The Emberlight Festival produces world-class art within the natural beauty of Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. We collaborate with local, regional and international artists to create affordable, life-enhancing experiences that spark imagination and ignite learning in our audiences and communities.

Schedule:

TENOR TALKS

Tuesday, July 9, 2024, 6:00PM

Location: Hurley School Auditorium

OPERA & SHOWBIZ

CALLING ALL FANS OF EMBERLIGHT, MILES MYKKANEN, OR THE PERFORMING ARTS
We are excited to debut “Tenor Talks” in our 2024 season

Ever wonder how Miles books jobs? What Juilliard was like? Where he lives? If he speaks multiple languages? How he memorizes operas? What about singing high notes? Preparing for photo shoots? How does he combat stage fright?

No question is too ridiculous or off limits in these unique seminars with Emberlight’s star tenor! This interactive and casual platform welcomes audience questions, creating a vibrant exchange that celebrates music.

Led by our Artistic Director and internationally acclaimed tenor, Miles Mykkanen, this engaging series of three master classes is designed to elevate your musical understanding and appreciation. Alongside anecdotes from his recent debuts at the Royal Opera House and San Francisco Opera, Miles will guide audiences through the musical scores featured in our chamber music concerts. These free classes promise to offer invaluable context and deeper insights into the performances you will hear a few weeks later.
WHAT IS ‘OPERA & SHOWBIZ’ ABOUT?

Miles will take us through the intricacies of building an international career — starting in North America and expanding to Europe — and how to arrive for the first day of rehearsals prepared, healthy, and ready to take on any demands of the contract.

Musical studies for Opera & Showbiz include:

- Selections from Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) by Richard Wagner
- Antonín Dvo?ák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024, 6:00PM

Location: Hurley School Auditorium

Making The Music

CALLING ALL FANS OF EMBERLIGHT, MILES MYKKANEN, OR THE PERFORMING ARTS
We are excited to debut “Tenor Talks” in our 2024 season

Ever wonder how Miles books jobs? What Juilliard was like?  Where he lives? If he speaks multiple languages? How he memorizes operas? What about singing high notes? Preparing for photo shoots? How does he combat stage fright?

No question is too ridiculous or off limits in these unique seminars with Emberlight’s star tenor! This interactive and casual platform welcomes audience questions, creating a vibrant exchange that celebrates music.

Led by our Artistic Director and internationally acclaimed tenor, Miles Mykkanen, this engaging series of three master classes is designed to elevate your musical understanding and appreciation. Alongside anecdotes from his recent debuts at the Royal Opera House and San Francisco Opera, Miles will guide audiences through the musical scores featured in our chamber music concerts. These free classes promise to offer invaluable context and deeper insights into the performances you will hear a few weeks later.

WHAT IS ‘MAKING THE MUSIC’ ABOUT?

The life of a musician requires daily practice and an ever-deepening study of musical scores. In the second class of our Tenor Talks series, Miles will cover various principals of musicianship and dive into the world of vocal technique. From breath support, to learning tricky rhythms, to singing high notes — Making the Music will give you a glimpse into the collaborative and highly competitive world of classical music.

Musical studies for Making the Music include:

- “Povero Ernesto” from Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti
- Selections from Innocence by Kaija Saariaho and Sofi Oksanen

Thursday, July 11, 2024, 6:00PM

All About Artistry

Location: Hurley School Auditorium

CALLING ALL FANS OF EMBERLIGHT, MILES MYKKANEN, OR THE PERFORMING ARTS

We are excited to debut “Tenor Talks” in our 2024 season

Ever wonder how Miles books jobs? What Juilliard was like? Where he lives? If he speaks multiple languages? How he memorizes operas? What about singing high notes? Preparing for photo shoots? How does he combat stage fright?

 

No question is too ridiculous or off limits in these unique seminars with Emberlight’s star tenor! This interactive and casual platform welcomes audience questions, creating a vibrant exchange that celebrates music.

