Theresa Britt launches first Fredericksburg Summer Music Institute, June 23-27

Violinist Theresa Britt will realize a goal she set when she moved to Fredericksburg in 2010 as she hosts the inaugural Fredericksburg Summer Music Institute, a week of free concerts and classes, June 23-27.

When Britt, executive director of the Fredericksburg Community Orchestra, arrived in the city, she had three goals: to create a teaching studio, revive the community orchestra and start a string camp that would draw instructors and students from around the world. She has accomplished all three, she said, with the institute as the culmination. The week will bring together 80 string faculty, soloists, advanced students and local musicians for a series of five free community concerts.

“I am excited to bring a mentoring experience to the newest generation of professional musicians like the festivals I attended while in college,” Britt said. She said visiting students would return to Fredericksburg for years to come, and that audiences would see chamber music and an orchestral performance unlike any staged in the city before — what she called the most intimate symphonic experience an audience might ever have.

The series opens at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, with the Trio Aurora and String Faculty Concert at St. Joseph’s Halle. Trio Aurora features Fagner Rocha on violin, Daria Miskiewicz on cello and Eun Mi Lee on piano, with artist faculty members Fiona Shea, Stephanie Westney, Jennifer Clark and Mark Morton also performing.

The week continues June 24 with Woodwinds and Brass at the Rockbox Theater, June 25 with Soloists in the Spotlight at St. Joseph’s Halle and June 26 with a chamber music program at the Rockbox Theater. The institute closes June 27 with its “Summer Music in the Hills” symphonic finale at St. Joseph’s Halle. All concerts begin at 7 p.m.

General admission is free but must be reserved in advance at fbgsummermusic.com. A limited number of reserved front-row seats are available for $25, and free street parking is available.

For more information, visit fredericksburgorchestra.com, email info@fredericksburgorchestra.com or call 830-998-0057.