The Backbone of the World
Wolf Trap's Face of America returns with its next world
premiere installment: Glacier National Park
By Heather Martin We invite you to enter the world of Face of America: Glacier National Park. Fill your senses with snowy vistas from the magical Montana setting known to Native Americans as the “Backbone of the World.” Reach back 10,000 years into the history of this glacial carved landscape through a Blackfeet Indian blessing handed down through generations. Then travel forward through tribal and cowboy history and let music and dance of today guide you on your own vision quest to this pristine paradise and its tenuous future. Face of America is about dreaming big, and 2009’s installment of this series takes us on an amazing journey through Glacier National Park. A sacred place, a pristine paradise with an abundance of wildlife and the fruits of nature, Glacier National Park preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks, and valleys in the Northern Rocky Mountains. The park is named for its prominent glacier-carved terrain and remnant glaciers descended from the ice ages. Bedrock and deposited materials exposed by receding glaciers tell a story of ancient seas, geologic faults, and uplifting, and reveal giant slabs of the earth's crust overlaying younger strata. The result of these combined forces is some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. Sadly, the park’s glaciers are disappearing at an increasing rate and scientists estimate that unless there is a major reduction in global warming, they will completely disappear by 2030.
| Walter Rissmeyer of Blue Land Media and Trey McIntyre
dream big in Glacier. |
In the year 2000, Wolf Trap launched its original performance series, Face of America, in recognition of the extraordinary role that America’s National Parks play in preserving our country’s rich cultural and natural resources. The multimedia series allows artists to explore America’s natural wonders through the creation of original work, and takes audiences on a journey to discover the diversity of people and landscapes that shape our National Parks. In the past eight years, Wolf Trap has commissioned ten new works as part of Face of America. “The strength of Face of America is not only the amazing art that is contributed to the American repertoire, but the narrative story that is told through the work,” states Wolf Trap President & CEO Terre Jones. To help tell the story of Glacier National Park, Wolf Trap has assembled a stellar cast of world-class Montana artists, including two close friends beloved of Montanans: Blackfeet Indian singer-songwriter Jack Gladstone and cowboy singer Rob Quist. They will be joined by fellow Montanan, Emmy Award winning jazz artist Philip Aaberg, whose unique keyboard style paints an audible portrait of his home state to complement the stirring visual images, captured by the talented video production team of Blue Land Media, who braved temperatures of minus 23 degrees Fahrenheit to create some of the images that will appear on screen. 
| Trey McIntyre explores video possibilities. |
Trey McIntyre, one of today’s most sought-after American choreographers, will look at Glacier through the eye of a visitor, creating the first commissioned ballet of the Face of America series. The Trey McIntyre Project will take audiences on a multimedia adventure set against a backdrop of high definition video. This commission captures the rugged beauty, immense scale, and commanding presence of the Rocky Mountains at Glacier National Park while addressing the delicate balance of power between the environment and those within it.
Wolf Trap’s Face of America: Glacier National Park will debut on August 19, 2009, launching the Glacier National Park Centennial Celebration. Please join us for this exclusive and remarkable experience. This is one you definitely do not want to miss! Wolf Trap's unique Face of America series uses the rich language of the performing arts to celebrate the diverse people, histories, and landscapes that exist in fellow National Parks across the country.
Experience the World Premiere of Face of America: Glacier National Park on August 19 at 8 pm at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Preview Face of America: Glacier National Park Buy Tickets Support and Celebrate Face of America at the Premiere Dinner! Enjoy a dinner inspired by authentic Montana cuisine prior to experiencing the World Premiere from reserved orchestra seats. Ticket packages begin at $150 for an individual, with table options (including hotel accommodations) also available. Proceeds support the newly commissioned work and production of Face of America: Glacier National Park. Register |
Photos by Terre Jones and Joe Bruncsak |