Brevard Music Center is a classical

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

and festival held annually located in

Brevard, North Carolina Brevard ( ) is a city and the county seat of Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the 2010 census. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and has become a noted tourism, ret ...

. It has been the home to their international summer institute and festival that enrolls about four hundred students, age fourteen and older, who participate in orchestra and other large ensembles, an opera program, play chamber music, study composition, and take private lessons. A faculty of sixty is drawn from orchestras, conservatories, and universities. The season runs from the last week of June through the first week of August. Other than classical music, Brevard Music Center hosts contemporary music, bluegrass and popular artists, concerts, and frequent appearances by

Keith Lockhart Keith Alan Lockhart (born November 7, 1959) is an American conductor. He is the Conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra, and the Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Keith Lockhart, the conductor, is the brother of ...

, Ken Lam, and a variety of soloists. With an annual budget of more than three million dollars, the Center contributes substantially to the economy of western North Carolina.

History

The Brevard Music Center began life in 1936 as a summer music camp for boys at

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

. The founder, Davidson faculty member James Christian Pfohl, led the program for seven years at Davidson and one season at Queens College in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. In 1944 Pfohl moved the program to its present location in

, and he instituted a festival of concerts in 1945. The name "Brevard Music Center" was adopted in 1955. Pfohl remained artistic director until 1964, when he was succeeded by Henry Janiec of

Converse College Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...

, for whom the opera program is named. Janiec was succeeded in 1997 by conductor David Effron.

became the Artistic Director in October 2007. Brevard Music Center has 6 ensembles: Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Sinfonia, Concert Orchestra, Festival Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, and New Music Ensemble.

Facilities and Venues

Brevard Music Center currently contains four performance venues on the campus. The largest one is the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, an outdoor hall with 1,800 seats, hosts more than eighty public concerts. Other than Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Brevard Music Center contains Thomas Hall and Straus Auditorium used to hold large ensemble rehearsals, studio classes, and chamber performances by students. Brevard Music Center also performs at Scott Concert Hall Porter Center at

Brevard College Brevard College is a private college in Brevard, North Carolina, United States. The college grants Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degrees. History Brevard College was named for Ephraim Brevard, a teacher and one of ...

for theater and opera productions. Parker Concert Hall, containing 400 seats, opened its first season in 2022 where Brevard Music Center Chambers concerts held by BMC faculty are performed. The Music Center, as it is known colloquially, also partners with the Transylvania County Library for a number of free public events.

Brevard Music Center Summer Institute

Brevard Music Centers hosts an international summer festival enrolling about four hundred students fourteen years older and above with a faculty that consists of professional musicians that come from across the country. The Brevard Music Center offers instruction in orchestral instruments, piano, composition, voice, jazz, and opera. Brevard Music Center contains two divisions of college and high school where both divisions orchestral students perform in many of the festival's ensembles. Both divisions also perform and rehearse chamber ensembles for both string and winds. Two-thirds of the student body is college age or older, and all students and faculty live on the wooded campus of .

Alumni

Famous alumni include countertenor David Daniels,

Boston Pops The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

conductor

, violist Roberto Diaz, president of the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

, and

Gianna Rolandi Gianna Rolandi (August 16, 1952 – June 20, 2021)Bordello, Enzo (June 20, 2021)"Gianna Rolandi 1952–2021" '' Parterre Box''. was an American soprano. She was based at the New York City Opera (NYCO) and enjoyed a 20-year national and internatio ...

, internationally known coloratura soprano, who became Director of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago after retiring from the stage.

References

External links