The Hot Springs Music Festival brings together hundreds of international musicians each year to Hot Springs, Arkansas. During the festival June 3 to 16, around 200 international musicians will present 20 concerts and more than 250 free open rehearsals.
“We have at least one concert every day,” said festival director Todd Cranson. "There is a concert every evening for two weeks.”
A goal of the event is to make sure classical music is and remains relevant to people today by making the music easily accessible to a wide audience range. Central to the festival is a mentorship program, which pairs world-class musicians with pre-professional apprentices. The two groups play side by side throughout the festival.
The event brings in over 100 young musicians on the cusp of entering their professional careers.
“We are going to be doing plenty of Bach and Mozart and Beethoven but we are also going to be doing some new things that today’s classical musicians are doing,” said Cranson.
The festival takes place in a variety of venues around Hot Springs including art galleries, hotel ballrooms and historic buildings.
The schedule highlights a variety of musical options. Among these are opening day festivities (June 3) that showcase a brass ensemble outside on the steps of the Arlington Hotel. The Cassatt String Quartet will be playing in the evening in the ballroom.
A new event on Saturday June 9 features a free concert down Bathhouse Row. The concert is led by Rick Robinson, a longtime bassist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and will progress from Buckstaff Bathhouse to the Superior Bathhouse.
There is also a concert on June 14 that stars young musicians.
Detailed concert and program information is available at www.hotmusic.org or calling 501-623-4763.
For more information about top events in Arkansas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Arkansas.