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Contact: Mount Rainier Press Information Line, 360-569-6510
ASHFORD, Wash. – As a part of the activities honoring the 125th anniversary of the park’s establishment, Mount Rainier National Park is teaming up with composer Stephen Lias to capture some of the park’s history, scenic beauty, and recreational wonders in a forthcoming musical work for symphony orchestra. Mr. Lias will share his unique process of translating his experiences in national parks into music in a multimedia presentation at the Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park at 7 pm Wednesday, June 5.
A self-styled “adventurer-composer,” Lias has established a long track record of creating park-inspired concert and chamber music and has served as Artist-in-Residence at Rocky Mountain, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier, Denali, and other national parks. The resulting pieces have been premiered in places as far-flung as Alaska, Taiwan, and Australia, and his orchestral music has been programmed by symphonies around the US, including the 2017 premiere of “All the Songs that Nature Sings” at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Lias’s activities at Mount Rainier National Park will include multiple visits to the park in different seasons, immersive backcountry and alpine exploration, and public presentations in the park and area communities. He will begin writing the piece in the fall of 2024, with the hopes of a premiere soon thereafter.
“We are so pleased to welcome Stephen Lias to Mount Rainier National Park during this anniversary year. The mountain has nourished body and spirit and inspired the imaginations of countless generations. As the park’s first official Composer-in-Residence, we anticipate Stephen will introduce diverse and distant audiences to the wonder of Mount Rainier,” said park superintendent Greg Dudgeon.
The National Park Service has a long and inspiring relationship with artists of all types, and park officials hope that this new contribution to the concert music repertoire will help preserve the essence of this iconic mountain in a way that will reach audiences for years to come.In addition to Mr. Lias’ presentation “Wild Music: An Obsession with National Parks” on June 5, 2024, the park will host additional distinguished guests every Wednesday at 7 pm throughout the summer. Retired Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Randy King is featured on June 12 with his presentation on “Changing Technologies and Implications for Park Management and Public Use” and Cascades Carnivore Project Executive Director Jocelyn Atkins will share her knowledge on June 19 with “Rare Carnivores of the Cascades.” Dr. Andrew Fountain finishes out the month of June with his discussion “Glacier Change at Mount Rainier and Across the American West” on June 26, 2024.
More information on each Wednesday evening event can be found on the National Park Service Event Calendar. Timed entry reservations are required for the Paradise and Sunrise Corridors from 7 am – 3 pm every day through September 2, 2024.
For more information on Mount Rainier National Park, please visit the park’s website.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 429 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: June 5, 2024