Jul 12 Sunday
Celebrated conductor Vinay Parameswaran leads the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra for “Highways & Harmonies,” an evening celebrating the open road through music. The program opens with Caroline Shaw’s sparkling Entr’acte, followed by a special performance of Michael Daugherty’s Songs of the Open Road featuring Festival Artists Kelly Mozeik (oboe) and Jacob Wilder (horn). From the windswept cliffs of California’s Big Sur to the sun-soaked highways of Key West, each movement paints a vivid musical journey across America’s landscapes. After intermission, the orchestra performs Mozart’s regal Symphony No. 39, a work of elegance, grandeur, and timeless beauty.
Please note: This concert includes a pre-concert talk (beginning at 2:00 pm) with guest conductors to add color and perspective to your concert experience.
Jul 13 Monday
Join the 2026 LEAD Cooperative Arts Administration Fellows as they talk about lessons learned from the Festival.
Wintergreen Music partners with The Nature Foundation at Wintergreen in this second of two special event collaborations. Embark on a serene journey through the woods, where each step invites you to find solace within the mountain trails. Join your Nature Foundation guides, Artistic Director Erin Freeman, and Festival Artists Alison Hall (violin) and Johanna Beaver (viola) as you connect with nature’s meditative side.
Trail point and logistics to be shared after ticket purchase. Hike level: beginner to moderate. Advance purchase required; space is limited.
Jul 14 Tuesday
Join photographer John Plashal of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to experience a unique photographic journey through the beautifully decaying rural places within our state with which so many Virginians have become fascinated. Mr. Plashal has commemorated these abandoned gems by capturing their beauty and delivering them to you in a presentation full of powerful imagery and emotional stories. Experience the “unseen” side of Virginia with all of the houses, churches, schools, asylums, diners, and secret societies that have been “frozen in time” and now documented and photographed in Mr. Plashal’s coffee table book titled “A Beautifully Broken Virginia.” This talk is sure to satisfy your curiosities and captivate your imagination with exploration tips and photography advice. ” Appreciate them now . . . for soon they will be gone . . . but still, they stand . . . beautiful . . . but broken.”
Jul 15 Wednesday
Join Wintergreen Music Artistic Director Erin Freeman as she chats about two epic concertos: Florence Price’s first Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s third Piano Concerto. From different continents, backgrounds, and eras, you’ll find that these two concertos are actually sister compositions.
The piano plays a central role in this exciting evening of Romantic-era chamber music. From the folk inspired trio for the unusual combination of Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano by Russian composer Mikhail Glinka to the sweeping lines of French composer Gabriel Fauré’s first piano quartet. Arched in the middle is the second of our 2026 Brahms’ cello sonatas, a tour de force as much for the cellist (Hannah Holman) as for the pianist (Jason Wirth).
Jul 16 Thursday
In her signature, inviting way, Artistic Director Erin Freeman will be tour guide through this most joyful and uplifting of symphonies by Johannes Brahms.
Expect the unexpected in this program that features strings, brass, and woodwinds from the jazzy sounds of Jeff Scott’s Startin’ Sumthin’ to the pleasant, nature-inspired woodwind quintet by Amy Beach. The true surprise is the sextet by Beethoven—blending a string quartet with a pair of french horns creates a hunting-trip-meets-concert-hall feel. Perfect for our return to Bold Rock Hard Cider!
Jul 17 Friday
Join Wintergreen Music guest artist Desirée Roots as she explores the rich traditions of jazz and gospel.
Sure to be a highlight of the summer, our third MountainTop Masterworks led by Robert Moody features the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra in three distinct musical expressions. Anchored by Brahms’ sunny and joyful second symphony, the concert also features the first violin concerto by American composer Florence Price, performed by celebrated artist Rachel Lee Priday. The concert opens with Tracing Visions by Wintergreen Music’s Composer-In-Residence Valerie Coleman. This work weaves a narrative that highlights the connection between community and musical expressions—a fitting piece for Wintergreen Music!