SYMPHONY FOR NATURE
The Britt Orchestra at Crater Lake
A stunning half-hour documentary about the world premiere of “Natural History,” the powerful new composition by Michael Gordon inspired by and performed at Oregon’s breathtaking Crater Lake.
The original score, commissioned by the Britt Music & Arts Festival in honor of the centennial of America's National Park Service, was performed by a diverse ensemble that included the Britt Orchestra, regional choristers, brass and percussion, and the Klamath Tribe drum group Steiger Butte Singers, conducted by Britt Orchestra Music Director Teddy Abrams.
Focusing on the dynamic interaction between this extraordinary musical experience and the spectacular setting, the documentary artfully portrays the sound, vision, and spirit of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Check local PBS listings or watch the full program here.
Director: Anne Flatté | Executive Producer: Owsley Brown
Presenting PBS Station: Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV)
Running Time: 26:46 Minutes
A co-production of Owsley Brown Presents and Britt Music & Arts Festival
Copyright © 2017
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Michael Gordon
COMPOSER
Michael Gordon is an American composer and co-founder of the Bang on a Can festival and ensemble. His music merges subtle rhythmic invention with incredible power, embodying, in the words of The New Yorker's Alex Ross, "the fury of punk rock, the nervous brilliance of free jazz and the intransigence of classical modernism." Over the past 25 years, Gordon has produced a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging from large-scale pieces for high-energy ensembles and major orchestral commissions to works conceived specifically for the recording studio.
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![Teddy Abrams, Music Director]()
Teddy Abrams
MUSIC DIRECTOR
An unusually versatile musician, Teddy Abrams is a widely acclaimed conductor, as well as an established pianist, clarinetist, and composer. Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Classical Festival, he also serves as Resident Conductor of the MAV Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, which he first conducted in 2011. An accomplished pianist and clarinetist, Abrams has appeared as a soloist with a number of orchestras - including playing and conducting the Ravel Piano Concerto with the Jacksonville Symphony in fall 2013 - and has performed chamber music with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, Menahem Pressler, Gilbert Kalish, Time for Three and John Adams, in addition to annual appearances at the Olympic Music Festival. Dedicated to exploring new and engaging ways to communicate with a diverse range of audiences, Abrams co-founded the Sixth Floor Trio in 2008. -
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Eleanor Parks
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Creative and strategic in equal measure, our marketing director brings fresh ideas to every campaign. They turn insights into action and help our message resonate with the right audience. -
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Karl Holland
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, our customer service manager ensures every interaction is a positive one. They keep communication clear, timely, and human.
