No need to bring a lawn chair or bug spray this year. Join us in town at the Deines for a relaxing evening of jazz standards and libations. Russell native Brad Dawson leads his KC Jazz friends in a set list featuring tunes by Davis, Gershwin, Monk, Porter and more. You won’t find a better combo of music and friends on a Saturday night.
To cap our tenth season, we’re presenting our largest-scale project to date. The large orchestra and chorus will perform this famous work with a new Kansas-themed text by Catherine Trieschmann. Led by conductor, Anna Lenti, and accomplished soloists including Katelyn Mattson who played Trudy Furney in the world premiere of Our Trudy at Prairiesta, and Kyle Van Schoonhoven who made his debut at The Metropolitan Opera in April.
To cap our tenth season, we’re presenting our largest-scale project to date. The large orchestra and chorus will perform this famous work with a new Kansas-themed text by Catherine Trieschmann. Led by conductor, Anna Lenti, and accomplished soloists including Katelyn Mattson who played Trudy Furney in the world premiere of Our Trudy at Prairiesta, and Kyle Van Schoonhoven who made his debut at The Metropolitan Opera in April.
Our audience will hear the Kansas premiere (and winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music) of this groundbreaking work in the Cathedral of the Plains. This piece by Navajo composer, Raven Chacon, is written for flute, clarinets, percussion, organ, and strings and juxtaposes the stunning architecture with the jarring score.
Our favorite tradition remains. Russell native Brad Dawson leads his KC Jazz friends in a beautiful evening at Granny Mae’s Barn. Sip on hand-crafted cocktails, snack on popcorn, and enjoy each others company with a setting sun and a soundtrack by Brad and friends.
The festival presents Stimmung, a mid-century modern vocal work by German composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen. Tuning, translated to English, features six singers and six microphones around a campfire under the vast Kansas sky at night. The 75-minute avant-garde vocal work is semi-improvisatory and utilizes overtones to create an abstract atmosphere and soundscape. Artistic director, John Irving, leads this project.
Basking in the success of last year’s musical, The Fantasticks, this year we are pulling out all the stops for this brilliant, touching musical. Broadway veterans, Julie Foldesi and Trey Ellett join NYC-based Russell native, Nathan Hilger, Sterling College students Mary Little and Noah Svaty, and fresh Hays High graduate and Chicago-bound Seth Tripp tell this story of family, grief, and mental illness. This musical is rated PG-13.
SOLD OUT
Basking in the success of last year’s musical, The Fantasticks, this year we are pulling out all the stops for this brilliant, touching musical. Broadway veterans, Julie Foldesi and Trey Ellett join NYC-based Russell native, Nathan Hilger, Sterling College students Mary Little and Noah Svaty, and fresh Hays High graduate and Chicago-bound Seth Tripp tell this story of family, grief, and mental illness. This musical is rated PG-13.
We kick off our tenth season with Victoria native and pianist, Matthew Piatt, who coaches at San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. Piatt returns to Ad Astra with Elisa Sunshine, a San Francisco-based soprano.
Written during World War II in a prisoner of war camp, by French composer Olivier Messiaen, this work for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano was first performed by his fellow prisoners in the German camp. After last summer’s commission of Everyday People, the moving stories of Russell County’s World War II POWs inspired a performance of this famous piece of classical music. The Old Stone Church in Luray is the perfect atmosphere to hear Messiaen’s masterpiece.
For the festival’s big finish, the most performed work in the world, Handel’s Messiah. Alex Underwood leads a performance of this fantastic piece of music that everyone must hear live at least once in their lives. In true Ad Astra fashion, it will be semi-staged to play up the drama Handel instills in nearly all of his works. The choir of twenty will divide up the arias and sing all of the choruses to present the story of Jesus Christ in birth and life, death and resurrection, all in the beautiful St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
Continuing our love for new, 90-minute operas in English, and fresh off the heels of the commission of Our Trudy for Prairiesta, we are bringing Willa Cather’s 1905 short story to life. Premiered in 2013, this tragic opera tells the story of Paul, a teenager from Pittsburgh who is bored with his humdrum life, steals his father’s money to live the high-life in New York City. As the money runs out and his father is en route to New York, Paul sees no possible solutions. Detroit-based opera impresario, Danielle Wright will direct, Terrance Volden, who designed Our Trudy returns this season to design this opera, and Canadian conductor, Patrick Murray, returns to the festival to music direct.
A festival favorite, and the star of Our Trudy, Katelyn Mattson returns to give us another outstanding night of music. On the program is the premiere of a song-cycle and some of Katelyn’s favorite art songs.