Led by our Artistic Director and internationally acclaimed tenor, Miles Mykkanen, this engaging series of three master classes is designed to elevate your musical understanding and appreciation. Alongside anecdotes from his recent debuts at the Royal Opera House and San Francisco Opera, Miles will guide audiences through the musical scores featured in our chamber music concerts. These free classes promise to offer invaluable context and deeper insights into the performances you will hear a few weeks later.

WHAT IS ‘ALL ABOUT ARTISTRY’ ABOUT?

After hours spent in the practice room, at the end of the day an opera singer’s job is to take all the small details they’ve worked on for months, drop every inhibition, walk on stage, and deliver a performance that transcends every day life. In the final class of our Tenor Talks series, Miles puts all the pieces together to teach us how to leave our fears off stage and be our authentic selves on stage.

Musical studies for All About Artistry include:

- “On Wenlock Edge” by Ralph Vaughan Williams

- Selections from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff

Live Performances:

Thursday, August 15, 2024, 7:00PM

IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU

Emberlight’s 2024 Main Stage brings the art of cabaret and chamber music to our stages at The Ember Club and Hurley School Auditorium.

The Ember Club opens on August 15 with If Ever I Would Leave You starring Miles Mykkanen in a brand new cabaret.  Emberlight’s favorite tenor will bring his signature shenanigans and show-stopping performances for an evening of torch songs and stories.  A second performance of If Ever I Would Leave You hits the club stage on August 17.

Location: THE EMBER CLUB at Theatre North

Tickets:

Regular Seats $45

VIP Tables $65

Buy Tickets

Saturday, August 17, 2024, 7:00PM

Emberlight’s 2024 Main Stage brings the art of cabaret and chamber music to our stages at The Ember Club and Hurley School Auditorium.

The Ember Club opens on August 15 with If Ever I Would Leave You starring Miles Mykkanen in a brand new cabaret.  Emberlight’s favorite tenor will bring his signature shenanigans and show-stopping performances for an evening of torch songs and stories.  A second performance of If Ever I Would Leave You hits the club stage on August 17.

Location: THE EMBER CLUB at Theatre North

Tickets:

Regular Seats $45

VIP Tables $65

Buy Tickets

Thursday, August 22, 2024, 7:00PM

BROADWAY & DVORAK

Various Broadway Medleys & Overtures
Antonín Dvo?ákPiano Quintet No. 2 in A major Op. 81, B. 155

Suzy Perelman Violin
Will Curry Violin
Molly Goldman Viola
Jessica Wang Cello
Adam Rothenberg Piano

Enjoy an evening of unparalleled musical excellence. Renowned pianist Adam Rothenberg joins The Broadway Strings as they traverse the glittering streets of Broadway to the Slavic folk melodies of the Czech Republic in Broadway & Dvo?ák. Hear these world-class musicians in the intimate and beautiful acoustic of the Hurley School Auditorium as they take us on a rhapsodic journey across the globe.

ACT ONE: THE LIGHTS OF BROADWAY

The first act of the evening will dazzle audiences with an array of medleys and overtures from Broadway’s most cherished scores. From the timeless melodies of “My Fair Lady” to the haunting romance of “Hadestown,” experience the magic of Broadway as never before. Let The Broadway Strings transport you to a world of song and dance, where every melody tells a story and every note ignites the imagination.

ACT TWO: DVORAK’S PIANO QUINTET NO. 2

Prepare to be swept away by the transcendent beauty of Antonín Dvo?ák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major. Composed between August and October 1887, this quintet stands as one of the finest examples of late Romantic chamber music. After abandoning his first piano quintet over a decade before, Dvo?ák returns to the form in the middle of writing his 8th Symphony and at the height of his powers.

The quintet’s structure reflects a fusion of Dvorak’s Czech nationalism and western classical music traditions, blending traditional forms with innovative folk melodies and harmonies. From the fiery shifts between A Major and F-sharp Minor in the first movement, to the devastatingly beautiful Dumka in the second movement, to the spirited Scherzo and exuberant Finale, Dvorak’s quintet captivates listeners with its rich tapestry of emotions and virtuosic brilliance.

