Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 10, 2006 By Donald Lind For the Tidings Photo Illustration by Scott Steussy Major recording artists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvis Costello, Styx and others will headline the 44th annual Britt Festival this summer. The two-month event, spanning from June 9 to Sept. 3, will feature classic and current rock, country and pop, classical music and performances by well-known and local artists. More than 42 acts in all will appear at the event. For the second year in a row, the Britt Festival will expand beyond its traditional place at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville. Three acts will be held at the new Lithia Motors Amphitheater in Central Point at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. Skynyrd will perform at the Amphitheater on Aug. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Also performing at the Amphitheater are Rob Thomas, with special guest Jason Mraz, on July 9, at 7 p.m., and Carrie Underwood on July 31, at 7:30 p.m. Many different styles of music will be presented at the festival. Everything from disco with Donna Summer to folk with Gordon Lightfoot, to more socially conscious beats with Michael Franti and Spearhead and many more will be on hand. Other major acts appearing at the festival this year include Blues Traveler, Chicago, Cake, Linda Ronstadt, Hall and Oates, Arlo Guthrie and the Guthrie Family Legacy Tour Hootie and the Blowfish. Jazz performer and composer Chris Botti, who was born in Portland and grew up in Corvalis, will perform Aug. 21. The festival will also feature performances by dance companies Noche Flamenca, Lingo dance theater, and Tony Waang’s Tap City. The festival will run a Classical Festival from Aug. 4 through 20, featuring the Britt Festival Orchestra as directed by Peter Bay. The orchestra will be joined by major solo artists, including Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn, pianist Jon Nakamatsu and violinist Sarah Chang. When the festival first began in 1963, it featured strictly classical concerts. It soon expanded with more diverse acts with the addition of a modern pavilion in 1978, and steady growth that has allowed for access to bigger names since 1989. Those that have performed at the Britt Festival over the years include: James Brown, Bill Cosby, John Denver, LeAnn Rhimes, Heart, Olivia Newton-John, ZZ Top, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr and His All Star Band. “Once we get bands to come, they keep coming back,” said Sara King Cole, a marketing specialists at the Britt Festival’s main office in Medford. She said that since Jacksonville is located between major cities like San Francisco and Seattle, the festival provides for a good stop-over while on tour. In addition to the music festival, the Britt Institute will hold a series of camps over the summer dealing with classical and jazz music instruction. For more information, please visit <www.brittfest.org>. The Britt Festival is the first outdoor music festival to be held in the Pacific Northwest. It was formed by conductor John Trudeau on land that was once owned by gold rush era pioneer Peter Britt. Britt, born in 1819 in Switzerland, came to Jacksonville by way of Illinois, in 1852. He had a skill for horticulture and photography; he is credited with taking the first photograph of Crater Lake, planting the region’s first fruit trees and opening Southern Oregon’s first winery. The Britt Festival attracted 80,535 people in 2005. It is a non-profit event that is budgeted around $3 million and benefits the community with an estimated $10 million. The Britt Pavilion is located on First Street in Jacksonville, three blocks up from the town center. It can seat 2,200. The Lithia Motors Amphitheater holds 1,900 reserved seating and an additional 4,000 on the lawn for general admission. For more information on the 2006 Britt Festival or for ticket information, please call (541) 773-6077, or 1-800-882-7488, or fax at (541) 776-3712. Tickets and information are also available at the Britt Institute main building at 216 E. Main St. in Medford, or online atwww.brittfest.org. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Ceramic Piggy Banks Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Mailing Lists Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hammocks Water Filter Custom Made Computers Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams