Welcome to the 24th annual St.Barth Music Festival!

Welcome to the 24th annual St.Barth Music Festival! Whether you're a long-time audience member or a first time visitor, we look forward to providing you with wonderful new experiences of exceptional quality.  This January is our most international Festival ever, with talented performers from countries including France, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, the United States -- plus the State of Hawaii.

One of our most well-traveled Festival performers is our new opera conductor, Steven Mercurio, who recently completed a tour with the tenor Andrea Bocelli.  Maestro Mercurio travels far and wide, and now he is a part of the Festival family of performers who bring music to our special island for concerts and for outreach to the children of the island.

Every year, one of our biggest efforts is outreach to the children, because music is such an important part of everyone's education.  Past outreach programs have included the narrator Leonard Nimoy, the jazz pianist Monty Alexander, and the Cherokee native American, Ciarra Malis.  We all have fond memories of the Nimoy recitation of "The Carnival of the Animals" and of Ciarra's fascinating presentations about Cherokee culture, language and music.

As part of the outreach program, island teachers are invited to bring their children to see and listen to the rehearsals of the opera and orchestra.  And the Festival musicians travel to all of the schools for special demonstrations, such as our principal trumpet player making his popular visit to the schools in Gustavia and our jazz musicians making their fascinating visit to the school in Columbier, showing students how to create improvisational music.

We thank everyone involved for making the Festival possible, including the President, the Commune, the members of the association, the inspired performers who participate so enthusiastically, and you, our audience of friends who live on the island and friends who visit from afar.  Your support is vitally important and if you would like to work more directly with us in specific ways, we encourage you to speak with the Committee members who welcome you to each performance.

Frances DE BROFF, Co-Founder and President

P.S. - Everyone loves something new and for 2008 we're excited to announce two new Springtime concerts to be presented on St Barts!  On May 2, 2008 we welcome the return of the ever-popular Monty Alexander Jazz Trio and on May 3, 2008 we have a very special all-star chamber music program featuring Festival favorites Jennifer Frautschi on violin, Eric Ruske on French horn and Philip Bush on piano.  For more information about these Springtime concerts, speak with Jill de Broff.

© 2008 St. Barts Music Festival