The Seasons Fall Music Festival, a weeklong celebration of classical, jazz and latin music will debut with a concert by saxophonist Eric Alexander and his New York-based Quartet on Friday, October 10 at 7:30 PM. This will be the first of nine straight evening concerts that make up the third Seasons Fall Festival. Stars to be included include: The Finisterra Trio, Bill Mays, Ernestine Anderson, Jovino Santos Neto, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, and Tierney Sutton.

Pat Strosahl, President of the Seasons Music Festival (the non-profit organization that programs the festival), says, “This is by far the most important festival we’ve staged in our three years of operation. It has internationally recognized performers every single night, an astounding educational component, and the sense of collaboration and intermingling of musical ideas that characterize the best festivals worldwide.”

Strosahl says the each night will be an event in its own right which will include dinner/appetizers, winemaker-of-the-day, and often an “Afterglow” gathering for artists, donors and interested others.

Special events include a Red Carpet Opening Night Celebration, a Birthday Party with surprises (Monday, Oct 13 is the exact third anniversary of the first performance at The Seasons), and Latin Jazz night (Friday, Oct 17) to be opened by the YVCC Jazz Band!

The Festival includes two specially commissioned works:
“Cradle Song: A Love Story in One Scene” A Chamber Opera composed by international opera composer Daron Hagen to be debuted Sunday, October 12 at 4 PM and “Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite” arranged by Bill Mays for combined classical and jazz ensembles to be performed on Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 PM.

The education component of the festival will reach middle and high school students from around the valley, tribal students, college students from YVCC and CWU, the general public, and a selected group of the best post graduate composition students from around the nation, who will seminar for an entire week with Composer-in-Residence Daron Hagen. The Yakima Symphony and The Finisterra Trio (Artists-in-Residence) will read and perform selected student works at various times during the festival.

The latest information can be found on their website at: www.seasonsmusicfestival.com

Category:
Seattle Jazz