(Smith-Rock | Photo by Rebecca Mikesell)
Picture a nine-foot Steinway piano on a flatbed trailer above Pine Marten Lodge on the flanks of Mt. Bachelor, backdropped by the historic sawmill at the High Desert Museum, or just off the second green of the Meadows Golf Course, horses in pasture beyond, their tails swatting to Chopin’s Second Sonata. Hunter Noack brings that experience to Central Oregon in the upcoming fourth season of IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild (IAL). Hunter and the IAL team start off the 2019 34-concert tour in Central Oregon with concerts running July 27-30 at Black Butte Ranch (Sisters), Cant Ranch (Dayville), High Desert Museum (Bend), and Sunriver Resort.
With support from Central Oregon Visitors Association, at least ten of the 34 concerts in the IAL 2019 tour will be in Central Oregon, in partnership with artists from Warm Springs. In addition to those mentioned above, Central Oregon concerts include Smith Rock State Park, PLAYA Arts & Science Residency, Fort Rock State Natural Area, Mt Bachelor near Pine Marten Lodge, on the Warm Springs Reservation and at three rural Central Oregon schools. On July 20 to 21, Wanderlust Tours of Bend is partnering with IAL for the first time to create a two-day tour on private land in Summer Lake that will include hikes, natural interpretation, overnight camping and meals prepared by a gourmet chef.
“We’ve nearly doubled the size of the tour, expanded our partner base, and extended the season to run from June through September,” said Executive Director Lori Noack who served as E.D. of the Sunriver Music Festival from 1998-2005. “This is definitely a group effort with our partners, funders, staff, and our dedicated board of directors who work endless hours helping us bring the vision to life. I have to also thank our audience,” says Noack. “Over 50 percent of them travel more than 50 miles to attend a concert, exploring Oregon’s endless natural wonders and the warm hospitality of our communities.”
“This project brings together two things I love most: classical music and the great outdoors,” said Hunter.
In April, Travel Oregon awarded IN A LANDSCAPE with the 2018 Oregon Tourism Development Award at the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism for “creation of an innovative program, promotion, or product that exemplifies best practices, sustainability and creative problem-solving.”
“We are especially excited by the fact that per stats we collect from our audience, almost 40 percent have never before attended a live classical music concert,” said Noack. “That’s unheard of in the industry and we believe it’s because we remove the barriers that keep people from finding out if they even enjoy classical music. IN A LANDSCAPE brings professional concerts to people in environments where they are comfortable. They can move around, eat, drink, fidget and feel the wind on their face while hiking, riding their bike on the dried lakebed, or sitting in their favorite camp chair watching the sun set. Nature has its own power that only enhances the experience and people find out that they love classical music!”
IN A LANDSCAPE was founded by Hunter Noack who has an active international career as a classical pianist, tours as a special guest with the Portland-based band Pink Martini and regularly collaborates with Oregon Ballet Theatre and Northwest Dance Project.
2019 Summer Schedule
June 28 Cant Ranch
June 29 High Desert Museum
June 30 Sunriver Resort
July 8 Mt. Ashland
July 13 Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum, Shaver Lake, CA
July 20 Wanderlust Tour to Summer Lake
July 21 Mt Bachelor
July 24 Smith Rock State Park
July 26 Sumpter Valley Dredge State Park
Aug 1&2 Government Cove
Aug 14 Kesey Farm
Aug 15 Baker Bay
Aug 16 Stimson Lumber Mill, Forest Grove
Aug 17 Lewis & Clark Timberlands managed by GreenWood Resources
Aug 18 Tillamook Forest Center
Sept 2 Stoller Family Estate
Sept 5 Warm Springs Reservation
Sept 6 PLAYA at Summer Lake
Sept 7 Fort Rock State Park
Sept 9 North Lake School
Sept 10 Paisley School
Sept 11 Smith Rock State Park
Sept 14 Alvord Desert
Sept 18 Wallowa Lake Lodge
Sept 19 Wallowa Lake State Park
Sept 20 Starbuck, Washington
Sept 21 Sacajawea State Park, Washington
Tickets: $25 regular ticket, varies by location. Reservations required.
IN A LANDSCAPE offers subsidized or free tickets to residents of each rural community in which it performs. IAL celebrates both classical music and the outdoors in experiences that are accessible to all, regardless of economic status, political affiliation, education or age. Register online via ticket link at inalandscape.org. No computer? Call 503-308-2921.