Pine Mountain Music Festival to feature local musicians in Upstart! concerts, talented singers in Opera concerts this week

MARQUETTE, HOUGHTON -- Pine Mountain Music Festival will present an Upstarts! concert at 7:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Monday, July 28, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church Chapel, 201 E. Ridge St., Marquette.

For Pine Mountain Music Festival's third UPstarts! season, soprano Tory Wood from Escanaba and violinist Carrie Dlutkowski from Atlantic Mine join pianist Susan Byykkonen from Calumet. This is the first time the festival introduces strings to the UPstarts! ensemble.

The UPstarts! concert series exemplifies the Festival’s philosophy to support emerging professional musicians. These concerts are designed to give young musicians from the Upper Peninsula a professional context in which to perform 7 to 10 concerts in a variety of venues and communities. Musicians in the recent years have included students from Juilliard, University of Michigan, Ithaca, and Michigan State.

Two more Upstarts! concerts are scheduled during the festival this week:

7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30: Falling Rock Café and Bookstore, Munising

7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 31: Portage Lake United Church, Houghton

Tickets for the Upstarts! concerts are $15, General, and $10, Student/Child.

Handel and Hoiby Opera Concert

Pine Mountain Music Festival will host two upcoming performances of the season's Handel and Hoiby Opera Concert: at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at Crystal Theatre, 304 Superior Ave., Crystal Falls, Mich., and at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, at Reynolds Recital Hall, Lee Hall Drive and 7th Street, Marquette.

Joshua Major will direct Cindy Sadler in Lee Hoiby's brilliant one woman show, The Italian  Lesson, based on Ruth Draper's monologue. Joseph Mechavich will provide the accompaniment for this captivating and charming opera.

The evening will also feature Lucy Thrasher, Anne Jennifer Nash, Holly Janz, Miles Mykkanen, and accompanist Joseph Mechavich in a special presentation of Handel arias directed by Joshua Major.

Tickets for these opera performances are $25, General, and $10, Student/Child.

Pine Mountain Music Festival is a classical music festival producing quality opera, symphony, chamber, and recital music in the Central and Western Upper Peninsula. The festival continues through Sunday, Aug.3. Click here for the calendar. Visit pmmf.org for more information.