The 2008 edition of the Abilene Summer Music Festival gets underway June 8th as top junior high and high school musicians take performance to a higher level on the Hardin-Simmons University campus. The festival is dedicated to enriching the lives of West Texans by bringing quality chamber and orchestra concerts to the Abilene community, while providing educational opportunities to young musicians through advanced instruction in a supportive environment.

A camper makes notations on the day's music lesson

A premiere regional summer music program now in its eighth year, the 2008 festival spotlights students from California, Illinois, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, Wichita Falls, and Midland/Odessa, as well as many talented performers from Abilene. The curriculum features three symphony orchestras, chamber music, composition, conducting, world music ensemble, music history, music theory, technique class, performance class, master class, camper mixer, recreation, and a grand finale concert at the Abilene Civic Center.

Campers treat the Grand Finale audience to a performance of Respighi's "Pines of Rome," often referred to as a "visual feast for the ears." Those who think classical music isn't exciting will travel on the notes of one of Respighi's most famous compositions from the gardens of Villa Borghese, to the catacombs of Rome, to the Janiculum, to the Apian Way. The dramatic imagery of the piece will leave the audience wanting to hop the next plane to Italy to see it for themselves.

One of the larger ensembles rehearses for the Grand Finale

The Grand Finale, scheduled for 3:00, Jun 14, is one of four performance opportunities open to Abilene residents. The music begins with a faculty concert June 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the Woodward-Dellis Recital Hall on the HSU campus, and continues with the ArtWalk Student Concert at the Civic Center June 12th at 6:00. The Student Chamber Music Recital follows on June 13th at 7:00 p.m. in Woodward-Dellis. There is no charge to the public for any of the performances.

The ASMF has enjoyed generous support in the form of grants from the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the Community Foundation of Abilene, Dian Graves Owen Foundation, the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District, the City of Abilene, Taylor County, the Gamma Phi chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, and the Theta Lambda chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.