CARY, N.C. – Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre will come alive with the sound of music on Saturday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m., as Captain and Maria von Trapp’s great-grandchildren perform a concert of favorite family harmonies, plus music from around the world.  Presented by the North Carolina Symphony, “Around the World With the von Trapps” is the final concert in the 2014 Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series.  Gates open for the concert series at 5:30 p.m.  Children 12 and under are admitted free on the lawn.  The North Carolina Symphony is presenting, but will not perform at the concert.

The story of the family who escaped Austria, moved to the United States and toured the world singing for two decades has inspired generations since the film The Sound of Music was released in 1965. The history continues as the great grandchildren of the Captain and Maria von Trapp take up the family tradition anew. Sofi, Melanie, Amanda, and August von Trapp are siblings who, for the last 12 years, have been singing on stages around the world to critical acclaim and packed houses.

Sofi (25), Melanie (23), Amanda (22) and August von Trapp (19) have toured and traveled in Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, North America, and have performed extensively in the UK, New Zealand, China, Japan and the Philippines. They have appeared in concert at the Hollywood Bowl, The Sydney Opera House, The Forbidden City in Beijing, Seoul Square, Korea, the Grand Ole Opry, Austin City Limits and at La Nuit des Choeurs Festival in Belgium. The von Trapps made their Carnegie Hall debut in December 2012 with Pink Martini and the New York Pops Orchestra under the direction of Steven Reineke. They have also appeared with dozens of major symphony orchestras in the United States and Canada, including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, North Carolina Toronto Symphony, Pacific Symphony and Nashville Symphony among others. They have appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, The View and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The four siblings originally began by singing Austrian and American folk songs their grandfather, Werner von Trapp (portrayed as Kurt “the incorrigible” in The Sound of Music), taught them at the family home in Kalispell, Montana. The four simply knew their grandfather as “Opa,” and when he suffered a stroke 12 years ago, the siblings made a recording of the songs to cheer him up never expecting it would inspire a new musical legacy. Since that beginning, they have recorded six albums, a concert DVD and are currently working on a number of musical projects to be released next year. They also collaborated on a song with Rufus Wainwright called “Kitty Come Home” which was released in September 2013 as part of Pink Martini’s new album Get Happy.

After many years of extensive touring, the four siblings relocated to Portland, Oregon, and have completed a new album with Thomas Lauderdale and Pink Martini. The album, Dream a Little Dream, which was released in March of this year, is their first major international release and features guest appearances by The Chieftains, Wayne Newton and Charmian Carr. They are also writing original songs and generating a new international, multi-lingual repertoire that honors their family legacy as well as their own musical experiences.

This summer marks the 29th anniversary of performances in Cary and the orchestra’s fourteenth season in the stunning lakeside pavilion built by the Town of Cary. While performances begin at 7:30 p.m., concertgoers may bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs as early as 5:30 p.m. to enjoy the striking natural surroundings before the music begins. Thanks to Golden Corral, children ages 12 and under are free on the lawn, so attending a North Carolina Symphony concert at Booth Amphitheatre is a wonderful summer bargain for families.  The July 12 concert will also feature the MetLife Instrument Zoo, where kids of all ages can try out a musical instrument.

The Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series offers music lovers a perfect family outing, and once again, concertgoers who display the biggest and boldest culinary skills can win prizes. The Whole Foods Market of Cary Picnic of the Week contest continues for the fifth year. Throughout the summer, groups of concertgoers selected as the best picnickers of that weekend’s concert will receive a $100 gift basket from Whole Foods Market of Cary. Two honorable mentions in the form of $25 gift cards will also be awarded.

Tickets and Subscriptions

General admission lawn seating for “Around the World with the von Trapps” is $28, $30 at the door. Covered table seating is also available for $30 in advance, $32 at the door.  

Children 12 and under are admitted free for lawn seating at all Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series concerts.

Summerfest 2014 is presented by Rex Healthcare and co-sponsored by Town of Cary’ First Citizens Bank, Golden Corral (free admission for children 12 and under), MetLife (Instrument Zoo Sponsor), Lord Corporation, Crabtree Valley Mall, and CaptiveAire.

Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series partners are Enrigo Italian Bistro and The Umstead Hotel & Spa. Picnic of the Week partner is Whole Foods Market of Cary. Media partners are Fox 50, Cary Magazine, Mix 105/WRAL FM and WRAL.com/TV 5.

Booth Amphitheatre is located at 8003 Regency Parkway, just past the intersection of US-1 and US-64/Tryon Road, in Cary. Food and beverages, including wine and beer, are allowed on the grounds.  For tickets, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children in more than 50 North Carolina counties. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 66 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn and Resident Conductor William Henry Curry.

Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington—as well as concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year—and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.

Concert/Event Listings:
North Carolina Symphony: Around the World with the von Trapps, with Sofi, Melanie, Amanda, and August von Trapp
Saturday, July 12, 2014, 7:30 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m.)
Booth Amphitheatre, Cary