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JPR Classics is a place to come for all things classical in the State of Jefferson. We'll honor our rich classical heritage while looking to the future, showcasing inspired performances by the next generation of classical musicians. The classics live on JPR!

Yefim Bronfman Headlines 2016 Britt Classical Festival

Pianist Yefim Bronfman

Britt’s 2016 Britt Orchestra season begins early, with two days of concerts at Crater Lake National Park on July 29 and 30, featuring a world premiere commission by Michael Gordon that is inspired by the Park.The season continues with three weeks of concerts at the Britt hill in Jacksonville, Oregon, with highlights including headlining guest pianist Yefim Bronfman performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a collaboration with Oregon Shakespeare Festival company members that celebrates music inspired by Shakespeare and songs from recent OSF productions, the critically acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, a performance of Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection), and a world premiere commission by Russian-American composer Lev Zhurbin.

Music Director and Conductor Teddy Abrams says, “When we perform at Crater Lake, we’ll be combining setting with music in a powerful, meaningful way. We do that on the Britt hill on a smaller scale; the setting and music are so intertwined. The Crater Lake Project inspires and influences the whole Britt Orchestra season, and the big works we are presenting invite us to think about how we present our world in music.

The Britt Orchestra 2016 season includes seven programs at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville. Additional highlights of the season include violinist Ray Chen, who will perform Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto; the return of the popular Symphony Pops concert, featuring Oregon’s own acclaimed jazz singer Halie Loren; a performance of Amber Waves of Grain, by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe; Copland’s Third Symphony; San Francisco-based composer Mason Bates’s Anthology of Fantastic Zoology; and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony will feature soloists Celena Shafer (who returns to Britt after being featured in Carmina Burana in 2015), and Lauren Eberwein, along with a 100-piece choir formed by members of the Rogue Valley Chorale and Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, under the direction of Chorus Master Dr. Paul French.

The 2016 season also includes a series of free children’s concerts in Britt’s Performance Garden. Seven engaging and interactive mid-morning concerts will be offered. The concerts will be created by Gabriel Globus-Hoenich and Jenifer Knippel, who return after leading a popular Britt children’s concert in 2015. More information on this series will be announced later this spring.

As FM Network Program Director and Music Director, Eric oversees many aspects of JPR's broadcast day. He still hosts the occasional Open Air or classical music shift, and is the driving force behind JPR Live Sessions - our popular series of live in-studio music performances and conversations.