IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild™ Soothes the Soul Once Again at Smith Rock
July 23, 2021
5 years. 97 concerts. 65 guest artists. 13,000+ attendees. 46% attending for free. 28% experiencing classical music for the first time. If you were fortunate to catch one of the two sold-out performances IN A LANDSCAPE™ brought to Smith Rock once again, nothing we say here will match your personal take on the experience. For others, we hope that we inspire you to catch classical pianist Hunter Noack and the amazing tickling he does of the keys of his 9-foot Steinway grand piano at one of his other venues in the wild spaces across Oregon.
Founded in 2016, IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild™ is an outdoor concert series where America’s most stunning landscapes replace the traditional concert hall. Hunter grew up with a strong connection to nature, exploring the wilds of Oregon, hunting, fishing, and kayaking its rivers. Classically trained at Interlochen Arts Academy and the San Franciso Conservatory, he earned his B.M. at the University of Southern California and went on to get his masters in London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. IN A LANDSCAPE™ was born at the intersection of Hunter’s passion for the outdoors and classical music. Since then he has been showered in both national and international awards, premiered works for the BBC, toured internationally with Pink Martini, and been featured by TEDxPortland, regional to the national press, including CBS This Morning.
The IN A LANDSCAPE™ team hauls Hunter’s 9-foot Steinway grand piano on a flatbed trailer to National Parks, urban greenspaces, working ranches, farms, and historical sites for classical music concerts that connect people with each landscape. To meet the acoustical challenges of performing in the wild, music is transmitted to concert-goers via wireless headphones.
The IN A LANDSCAPE™ crew sets up at Smith Rock State Park
IN A LANDSCAPE™ audience with headphones at Smith Rock State Park
No longer confined to seats, they are free to explore the landscape, wander through secret glens, lie in sunny meadows, and roam old-growth forests. Or in the case of Smith Rock, meander along the Rim Trail, taking in the rock spires all around, as well as the river canyon below. With an inspiring repertoire from Franz Liszt to Maurice Ravel, along with Hunter’s witty stories about each artist and piece of music, smiles ensued as each audience member was filled with a concert in their head, and a feast for their eyes with the landscape of the park. Many clamored to have a piece of the stage to also FEEL the music, when Hunter invited them to lie down on the platform.
Digesting the music through the headphones.
Hunter’s first piano teacher, Patti Petersen of Bend, Oregon is all smiles of her protege. “He’s progressed a lot since he was 4 years old.”
Wandering around the Rim Trail while enjoying both the sights and sounds of the evening IN A LANDSCAPE™ concert at Smith Rock State Park
IN A LANDSCAPE™ attendees lay down on the stage at the Hunter’s invitation
As if Hunter wasn’t enough to fill the evening, guest artist Native American Music Award Winner 2017 flutist James Greeley from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs joined Hunter with some improvisational pieces from a forthcoming release they are working on together. We look forward to the release some time next year. And of course, we are counting the days until the next IN A LANDSCAPE™ performance here at Smith Rock!
Hunter Noack (on left) gets a kick out of a possible future IN A LANDSCAPE™ guest artist on his piano.
“Inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted, I too believe our parks are our most democratic spaces and they are essential, as are the arts, for the health of our society. Smith Rock State Park is one of Oregon’s most iconic high desert landscapes and we are honored to be the only musical event permitted in the park.”