Location: Hurley School Auditorium

Tickets:

Tier A - $25.00
Tier B - $15.00

Buy Tickets

Saturday, August 24, 2024, 7:00PM

ON WENLOCK EDGE

Ralph Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge
Various Songs from the Opera and Broadway stages

Miles Mykkanen Tenor
Suzy Perelman Violin
Will Curry Violin
Molly Goldman Viola
Jessica Wang Cello
Adam Rothenberg Piano

The 2024 TORCH SONGS & RHAPSODIES season comes to a pinnacle with our final concert On Wenlock Edge. Six accomplished musicians share the stage — tenor Miles Mykkanen, violinists Suzy Perelman and Will Curry, violist Molly Goldman, cellist Jessica Wang, and pianist Adam Rothenberg. Prepare to be enchanted by the haunting melodies of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “On Wenlock Edge”, electrified by show-stopping operatic arias, and swept off your feet by your favorite Broadway showtunes.

WHAT IS ‘ON WENLOCK EDGE’?

In 1908, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) studied in Paris under Maurice Ravel, a leading figure in French music. This experience, combined with Vaughan Williams’ lifelong interest in Tudor English music, influenced his composition, “On Wenlock Edge”. Completed in 1909 for tenor, string quartet, and piano, and later revised for tenor and orchestra between 1918 and 1924, the piece features poems from A.E. Housman’s “A Shropshire Lad”.

The song titles, indicated by Roman numerals, correspond to Housman’s poems:

- XXXI “On Wenlock Edge”
- XXXII “From Far, from Eve and Morning”
- XXVII “Is My Team Ploughing”
- XVIII “Oh, When I Was in Love with You”
- XXI “Bredon Hill” (first line: “In summertime on Bredon”)
- L “Clun” (first line: “Clunton and Clunbury”)

The music of “On Wenlock Edge” reflects Vaughan Williams’ duality of influences: the “French polish” acquired from Ravel and his “abiding Englishness”. It is described as both sophisticated and down-to-earth, with Vaughan Williams employing intricate instrumental effects while setting the text straightforwardly.

Overall, “On Wenlock Edge” showcases Vaughan Williams’ unique style, balancing the sophistication of his continental counterparts with England’s folk heritage. It stands as an early work from one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.

Location: Hurley School Auditorium

Tickets:

Tier A $35.00
Tier B $20.00

Buy Tickets

Performance Infusion:

Emberlight’s Performance Infusion series provides audiences an understanding of what makes artists love and pursue their work, and what it takes to bring their ideas to life.  The Infusions unite nature and craftsmanship by bringing accomplished artists and curious audiences together in the heart of Art in the Park. All Infusions are FREE to attend and start at 1pm on Saturday afternoons.

Saturday, July 13, 2024, 1:00PM

Whittling in the Woods

Location: The Miners Memorial Heritage Park

Karl Zinsmaster, founder and president of Saint Maud’s Makerspace, will bring wood craft to the heart of the park with Whittling in the Woods. It is Karl’s mission to encourage both children and adults to experience the pleasures of making with their hands.

This event will begin with a demonstration in traditional spoon carving techniques and conclude with the chance for a handful of participants (first come, first served) to try their hand carving some provided spoon blanks!

Saturday, July 27, 2024, 1:00PM

Fantastic Folk Instruments

Location: The Miners Memorial Heritage Park

Get ready to have some fun with musician and songwriter Vince Schueren, who has a passion for encouraging people to make music.

Vince will teach the audience how to coax music from everyday objects like spoons and combs. He’ll also demonstrate simple instruments such as the penny whistle, musical bones, the jug, the nose flute, and kashakas.

It is guaranteed that you will leave this performance smiling (or your money back)!

ART SHOWS:

Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 4:00PM

EMBERLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS

OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday, July 17 at 4pm

Wednesdays - Saturdays from 10 AM – 3 PM

FREE

Location: Historic Depot Museum

The uncommon beauty of the Upper Peninsula’s forests, waterfalls, and quaint small towns has inspired countless photographers.  We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to display some of their work in a special exhibition at the Historic Depot Museum.  Emberlight Photographers will display the work of artists celebrating art, fellow artists, and the great outdoors.

