The Night Skies Over Martinez Will Be Filled With The Sound of Music This Summer 

2005 John Muir Summer Festival to include three musical presentations 

A world premiere symphonic suite, a classic Broadway musical, a 100-voice youth chorus, a salute to the flag, John Muir’s Mountain Days, and even fireworks are all part of the plans for the 2005 John Muir Summer Festival, taking place on the Martinez Waterfront July 1 – August 7, 2005.  All performances will be held at the 1,000-seat John Muir Amphitheater in the Martinez Waterfront Park.

The Festival will commence with Celebrate Independence!, a triumphant musical extravaganza featuring the Diablo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joyce Johnson Hamilton, performing the world premiere of American Hymn, composed by Nancy Bloomer Deussen, and Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid.  The musicians will then be joined by professional actors and singers performing the Sacagawea Symphonic Suite, a specially arranged medley of songs and music from Sacagawea – a large-scale outdoor musical about Lewis and Clark’s famous Shoshone Indian guide, currently in development by the Willows Theatre Company.   Sacagawea Symphonic Suite features music by Craig Bohmler and lyrics by Mary Bracken Phillips, the award-winning team behind John Muir’s Mountain Days. 

The second half of Celebrate Independence! will feature a 100-plus-voice youth chorus and professional actors performing Our Flag Was Still There -- a patriotic musical that celebrates our nation’s pride, our rich heritage and faith, and the symbolism of our flag, created by Deborah Craig-Claar & David T. Clydesdale, arranged & orchestrated by Mr. Clydesdale.  Our Flag Was Still There will be accompanied by a large-screen video projection including inspiring testimonies from military veterans and naturalized citizens, as well as actual footage of the Iwo Jima flag-raising and more, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display to the rousing strains of John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”  Richard Elliott, Willows Theatre Company Artistic Director, will stage the event, with musical direction by Ken Abrams, president of the Northern California Music Educators Association.

The East Bay Foothills and sparkling waters of the Carquinez Strait are the perfect backdrop for a large-scale outdoor production of the classic musical The Sound of Music, the centerpiece of the 2005 John Muir Festival.  With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse based on “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta von Trapp, The Sound of Music tells the timeless tale of the original singing nun, Maria, and her adventures with the seven von Trapp children and their stern, but affectionate, father, Captain von Trapp, in the pre-World War II Austrian Alps.  Marsha Mercant and Lee Strawn will star, with direction by Andrew Holtz.  

The 2005 John Muir Summer Festival will conclude with four performances of the award-winning signature production John Muir’s Mountain Days, celebrating its sixth anniversary.  John Muir’s Mountain Days tells the story of the famous naturalist and Martinez resident from his boyhood days in Dunbar, Scotland, and rural Wisconsin, to his round-the-world adventures that led him to California’s spectacular Yosemite Valley, to his passionate love for his fiery wife Louie Strentzel Muir and his key role in helping found the National Park Service.  John Muir’s Mountain Days is based on a concept by Richard Elliott, with music by Craig Bohmler and book and lyrics by Mary Bracken Phillips.  Elliott will direct and Karl Pister will musical direct, with choreography by Dan Uroff.  Lee Strawn will reprise his award-winning role as John Muir, with Marsha Mercant back as Louis Strentzel, the role she originated in 2000.