local

Author: Press Release Posted by: David Elliott
Publication date: March 6, 2023

The tenth season of the Ad Astra music festival will take place on Friday, July 14 at St. John Lutheran Church, where festival favorite and Victorian native Matthew Piatt will join San Francisco-based soprano singer Elisa Sunshine. Opening with a recital.

Following the success of last year’s musical The Fantastics, the festival will feature Broadway veterans Julie Fordesi and Trey Ellett, leading a cast that includes Russell native Nathan Hilger, Stirling University students Mary Little and Noah. Two performances of “Next to Normal” will be performed together. Svati with 2023 Hayes High School graduate Seth Tripp. Performances will take place July 15th and 16th at the Russell Elks Lodge.

On its second weekend, the festival ventures into the avant-garde with its mid-century modern production, Stimmung. Written by German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen using six voices and electronics, the work explores space, sound and connection and will be helmed by co-artistic director John Irving. On Saturday, July 22nd, the festival continues with the annual Jazz at the Barn featuring Russell native Brad Dawson at Granny His Mae’s Barn. To wrap up the second weekend, audiences can experience the Kansas premiere of 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning Navajo composer Raven Chacon’s “Mass Without Voice.” Written for organ, string quartet, clarinet, flute, and percussion, it features festival-going violist and Kansas City Symphony Orchestra member Julius Adams.

Ad Astra concludes its tenth season with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at St Mary’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church, the largest project to date. A full orchestra, choir, and soloists perform this celebrated piece with a new Kansas-themed text by Katherine Trischman. Conducted by Ad Astra’s first conductor, Anna Lenti, with soloists Caitlin Mattson, who played Trudy Fernie in the world premiere of Our Trudy at the Playriesta, and the Metropolitan Opera in April. They were joined by Kyle Van Schoonhoven, who debuted on Audiences can hear Beethoven on his Friday 28th July and his Sunday 30th July.

Alex Underwood, founding artistic director of the Ad Astra music festival and from Russell, said: “We wanted to be ambitious for the 10th season, especially as we’re trying to get out of the post-pandemic funk. There’s something you can enjoy too.Jazz,”

For more information or to participate, please visit the Ad Astra website at www.adastramusicfestival.org. Tickets go on sale from his June 15th.

(Information provided by Ad Astra Music Festival)