The Music of the Mountains

When warm weather arrives, Brevard, North Carolina's open-air concerts and cascading waterfalls fill the town with the song of summer

- CAROLINE ROGERS

THE MUSIC begins as the sun sinks below the thick stands of summer-green trees that surround Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. The sounds of an orchestra tuning-delicate strains of violins and warm resonances of cellos and bassoons pour through the open sides of the concert hall and into the evening air. A hush moves through the aisles as the conductor takes the stage. Standing in the center of a half-moon of watchful performers, she inhales deeply and raises her arms, holding the voice of the orchestra poised in her hands. The Brevard Music Center Summer Festival has begun.

Here, when you mention "the music," everyone knows what you're talking about. Brevard, North Carolina, has been home to the Brevard Music Center (BMC) since the 1950s, and each year high school and college students from around the country arrive on campus for the Summer Institute. It offers classes across many disciplines, including voice and piano, as well as a packed season of concerts and an extraordinary sense of community. Audiences, many of whom have been attending events here for generations, are passionate about the performances, the place, and its mission to nurture the next generation of music makers.

"We open the curtain on the art form," says Jason Posnock, president and CEO of the BMC. "Students and faculty sit next to each other during concerts, which are an outgrowth of the work they do together. Many faculty members have spent decades here." Posnock has seen this firsthand; he joined the violin staff in 2006 and was appointed president of the organization in 2023. "It's essential for musicians to pass on their knowledge, but we know it's not always about what students do after spending the summer here. It's about how they do it, how they use the experiences they have had in this remarkable place," Posnock explains.