The first musical produced by Ad Astra, but not a first for Russell. The Fantasticks, which opened Off-Broadway in 1960, is famous for being the longest-running musical of all time, for a total of 42 years. Beyond that, it’s a charming piece of boutique theatre focusing on two young people who grow up as neighbors and end up falling in love. Russell Community Theatre produced the show in the 1980s starring long-time Russell teachers Lori Davidson and the late Jim Balthazor in the main roles.
The first musical produced by Ad Astra, but not a first for Russell. The Fantasticks, which opened Off-Broadway in 1960, is famous for being the longest-running musical of all time, for a total of 42 years. Beyond that, it’s a charming piece of boutique theatre focusing on two young people who grow up as neighbors and end up falling in love. Russell Community Theatre produced the show in the 1980s starring long-time Russell teachers Lori Davidson and the late Jim Balthazor in the main roles.
Russell native and Ft. Hays State University Jazz and Trumpet professor, Brad Dawson, invites his Kansas City jazz buddies out to Granny Mae’s to serenade us while we sip drinks as the sun sets. The picturesque evening is such an audience favorite that we can’t help but to bring it back every year. A familiar-yet-diverse set list, Brad’s beautiful playing, a signature cocktail, and the sun setting on an inevitably too-hot day is just the right combination for a Saturday night.
John Irving leads the Ad Astra Chamber Choir, Russell Community Choir, and High School Honor Choir in an inspiring program celebrating the life of Kansas aviation trail-blazer, Amelia Earhart. A grand opening to begin this season of the Ad Astra Music Festival requires an uplifting figure like Ms. Earhart for the professional, educational, and community elements of the festival to center upon.
A perennial favorite, Russell-native Brad Dawson is back again with his colleagues from Kansas City to bring us an evening of jazz at Bickerdyke Park.
Russellites bring their special talents to the Prairiesta main stage for a chance to win $500 in Chamber Bucks. Join in the fun and show off your talents! Open to anyone in town for Prairiesta.
Free general admission.
Everyday People, a new play by Catherine Treischmann, is about people of Russell's past. The play is a dramatic yarn of Russell history and its six actors take the audience from ancient times through settlers and up to present day.
The Hometown Short Films were created by Russell High School students under the leadership of RHS alum and teacher, James Martin. They last about half an hour and will be shown at the Dream Theater Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Prairiesta. Grab some delicious concessions and check them out for $1, which goes directly to the Dream.
Our Trudy is the world premiere of a commission from the Ad Astra Music Festival. Trudy was a highly respected art teacher at Russell High School and a pillar of the Russell artist community until her death in 1991. Her life, though extraordinary, was riddled with tragedy. This opera explores the complexity of her human experience, allowing us to reflect on the complexities of ours.
Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 pm
Friday, June 11 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 12 at 7:00 pm
The festival's most ambitious undertaking to date is the commissioning of an opera about the life of beloved Russell High School art teacher Trudy Furney. Composer Anna Pidgorna and librettist Maria Reva draw from their time in Russell to create this anticipated work. This sneak peek provides a look at their creative process, complete with interviews and sketches. The preview culminates with a workshop performance of scenes from the opera, to be premiered in full at Prairiesta next year.
featuring
Trudy Furney | Katelyn Mattson-Levy, mezzo-soprano
Narrator | Dominic Aragon, baritone
Chorus | Alyssa Toepfer, soprano
Chorus | Janie Brokenicky, soprano
Chorus | Michael Davidson, tenor
Chorus | Patrick Graham, baritone
with
Anna Pidgorna, composer
Maria Reva, librettist
Austin McWilliams, music director
Sasha Hildebrand, stage director
Kevin Bourassa, opera scenes video editor
Trudy, Chorus
Narrator, Chorus
Trudy, Chorus
Trudy
High school students from around the world collaborate to perform a cappella pop and jazz arrangements in small groups. Over the course of two weeks, students led by industry professionals explore the style, trends, and approach of this genre. Tune in to be inspired by the next generation of musicians. Bringing this concert home, the Russell Community Choir sings the finale in the familiar virtual choir format.
featuring
Mixed High School Ensemble
Treble High School Ensemble
Russell Community Choir
with
Alex Underwood, director
Shelby Laird, director
Grace Currie, director
Words, by Anders Edenroth
Revolution, by Pinkzebra
Good Intent, by Kimbra, arr. MaryAnne Smith and Celine Durney
Sit Still, Look Pretty, by Daya, arr. Deke Sharon
Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler, arr. R. Nathaniel Dett
Ad Astra is committed to commissioning new music and performing works written within the last ten years. Desperately missing live musical interaction during our distancing, we reached out to composer Andrew Rodriguez to bring us together with his compositional voice and tech savvy and new media artist Xuan to bring the piece alive with her digital art. Watch the world premiere of Andrew's work, written for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano, and voice.
