Explore the higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians and look for some of the area’s most exciting birds. Expert guide Aaron Steed will help you look for the many species of warblers, vireos, and hard-to-identify Empidomax Flycatchers in higher elevations in spring. Other higher elevation breeding birds include Common Raven, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and Red-breasted Nuthatch

In this entirely field-based class led by Naturalist Scott Dean, you will learn to identify native mountain flora on the trail, training your eyes and using a non-technical dichotomous keying system. Study the characteristics of plant families and the basics of plant communities all in place. While the focus is on summer wildflowers and trees, you will also pick up a wealth of information on the natural and cultural history of the flora of the Blue Ridge.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Willy Wonka is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone’s sweet tooth.

Shipwrecks! Betrayals! Romance! Mistaken identities and switcheroos! Magic! A tipsy sea monster! This Shakespearean comedy has everything!

Rehearsals for “The Tempest” will be from 11am-4pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting June 13, and performances will be July 1-3 and July 8 & 9.

Asheville Area Arts Council funding helps support Moppets after-school program

Taught by Artistic Director Ashleigh Goff and veteran Moppet Eli Hamilton, the class is our first-ever partnership with the City of Asheville. Students in the after-school program are learning basic theater skills and building their self-confidence in a fun and welcoming environment. The program will culminate in a showcase performance for the students’ peers and families.

“One of our overarching goals is to introduce more kids to classical theater, wherever they are,” Moppets Executive Director Rachel Cort said. “This funding helps us to take a big step toward that goal. We are incredibly grateful to the Asheville Area Arts Council for supporting the Moppets and aspiring young actors in our community.”

Build and decorate an individual sandcastle to put on display in the library and/or take home. Registration is required (please register each child separately. Limit of 25 children))

Did you know our staff had a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn what kind of wildlife inhabits the Park and their important roles in the ecosystem. Some of our best teachers have feathers, fur, shells or scales!

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Dates: July 11 – 16, 2022
Application: Available now through MyBMC
Cost: A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets. Spots are limited and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students, faculty, and summer staff for the 2022 season. Please see our FAQ page for more information.

Program Summary

Brevard Music Center (BMC) presents The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programming, a six-day intensive seminar and think-tank on orchestral programming intended for professionals and influencers in the orchestral field. Presented by Brevard Music Center in partnership with Bard College, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the South Dakota Symphony, the University of Michigan School of Music, and Project Director Joseph Horowitz, The Brevard Project takes place July 11-16, 2022. The central goals of The Brevard Project are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire.

Curriculum

The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programing complements Brevard Music Center’s week-long “Dvořák’s Prophecy” festival from July 11-16 and is inspired by Joseph Horowitz’s acclaimed new book Dvořák’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. Part think-tank, part seminar, this inaugural Project gathering equips practitioners and scholars alike to begin to answer questions about the dense nexus of culture and race, of historical, political, and moral reckonings surrounding the story of American orchestral music. The central goals of this program are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire. The Brevard Project is designed for conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and engaged orchestra Board members.

Moving forward requires a fresh and closer look at our musical past – and to the lagging formation of an American symphonic canon. A new narrative of American classical music will be proposed that explores timely and topical issues that impact present and future orchestral programming. Why did our repertoire remain so stubbornly Eurocentric? What can we learn from this history? What can be mined from the treasure trove of long-hidden indigenous and Black music that can help to pave the future?

Classroom sessions will be highly interactive, drawing upon first-hand accounts of humanities-infused approaches to programming and community engagement. Topics of exploration include creating a “new paradigm” for American orchestral repertoire, rethinking the concert experience, and redefining the role of the music director. Participants will be challenged to envision programming and organizational initiatives to promote symphonic events grounded in the American experience, past and present.

The Faculty

A remarkable faculty has been assembled for this groundbreaking exercise.
*virtual participant

Joseph Horowitz, Project Director
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony; Founder, Bard Festival and The Orchestra Now
Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University
Mark Clague, Music Historian, University of Michigan
JoAnn Falletta*, Music Director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Gibbs*, Music Historian, Bard Conservatory; Artistic Co-Director, Bard Festival
Delta David Gier, Music Director, South Dakota Symphony
Blake-Anthony Johnson, CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta
Keith Lockhart*, Artistic Director, Brevard Music Center
Douglas McLennan, Founder/Editor, ArtsJournal
Jason Posnock, Chief Artistic Officer, Brevard Music Center
Jesse Rosen, Former CEO, League of American Orchestras
Larry Tamburri, CEO, Newark School of the Arts (former CEO, Pittsburgh and New Jersey Symphonies)

The Performers

Lara Downes, Pianist, producer, arts advocate
Sidney Outlaw, Baritone/pedagogue, Ithaca College
George Shirley, Tenor/pedagogue, University of Michigan

Enrollment Information

Conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and Board members are all encouraged to apply for The Brevard Project.

