STAUNTON — This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Staunton Music Festival, which runs Aug. 11−20 in Staunton.

Multiple concerts daily make for an exhilarating immersion in chamber, vocal, and symphonic music.  Most days, there are one-hour, free admission programs at noon. Afternoon and evening concerts come alive with longer, ticketed concerts preceded by informal talks.

Each year, Staunton Music Festival's artistic director, Carsten Schmidt, orchestrates an eclectic and compelling combination of programs, spanning centuries of exceptional music — from the Middle Ages to commissioned premieres.

This year, expect everything from the complete Brandenburg Concertos on period instruments, to a Mozart Extravaganza, and even a late evening “nightcap” concert with Broadway show tunes. Over the course of the ten days, you’ll have the chance to listen to nearly 100 beloved masterworks — from Buxtehude to Beethoven and Berio all the way to Victoria and Wagner.

The festival brings renowned performers from all over the world to Staunton to put on a 10-day and nights of music.  From violinists like Nicholas DiEugenio, Antti Tikkanen and Minna Pensola, to harpist Sivan Magen to lute player Paul Holmes Morton, from clarinetist Igor Begelman to trumpeter Kris Kwampis, and from Bass-Baritone Jonathan Woody to Soprano Molly Quinn.

In addition to the dozens of returning artists, several guest artists make their debut with the festival this year. For example, the 2023 season features Swedish composer-in-residence Anders Hillborg and new to SMF cellist Alberto Parrini. See all the artists here.

Downtown Staunton transforms into a vibrant streetscape during the festival, filled with a heady mix of European performers and stage crew carrying instruments and moving between rehearsals and performances and downtown coffeehouses. If you look up, festival-goers may notice special festive celebratory red banners atop the city’s light poles commemorating the 25th season.

Opening days of the festival

On the festival’s opening night, countertenor Daniel Moody leads an outstanding ensemble in a staged production of Handel's opera Orlando. The new production is designed by Timothy Nelson, the much-lauded artistic director of INseries Opera (Washington DC).

On the second night, the audience is invited to get into the act by dressing up in 1920’s-era finery, for a splendid reimagining and re-interpretation of the famous modernist gathering at the Hotel Majestic in Paris in the 1920’s with a world premiere arrangement of Stravinsky's "Petrushka."

On August 14th, at the Blackfriars Playhouse, Happenstance Theater (Washington DC) presents a witty jab at 18th-century high society, filled with physical comedy and timely satire. BAROCOCO is a collaboratively devised ensemble work in which actors portray oblivious entitlement on the brink of extinction, flaunting 18th century finery, wigs, panniers, gestural styling, elaborate ornamentation and the excesses of Rococo.

And that's just the beginning. See all the events here: https://www.stauntonmusicfestival.org/events

Historic instruments

Staunton Music Festival takes great pride in presenting works within accurate historical context. All music composed before 1850 is performed on period instruments (original and replica) by professional musicians highly trained in historical traditions of interpretation and style.

For instance, the production of Handel’s Orlando on Friday, August 11 will utilize a small ensemble of gut-stringed instruments, Baroque bows, period horns and winds, and harpsichord. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are considered among the pinnacle of Baroque composition, and all six of these beloved masterworks will be performed exclusively on historic instruments during the festival's final weekend.

Collectively, the Festival and the performers at the festival have an impressive and unique collection of both period instruments and modern historical replicas — from violins to horns to keyboards. It’s been said that SMF has one of the most significant collections of historic pianos, fortepianos, harpsichords, and organs that are currently used in performance on the East Coast. SMF’s collection includes both original instruments and historically accurate replicas. While Bach, Mozart, and Schubert can sound fabulous on today’s instruments, the experience of hearing such repertoire on the historical instruments for which it was composed can be a revelation. The annual Early Keyboard Extravaganza concert (Tuesday, August 15) is always an audience favorite, where the spotlight shines on these extraordinary instruments.

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased via a discounted season pass, or individually by performance. Special pricing for seniors, military, students and youth. Price varies from free to $35.  All events are completely free to youth aged 18 and under, through generous support from festival sponsors. See online box office for details. https://www.stauntonmusicfestival.org/events

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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton Music Festival in Virginia begins 25th season