About the Festival

First-of-its-kind in concept and execution, the Festival brings together over 100 international musicians each June in the historic spa town of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.

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For over 20 years, the Festival pairs world-class mentor musicians from major orchestras, chamber ensembles, and conservatory faculties with especially talented pre-professional apprentices – all of whom receive full instructional scholarships.

 

The two groups play side by side, performing a wide variety of orchestral and chamber repertoire. For two weeks, these musicians form a unique community, presenting over 20 concerts and 250 open rehearsals for music lovers from around the globe.

 

Over 10,000 people attended Festival events since it began, and an additional 6.4 million heard its concerts on nationwide radio broadcasts. As the second edition of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America noted, “the Hot Springs Music Festival has carved out a place on the nation’s classical music map.”

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Situated in the magnificent Ouachita mountains of central Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park has been designated a “City of the Arts.” In addition to the Hot Springs Music Festival, its beautifully restored Historic Downtown District is home to nearly 30 fine art galleries, a monthly gallery walk, a world-class documentary film festival, and over 200 resident visual and performing artists.

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In addition to its usual concert, open rehearsal, and radio broadcast activities, the Hot Springs Music Festival appears on nine compact discs distributed worldwide on the Naxos/Marco Polo label. The Festival was also the focus of an hour-long Public Broadcasting Service documentary, “The Sound of Dreams,” which made its debut in February 2001, and continues to be broadcast nationwide.

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Serious in focus but casual in atmosphere, the Festival events take place in a variety of non-traditional venues including historic buildings, art galleries, hotel ballrooms, churches, and open-air spaces. Before and after concerts, audience members and musicians mingle in Hot Springs’ eclectic restaurants and cafes, hike the National Park’s trails and relax in the hot mineral water baths that gave the city its name.​