About the Music Festival
The Gerhart Chamber Music Series began in 1972 as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization called Youth Makes Music. The organization sought to further the performance and appreciation of classical chamber music in North Alabama. Chamber music is a unique form of art that has been referred to as “the music of friends.” The Festival held its first Homecoming Concert on the shores of Lake Guntersville before moving to Indian Springs School, located south of Birmingham. The Festival returned to Marshall County in 1985, when it coined its name after the late Russell Gerhart, the Huntsville Symphony conductor and well-known string teacher. The Gorham’s Bluff Institute later became the host of the annual event with a variety of activities held in Gorham’s Bluff, Hoover, Guntersville and Rainsville. In 2006, Snead State Community College became the host of the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival. In 2013, patrons of the Gerhart Festival enjoyed the concerts in the newly-restored historic Fielder Auditorium, located in the Administration Building on Snead State Community College’s Boaz campus.
The Festival includes concerts, a Master Class, and educational opportunities for Snead State students and students within the local school systems. Admission to all of the Gerhart Festival events is free.
Music Festival Master Class
As part of the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival, Snead State will sponsor a Master Class with the guest artists. The master class is open to string players (violin, viola and cello), pianists, and/or chamber groups. A concert of the student performers will follow. Time limitations will restrict the number of applicants we can accommodate, so please register early. Click this link for the registration packet. To register for the Master Class, contact lking@snead.edu for a registration packet.
Event Sponsors
If your business would like to sponsor the Gerhart Music Festival by purchase an ad in the Festival program, complete the order form and send it to Lindsey Hubbard at PO Box 734, Boaz, AL, 35957, or lking@snead.edu. The deadline to order an ad is Sept. 12, 2019.