Capacity is limited. A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets for the week. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply now through MyBMC.

The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Willy Wonka is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone’s sweet tooth.

Taught by herbalist Michelle Bouton, this herbal intensive onsite at the Arboretum encourages us to remember the excitement and mystery of getting to know a plant. Move beyond the field guide for a heart-centered approach to plants, engendering reciprocal relationship as practiced by earth medicine-based cultures. Starting with gratitude and balance results in powerful medicine! We will explore ethical considerations of planting and harvesting and how we can support resilience of at-risk species in our area before diving into into hands-on medicine-making together.

Presenter: Pat Strang and Joyce Tromba, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers

This is an in-person program, held at The Learning Garden. You will learn about the plants that are easiest to grow and cultivate for natural dyes. You will have hands-on experience with collecting the plant matter, making the dye bath, and then dying samples of various fibers using weld, one of the heritage dye plants. In addition to the sample fibers, you will also dye a cotton napkin to take home.

Registration: Registration is required. To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited. Please click on the link below to register. If you encounter problems registering or if you have questions, call 828-255-5522.

This event is free, but a $5 donation is requested.

2022 Season will offer Rootabaga Express! on Thursday and Saturday mornings at 10:15 am. Celebrate 100 years of Rootabaga this summer! Published in 1922, the “Rootabaga Stories” have entertained readers and audiences of all ages for 100 years. Use the links at the bottom to read a story or watch part of a play. The Sandburg Summer Stage is a series of free public performances. These 30-minute programs feature the cast and directors from The Vagabond School of the Drama, an apprentice program of the Flat Rock Playhouse. Performances are held rain or shine, at the park amphitheatre near the Front Lake. Rootabaga Express! Carl Sandburg created his own version of American fairy tales when he published Rootabaga Stories (1922) and Rootabaga Pigeons (1923). He replaced the European fairy tale cast of princes, princesses, castles and kingdoms with icons American children would recognize — taxi-drivers, movie actors, skyscrapers, prairies and automobiles. Rootabaga Express! brings the stories of the Five Rusty Rats, Bimbo the Snip and more to life.You’ll meet new characters and journey farther into the Village of Liver and Onions and Sandburg’s imagination than ever before.The 30-minute shows are appropriate for all ages and held rain or shine. These shows are supported by the Flat Rock Playhouse and the Park Store, operated by America’s National Parks. Apprentice actors from the Flat Rock Playhouse have performed adaptations of Sandburg’s works for park visitors since 1974. Using Sandburg’s own words from his collections of children’s stories, poetry, collected music, biography of Abraham Lincoln and his own autobiography, the performances provide visitors with a sense of the scope of his work and imagination. Sandburg was an expert storyteller, and easily wove important messages of fairness, empathy and social justice into his writings. Whatever play you are able to attend you will walk away with a smile on your face and a better understanding of the legacy of Carl Sandburg.

No shows June 30 and July 2.

Join us at Eliada Home’s campus for a small group guided walking Farm Tour. Tours last approximately 1 hour. Participants will learn about outdoor and greenhouse growing practices, aquaponics, hydroponics, market gardening, corn maze production, and learn about our Animal Therapy program.

We will be meeting at the PARC building and walking to the different greenhouses, garden site, and a visit with our animals. Reservations required, tickets are $10 each visitor (to be collected at the time of the tour).

We recommend bringing the following: comfortable shoes for walking on pavement and grass, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.  This tour is not handicap accessible and will require participants to climb stairs and walk on uneven ground.

We will begin out tour promptly at the starting time, so please arrive 5-10 min early to allow for parking and check-in. If you are running late or cannot make your tour, please email [email protected] or call #828-348-2287.

All proceeds from ticket sales from your farm tour go directly back to helping the Campus Farm Program grow more food for the children of Eliada!

Click above photo to sign up for a time slot and number of people in your group. Payment for tour will be collected when you arrive. Cards accepted.

This tour is best suited for school age children ages 10+ and adults.

We’ll fill you with laughter and wonder as we meet the world’s only acrobatic goldfish, mis-make a mermaid and narrowly avoid becoming a shark snack … we will even shoot a real life pirate out of a real life cannon! It’s guaranteed to amaze, amuse, engage and enthuse the whole family!