Wintergreen Performing Arts marks 20 years

Wintergreen Resort celebrates its 40^th anniversary throughout 2015 and will host the annual Wintergreen Summer Music Festival – “Cheers! Toast 20 Years of Music in the Mountains” in this 20^th anniversary year of Wintergreen Performing Arts. This summer’s Festival honors WPA’s evolution and growth as an organization and debuts new artistic and management leadership. The Festival will again welcome music enthusiasts from across the country to Virginia’s premier Blue Ridge Mountain destination southwest of Charlottesville.

Founded in 1995, the core commitment of Wintergreen Performing Arts for these 20 years remains strong: to present beautiful music, exciting performances, and stimulating programs to audiences from Wintergreen and throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Opening night July 8 will raise the curtain on the 2015 season with a birthday celebration. As in previous years, this season will feature national and international artists, and events and performances that embrace the performing, visual and literary arts. Patrons will find orchestra, chamber music, jazz and solo concerts structured around this year’s celebratory theme.

A few 20^th anniversary highlights include Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.4; vocal and jazz tributes to Frank Sinatra and Billy Holiday; Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”; music of the 1970s with singer-songwriter Susan Greenbaum; Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll; Haydn’s Cello Concert in D Major; Traveling Through Americana; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5; and Opening Night’s surprise birthday celebration.

Wintergreen Resort’s Blue Ridge mountain setting includes 45 holes of championship golf, and tennis center offering 19 outdoor clay courts and three indoor deco-turf courts. The adventurous will find the Zipline that soars downhill 900 feet approaching speeds of 40 mph, bungee trampolines, mechanical bull, and tubing on summer slopes. The resort’s 20-acre Lake Monocan Park provides canoes, kayaks, fishing, and bike rentals. Miles of well-marked nature trails provide spectacular views of the mountain and Rockfish and Shenandoah valleys.

The Wintergreen Spa delivers soothing relaxation and is furnished with 13 individual massage and treatment rooms, two of which feature horizontal Vichy showers, plus a staff of licensed professional therapists and full service salon. Adjacent to the spa, the Aquatics & Fitness Center has top-of-the-line fitness equipment, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and outdoor hot tubs.

Accommodations at Wintergreen Resort include 230 villa-style condominiums and rental homes, from studio suites to nine-bedroom homes, each offering a fully equipped kitchen and a comfortable living area, most with fireplaces and a balcony or deck.

For more information about the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival please visit www.wintergreenperformingarts.org. For Wintergreen Resort lodging rates during the festival, please call 855-491-1486. Discounted lodging, packages and special offers are available. For general Wintergreen Resort information, visit www.wintergreenresort.com.