July 9 -August 8, 2021
Don't miss one of the top summer music festivals in the country - with concerts under the stars in a beautiful mountain setting! Each summer, the Brevard Music Center presents a big variety of 100+ events and performances during a 10+ week span while students from around the world gather at their campus. The BMC Summer Festival includes an exceptional line-up of symphony, opera, chamber, pops, jazz, country, bluegrass, and folk concerts. Their Artistic Director is Keith Lockhart, also Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops.
As one of the country's top summer music schools, the Center's 500 gifted young musicians perform alongside an artist faculty from world-renowned orchestras and universities - plus some well-known headliners. Concerts are held at multiple venues on campus and in Brevard. Their campus is about 34 miles southwest of downtown Asheville.
In 2021, enjoy a dazzling array of concerts and events, the inaugural season of their Parker Concert Hall, and a celebration of Beethoven's 251st birthday (missed the 250th in 2020). Be delighted with orchestra, chamber, opera, and jazz performances over four weeks and five weekends, concluding with the Season Finale on Sunday, August 8th.
Two perennial audience favorites return. The rousing Fourth of July concert features live cannons and Pendergrast Patriotic Pops. Their "night at the movies" this year presents "Hollywood Under the Stars featuring the Music of John Williams", offering 2 different performances. John Williams did the music for Jaws, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T.. Richard Kaufman will be the guest conductor on this performance.
Here's just a sampling of their season:
Opening Weekend
- Friday, July 9: Opening Night: A Beethoven Celebration with Keith Lockhart and Anne Akiko Meyers playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto.
- Saturday, July 10: Mozart Symphony No. 40 with Keith Lockhart and violist Jordan Bak
- Sunday, July 11: BMC Presents (TBA)
Beethoven @ 251: A “Festival Within A Festival”
In 2021, BMC will be part of a global celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 251st birthday with a season-long exploration of masterworks created or influenced by the master composer. This “Festival Within A Festival” pays tribute to Beethoven’s legacy with symphony, chamber, piano, and opera.
Opera
Three fully staged operas include Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, and Leigh-Wasserman’s Man of La Mancha - plus a recital of Opera’s Greatest Hits and a very special Evening of Cole Porter. All operas are staged at the Porter Center (on the Brevard College campus) and complemented by English supertitles above the stage.
Subscription and Ticket Information
Tickets to Brevard Music Center’s Summer Festival go on sale June 1, 2021, and start at $20 for lawn tickets. We recommend paying extra for covered, reserved seating in case of rain and for better sound (prices vary depending on concert). Lawn seating is free for children under 17 (with a paying adult) and students 18 and older with a valid ID. Many performances will be presented free of charge. Many concerts will sell out, so get tickets in advance.
For tickets and concert information, go to their website or call 828-862-2105. Parking is free.
Brevard Music Center is one of the few organizations of its kind that owns and operates its own physical facilities. The BMC campus encompasses more than 150 buildings spread over 180 beautiful mountainside acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Arrive early to picnic by the lake. Or picnic on the lawn adjacent to the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium during a show. Bring your food or buy snacks, beer, hard cider and more at their concessions stand.
From Asheville: Allow 45 minutes to drive. GPS: 349 Andante Ln, Brevard. Take I-26 E to the Asheville Airport exit, #40. Turn right off the exit onto Highway 280 and drive 16 miles into Brevard. As you approach downtown Brevard, you will see directional signs to the Music Center. For their complete schedule, go to their website.
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