About Abby McKee

Abby McKee is President/CEO of Britt Festivals. Comments or questions for Britt Festivals? Email Abby at ceo@brittfest.org. Visit Britt Festivals at www.brittfest.org.

THE NEXT BIG DREAM – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – October 2024

IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, you’ve heard or read a fair bit from me about the acquisition of the United States Hotel building. What I’ve yet to share, though, is how that building purchase fits within the greater context of our vision for Britt in its next chapter: the […]

By |2024-09-25T16:33:40-07:00September 25th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on THE NEXT BIG DREAM – by Abby McKee

SUMMER’S LAST HURRAH AND BIG THINGS ON THE HORIZON – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – September 2024

SUMMER IS WINDING DOWN, and with it our annual shows on the Britt hill. There are still a handful of amazing concerts this month—plus one extra-special show on October 14!—and it’s been a pleasure to spend summer with all of you in our beautiful concert hall under the stars!

People […]

By |2024-08-28T16:16:39-07:00August 28th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|1 Comment

THE DOG DAYS (AND NON-DOG DAYS) OF SUMMER AT BRITT! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – August 2024

IT’S HIGH SUMMER on the hill, and we’re having such fun already. We’ve enjoyed the fabulous Britt Festival Orchestra; welcomed legends like Willie Nelson and Ziggy Marley; enjoyed belly laughs with cast members from Whose Line Is It Anyway; and so much more. Despite extraordinarily hot weather, we’ve danced […]

By |2024-07-30T15:48:30-07:00July 30th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on THE DOG DAYS (AND NON-DOG DAYS) OF SUMMER AT BRITT! – by Abby McKee

SUMMER MUSIC – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – July 2024

THE BRITT SEASON is well underway, and I hope you’ve joined us for an event or two (or more)! Highlights for me already have included our neighborhood kickoff party, The Hill is Where the Heart Is; witnessing two amazing conductors leading the orchestra; and of course, the magical experience […]

By |2024-06-26T14:35:58-07:00June 26th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on SUMMER MUSIC – by Abby McKee

BRITT IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – June 2024

FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS, Britt’s board and staff have been working behind the scenes on our new strategic plan, outlining all our big dreams for the next five years. After 8 months of drafts and revisions, the plan was unanimously approved last month, and we’re thrilled to start […]

By |2024-05-29T13:26:36-07:00May 29th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on BRITT IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN – by Abby McKee

WILDFLOWERS IN FULL BLOOM – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – May 2024

IT’S A SPRING SYMPHONY in the woodlands surrounding Jacksonville. The string section—Douglas firs, Ponderosa Pines, flowering big leaf maples, and the majestic madrones—swells around us with a fresh wash of greenery. Oregon grapes, hazelnuts, wild roses, snowberry sword ferns, miner’s lettuce, and white flowering buck brush comprise the lush […]

By |2024-05-01T17:06:23-07:00May 1st, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on WILDFLOWERS IN FULL BLOOM – by Abby McKee

APRIL SHOWERS BRING LOTS OF MUSIC – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – April 2024

BRITT IS ONLY DAYS AWAY from its final announcements and presale. I love this time of year—not least because I can finally stop keeping the amazing secrets of our lineup! The work that happens behind the scenes to book a Britt season starts around a year in advance, so […]

By |2024-03-27T12:12:57-07:00March 27th, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on APRIL SHOWERS BRING LOTS OF MUSIC – by Abby McKee

A PATH PAVED BY ANONYMOUS – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – March 2024

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH! This year, the Britt Festival Orchestra is proud to present several extraordinary women on our stage. I’m grateful to live in a time and place when orchestras are finally taking note of the many women who have performed and created extraordinary works for orchestra. […]

By |2024-03-01T18:38:42-08:00March 1st, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on A PATH PAVED BY ANONYMOUS – by Abby McKee

BRITT’S WARMING UP! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – February 2024

IT’S FEBRUARY! The days are getting longer, and there’s plenty of news to share from the Britt hill.

You might have noticed that we’ve been announcing shows in a different way this year. After talking with plenty of you about the desire to organize […]

By |2024-02-01T15:14:44-08:00February 1st, 2024|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on BRITT’S WARMING UP! – by Abby McKee

Happy Holidays from Britt! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – Dec 2023/Jan 2024

I can’t believe it’s the holiday season already! Wasn’t it just summer on the Britt hill? Yet here we are in the season of gratitude, giving, and—if your traditions are anything like mine—eating.

There’s so much on my list to be grateful for: this extraordinary community, our beautiful venue, […]

By |2023-12-13T13:22:58-08:00November 29th, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Happy Holidays from Britt! – by Abby McKee

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – October 2023

Well. I think we all experienced it: the end of August was a real doozy.

I think by now, everyone has heard that Britt canceled four shows due to smoke. What a heartbreaker! We had a gorgeous season, but those four shows constituted 10% of our total programming. Like all […]

By |2023-10-12T13:23:52-07:00September 26th, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – by Abby McKee

Singing With One Voice – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – September 2023

As you read this, another Britt season is drawing to a close. It’s been an incredible summer of performances: The Princess Bride with the Britt Festival Orchestra; Diana Ross; Ringo Starr; Kelsea Ballerini; Tig Notaro; Ashley McBride; Buddy Guy; and so many more We’ve welcomed almost 60,000 people to […]

By |2023-09-01T14:03:40-07:00September 1st, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Singing With One Voice – by Abby McKee

The Sound of Music – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – July 2023

Britt is well underway, and there’s lots of updates on the hill! We’re composting our food waste this year, and at the end of the season all that compost will be used to fertilize our gardens and lawn. We have amazing food trucks to complement our longtime concessions vendor, […]

By |2023-06-29T12:49:23-07:00June 29th, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on The Sound of Music – by Abby McKee

Britt Begins! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – June 2023

Britt kicks off this month, and we start with a sprint! I hope by now you’ve heard about our neighborhood kick-off party on June 8: an admission-free concert for YOU, our fabulous neighbors. We’re calling it, “The Hill is Where the Heart Is,” and we’ll have three terrific local […]

By |2023-05-25T09:49:32-07:00May 23rd, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Britt Begins! – by Abby McKee

Summer Is Coming In! And with It, Music – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – May 2023

Sumer is icumen in – lhude sing cuccu!

