One year ago, Mozart on the Green was started by popular demand for more classical music in the Athens area, and this year the second annual event is looking to bring the same packed crowds as it did the first time around.
Monday through Friday will feature hour-long performances from guest artists, while Saturday’s performance will feature students who have been practicing all week.
Students from Ohio University, local high schools and across the state come to the festival to learn from professional guest teachers and OU faculty.
The university has paired itself with the Juniper Chamber Music Festival in Utah in order to help bring in the kind of talented professionals they were looking for.
“Our goal is to bring more fun to classical music to audiences that don’t normally get to hear the kind of quality in Athens that you would in New York City,” said Michael Carrera, director of the Juniper Music Festival.
Steven Huang, the festival’s director, called on his old friend Carrera because the two festivals had similar goals of making classical music more accessible, and a partnership benefited both of them.
For Huang, it was all about bringing quality music back to the community of Athens.
“I chose the name Mozart on the Green because I wanted to choose a mascot for the festival that the musicians could relate to,” Huang said. “So what we are trying to do is introduce the idea (of Mozart's compassion) to the students and to the community … So instead of thinking about classical music as something serious that you have to get dressed up for, we are trying to make it very casual.”
Every performance during the week is free and while suits and tuxes might be the expected garb, performers will instead don casual business khakis or summer dresses.
This festival serves a dual purpose as a recruitment opportunity for the university. High school students are exposed to the beauty of the campus and the kind of talent present at OU.
Audiences are also encouraged to come up and talk to the performers after the show as a way of becoming more accessible to classical music. However, there might be a wait because last year every seat was filled for every performance.
The professional artists are also excited to be at the festival. Pablo Mahave-Veglia, the associate professor of cello at Grand Valley State University, tours the country playing solos and ensembles and is one of the guests artists teaching and performing this week.
“Last year I didn’t know what to expect … I found a really great community of performers and teachers and students,” Mahave-Veglia said. “It would be majestic to be in a town that size and be able to go down the street and hear a concert on the lawn outdoors … It’s really hard to find.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
