Sitka Music Festival salutes founder: event marks 40 years of classical serenades in Southeast.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska This Month

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A longtime classical music event builds to a crescendo this month to honor its outgoing founder and artistic director with a finale. The 22-day Sitka Summer Music Festival also welcomes its next artistic director, internationally acclaimed cellist Zuill Bailey.

The Sitka Summer Music Festival commemorates its 40th anniversary with added events and a tribute to founder Paul Rosenthal, who is retiring. The annual classical music extravaganza features world-class musicians framed against Sitka's mountains-meet-ocean setting.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This year's event runs June 3 through June 24 with performances at various venues throughout the Southeast town. Strains of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart will reverberate from various Sitka venues, from concert hall to coffee shop. One concert is held aboard a tour boat, which settles in a quiet bay for the performance. The Allen Marine Boat Party and Concert on June 12 includes wildlife viewing, wine and hors d'oeuvres. Other performances are set for Sitka National Historic Park Visitors Center Theatre and Larkspur Cafe. Evening concerts staged at Harrigan Centennial Hall spotlight the performers and walls of massive windows to reveal. June's Midnight Sun light over the ocean and mountains.

"This is a huge year for the festival," said Roberta Rinehart, festival executive director. "We have so much celebrating to do this year that we are adding many concerts and special events to our usual roster. This year there will be something happening every day."

New events include the Music in the Morning Series, which begins at 9 a.m. each Friday at downtown Sitka's Highliner Coffee Co. A noontime Bach's Lunch concert is set for every Monday at Harrigan Hall. These events and several others at less-traditional locales are offered for free or with a donation.

Festival organizers scheduled 10 evening concerts, up from eight last year, Rinehart said. All concerts will include a pre-concert lecture.

One special event, the tribute to Rosenthal, called Music and Martinis, is set for June 19 at The Loft and features an accompaniment of Rosenthal's signature martini variety and musical performances.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Violinist Rosenthal founded the Sitka Summer Music Festival in 1972. He favored Sitka as an idyllic location for informal concerts with fellow accomplished musicians. Some Alaskans scrambled...