The Bitter Root Land Trust (BRLT), a local nonprofit organization that partners with private landowners to protect working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and water resources in the Bitterroot Valley, will be hosting a one-time special benefit concert on July 27 for community members to connect with conserved lands through the nationally renowned “In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild” concert series.
Held in place of the organization’s annual summer Barn Dance event, which will return in 2025, the piano concert will take place at 5:30 p.m. outdoors on a conserved ranch on Sunset Bench, 160 acres of agricultural land, wildlife habitat, and open space conserved by local landowners Mike Sylvester and Meghan Hanson in partnership with BRLT in 2019.
A unique take on a traditional concert, a Steinway concert grand piano will travel to the Bitterroot on a flatbed trailer which will serve as the stage in the middle of an open hay field. Music played by talented pianist Hunter Noack is then transmitted to concert-goers via wireless headphones (provided), offering a live soundtrack to their experience as they are encouraged to wander throughout the sunny hay fields, a timber forest, and sagebrush meadow – all protected forever thanks to conservation.
“We are thrilled to partner with Hunter to bring this opportunity to the Bitterroot Valley,” said Gavin Ricklefs, BRLT Executive Director. “The In a Landscape concert provides a new way for community members to celebrate the beauty of the Bitterroot, the incredible dedication of local landowners to conserving our water, wildlife and working lands, and our community’s incredible support for leaving a legacy of conservation for future generations.”
A conservation celebration will follow the piano concert, where guests will have the opportunity to learn more about conservation projects in the Bitterroot Valley, bid on silent auction items, and enjoy a local duo playing live country music until sundown. Beer, wine and food will be available for purchase.
“This unique experience is something we’re really excited to be able to provide to our community. To give folks the opportunity to visit a property the landowner and BRLT have protected forever with a conservation easement firsthand, making the connection between open space, conservation, and our community’s role in making it possible, is invaluable,” says Stephanie Sipe, BRLT Communications and Outreach Manager. “This is the Land Trust’s opportunity to thank our community and local landowners for what they make possible – the continuation of family farms and ranches, irreplaceable agricultural lands, open space, habitat for wildlife, clean water, and places to get outside and recreate.”
Tickets for this event cost $40 and are anticipated to sell out quickly. A limited number of tickets will be available for sale online starting May 1, 2024. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Bitter Root Land Trust website, www.bitterrootlandtrust.org.
“As residents of the Bitterroot, we have all seen the incredible pace of recent growth and change and its long-term impact on the Valley’s farms, ranches, wildlife, and fisheries,” noted Ricklefs. “We are at a critical moment in the Bitterroot’s history. Collectively, we have the great responsibility and opportunity to protect the things that make this valley so special to each one of us but time is of the essence. The In a Landscape event will help shine a light on the commitments local landowners and community members are making every day to ensure we protect the Bitterroot we all love.”
There are varying levels of sponsorship opportunities available for businesses and individuals to support this event. Learn more by contacting the Bitter Root Land Trust at 406-375-0956 or emailing Lauren Rennaker, BRLT Development Director, at lauren@bitterrootlandtrust.org.
To learn more about the Bitter Root Land Trust, visit bitterrootlandtrust.org. To learn more about In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild, visit inalandscape.org.