Director and Producer Anne Flatté | Executive Producer Owsley Brown | Director of Photography Stephen Kertis | Camera Casey Chalmers, Josh Mauser, Brett Marshall, Lauren Veen | Editor Jeff Boyette | Location Sound Recordist Richard Fleming | Featuring Teddy Abrams, Michael Gordon, Mark Knippel, Taylor Tupper, Larry Smith, John Kloetzel, Gabriel Lefkowitz, Jordan Curcuruto, Magali Gray, Adam Lion, Jackie Jackson, Jennifer Evans | Voiceover Taylor Tupper, John Henry Litten | Voiceover Sound Recording Chris Purcell, Greg Paul | Sound Design and Mix Mark Escott, Phoenix Sound Design | Britt Concert Sound Recordist and Mixer George Relles | Story Consultant Tom Shepard | Consulting Producer Dan Hamby | Production Coordinator Tina Tom | Photograph Restoration Mariah Parker | Archival Photographs Britt Music & Arts Festival, National Park Service, Old Oregon Photos, Peter Britt Collection, Southern Oregon Historical Society, Peter, Britt & Son, Fred Kiser, Kunselman and Gerking, Edward S. Curtis, Howard C. Tibbitts | Archival Footage Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon, Videoblocks | Script Sources Shaw Historical Library
Music “Natural History” © 2016 Red Poppy Music, LTD | Composer Michael Gordon | Music Director & Conductor Teddy Abrams
Britt Orchestra Members
Flute Leslie Fagan (principal), Molly Barth, Lew Sligh | Oboe Joey Salvalaggio (principal), Anna Hendrickson, Jennifer Weeks | Clarinet Andrea Levine (principal), Benjamin Adler, Marci Gurnow | Horn Jeff Garza (principal), Johanna Yarbrough | Trumpet Conrad Jones (principal), Kevin McKee, Joan Paddock | Trombone James Decker (principal), John Bartlett, Mike Becker | Percussion Chad Crummel (principal), Chris Riggs, Joel Panian | Violin Gabriel Lefkowitz (acting concertmaster) Debra Akerlund, Dawn Posey, Caroline Slack, Anne-Marie Chubet, Bruce Colson, Nicki Payne (principal second violin), Maria Semes, Sarah Peters, Michael Blaney, Karen Meikle | Viola Eliseo Rene Salazar (principal), Amelia Clingman, Emma Votapek, Jenny Massey | Cello Naomi Barron (principal), Meredith McCook, Ruth Marshall, Ida Mercer | Bass David Anderson (principal), Mark Bergman, Robb Aistrup, James Karrer
Steiger Butte Singers RoseMary Treetop, Taylor Tupper, Gilbert Jackson, Bill Jackson, Sr., Joyce Jackson, Lil Bill Jackson, Jr., Joel Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Byron Jackson, Sam Wilson
Community Musicians
Brass Ensemble Kirk Smith, Conductor | High Brass Aaron Kahn, Bruce Dresser, Brad Hogarth, Rhett Bender, Jenifer Knippel, Hope Erickson, Steve Davidson, Daniel Chavez, Tony Hayes | Low Brass Jacob Caster, Talon Smith, Dave Hoxie, Sean McKee, Eric Knox, Tim Kasdorf, Zachary Gifford, Troy DeShazer, Nick Ivers | Percussion Terry Longshore, Jared Brown, Kevin Younker, Joseph Howe, Adam Lion, Jordan Curcuruto, Nelson Cornejo, Tyler Willoughby, Joseph Tierney, Eric Retterer Chorus Laurie Anne Hunter (rehearsal conductor), Joelle Graves (chorus coordinator) | Sopranos Melodee Adams, Muriel Ames, Katie Anderson, Dee Marie Broyles, Connie Fisher Crooks, Ruth Engle, Beth Gibson, Kathryn Gordon, Joelle Graves, Catherine Hansen, Marian Horton, Shira Mendes de Leon, Lora Painter, Erin L. Scott, Bailey Snelgrove, Deanna St. Martin, Christine Williams| Altos Joani Bristol, Julia Curiel, Sharon Dady, Valerie Darby, Kristy Denman, Carol Doty, Jana Hogan, Laurie, Anne Hunter, Judy Kloetzel, Linda Morris, Kelly Nuss, Marjorie Overland, Nancy Purdy, Clancy Rone, Jeanie St. Germain, Susan Ward | Tenors Ralph Dady, Cori Gibson, Lee Greene, Roger Graves | Bass Jim Gleaves, Steve Haskell, John Kloetzel, Don Matthews Mike Morris, Mark Sievert, Eric Smith, Brian Tingle, Gary Ward
Britt Music & Arts Festival Staff Donna Briggs, President & CEO, Mark Knippel, Director of Artistic Operations
Britt Board of Directors Mike Burrill, Jr., Chairman of the Board
Southern Oregon Public Television, Station Relations Mark Stanislawski, Brad Fay, Linda Pinkham
Special Thanks The Entire Britt Staff, Crater Lake National Park Staff, Craig Ackerman (Superintendent), Britt Society Volunteers, Friends of Crater Lake Volunteers, Don Gentry, Jeannie McNair, Gail Ochoa, Devery Saluskin, The Klamath Tribal Council, George Lopez, Josh Neckels, Mike Gantenbein, Jeremy Holmes, Philip Wilder, Albert Imperato, Julia Wolfe