Festival Hill, home to a nationally known concert hall and a world-renowned music institute, is celebrating women in the arts on June 23, 2018, with three concerts featuring the music of Joan Tower, America's preeminent female composer.
Women and music are a powerful combination as concert goers at Round Top Festival Institute aka Festival Hill will discover on Saturday, June 23 as part of “A Day Honoring Women in the Arts.” Guests can experience the music of American composer Joan Tower, flutist Carol Wincenc and conductor Michelle Merrill at concerts to be held at 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Not only does the celebration mark the 100th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote in Texas, it marks Tower’s 80th birthday. Tower will be in the audience.
“Festival Hill is thrilled to be the only festival in America honoring the foremost American female composer, Joan Tower, upon her 80th birthday,” said James Dick, renowned pianist and founder of the institute also known as Festival Hill.
All three concerts will feature Tower’s music performed in Festival Hill’s concert hall where the setting is as memorable as the famed acoustics.
Internationally acclaimed flutist Carol Wincenc, who currently teaches at The Julliard School and has served as flute faculty at Round Top Festival Institute periodically since 1993, has premiered numerous works written for her by today’s most prominent composers including Tower. Wincenc will perform at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Michelle Merrill, a Dallas native and graduate of SMU who currently serves as the associate conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, will wield the baton at the 7:30 p.m. concert. She received the prestigious Ascbacher Conducting Fellowship given by the Vienna Philharmonic and the American Austrian Foundation.
For guests who want to enjoy a day in the country, Festival Hill’s 200-acre campus is a destination for architecture, horticulture and natural beauty. Picnicking is encouraged. Those who want to savor the outdoors should bring their blankets, chairs and beverages. To make picnicking easy, guests can pre-arrange a “picnic package” at Espressions in Round Top by calling Carolyn at 214-356-3280. Guests may also bring their own food.
Each year, the world’s best musicians—both teachers and students—gather in Round Top to push the boundaries of their talent in an intensive conservatory that is mimics the rigorous demands of a professional orchestra. The musicians prepare a different musical program each week and showcase their work at concerts every weekend. The season runs from early June to mid-July.
Tickets for this concert and the entire series are available at festivalhill.org as is additional information. The Round Top Register’s three-part series on James Dick, the musical founder, Larry Birkelbach, the institute’s master carpenter, and the famed concert hall, provide in-depth coverage to help your further appreciate the majesty of Festival Hill.
Roundtop.com is pleased to work with the Round Top Festival Institute on this sponsored post.