Sheryl Crow among eclectic lineup at Lancaster Festival. What to know to go

If you are a lover of rock music, a devotee of symphonic sounds or an admirer of art, Fairfield County will be the place to be this month.

The always-eclectic Lancaster Festival — the annual arts and music event that has been a central Ohio staple since 1985 — will officially kick off Thursday and continue through July 29.

The festival encompasses full-scale concerts, intimate performances, theatrical productions and numerous opportunities to view, or to make, art. Many performances are anchored by the Lancaster Festival Orchestra.

Major artists joining the orchestra this year include Andy Grammer (performing with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra Saturday) and Sheryl Crow (performing with the orchestra on July 29), but there will be no shortage of things to see and do in between the headliners.

To offer a guided tour through the varied shows and activities, the Dispatch spoke with artistic director Gary Sheldon.

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What happens on opening night?

As usual, the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, which is conducted by Sheldon, will have the stage to itself on opening night at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, 132 S. High St. in Lancaster.

This year, however, the performance will function as both a welcome to the festival — and a goodbye to one of its longtime artists: The concert will be among the last to be performed by orchestra concertmaster Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, who joined the ensemble in 2009 and will retire at the close of the season.

“We’re featuring classical works that are known for their famous violin solos, like the ‘Swan Lake’ suite of Tchaikovsky,” Sheldon said. “Stephanie is also playing with some of her students from the University of Nevada for the Mozart ‘Serenata Nocturna.’”

Like all of the orchestra members, Sant’Ambrogio travels to Fairfield County each summer for the festival, where she stays with “host families” who provide lodging for the visiting musicians.

“One of the wonderful developments over the years is the group of host families that welcome the Lancaster Festival Orchestra musicians into their homes each summer,” Sheldon said. “Hosts miss the people who had stayed with them for many years as musicians come and go in this field.”

Andy Grammer to perform with the orchestra

The orchestra will next be heard with 39-year-old singer-songwriter Andy Grammer, whose albums include “Magazines or Novels” and “Naive,” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Ohio University-Lancaster’s Wendel Concert Stage, 1570 Granville Pike.

“It’s important to us to connect with all generations of music-lovers, and so many young people in the community have asked for Andy Grammer,” Sheldon said. “We’re excited to perform with him following his recent success performing with the Boston Pops.”

As he often does for headlining acts, Sheldon has prepared new orchestral arrangements of a number of Grammer’s songs, including “Love is the New Money.”

“He is a young fellow whose band sounds terrific,” Sheldon said.

Other music events

In addition to the main concerts, orchestra musicians will embed themselves in and around Lancaster for numerous small-scale, chamber music-style performances offered for free at various venues.

“To bring music out into the community is, first of all, more convenient for some people, but it shows the festival’s sincere desire to connect with everyone in the community, everyone in the county,” Sheldon said. “(We want) to find some way to involve people of all ages and backgrounds with the arts.”

Performances include a brass quintet at 7 p.m. on July 23 at the Alley Park Covered Bridge, 2805 Old Logan Road SE; a string quartet at 1 p.m. July 26 at the Olivedale Senior Center, 253 Boving Road; and a low brass quartet at 4 p.m. July 27 at the Keller Market House, 134 S. Columbus St.

New this year is “Rock the Pops,” in which the full Lancaster Festival Orchestra will team with guest violinist Siobhan Cronin to offer symphonic spins on classic rock and pop songs. The free concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. July 25 on the Wendel Concert Stage.

“We are going to rock like we’ve done before,” said Sheldon, who has programmed orchestral versions of a wide swath of music associated with artists ranging from The Who and Led Zeppelin to Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars.

Columbus Jazz Orchestra artistic director Byron Stripling will lead a performance at 8 p.m. July 24 on the Wendel Concert Stage; and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers — a Scottish “bag-rock band” that resembles the Red Hot Chili Peppers in name only — will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 26, also on the Wendel Concert Stage.

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Don't forget about the art

Visual arts events will include Chalk the Block. Those who register can create chalk artwork at Fountain Square in downtown Lancaster starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Also returning is the ArtWalk. Downtown Lancaster will be turned into an ersatz art gallery from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.

“Many of the stores and businesses, including the museum downtown, will keep their doors open late so people can start the evening enjoying art of local artists and artists from beyond,” Sheldon said of ArtWalk. “The evening morphs into a great street party with music and dancing.”

There's live theater, too

Ohio University-Lancaster Theatre will perform its production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” at 2 and 7 p.m. July 23.

It all wraps up with Sheryl Crow

The festival with close with its biggest name, country-rock superstar Sheryl Crow. The 61-year-old artist responsible for such enduring hits as “Soak Up the Sun” and “Strong Enough” will perform with the orchestra at 8 p.m. July 29 on the Wendel Concert Stage.

“Sheryl Crow is someone whom we’ve hoped to bring to the festival for years, and of course she’s at the height of her career right now,” Sheldon said. “I have a feeling she’s just going to give us a great show.”

Unlike some festival guests, Crow is no stranger to singing with a symphony behind her.

“She’s very experienced performing with orchestra, and she’s asked me to compose three or four charts for her,” Sheldon said. “She’s constantly expanding her repertoire with orchestra.”

Before Crow takes the stage, the orchestra will have the stage to itself during an opening set to include orchestral versions of a diverse assortment of classic American music.

“We’re saluting Americans of all generations, starting with the Greatest Generation (of) World War II with ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ of Benny Goodman,” Sheldon said. “Then, we make our way to Boomers (and) the music of Aretha Franklin and Fleetwood Mac, and we move on to the millennials — (the music of) Beyonce, Britney Spears.”

No matter which generation an audience might belong to, they’ll find something to hum along with — both on closing night and throughout the festival.

“The arts have a wonderful way of bringing people together,” Sheldon said.

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At a glance

For more information about the 2023 Lancaster Festival, including a full schedule and ticket information, visit lancasterfestival.org.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sheryl Crow to play Lancaster Festival in central Ohio