“America the Beautiful” is the theme for the Sunriver Music Festival’s 38th season. The festival concerts run from Aug. 7-19, with two concerts in Bend and five concerts in Sunriver.

The Sunriver Music Festival’s Artistic Director and Conductor George Hanson will lead the world class Festival Orchestra in four classical concerts, a pops concert and a family concert. The 38th season also includes a solo piano concert plus free orchestra rehearsals, a piano master class and the annual Festival Faire dinner and auction fundraiser.

Maestro George Hanson selected the America the Beautiful theme with the sub-theme “something old, something new, something red, white and blue.”

“Each of the seven summer festival concerts will include classical favorites from Schumann, Beethoven, Haydn and Mendelssohn plus a nice assortment of music from more contemporary composers, such as Copland and Bernstein,” explained Hanson. “We are also including two new world premiers by composers Heather Schmidt and C.F. Kip Winger.

“The patriotic theme will run throughout the entire concert series and include well-loved music that expresses the composers’ love for their homelands. We’ve selected music from Austria, Germany, Italy, the U.K., Czech Republic and the U.S.”

Sean Chen, the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Crystal Medalist, is back by popular demand. The first American to place as a finalist since 1997, Chen won fans with his “exceptional ability to connect with an audience combined with an easy virtuosity,” according to The Huffington Post

Chen will perform a solo concert on Monday, Aug. 17, perform the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1 with the Festival Orchestra on Wed, Aug. 19, and he will instruct a Piano Master Class on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Concert tickets are on sale now. All festival concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $35 to $70. The Family Concert will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10 at the Sunriver Resort Great Hall. Family Concert tickets are $10 for adults and free for youth 18 years and younger.

To get more information about the Sunriver Music Festival’s summer festival concerts and events or to order tickets, call the Sunriver Music Festival Ticket Office at 541-593-9310 or email at tickets@sunrivermusic.org or visit www.sunrivermusic.org.