by Blythe Ford, Messenger Staff Writer

This year’s Sewanee Summer Music Festival season kicks off this Sunday, June 15, with the first of five Faculty Artist performances. The festival, a Sewanee establishment since 1957, brings student musicians from all over the world to learn from renowned faculty in classical techniques. This season is the first under the leadership of new Executive and Artistic Director Hillary Herndon, a long-time instructor of viola at both the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the SSMF. Herndon expressed excitement over all of what the festival offers, but especially five new events on this year’s program.

The 2025 program not only features opportunities to hear chamber music, opera, symphonies, and orchestral pieces performed by students and faculty of the Festival as well as local artists, but also a film screening of “A Song for Hope” followed by a Q&A session with the leadership of nonprofit Cancer Blows, and a Sewanee Symphony Concert that includes the World Premiere of a DiLorenzo Trumpet Concerto “Fujisan” written for the late trumpet player Ryan Anthony. These two events are unique to this year’s program due to the partnership with CancerBlows, an organization founded by Anthony and his friends and family after his multiple myeloma diagnosis.

CancerBlows raises money for cancer research and patient support through musical performances and screenings of “A Song for Hope,” which documents how Anthony’s life and career in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra changed after diagnosis, inspiring him to found the charity. The DiLorenzo Concerto was never performed before he passed in 2020. It will premiere on June 22, in the hands of SSMF faculty member Peter Bond; it is preceded by the “A Song for Hope” screening and Q&A session on June 19. Herndon explained, “The CancerBlows events allow us to honor our own Peter Bond, share a remarkable story, and help honor Anthony’s legacy by continuing to use music as a tool for societal change; in this instance, specifically to help raise awareness of cancer research and patient support needs.”

Following the Sewanee Symphony Concert featuring the DiLorenzo Concerto and another event, the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Showcase, guests may choose to pay to attend the program’s new VIP receptions. These receptions will offer opportunities to meet and converse with the musicians and SSMF staff. In the words of Herndon: “What makes the VIP receptions truly special is the chance to connect more personally with the artists, faculty, and fellow supporters who bring the festival to life. These aren’t just social gatherings — they’re intimate opportunities to step behind the scenes, engage in meaningful conversations, and celebrate the incredible work happening at Sewanee.” The ticket proceeds will go to support the Festival, including the potential for other new events like the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Showcase, the Chamber Music Intensive Showcase, and the inclusion of two winners of the OperaFest student competition in faculty performances.

Both the OperaFest student competition and the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Showcase will pit SSMF students against each other for a chance to perform, but the Chamber Music Intensive Showcase on July 11 will be far more collaborative. Six groups will work together throughout the summer to prepare an entire chamber work, which will be one of the final performances of the season. The Festival will close with performances by the Cumberland Orchestra and the Sewanee Symphony on July 13.

This season of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival promises to be exciting, with multiple performances a week for the next month. A full schedule of events and more information about the program can be found at <ssmf.sewanee.edu>. To learn more about CancerBlows, visit <www.cancerblows.com>.