IT’S MY FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR, and a perfect time to take stock of the many fortunes and blessings of 2024. Another Britt season has come and gone, and I’m grateful for the fabulous time we had with all of you on the Hill! Our live summer shows […]
Tuesday, September 3, 2024: Britt Music & Arts Festival is thrilled to announce the acquisition of the historic U.S. Hotel building, a landmark in downtown Jacksonville, Oregon. This significant purchase underscores Britt’s ongoing commitment to preserving local heritage while enhancing cultural and artistic experiences for the community.
The U.S. Hotel building, constructed in 1880, has been […]
Monday, October 7, 2024: Britt Music and Arts Festival is excited to announce a special discount for students in the community. The Britt season typically lasts from June to September, but the 2024 season is wrapping up a little later than usual with the final concert happening on October 14 featuring soul sensation Michael Kiwanuka […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Thursday, July 11, 2024: Britt Music and Arts Festival is proud to announce a special initiative to recognize and express gratitude to our region’s courageous firefighters who play an integral role in protecting our community. As a gesture of appreciation, Britt is offering two complimentary tickets to each firefighter for one of the following upcoming […]
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 […]
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 […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival has announced its full line up for the 2024 season, and all shows are now on sale to the general public. Shows newly added to this final general public on-sale include legendary hip-hop duo Atmosphere, folk artists Ray LaMontagne & Gregory Alan Isakov, and award winning soul […]
THE EXCITEMENT for the coming season at the Britt Festivals continues to grow. To add to the already extraordinary events, the festival has added “Art at the Britt.” During the Classical Season, eight Fine Artists will display their art in the lower Britt Garden area prior to the concerts and during […]
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 […]
Monday, April 8, 2024, JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce the next slate of 12 Britt Presents shows for the 2024 summer season. With more announcements to come, this group of shows features a wide array […]
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 […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce the next slate of six Britt Presents shows for the 2024 summer season. While there are more announcements to come, this group of shows features a wide array of musical artists, including first-time-to-Britt country artists Chris Young and Randy Houser, Jamaican reggae […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2024 season, with three weeks of exciting outdoor programming in historic Jacksonville, Oregon, June 13 – 29, 2024. Under the leadership of Artistic Advisor Peter Bay and Guest Conductor Alexandra Arrieche, the Orchestra’s 62nd season highlights film music alongside beloved classical favorites. The season features […]
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. […]
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 […]
MEDFORD, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival announces that its 2024 Britt Festival Orchestra season will be led by a pair of guest conductors: Peter Bay and Alexandra Arrieche.
Following the departure of Teddy Abrams, and prior to launching its search for the Britt Festival Orchestra’s next conductor, the Britt Festival Orchestra will […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Jacksonville, OR: Teddy Abrams, the widely-acclaimed music director of the Britt Festival Orchestra has announced his departure at the end of the 2023 season in July.
Abrams first joined the Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) in 2013 as Music Director and this summer marks his 10th season with the orchestra. In those 10 years, […]
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 […]
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 […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce the first installment of Britt Presents music & comedy concerts for the 2023 summer season. The first of two season announcements, this group of shows features a wide array of musical artists, including first-time-to-Britt country artists Kelsea Ballerini and Elle King, plus returning artists Diana […]
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!
MEDFORD, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2023 season, anchoring Oregon’s Britt Music and Arts Festival with three weeks of exciting open-air programming in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director […]
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 […]
MEDFORD, OR — The Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023, with California reggae band Rebelution comes to the Britt stage August 27, along with Britt favorite, Iration, plus The Expendables, Passafire, and DJ Mackle. This will be Rebelution’s eighth appearance at Britt. Founded in Isla Vista, CA, Rebelution has followed their instincts since the release of […]
MEDFORD, OR — Britt is excited to announce that Pink Martini featuring China Forbes will perform during Best of Britt, an annual summer fundraising event benefiting Britt Education & Engagement and other Britt programs, on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Support your Britt Music & Arts Festival by joining us at Best of Britt, our annual fundraising […]
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 […]
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 […]
MEDFORD, OR — In its first full season since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit Britt Music & Arts Festival declares its 60th Anniversary season a giant success. Britt thanks its patrons, members, business partners, media partners, artists, and fans for coming together to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
MEDFORD, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce several more concerts for the 60th Anniversary Britt Presents season, adding more music and comedy performances to the previously announced lineup. This is the final announcement for the 2022 Britt Presents season, bringing the total number of concerts to 28. The announcement introduces […]
MEDFORD, OR — At this time, in line with other outdoor venues throughout the country, Britt Music & Arts Festival will no longer require masks, COVID testing, or proof of vaccine for our patrons at our outdoor venue in Jacksonville, Oregon. Masks are still optional. Ultimately, it is each patron’s decision whether or not to […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival announces its first installment of concerts for the 60th Anniversary 2022 season this summer. The first of two season announcements presents a broad array of musical artists, including a return visit by ZZ Top, jazzy pop singer-songwriter Norah Jones, electric blues band Blues Traveler, a night of […]
Britt Music & Arts Festival announces the selection of a new President and CEO. The Britt Board of Directors is excited to introduce Abby McKee, who will become the new head of operations at Britt beginning May 1, 2022. After eleven years, current President and CEO, Donna Briggs, is retiring.
“Abby is the right leader for […]
Featuring New Commission from Sebastian Chang & Star-Spangled Guest Artists
MEDFORD, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2022 60th Anniversary summer season, anchoring Oregon’s Britt Music and Arts Festival with three weeks of exhilarating open-air programming in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the 2022 season opens […]
MEDFORD, OR — In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) in 2022 and in recognition of Teddy Abrams being honored with Musical America’s 2022 Composer of the Year Award, Britt Music and Arts Festival will establish a $500,000 Britt Festival Orchestra Fund. The fund will be used to support the […]
After 11 years with Britt Music and Arts Festival, I will retire soon, so this is my last “News from the Hill” column. With approximately 110 columns (about 11 a year) under my belt, you’d think I might have run out of things to say. Yet that hasn’t […]
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy is based on a simple musical theme, yet it has magic beyond words! It not only grabs the heart, but its message represents everything humanity should stand and fight for!
Did you feel the joy? There was so much to […]