Brett Mitchell named Artistic Director and Conductor of Sunriver Music Festival
Brett Mitchell has been named Artistic Director and Conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival, beginning a three-year term in August 2022. (Photo by Jeff Nelson)
SUNRIVER, Ore. — The Sunriver Music Festival has announced that Brett Mitchell will serve as its next Artistic Director and Conductor, beginning a three-year term in August 2022.
In this role, Mr. Mitchell will lead the Festival Orchestra each summer in four classical concerts, a family program, and a pops concert.
The Festival was founded in 1978, and Mr. Mitchell is the fourth Artistic Director and Conductor in the organization’s 44-year history.
From the official press release:
“We don’t name orchestras after conductors. We name them after communities,“ explains Maestro Mitchell. “That’s because festivals reflect their communities. I am thrilled that I will be able to make a contribution to this festival that has been a part of the Central Oregon community for 44 years.”
Mitchell has accepted a 3-year contract with Sunriver Music Festival which includes a commitment for quarterly visits to the region for ongoing connection with the community and the Festival’s thriving music education programs.
Mr. Mitchell previously led the Orchestra in two programs on August 21 and 23 during the Festival’s 2021 season:
COPLAND - Music for Movies
MOZART - Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor
Daniel Hsu, piano
STRAVINSKY - Suite from Pulcinella
JESSIE MONTGOMERY - Starburst
SAINT-SAËNS - Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor
Amit Peled, cello
BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 7 in A Major
On August 18, Mr. Mitchell also played an evening of John Williams’s chamber music from the piano with musicians from the Festival, including music from Fiddler on the Roof, The Terminal, Memoirs of a Geisha, Lincoln, and Schindler’s List.
The official press release points to the importance of the feedback about these performances from the Festival’s musicians and audiences when selecting Mr. Mitchell as their next Artistic Director:
The Festival’s Board of Trustees received hundreds of helpful evaluations submitted by patrons and musicians. Here's just a sampling:
"Brett Mitchell is a high-level conductor with very good conducting technique, rehearsal technique, big personality, very good. Keeping interest and energy levels high are Maestro Mitchell's strongest qualities as a conductor, and he has many more."
"Brett Mitchell is an effective musical leader. His conducting was very clear and did not get in the way of our ability to concentrate. Players were led by someone who understands what conducting is about and who therefore makes our task easier. He is extremely musical, gives excellent cues, is great with the audience and has a very polished approach."
For more information on Mr. Mitchell’s appointment, please view the announcement and press release on the Sunriver Music Festival’s website.
KTVZ News Channel 21 (NBC’s affiliate in Bend) has published a piece about Mr. Mitchell’s appointment: “Patrons, musicians help select Mitchell as new maestro for Sunriver Music Festival.”
Dates for Mr. Mitchell’s inaugural season as Artistic Director and Conductor in August 2022 will be announced in Fall 2021.