For three weekends each July, the Ad Astra Music Festival colors central Kansas with classical music by integrating emerging young artists, community members, and professional musicians. Audiences have come to expect fresh, new music alongside ebullient performances of history’s richest musical works of art under the artistic direction of Kansas native Alex Underwood and John Irving.
The 2016 festival runs July 15-31, with the exciting additions of a Young Artist String Quartet, a high school honor choir, a co-artistic director, and a fresh season of music: Handel Jephtha, Bach Cantata 94, Byrd Mass for 3 voices, Duruflé Requiem, Carissimi Jonas, and more.
Founder and Artistic Director, Alex Underwood, is thrilled with this summer’s program. “The festival has grown yet again and the caliber of musicians coming in to work and perform in Russell continues to surprise and inspire me. Our musicians have been trained at the country’s best institutions; Juilliard, Yale, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Westminster Choir College, University of North Texas, University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois, with some of the country’s finest companies including; the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Trinity Church Wall Street, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. These musicians will collaborate with one another and with local musicians from Russell and the surrounding areas for three weekends of performances. They also interface with our undergraduate Young Artists, who are in residence for the month of July, and are at the core of the festival. There truly is nothing else like this in Western Kansas.”
Alex Underwood is a choral conductor and music educator originally from Russell, KS. He conducts the University Women’s Chorus at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) where he is in his second year as a doctoral candidate in Choral Music studying with Andrew Megill. Alex completed a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting degree at Westminster Choir College in 2014, where he studied with Joe Miller and James Jordan, and an undergraduate degree from Sterling College (KS) in music education and voice performance.
Artistic Director, John Irving is conducting associate of the A Cappella Choir and teaches undergraduate conducting as a doctoral student in choral conducting at the University of North Texas. He also serves as interim conductor of the Denton Bach Society. John recently completed a master’s degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College where he served as graduate assistant conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Choir. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tickets go on sale May 15th.
For more information go to adastramusicfestival.org.