Emberlight Photographers features photos of the vistas, the people and the spirit of our hometowns by local photographers who offer their own perspective on what sets our region apart. View their work starting July 17 through August 24 — you can even bid on your favorite photos to bring home with you!

Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 6:00PM

Click, Capture, Create

FREE

Location: Historic Depot Museum

Are you a photographer?  Or a wannabe?  Or do you just admire incredible photos?

Meet some of the best photographers from our region in this special evening with the stars of Emberlight Photographers 2024.

Since 2021, a group of talented photographers has volunteered to help Emberlight capture the spirit of our festival.  Collectively they have submitted over 6,000 photos of our events and performances throughout the last three summers.

This year Emberlight is honored to present the Emberlight Photographers as our featured guest artists in the 2024 “Torch Songs & Rhapsodies” season.  The show will be expanded to include more photos — and photographers — than ever before!

Click, Capture, Create will be hosted by Ken Wiele and feature several of our multi-year photographers.  These professionals will share their individual insights and stories from shooting the landscapes of Lake Superior to portraits around the world.

Speakers include: Ken Wiele, Steven Holt, John Niska, Betsy Wesselhoft and Shannon Brimmer

Many of our 2024 photographers will be available throughout the evening to answer questions about their work, tell stories about particular images, and discuss their favorite local places to capture.

There will be time to browse the beautiful and thought-provoking images in Emberlight Photographers and learn details about how to enter your bid in the online auction.  All of the images in our show are featured in the auction.  Take home your favorite image!  Proceeds go to Emberlight’s General Fund.

August 3 & 4, 2024 at 10:00AM

2nd Annual Range Art Studio Tour

Location: Around Ironwood

Take a scenic drive from Big Powderhorn to Little Girl’s Point to visit artists in their studios.  The Range Art Association will host over a dozen locations with a great selection of handmade one-of-a-kind art.

Visit with artists and food artisans along the way starting at Big Powderhorn to Little Girl’s Point with 13 locations and 25 artists.  We hope to have a FOOD TRUCK too!

August 22 - 24, 2024 from 10 am to 5:30 PM

70th Annual Range Art Show & Market

Location: Ironwood Memorial Building  

Enjoy the Art Show, Art Market, Youth Art Show, Art Raffle and new for 2024, “Wild & Crazy Art” entries that will be bright and colorful.

The show, now in its 70th year, coincides within the Emberlight Festival and takes place in the Historic Ironwood Memorial Building Auditorium. All are welcome, including students who can enter three items free. Former residents and artists from across the US also contribute. There is a discounted rate for Range Art members, but non members can enter the show for a regular fee. 

Besides the exhibition, there's a sale of artworks in our Art Market which will be festive and fun, there's  including a raffle of original pieces donated by artists. Join us for a Meet the Artists reception on Saturday from Noon to 2 pm with refreshments and a champagne toast to our 70th year!  The art show & art market closes at 5:30. 

Range Art Association, spanning Northeastern Wisconsin and the Western UP of Michigan, offers a vibrant platform for Gogebic Range Artists to gather, create, and exhibit their work since 1954. We promote art and artists as integral to the Gogebic Range Cultural Heritage.

Participating in our art show showcases your creativity and talent. We eagerly exhibit all art forms, celebrating the diversity of our community.  We've supported local and regional artists for over 70 years.

Our flagship event, the Range Art Annual Art Show, in August in Ironwood, Michigan, features visual arts and various mediums. We encourage local and regional art spanning fine art, fiber arts, sculpture, mixed media, metal arts and more.

Come celebrate art at the Range Art Association Art Show 2024. See you there!

Art Show & Art Market; Free & Open to the Public daily 10 am to 5:30 PM

Partnering with Emberlight Festival

For Art Show & Art Market information:

Contact Victoria Zalatoris, 208-252-1833 or Ar Schneller 906- 364-0992.

Dates: June 29 - August 24, 2024

Location: Various Locations in Ironwood, MI

Click Here for more information.