BMC Concert Series features Broadway, bluegrass and The Beatles

The start of the 2023 Brevard Music Center Summer Festival – running June 3 through Aug. 19 – is fast approaching. In addition to inspiring symphony, opera and chamber performances, the acclaimed summer music festival has curated a world-class gathering of artists to headline its BMC Presents non-classical series of concerts including Bryan Sutton, Branford Marsalis, Patti LuPone, Tommy Emmanuel and Béla Fleck, plus a symphonic tribute to The Beatles. Primary summer festival performance venues include BMC’s open-air, lakeside Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium and the new Parker Concert Hall, as well as the Porter Center at Brevard College. For tickets, which start at $24, visit www.brevardmusic.org or call the BMC Box Office at (828) 862-2105.

“BMC Presents concerts which not only expose our audiences to an exceptional offering of musical genres, instrumentalists and singers, but also offer BMC students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see, perform with, and be mentored by legendary performers like Bryan Sutton, Patti LuPone, Branford Marsalis and Béla Fleck,” said Mark Weinstein, president and CEO of Brevard Music Center. “We must also extend our deep thanks and gratitude to our sponsors and partners: Hampton-Inn Brevard (BMC Presents Series), Drs. Joanne and Tom Parker and The Robinson-Hill Humanitarian Fund (Legendary Artists Series), and Mountain Song Productions (co-producer of Sutton, Emmanuel, and Fleck concerts). Without their enduring support, BMC could not bring the highest quality of artistry and excellence to our stages – and our classrooms – each season.”

•Saturday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. the Music Center welcomes back iconic guitarist Bryan Sutton for his second annual North Carolina Guitar Celebration produced in partnership with Mountain Song Productions. This celebratory BMC Presents concert at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium not only highlights the culmination of Mr. Sutton’s 2023 Blue Ridge Guitar Camp, but also honors the 100th birthday of one of North Carolina’s most legendary guitarists, Doc Watson. Special guests include: Darrell Scott, Sierra Hull & Justin Moses, Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse), Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Dom Flemons, Jon Stickley, Ed Helms (“The Office” and “The Hangover” movies), T. Michael Coleman, Jack Lawrence, Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers), Courtney Hartman, Marcel Ardans, Matt Munistari, Jake Eddy and Woody Platt.

•Friday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m., internationally-acclaimed saxophonist Branford Marsalis makes his BMC debut in a nearly sold out concert at the Porter Center, Brevard College. BMC Presents: Branford Marsalis with Jazz @ Brevard features Marsalis – accompanied by an all-star group of Jazz Institute faculty and students – in a swinging night of beloved tunes and timeless standards. In addition to his concert appearance, Marsalis will conduct private workshops and masterclasses with Jazz Institute participants during his stay in Brevard.

•Saturday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. three-time Tony winner Patti LuPone makes her own BMC debut during an unforgettable opening weekend of performances. BMC Presents: Patti LuPone features the artist on stage at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium in a concert that shares her lifelong love affair with Broadway through indelible interpretations of classic Broadway show tunes by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and other great composers. A passionate proponent of arts education, LuPone will welcome the 2023 Janiec Opera Company of BMC on stage during this concert, as well as conduct a private masterclass with JOC’s emerging young singers during her time in Brevard.

•Tuesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m., Revolution: The Music of the Beatles (A Symphonic Experience) extends BMC’s opening weekend of celebration and brings to life the greatest songs of the Fab Four. BMC Resident Conductor Ken Lam leads the Brevard Sinfonia in a BMC Presents symphonic tribute – featuring hits such as “Penny Lane,” “Hey Jude,” “All You Need is Love,” and more – that will have you dancing on the lawn and in the aisles of Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium.

•The richness of world-class artists and instrumentalists continues in July as BMC Presents: Tommy Emmanuel – Sunday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m., produced in partnership with Mountain Song Productions. The real-time exuberance that this multiple GRAMMY-nominated guitarist brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious.

The 2023 Brevard Music Center Summer Festival season closes with the Béla Fleck’s Blue Ridge Banjo Concert, Saturday, Aug. 19, at 7:30 p.m., produced in partnership with Mountain Song Productions. Curated and hosted by 15-time GRAMMY winner Béla Fleck, this BMC Presents concert at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium is not only the culmination of Fleck’s 2023 Blue Ridge Banjo Camp at BMC but also a celebration of “all things banjo.” Special guests include Tony Trischka, Kristin Scott Benson, Adam Larrabee, Greg Liszt, Mark Schatz, Casey Driessen, Casey Campbell and Bryan McDowell.

TICKETSIndividual tickets for all 2023 BMC Summer Festival performances are available for purchase at www.brevardmusic.orgtickets or by calling (828) 862-2105. The box office at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium – on the Brevard Music Center Campus at 349 Andante Lane – is now open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until June 22. From June 23 through Aug. 6, the BMC Box Office is open from Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to intermission, and Sundays from noon to Intermission.

Lawn tickets are available for all performances at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. All lawn patrons must have a valid ticket. With a valid student ID, students 18 and older may sit on the lawn free of charge. Children 17 and under may sit on the lawn free of charge with a paying adult. Children and student tickets are available for $15 for children 6-17 years of age.Students 18 and older receive a 50% discount for tickets inside Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. Children under 6 are not permitted inside Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Parker Concert Hall or at Scott Concert Hall at the Porter Center. please note, discounted lawn tickets for students and children cannot be purchased online. Please call the Box Office at (828) 862-2105 for tickets. Complimentary and discounted tickets for students and children are not available for Opening Night, Season Finale, Bryan Sutton, Patti LuPone, Revolution: The Music of the Beatles, Tommy Emmanuel, Audra McDonald and Béla Fleck.