In 1967, orchestra conductor John Gosling and his wife Margaret discovered Bear Valley on a driving trip to explore the Sierra Nevada. Enchanted with the beauty and serenity of the natural surrounding and intimacy of the small alpine village, they made a decision to explore creating a music festival. Bear Valley then was a tiny place, a two year old ski resort founded by Bruce and Roma Orvis whose Central Valley ranching family had long pastured cattle in the mountains above Bear Valley. The Village was new with just the Lodge, a hostel and 200 homes.
One year later, the Bear Valley Music Festival was born. In their first concert, the 38 person orchestra filled most of the floor of the Cathedral Lounge in the Bear Valley Lodge, under the direction of Founder and Maestro Gosling. Hundreds of audience members stood along the balconies and enjoyed the extraordinary efforts of these founding orchestra members. Residents of the Valley opened their homes to the musicians while their meals were served family style in the Lodge Dining Room.
During those years, John Gosling shared his time between Bear Valley and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra where he led that Orchestra to national prominence and major orchestra status. For the next fifteen years, Maestro Gosling and a dedicated group of founders, musicians and volunteers continued to make wonderful and inspiring music in a variety of venues – the Lodge for a few years, then under the open skies for a few more, then in a surplus circus tent. They expanded their repertoire to include Broadway show tunes and opera. Maestro Gosling brought together Orchestra, Chamber Music, Opera, Educational Programs, Lectures, classes, and guest artists from around the world. The Orchestra expanded its numbers to include members from all over the United States. The Festival was even televised nationally and featured on the NBC “Today Show”.
In 1985, Carter Nice, then the Conductor of the Sacramento Symphony, succeeded John Gosling as Music Director and Conductor. A highly regarded conductor, he was just beginning to put his Sacramento Symphony on the map. Under his direction the Festival Orchestra expanded its numbers and its geographic reach. The Bear Valley Orchestra attracted players from New York to Florida to New Orleans to Indiana as well as from all parts of the California. Bear Valley became a summer home to many of these players, a place where they brought their spouses, their kids and their friends to enjoy two week of high Sierra activities and make splendid music. Diversifying the repertoire and the guest artists enabled the Festival to present upcoming talent destined for international acclaim including pianists Grant Johannson and Olga Kern. During Maestro Nice’s tenure, the Festival has continued to expand to three weekends and two full weeks.
The Festival tent grew and grew until it could seat nearly 1400 people. After years of renting stages the Festival acquired its own in the early 2000′s. An Art Festival was organized and now the Arts of Bear Valley presents the best work of dozens of skilled artists and photographers and sculptors. Each year children’s events were presented including, for many year, a Teddy Bear Picnic.
As people’s musical tastes broadened, the classical genre was supplemented with more opera and an evening of Broadway show tunes which has become one of the most popular evenings of the Festival. Along the way, the Festival began to present an opening weekend of contemporary and country music that has brought us artists such as Dave Mason, Jose Feliciano, Roseanne Cash, Glen Campbell and the best of the country’s tribute bands including Superdiamond.
The Festival is now the premier musical event of the Central Sierra, bringing an opening weekend of popular music, followed by Broadway Pops, classical concerts, opera and grand celebrations, all in the spectacular setting of Bear Valley. More than 5,000 people will attend performances in a modern, freespan tent, enjoying a 65 member orchestra, brilliantly lit with wonderful acoustics. More than 100 staff and volunteers help present the Festival with their year-round efforts to plan programs, arrange housing, raise funds, host musicians and bring their friends and newcomers to the Festival.
