Sitka Summer Music Festival

All the evening concerts occur at the breathtaking venue of Harrigan Centennial Hall, in downtown Sitka.

While it is not an auditorium (rather, the main hall of a convention/civic center), its glass-panel backdrop reveals a clear view of Crescent Harbor, Eastern Channel and its assortment of small, tree-covered islands dotting its water, snow-capped mountains, and an occasional bald eagle swooping down from the sky.

The winter series visits different communities each year, Sitka notwithstanding, which always hosts the finale concert.

The festival began in 1972 as an informal musical reunion, organized by Paul Rosenthal, of the students of Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky from the University of Southern California.

Their concerts were a success and the reunion became an annual festival directed by Rosenthal, growing larger throughout the years.