Berkshire Music School Gala at Ventfort Hall
Flutist Brandon Patrick George To Perform
By: BMS - May 13, 2024
Renowned flutist Brandon Patrick George is coming to the Berkshires this summer! On June 1, 2024 the Berkshire Music School, in partnership with Ventfort Hall, welcomes Brandon Patrick George, flute, for Berkshire Music School's Annual Gala to raise funds for BMS’ Community Engagement programs, including pay-what-you-wish group classes, need-based private lesson scholarships, and outreach assemblies and workshops in public schools. This elegant event will be held at Ventfort Hall, in Lenox.
Guests will enjoy a catered reception, and then listen to a virtuosic performance in the historic hall.
All proceeds from the Gala will support BMS’s mission of fostering the love and pursuit of music for all ages through quality music education activities, community collaborations, and performance opportunities. BMS is committed to providing these services to everyone regardless of a student’s age, background, or ability to pay.
About the performance, Executive Director Luis Granda says, “Flutist Brandon Patrick George is an incredible talent and a rising star in the classical world. I am delighted to bring him to the Berkshires this summer! Best of all, the funds raised will support BMS’ constantly expanding community engagement programs, which ensures that a quality musical education remains accessible and affordable for all people in our Area.”
Sponsorship packages for the event can be purchased on the Berkshire Music School website at https://www.berkshiremusicschool.org/box-office/2024-gala-sponsorship
Tickets can be purchased on the Ventfort website at https://gildedage.org/products/berkshire-music-school-2024-gala
If you would like to purchase tickets over the phone, please contact BMS at 413-442- 1411. To receive more information about this very special event or to request an invitation, please email sprouty@berkshiremusicschool.org.
ABOUT BRANDON PATRICK GEORGE:
Brandon Patrick George, hailed as a “knockout musician with a gorgeous sound” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, is a leading flute soloist and Grammy® Award-winning chamber musician whose repertoire extends from the Baroque era to today. He is the flutist of Imani Winds and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Albany symphonies, American Composers Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others.
Brandon has performed at the Elbphilharmonie, the Kennedy Center, the Dresden Music Festival, and the Prague Spring Festival. In addition to his work with Imani Winds, Brandon’s solo performances include appearances at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 92nd Street Y, Tippet Rise, and Maverick Concerts.
In 2021, Brandon was part of the inaugural class of WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab, a program designed to advance the careers of early and mid-career artists and support the future of classical music.
In September 2023, Brandon's latest album, Twofold, was released on In a Circle Records. Twofold follows the success of Brandon Patrick George’s debut solo album, released in 2020 on Haenssler Classics. George was featured in The New York Times around the album’s release, in an article titled “A Flutist Steps into the Spotlight,” which described the album as “a program that showcases the flute in all its wit, warmth and brilliance."
Raised by a single mother in Dayton, OH, Brandon is the proud product of public arts education. He draws on his personal experiences in his commitment to educating the next generation, performing countless outreach concerts for school children every year, and mentoring young conservatory musicians of color embarking on performance careers. Brandon trained at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Conservatoire de Paris, and the Manhattan School of Music. He serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
ABOUT BERKSHIRE MUSIC SCHOOL:
Founded in 1940 by Winnie Davis Long Crane, Berkshire Music School is dedicated to providing quality education in music, and musical opportunities to people in the greater Berkshire community, regardless of race, sex, religion, ethnic origin, age, or disability. The school serves more than 400 students studying with more than 40 professional musician/educator faculty members. Additionally, BMS provides numerous classes, chamber ensembles, workshops, and special series for students of all ages. BMS also hosts a variety of collaborations with other cultural organizations, social service agencies, and senior centers as well as recitals, concerts, and residencies at venues across the county.
Honoring its founder’s legacy, BMS has need-based financial assistance and generous work-study opportunities available for all its programs and turns no one away on account of inability to pay. Berkshire Music School is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and is a Chapter Charter Tri-M Music HonorSociety member, a program of the NAfME National Association for Music Education.
For more information, call 413-442-1411 or visit www.berkshiremusicschool.org.