Buck Hill Skytop Music FestivalNow known as the Pocono Mountains Music Festival
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Peter Mark was Founding Artistic Director and Conductor for festivals 2010-2012, featuring Jewel Box Opera, Masterclasses, Dance, Chamber Music, and Jazz.
Presenting Jewel Box Opera (PORGY & BESS 2010, CARMEN 2011, and LA TRAVIATA 2012) as well as Opera Masterclasses and Galas, Jazz Concerts, Cabaret, Chamber Music, and Dance during its summer Festivals, the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival also launched a year-round educational program in area schools to introduce area students to the performing arts and to attract talent, culminating in its summer Young Scholar Program.
The Festival takes place in two beautiful communities in the Poconos -- Buck Hill and Skytop in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Pictured at left is Skytop Lodge.
Bizet's CARMEN was the next Jewel Box Opera presentation in Festival 2011, again with a fully trained local chorus and international principal singers.
Composer Jimmy Roberts kicked off the cabaret, music-theater, and youth training programs in Festival 2010 with an array of informal concerts and sessions.
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The first Jewel Box 90-minute opera presented in July 2010 was Gershwinn's PORGY & BESS, directed by Greg Ganakas with jazz combo and gospel choir.
Chamber Music, Cabaret, Dance, and Jazz are all elements of each Festival, given in a variety of public and private venues in both communities and the surrounds.
From the beginning, Peter Mark involved the youth of the area in the education and performing programs of the Festival -- now a major year-round component.
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Memories from Peter's years at the festival
The original announcement:
Mountainhome, PA (April 2, 2010) - Nestled in the lush heart of the Poconos, equidistant from Philadelphia and New York, the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival presents its inaugural season from Friday, August 6 - Saturday, August 14, 2010. The Festival will bring together a cornucopia of high caliber opera, chamber music, and jazz – all in the intimacy and great natural beauty of Buck Hill Falls and Skytop, Pennsylvania.
The mission of the Buck Hill-Skytop Festival is to present annual musical and educational programming as a unique resource for the benefit of the region.
The Board of Directors of the festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Artistic Director Peter Mark, who has served as the Artistic Director for the Virginia Opera for 35 years and is the Founder of the International Opera Alliance. As a conductor, he has brought the artistic achievements of the Virginia Opera and the International Opera Alliance to the international stage on five continents, conducted the company's productions and presented the company’s singers in South America, London, Mexico, New York, and China. In China, he conducted Shanghai’s first Italian-language production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” This performance opened the brand new Opera House of the Oriental Arts Center, and was featured on the cover of the China’s national Opera News. In Southern Africa, Mr. Mark presented and conducted singers in the 5th Maputo International Music Festival in Mozambique, and held masterclasses in Cape Town, South Africa.
The mission of the Buck Hill-Skytop Festival is to present annual musical and educational programming as a unique resource for the benefit of the region.
The Board of Directors of the festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Artistic Director Peter Mark, who has served as the Artistic Director for the Virginia Opera for 35 years and is the Founder of the International Opera Alliance. As a conductor, he has brought the artistic achievements of the Virginia Opera and the International Opera Alliance to the international stage on five continents, conducted the company's productions and presented the company’s singers in South America, London, Mexico, New York, and China. In China, he conducted Shanghai’s first Italian-language production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” This performance opened the brand new Opera House of the Oriental Arts Center, and was featured on the cover of the China’s national Opera News. In Southern Africa, Mr. Mark presented and conducted singers in the 5th Maputo International Music Festival in Mozambique, and held masterclasses in Cape Town, South Africa.