featuring
Tynan Davis, mezzo-soprano
Tammy Evans Yonce, flute
Kristin Pisano, clarinet
Negar Afazel, violin
Benjamin Cline, cello
César Cañón, piano
Ryan Pearson, percussion
with
Andrew Rodriguez, composer
Xuan, new media artist
My warmth, my gaze
(my warmth, my gaze)
These days,
sometimes,
so many hours spent
searching
(my warmth, my gaze)
(my words, my shape)
For years I’ve tried to find
memories
searching
(my warmth, my gaze)
(my words, my shape)
Memories as recent as yesterday.
Memories as recent as
a hundred years ago.
(my warmth, my gaze)
(my only wish, distancing yourself)
I remember picking out carnations,
I knew you when you were my age now,
I’m trying to not lose myself in thought,
For years I’ve tried to find my way back,
I’ve passed you half a hundred times by now,
I’m trying to not remember,
I knew you when you were my age now,
I believe you.
Tabernacle in dust,
this scattered inheritance
signal mirrors flickering,
distancing yourself
Tabernacle in dust,
this scattered inheritance,
crystalline glow,
my warmth, my gaze
Tabernacle in dust,
this scattered inheritance,
neighbors I never knew,
my only wish.
Tabernacle in dust,
this scattered inheritance,
myriad of me,
becoming dust, before long.
At the heart of the Ad Astra Music Festival, our young artist program provides undergraduate voice students with professional performance opportunities. We accepted four YAs during the first week of March, mere days before the pandemic upended our lives. Although we will not be able to meet them in person, we wanted to ensure a platform for their music. Curated by Katelyn Mattson-Levy, Young Artists at Home features our YAs sharing their voices from their own living rooms.
featuring
Elary Mede, soprano
Thereza Lituma, mezzo-soprano
Graham Brooks, tenor
Cole Bellamy, baritone
with
Katelyn Mattson-Levy, program curator
Depuis le jour, by Gustave Charpentier
The Swimmer, by Edward Elgar
I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General, by Arthur Sullivan
O del mio amato ben, by Stefano Donaudy
Fly Me to the Moon, by Bart Howard
Dream a Little Dream of Me, by Fabian Andre
How Can I Keep from Singing, by Robert Lowry, arr. Lituma
You’ll Never Walk Alone, by Richard Rodgers
We Shall Overcome, arr. Deke Sharon
Lift Every Voice and Sing, by J. Rosamond Johnson
MLK, by U2, arr. Bob Chilcott
This early German Baroque music by Heinrich Schütz was composed with a text compiled by Count Henry II of Ruess-Gera for his own funeral. It has grown to become one of Schütz’s most beloved works and is a quintessential example of his unmatched use of language in music. The picturesque basilica in Victoria serves as the stage for this choral masterpiece.
After a Handel hiatus last year, the festival is returning to its tradition of producing a semi-staged oratorio. This tragic love story centers around Christian martyr Theodora and her converted lover Didymus. Often disliked in Handel’s day, the work is now a favorite in part thanks to a brilliant 1996 production by Peter Sellars. Artistic director Alex Underwood will conduct this performance, Sasha Hildebrand is the stage director, and the cast includes Madeline Healey, Tim Parsons, Gregorio Taniguchi, Katelyn Mattson-Levy, and the Ad Astra Chamber Choir.
Formed by students at Northern Arizona University, Unaccompanied is a nationally recognized a cappella and vocal jazz group whose original arrangements fuse popular stylings with sophisticated jazz harmonies. From the tradition that brought the film Pitch Perfect and the popularity of the Pentatonix, Unaccompanied delivers its music with a sleek vibrancy. In fact, a few members of Unaccompanied have been featured on Pentatonix recordings. Listen to Unaccompanied’s recordings on Spotify here.
In a collaboration with Russell artist Dustin Poché, our house mezzo Katelyn Mattson-Levy explores four archetypes of women: maid, mother, crone, and enchantress, featuring music from Amy Beach, Florence Price, Ellen Mandel, Lori Laitman, Ethel Smyth, and Rebecca Clarke. Katelyn will be joined by Victoria-native Matthew Piatt, now assistant director for Chicago Lyric Opera and San Francisco Opera, on piano.
