "Symphony Hall") to a large tent at the base of Rendezvous Mountain in Teton Village. The Festival moved into a permanent structure at the base of Rendezvous Mountain in 1974.^[4] After Maestro Tung's retirement in 1996, Eiji Oue served as music director from 1997 to 2003.^[5] For the 2004 and 2005 seasons, conductor Peter Oundjian served as the principal conductor and artistic advisor to the Festival. In 2006 conductor Donald Runnicles began his tenure as music director, a position he currently holds.^[6]

• 1962–1964: Ernest Hagen^[7]
• 1965–1966: George Hufsmith
• 1968–1996: Ling Tung
• 1997–2003: Eiji Oue
• 2006–present: Donald Runnicles^[8]

Grand Teton Music Festival presents 150 events throughout the year, including free family concerts, chamber music, classical crossover concerts, orchestral performances, open rehearsals, pre-concert talks, and community engagement events.^[9]

The Festival Orchestra is a resident ensemble, which brings more than 200 musicians from top-tier orchestras across the country.^[10] Each summer, the music director leads six of the seven regular Festival Orchestra Concerts, and each concert features a soloist. Additionally, the summer season also features visiting guest artists and chamber music on weekdays.

The GTMF presents series offering a range of artists, all classically influenced, who perform in venues throughout Jackson Hole. The performances show different facets of the classical music genre by featuring visiting orchestral soloists in recital as well as popular musicians who have blended diverse styles.

The Met: Live in HD is a collaboration between the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Jackson non-profit organization, Center of Wonder. High definition broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera are played at the Center for the Arts in Jackson throughout the fall and spring.^[11]

Live from the Grand Teton Music Festival, is a radio broadcast series that airs on Wednesday nights at 8 PM on Wyoming Public Media and Sundays at 8 AM on KHOL 89.1 FM, featuring performances from Walk Festival Hall. Co-hosted by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles and General Manager Jeff Counts. Available to listen on Thursdays on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Soundcloud, Amazon Music, and the GTMF website.

Grand Teton Music Festival presented an Annual Fundraising Gala in 2015 to support the Festival and its year-round activities with music programs in local schools. The 2017 guest artist was cellist Yo-Yo Ma.^[12]

The Festival has seen an increase of premieres and commissions in recent years due to the importance the current Music Director Donald Runnicles places on new works.^[13]

Regional and world premieres at the Festival include:

The Festival partners with Jackson Hole organizations and school district to expose audiences of all ages to music. Grand Teton Music Festival conducts various yearlong programs, such as scholarships, Tune-Up, Open the Hall, On the Road and school visits.

One of GTMF's music education program is Tune-Up, which has supplemented the standard music curriculum in local band and orchestra classrooms since 2004. Tune-Up provides teachers who are practicing musicians with expertise and knowledge in a wide variety of instruments.^[23] Tune-Up teaching artists provide private lessons and facilitate rehearsals for Jackson Hole classroom bands and orchestras.

Musicians Residencies is a community engagement program, where world-class artists from the festival work directly with orchestra students around the local community to coach rehearsals, share insights from their professional careers and perform. ^[24]

Grand Teton Music Festival offers On the Road which brings live classical music to audiences in Teton County and surrounding communities through free concerts presented in partnership with community organizations in welcoming locations.

Each year, the GTMF hosts the Annual Scholarship Competition in honor of Music Director Donald Runnicles. The competition is open to graduating high school seniors from Wyoming, Idaho or Montana who are pursing a college music degrees.^[25]

Every spring Grand Teton Music Festival also opens Walk Festival Hall to local band, orchestra, and choir students, to perform in a professional setting.

With many more community and education programs, the Grand Teton Music Festival commits to engaging with the community, reaching people of all ages.

• List of classical music festivals

• Official website