ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY
The Arts Council
of Big Sky is bringing another summer of Music in the Mountains to Center Stage
in Town Center Park in Big Sky, consisting of 15 events between June 20 and Sept.
5. These include 12 Thursday night concerts, the ninth annual Big Sky Classical
Music Festival and a performance from Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. All of
these performances are free and open to the public.
“I think this
season will raise the bar for live music in Big Sky,” said Brian Hurlbut, executive
director for the Arts Council. “We feel we have the best concert series in the region
and this year is no exception. We have some great national acts as well some
up-and-coming homegrown talent.”
For the third
year in a row, the series will kick off with the annual Big Sky Soul Shine
event on June 20, featuring cosmic folk band Futurebirds from Athens, Georgia,
and local group, Dammit Lauren and the Well, and will conclude with a regional
favorite, Pinky and the Floyd, who will bring its all-star Pink Floyd tribute
show back to Music in the Mountains for the second year in a row.
Those
performances will bookend a variety of performances and genres, appealing to
all tastes, from blues to classical, Americana to funk and soul. The full
schedule includes Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams on June 27; the Tiny Band on
July 4, complemented by the region’s best fireworks show; The Commonheart on
July 11; Orgone on July 18; Hayes Carll on July 25; Marcia Ball on Aug. 1; Town
Mountain with special guests Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs on Aug. 8; Mt. Joy
with special guests Upstate on Aug. 15; Honey Island Swamp Band on Aug. 22; and
Ron Artis and the Truth on Aug. 29.
In addition, the ninth annual Big Sky Classical Music
Festival with special guests Angella Ahn, Jonathan Gunn and Dallas Brass will
take place Aug. 9-11, a free performance of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks
will be held in the park on Aug. 19, and the fourth annual Mountainfilm in Big
Sky event will cap the summer Sep. 13-15.
The music takes place at Center Stage in Town Center Park,
one of the best outdoor venues in the state, right in the heart of Big Sky. The
park opens at 6 p.m. each week and there will be food and beverage vendors, and
an arts activity tent for kids. Music typically starts at 7:15 p.m., but reference
the Arts Council web site for additional details.
These free community concerts have been a staple in Big Sky
for more than 10 years, and this summer should add to a lengthy list of
established artists that continue to thrill Big Sky artists.
“We couldn’t put on a concert series like this without the generous
support of the entire community,” Hurlbut said. “It’s a huge part of why Big
Sky is an amazing place to be in the summer.”
