News From Britt Hill – February 2018

The 3rd Annual Valentine Day Gala benefiting the Britt Orchestra is coming home to Jacksonville! We have moved this popular event to the Bigham Knoll Ballroom.

The 2018 Valentine Gala will offer an intimate dinner with jazzy entertainment by vocalist Britney Simpson, Teddy Abrams on piano, and members of the Britt Orchestra. Guests will enjoy wine provided by Eden Vale Winery and bubbly provided by Wooldridge Creek. Thanks to Crown Jewel, a lucky attendee will take home a beautiful diamond. Tickets to the event are moving fast, so if you want a special night out with that special someone, this is the event of the season! Returning guests have been heard to say, “This is how we get our winter Britt Fix!” If you have not attended this Gala before, you do not know what you are missing.

The event is on Wednesday, February 14 starting at 6:00pm. The RSVP deadline is Monday, February 5. For reservations, please email: parvaneh.scoggin@brittfest.org.

This Orchestra Season, July 25-August 11, Britt is trying something new: the Pops concert will open the season. This concert will be held Wednesday, July 25, with a fun collection of “Classics in the Movies.” As in previous seasons, ticket prices for the Pops concert are lower ($20 reserved, $10 lawn) than other Britt Orchestra shows, making it easy for the whole family to attend.

For the second year in a row, Britt has lowered ticket prices for the Orchestra, and with the new expanded bench seats, we are now able to offer three price tiers for the Orchestra, with Premium Reserved seats for $45, General Reserved seats for $25, and $20 for lawn seats.

The 2018 program draws inspiration from the Bernstein Centennial, a world-wide celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, the composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian. Teddy Abrams and the Britt Orchestra will present music written, championed, and influenced by Bernstein, including Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome, Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra, Brahms’ Fourth Symphony, and Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.

As you can see from the 2018 Britt Orchestra schedule on this page, Teddy Abrams has once again brilliantly combined the traditional and valued works of the classical era with innovating and edgy works.

Speaking of innovation, stayed tuned for the first of three Live Performance announcements. On February 16th Britt will begin to announce the line-up for the full 2018 season. So, now is the time to join or renew your Britt membership and take advantage of early ticket sales before the general public.

We are off and running!

Britney Simpson Photo: Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Jenny Graham