OK Mozart festival brings classical, pop artists to Bartlesville

OK Mozart festival brings classical, pop artists to Bartlesville

By Rick Rogers
Fine Arts Editor

BARTLESVILLE — In the coming weeks, the powdered wigs will be taken out of storage, the harpsichord will be tuned, the program booklet will be printed and travel arrangements will be made.

It's all in preparation for the 23rd edition of the OK Mozart International Festival. The nine-day event, scheduled in and around the Bartlesville Community Center, will take place June 8-16.

The roster of musical guests is impressive, a mix of classical heavyweights and pop celebrities. The 2007 festival will feature pianists Leon Fleisher and Anne-Marie McDermott, bassist Edgar Meyer, guest conductor JoAnn Falletta and pop veterans Jimmy Webb and Mason Williams. Amici New York will return as the festival's orchestra in residence.

The 2007 season kicks off June 8 with an outdoor family concert that will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display. June 9 will feature "A Night With Jimmy Webb.” The multiple Grammy Award winner and native Oklahoman will perform his hit songs including "By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” "Galveston” and "MacArthur Park.” In collaboration with Vince Gill, Webb also wrote the Oklahoma Centennial anthem, titled "Oklahoma Rising.”

Jiyoung Chung, winner of the 2006 OK Mozart/Oklahoma Israel Exchange Young Artists Piano Competition, will perform June 10. Philadanco!, a popular dance ensemble based in Philadelphia, will celebrate the centennial of the Osage Nation along with the centennial of statehood. Among their offerings are "Southern Landscapes” and "Gate Keepers,” stories that pay homage to and celebrate the accomplishments of Oklahoma's early settlers.

The McDermott Trio will be joined by Fleisher for an evening of chamber music June 12. Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic in New York and the Virginia Symphony, will make an encore appearance June 13. She'll lead the Amici New York Orchestra in a program that will feature Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite. Meyer will be the soloist in his Concerto No. 1 for bass and orchestra.

The OK Mozart festival welcomes native Oklahoman Mason Williams for an evening of nostalgia and bluegrass June 14. Joining Williams will be the Byron Berline Band.

The annual Woolaroc concert is scheduled June 15 and will feature the Amici New York Orchestra conducted by Joel Levine, music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Levine will offer an eclectic program that will feature Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Chabrier's Espana, Sibelius' Finlandia, Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture and selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!”

Fleisher returns for the grand finale concert June 16. The program will feature Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 242, Jerod Tate's "Indian Spirit at Mesa Falls,” Beethoven's The Creatures of Prometheus Overture and Sibelius' Symphony No. 1 in E minor.

In addition to the evening concerts, the OK Mozart festival will present a weekday chamber music series at Bartlesville High School. The talents of noted musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will be spotlighted in these morning mini-concerts. The programs typically focus on contemporary music. Afternoon chamber concerts offer familiar repertoire by composers including Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Brahms.

OK Mozart visitors can also attend a wide range of showcase events during the festival. These programs range from walking tours and lectures to craft demonstrations and historical discussions.

Tickets to OK Mozart concerts and showcase events are being sold online at www.myticket

office.com or by calling (918) 336-9800. In-person ticket sales are handled at the festival box office, 550-A S Dewey. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Ticket prices range from $25-$50 for evening concerts and from $7-$22 for chamber music programs. Student ticket prices range from $5-$30. Many showcase events are free or have minimal fees.