A new chamber music festival is in the works for Fayetteville next year.
The new event, called Ozark Music Festival, will include a series of concerts along with educational and training programs for classical musicians, officials said.
The concerts will take place beginning in June of 2025.
The group behind the event will be dubbed the Ozark Musici Initiative, and will be led by Tomoko Kashiwagi, Associate Char at the University of Arkansas Department of Music, and Brittany Cooper d’Orsay, Executive Director of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program.
“Chamber music has the special ability to bring people together and foster a sense of belonging and community. I’m excited about expanding chamber music programming in NWA, enriching our already thriving music scene with its diverse and engaging offerings” Kashiwagi said.
The new event is patterned after the Hot Springs Music Festival, which Cooper D’Orsay has been previously involved with as a board member and alum.
According to a press release about the new initiative, Hot Springs Music Festival alumni have become professional musicians in many leading symphonies including Cleveland, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Hong Kong and Toronto, to name a few. Alumni have attended numerous leading Schools of Music including Juilliard, Eastman, New England Conservatory, and Manhattan School of Music. The hope is for similar success with the new initiative.
“As someone who grew up in the Ozarks and credits much of my professional success to the Hot Springs Music Festival, I cannot wait to offer this incredible programming to aspiring musicians and the Northwest Arkansas community” Cooper-d’Orsay said.
The festival will invite 20 professional classical musicians to participate, along with 100 talented college-aged musicians for a two week training and performances.
More information about the event will be released as the event gets closer. For more info or to get involved, visit ozarkmusic.org.
