2010 Guest Artists

Garth Brooks

August 1

Annual Benefit Fundraising Concert

Certified by the RIAA as the #1 selling solo artist in US history, Garth Brooks has sold in excess of 128 million albums. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have 6 albums top the 10 million mark. His most recent release The Ultimate Hits has been certified 5 x platinum. In 2007 Garth became the first artist to put out a simultaneous edition of his latest collection for a charitable cause. The “pink edition” of The Ultimate Hits was and is available only at the Susan G Komen website. His body of work – including the groundbreaking No Fences, Ropin’ The Wind, The Hits, and Double Live – propelled country music as a genre to the front pages of newspapers worldwide and the covers of magazines, to the point where Forbes declared on its cover, “Country Conquers Rock” and featured Garth in a major music piece. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Garth Brooks is the top-selling solo artist of the 20th century.
See Full Bio

Shai Wosner

Piano, July 26 & 28

Shai Wosner’s virtuosity and perceptiveness make him a favorite among both audiences and critics. Shai Wosner first performed for the Edgar M. Bronfman Chamber Music Series in 2006 and his Sun Valley connections don’t end there. He was a student of Emanuel Ax (August 7), and has performed in recital with violinist Jennifer Koh (August 5).
See Full Bio

Jennifer Koh

Violin, August 5

Described by critics as fearless, mesmerizing and intense, Jennifer Koh makes her debut in Sun Valley with the melodic Barber Violin Concerto. This past season, Ms. Koh premiered new violin concertos by Augusta Read Thomas and Klas Torstensson and embarked upon a series of chamber concerts to mark Bach’s 325th birthday.
See Full Bio

Michael Collins

Clarinet, August 12

One of the leading clarinetists of his generation, Michael Collins has played a pivotal role in expanding the clarinet repertoire, premiering works of some of today’s most highly-regarded composers including John Adams and Elliot Carter. Collins’ dazzling playing as a soloist and chamber musician has delighted audiences throughout the world.
See Full Bio

Nathaniel Stookey

Narrator, August 14

Composer Nathaniel Stookey makes his Sun Valley debut as narrator of his own deliciously morbid work The Composer is Dead. Stookey has collaborated with a remarkable range of artists, from the progressive rock band The Mars Volta to The Philadelphia Orchestra.
See Full Bio

Doug LaBrecque

Vocalist, August 8

Doug LaBrecque has thrilled Broadway theatre audiences in The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat and toured nationally with Les Miserables. He is an active international concert soloist and has appeared with the world’s finest symphony orchestras.
See Full Bio

Virginia Woodruff

Vocalist, August 8

Virginia Woodruff, currently performing in the national tour of The Color Purple, has performed on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café, All Shook Up and The Color Purple. She has sung with James Ingram, Whitney Houston, Patti Austin, Gloria Gaynor and many other great recording artists.
See Full Bio

Itzhak Perlman

Violin, August 2

Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of violin, Itzhak Perlman is beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent. Mr. Perlman was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1958 and has since performed in every milieu, from the world’s great orchestras and for presidents and queens to Sesame Street and major movie soundtracks.
See Full Bio

Emanuel Ax

Piano, August 7

Emanuel Ax captured public attention in 1974 when he won the first Arthur Rubenstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, followed five years later by the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. In 2010, the Grammy winning pianist will tour the world’s great concert halls presenting newly commissioned works in collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma and Dawn Upshaw. Mr. Ax comes to Sun Valley for the first time this summer, performing Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto.
See Full Bio

Nathan Gunn

Baritone, August 13

Nathan Gunn has made a reputation as one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones of the day. Recipient of the first annual Beverly Sills Artist Award, he makes frequent appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Paris Opera and Bayerische Staatsoper, among many others. Mr. Gunn has recently ventured outside the standard opera repertoire with appearances in semi-staged performances of Camelot with the New York Philharmonic (broadcast live on PBS’s Great Performances) and Showboat at Carnegie Hall.
See Full Bio

Randall Craig Fleischer

Conductor, August 8

Conductor, composer and arranger Randall Craig Fleischer is Music Director of the Youngstown Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the Anchorage Symphony.
See Full Bio

Julia Murney

Vocalist, August 8

Singer and actress Julia Murney appeared on Broadway in Wicked, and on television on 30 Rock, Sex and the City and Law and Order. She has recorded several cast albums, including the Grammy-nominated Hair.
See Full Bio