Groweth sed and bloweth med in springth wude nu.

Do you know this 13th century song? As the daughter of two music teachers, I grew up with so many weird, wonderful songs, and this one—about the music of cuckoos singing, meadows blooming, and […]

By |2023-04-28T18:58:32-07:00April 28th, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Summer Is Coming In! And with It, Music – by Abby McKee

Thanks Mike G! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – April 2023

As you read this, we’re on the threshold of announcing our full lineup for the season—or, if you’re like me and you’re reading your Jacksonville Review over coffee on the weekend, you’ve already seen our big news. I’m pinching myself about this season’s roster—it’s a great one.

But as I […]

By |2023-03-31T13:48:34-07:00March 31st, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Thanks Mike G! – by Abby McKee

Looking Forward – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – March 2023

We’re only weeks away from spring, and I’m desperate for flowers, sun, and the return of outdoor events and meals. Luckily, as you’re reading this, our Britt team is putting the finishing touches on our March show announcement—a true harbinger of the summer to come!

By |2023-03-03T15:45:32-08:00March 3rd, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Looking Forward – by Abby McKee

Raise Your Pink Martini to a New Season! – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – February 2023

Happy 2023, friends! The days are starting to get longer, and we’re officially beginning our sprint into the 2023 Britt season. There’s so much happening behind the scenes, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. We will be announcing the Britt Festival Orchestra season on February […]

By |2023-01-27T16:46:43-08:00January 27th, 2023|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Raise Your Pink Martini to a New Season! – by Abby McKee

Evergreen – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – December 2022/January 2023

With the winter solstice and our many beautiful midwinter holidays approaching, it’s a quiet time on the Britt hill. We take this time to think about the park. These winter months are essential for reviving our lovely lawn, taking on facilities projects, and dreaming of the future.

I believe […]

By |2022-11-28T16:15:38-08:00November 28th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Evergreen – by Abby McKee

Winter Education & Engagement – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – November 2022

The Britt summer concert season has ended. From the outside, it might seem that we’ve gone into hibernation. But these winter months are far from fallow—Britt Education & Engagement continues at full speed, focusing on school residencies.

Residencies serve our school kids all year. In October, Britt presented an education […]

By |2022-10-28T16:12:13-07:00October 28th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Winter Education & Engagement – by Abby McKee

Thank You, Jacksonville! – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – October 2022

It’s official: Britt has wrapped its 2022 season! What a season it was. We hosted 34 main stage concerts and 10 BrittKids Koncerts. Over 60,000 people were served through our live events. 16 Britt Presents performances were sold out—an all-time record!

It takes hundreds of people to make this happen […]

By |2022-09-29T12:48:12-07:00September 29th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Thank You, Jacksonville! – by Abby McKee

Adieu to Summer Magic – for Now – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – September 2022

There’s no feeling quite like the hot summer air cooling as the sun sets behind the madrones and ponderosa pines. Friends, both longtime and new, laugh and chatter until the applause swells to welcome an artist to the stage. We experience the music together, accompanied by crickets and birds […]

By |2022-08-31T18:05:50-07:00August 31st, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Adieu to Summer Magic – for Now – by Abby McKee

Sharing Experiences, Sharing Space – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – August 2022

I love the performing arts. This isn’t a secret—I chose it for my career! I think the arts have so much to teach us: how to feel, how to express ourselves, how to engage our creativity in joyful ways.

The arts can also teach us how to exist alongside other […]

By |2022-07-27T12:29:28-07:00July 27th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Sharing Experiences, Sharing Space – by Abby McKee

Discovery and Community at Britt – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – July 2022

It’s easy to forget that the Britt Music & Arts Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. On concert nights, the thriving energy looks like any other major concert venue, and we’re proud of our professionalism. At the same time, our mission is to create a sense of discovery and […]

By |2022-06-30T14:44:21-07:00June 30th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Discovery and Community at Britt – by Abby McKee

A Night at the Orchestra! – by Abby McKee

News From Britt Hill – June 2022

There’s excitement at the box office, and the daily hum of activity can mean only one thing: It’s time to welcome you back to the pavilion for another summer of music making. In particular for this month’s column, I’d love to highlight a Night at the Orchestra!

You’ve probably noticed […]

By |2022-05-27T17:53:04-07:00May 27th, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on A Night at the Orchestra! – by Abby McKee

Introducing…Abby McKee – by Abby McKee

News from Britt Hill – May 2022

It’s a pleasure to write my first column as Britt Music & Arts Festival’s new President and CEO, starting May 1. I’m pinching myself; I can’t believe I’ve been given the opportunity to steward this gem of Southern Oregon in its next chapter. And, of course, I’m arriving just […]

By |2022-05-02T08:49:44-07:00May 2nd, 2022|Featured Stories, News From Britt Hill|Comments Off on Introducing…Abby McKee – by Abby McKee
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