In July 2016, members of the Britt Orchestra and Music Director Teddy Abrams will celebrate the unique majesty of Crater Lake with performances at the national park. Abrams will lead approximately 40 Britt Orchestra musicians in the performances, with the dramatic panorama of the entire lake as the backdrop. The musicians will perform a world premiere composition by New York-based composer Michael Gordon, commissioned by Britt and inspired by Crater Lake.
The genesis for this project comes from a funding opportunity from the National Endowment for the Arts project Imagine Your Parks, which celebrates the centennial of the National Parks.
“Britt is thrilled to be a part of the National Parks Centennial celebration of the achievements over the past 100 years, but it is actually about the future,” says Britt CEO and President Donna Briggs. “Our collaboration with CLNP is really about embracing a second century of stewardship for Crater Lake and for communities across southern Oregon through the magnificence of nature and art.”
Composer Michael Gordon will serve as artist-in-residence several times throughout the year at Crater Lake, to draw on the park for inspiration for his composition. He says, “I am honored to create a new work inspired by Crater Lake National Park for Teddy Abrams and the Britt Music and Arts Festival… The project at Crater Lake is designed to be an experiential spatial work. The idea is to draw out the natural sounds in and around Crater Lake and connect the natural sonic environment to the orchestra.”