Castleton, VA (June 29, 2015) — For the first time ever, the Castleton Festival will be live streaming all major performances—from operas to symphonies to Jazz at Lincoln Center—beginning with Roméo et Juliette, Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m. This groundbreaking access makes the Castleton Festival the first mid-Atlantic classical summer music festival to bring all of the performances to the world stage of the internet. All the performances will be streamed directly on the homepage (www.castletonfestival.org) and are free of charge. A complete streaming schedule is below.
Over a million viewers worldwide are expected to tune in for the 2015 Festival Season. The video feeds will be produced by an 8 person crew, with 5 cameras shooting in HD and mixing on state-of-the-art equipment. Performances will be available on-demand after the conclusion of the show run, accessible in the “Watch and Listen” tab of the Castleton website. Roméo et Juliette and L’heure espagnole will have English supertitles. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg’s sold-out lecture on Saturday, July 11 will be also be streamed for free, underlining the deep commitment of the Castleton Festival to education.
While Western classical music has experienced dwindling attendance and sales in the US and Europe, there’s been a dramatic rise of interest and resources devoted to it in Asia. “The Communist Party, which three decades ago tried to wipe out classical music, now deems it an essential component of the ‘advanced culture’ it vows to create in its effort to make the country a true great power.” (The New York Times, 2007) Two Chinese organizations, the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing and the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai, will be partnering with Castleton for its July 12 tribute to Maestro Maazel. This brings the expected total viewership up to six million for this one performance.
The media team responsible for the Castleton live streams has produced documentaries, music videos, live concerts, reality shows, and corporate and promotional videos. They are an award-winning crew with Emmy Award nods and Sundance Film Festival credits.
Director Michael Philip Davis is in his third season at Castleton, and was personally chosen by Maestro Lorin Maazel to be the video director at the Castleton Festival. His varied career includes work as video director, stage director, tenor, author, and producer. Davis had stage directed over 17 productions in the US and Europe, including the world premiere of Puccini & Coppola’s La Coupe et les Lèvres (Kaye Playhouse).
Justin Kulovsek, Director of Digital Content, and Maggie Ness, Creative Content Producer, round out the team with extensive experience in digital development and the arts. Together, they operate Nesek Digital, a boutique firm specializing in social media, video, and digital content.
STREAMING SCHEDULE
Roméo et Juliette
Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m.
All American Band Concert
Saturday, July 4 at 3 p.m.
Law in Opera with Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg
Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m.
L’heure espagnole (The Spanish Hour) & Scalia/Ginsburg
Saturday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Sunday, July 12 at 2 p.m.
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 with Alessandro Taverna & Brahms: Symphony No. 2 with Fabio Luisi
Sunday, July 19 at 2 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Academy All-Stars with Wynton Marsalis
Saturday, July 25 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 26 at 3 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Saturday, August 1 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, August 2 at 3 p.m.
All performances will be streamed live, weather and technological issues permitting. This service is sponsored by Castleton Festival and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
The Castleton Festival is distinct among other festivals because of its combined roles as a producing entity, a modern performance venue, and, most importantly, a mentoring program for young artists and theatre professionals through the Castleton Artists Training Seminar (CATS). This unparalleled seven-week program identifies exceptional operatic talents and brings them to the next level of accomplishment through comprehensive training with leading professionals in their field. To date, more than 300 young artists have benefited from the Festival’s CATS program. The 2015 Festival will include the classic opera Roméo et Juliette, Thornton Wilder’s beloved Our Town, symphonic concerts, chamber music, vocal recitals, and the world premiere of Wang’s comic opera Scalia/Ginsburg. Visit www.castletonfestival.org for a complete schedule and visitor information.
Cutline:
The Castleton Festival will provide live streaming all major 2015 performances, starting with the opening performance on July 3 of the Romeo et Juliette opera conducted by Principal Conductor Rafael Payare. Visit castletonfestival.org for more info and to tune in.
