(Photo courtesy of Sunriver Music Festival)
The Sunriver Music Festival will be celebrating its 48th season this year in 2025. Leading the show for his fourth consecutive year is Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Mitchell. Mitchell’s career has carried him to stages across the country, from being the music director for the Pasadena Symphony, to his role as conductor in the Nashville Symphony, among many other exploits.
This year, Mitchell plans on taking guests of the Sunriver Music Festival on a journey through time, touring different nations and showcasing their classical music taste to audiences young and old. “First and foremost, I’ve always come at music as a fan. Who couldn’t?” said Mitchell. “Especially when it comes to showcasing music to an audience. If I’m not totally wrapped up in and invested in the experience, how can I expect the audience to be invested?”
Looking at the early inspirations that influenced his taste in music, Mitchell said his first love was Jazz, which his grandparents helped expose him to. Then from his parents, classic artists like Billy Joel, Elton John and Simon and Garfunkel. “The 70s acts were a bit before my time, but it’s what my parents were listening to when I was growing up,” he said.
Then, Mitchell recalls some early classical records and how they stood out from other records in his house because of the names and cover art. Aside from records at home, he recalls cassette tapes in his dad’s car that showed him the beauty of The Nutcracker.
Mitchell has always approached Classical music, like all music, as a fan, following a philosophy that good music is good music, regardless of genre. He explained his choices for the Sunriver Music Festival by comparing his role to a DJ putting together a setlist. “They really are just setlists that I plan out six to nine months in advance because of all the logistics and moving pieces,” Mitchell said. “It really is that similar, in that we’re both trying to put together a list of musical tracks that create a certain emotion or vibe during the concert. It’s about taking that emotion you feel while listening and being able to project that feeling to an audience to take them on a journey.”
The 2025 Summer Festival will feature four classical concerts, one pops concert, a brilliant solo piano recital and a family concert. Featured artists include pianist Stewart Goodyear, cellist Mark Kosower and Festival concertmaster/violinist Yi Zhao. The Festival will also welcome a 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition medalist. Mitchell’s philosophy behind the four classical concerts (A French Soirée, The Classical Tradition, The Leipzig Connection and Vienna Waits for You) are all designed to take guests on a cultural journey, experiencing some quintessential pieces from various cultural hotspots of Classical music.
Mitchell spoke about the difficulty (and the honor) that comes with selecting only a handful of tracks to represent potentially hundreds of years of Classical tradition, but he’s done so with grace. The concerts he has planned provide a taste of different styles and eras from within each region, providing guests with some classical they’ll hum along to, along with newer or lesser-known selections that help showcase the diverse sounds and styles that have influenced each region.
When asked about how to balance music for fans old and new, Mitchell compared his show to a Billy Joel concert. “It’s no different,” he said. “You’re gonna get some classics that the fans love like We Didn’t Start the Fire and Uptown Girl, but you’re also going to get some newer pieces, something that showcases what they’ve been working on recently, or how their sound has evolved.”
Continuing, he said, “Truth be told, old fans and new fans will be able to enjoy all of it. Whether it’s your first time or 100th time, a classic is a classic and music is one of those art forms that everyone can enjoy with almost no experience in the study of it.”
Lastly, Mitchell spoke about the Central Oregon venues that will hold this year’s summer festival; The Tower Theater and Sunriver’s Great Hall. He said that the venue for any show is incredibly important, as, just like with any concert, every part is part of the experience. Aside from the music itself, the venue, the lights, the setting and every other aspect all add to the overall experience. “The Tower Theater is one of these venues that feels intimate but still boasts a decently large audience,” he said, “and after travelling for years and playing in countless concert halls, there really is nothing quite like The Great Hall. I’m very honored to be able to add to the history of these venues and I’m looking forward to seeing them once again.”
The 2025 Summer Festival will run from August 2-13. Check the Sunriver Music Festival website for more info.
