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 this 2017 opera by critically acclaimed composer Missy Mazzoli, a Nebraska family struggles to acquire land through the Homestead Act of 1862. Sasha Hildebrand is the stage director, Austin McWilliams is the music director, and a cast of Gregorio Taniguchi, Dominic Aragon, Aani Bourassa, Courtney Evans, Alyssa Toepfer, and Gabe McGuire endeavor to perform this challenging work alongside a chamber ensemble.

The festival’s young artists Christina Han, Grace Volker, Bo Shimmin, and Jacob Lay sing songs exploring the American Civil War. Works by Jennifer Higdon, Richard Danielpour, and C. Curtis-Smith feature soldier camp songs, the words of the preeminent American poet Walt Whitman, and a speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln.

A perennial favorite, Russell-native Brad Dawson is back again with his colleagues from Kansas City to bring us an evening of jazz at Granny Mae’s. We will have popcorn and a signature cocktail to offer at this event.

To kick off the festival, three choirs join forces to sing works of various styles on love. Corie Brown will spend three days in rehearsals and workshops with our High School Honor Choir. Alex Underwood will prepare the annual Russell Community Choir and spend the week with the professional Ad Astra Chamber Choir. The concert is a celebration of love songs in the choral canon, including Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and Libby Larsen’s Love Songs.