The Sun Valley Summer Symphony School of Music celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Anniversary celebrations will kick off with an honors recital on Sunday, May 2, at 4 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey.
The performance is free and open to the public and families are welcome. This concert will feature top students from the School of Music who auditioned to earn a spot on the program. Soloists from all disciplines are represented and the advanced chamber orchestra and advanced vocal ensembles will also be featured.
Sun Valley Summer Symphony Music Director and conductor Alasdair Neale will be at the performance and will present the first annual "Carol Nie Outstanding Music Student Award." The award will honor a School of Music student who was nominated and selected by a panel of faculty and symphony board members.
This annual award was created in honor of Nie, founder of the School of Music. A $1,000 monetary award that can be used by the student for musical studies accompanies it.
Other events will include a faculty and guest-artist concert and the performance by current students and alumni of a musical work for strings, voice and piano commissioned to commemorate the school's 10th anniversary. The piece will be composed by local musician, composer and School of Music vocal coach and accompanist Jim Watkinson. Neale will conduct the premier of the piece at the Sun Valley Summer Symphony's family concert on Aug. 14.
