The Sitka Summer Music Festival has been for me that rarest of rarities -- the dream that has come true and remained true.

The magic of the Ocean and the Mountains has remained as inspiring and refreshing as the first time I felt it back in the sixties.  The town of Sitka has kept its charm and energy and its people have welcomed the visiting musicians hospitably and eagerly every year.  Visitors from all over who have been captivated by the beauty of the music and the town return again and again.

The musicians, though most of us are no longer the kids we were in the early days of the festival, still arrive full of enthusiasm for the place, for the concerts, for the magnificent auditorium with its unique view, and for each other.  Year after year these wonderful artists return without fee to enjoy this magic and the dream that somehow has kept its luster through the years.

Perhaps it is because in Sitka we don't play for money or glory that the music itself and the concerts mean so much to us.  Whatever the reason -- and I believe it is better not to look too closely into such mysteries -- a very large percentage of the musicians at the Sitka Festival have that extra something that makes all of us, performers and audience members alike, feel the special joy that is the gift of great music, lovingly played and heard.

 a note from Roberta B. Rinehart, Executive Director

In 1996, I moved to Sitka and was introduced to the Sitka Summer Music Festival by a dear friend and long-time supporter of the Festival, the late Warren Christianson -- I have been hooked ever since.  

From 2001-2005, I lived in Seattle and owned a fundraising consulting firm.  I also worked as the Executive Director of the North Pacific Marine Science Foundation. In 2005 my family and I moved back to Alaska and I worked for another nonprofit.  Just recently, I began my work with the Festival – having the opportunity to be part of the magic that is the Sitka Summer Music Festival is an honor.  Thank you!

Roster of Music Festival Musicians
1972 – Present