Sitka Performing Arts Center, 1000 Lake St, Sitka, AK 99835, US

HistoryThe Sitka Summer Music Festival was founded in 1972 by violinist Paul Rosenthal, an aspiring artist just completing instruction at the University of Southern California with master violinist Jascha Heifetz. Rosenthal found Sitka to be a perfect setting for a chamber music festival when he visited the community on tour with the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. He immediately contacted several colleagues from the legendary Piatigorsky/Heifetz Master Classes and invited them to perform at the first Festival. Since then, we have grown to include concerts in several locations across Alaska throughout the year, and we have brought nearly 200 professional classical musicians to perform in Alaska. In Sitka each June, the Festival now presents free and ticketed activities 6 days/week.SpecialtiesThe Sitka Summer Music Festival presents the world's finest classical musicians throughout the month of June in formal and informal settings across Sitka.