Wolf Trap's 41st Season Features 135 Diverse Live Performances

Summer Shows Include the Wolf Trap Foundation's Seventh Face of America Installment and Debut Live Performances by Matisyahu, The Fresh Beat Band, Josh Ritter, Ben Harper, Alan Jackson, Dead Can Dance, and Many More

VIENNA, Va., May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces its entire 2012 Summer season, featuring 92 live performances and 108 days at the majestic Filene Center amphitheater, nine evenings of opera at The Barns at Wolf Trap, and 34 performances at Wolf Trap's Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods.

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Just Announced—11 New Shows!

• THE OUTLAW ROADSHOW
  Featuring:
  Counting Crows
  With Special Guests
  Wednesday, June 20
• Demi Lovato
  Hot Chelle Rae
  Sunday, June 24
• Matisyahu
  Dirty Heads
  Sunday, July 8
• Wilco – Two Nights!
  w/ special guest Lee Ranaldo Band (of Sonic Youth)
  Tuesday, July 17
  Wednesday, July 18
• Jackson Browne    
  w/ special guest Sara Watkins
  Monday, July 23
• Rufus Wainwright
  Ingrid Michaelson
  Tuesday, July 24
• Joe Walsh
  Monday, August 13
• Lyle Lovett
  Tuesday, August 14
• John Prine
  Emmylou Harris
  Wednesday, August 15         
• Train
  w/ special guests Mat Kearney and Andy Grammer
  Tuesday, August 21

Wolf Trap Debuts

Several iconic, in-demand, and burgeoning acts make their Wolf Trap debuts in 2012, including the performance of country mega-star Alan Jackson, the high-energy pop of Nick Jr.'s The Fresh Beat Band, indie-folk singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, and the widely popular roots/blues-rock anthems of Ben Harper. Also debuting are two hot summer tours that Rolling Stone has ranked in their top 10 packages of the season, one featuring first-time Wolf Trap artists Barenaked Ladies and Cracker alongside Big Head Todd & The Monsters; the second with Everclear, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Lit, and Marcy Playground. 39 artists (26 headliners and 13 special guests) total will make their Wolf Trap debut this summer including all the above.

NSO@Wolf Trap: Nine Performances Including Full Length Films and Video Game Magic!

Wolf Trap welcomes back Emil de Cou as the NSO@Wolf Trap Festival Conductor, taking the baton for four of nine NSO@Wolf Trap performances. Wolf Trap is pleased to present an eclectic mix of full movies, stunning visual imagery, and exciting live music by the National Symphony Orchestra, including the all new symphonic concert The Legend of ZELDA in celebration of the 25th anniversary of one of the industry's most beloved video games. Other NSO@Wolf Trap performances include Broadway ROCKS featuring hits from Dream Girls, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera and more; The Music of John Williams; multi-award winning conductor and Wolf Trap Board member Marvin Hamlisch; full film versions of The Wizard of Oz and West Side Story with the full scores played live by the NSO; The Planets - An HD Odyssey featuring new NASA images; Beethoven's 9th; and the Tony award-winning Broadway sensation, Idina Menzel.

Wolf Trap Opera Company (WTOC) Presents New Productions Celebrating the Bad Boys of Summer and the Women Who Love Them

The GRAMMY-nominated, nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Opera Company, a residency program for the finest rising professionals in the operatic industry, proudly presents its select group of Filene Young Artists and Studio Artists for the 2012 Summer season. These singers were selected during a nationwide talent search and will perform new productions of Don Giovanni and The Rake's Progress, in addition to recitals and concerts. The two dozen artists selected to join the Wolf Trap Opera Company have risen above hundreds of their peers, showcasing the best emerging talent in the field at The Barns at Wolf Trap.

World and D.C. Premiere Dance Commissioned by Wolf Trap

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces performances from two famed dance companies in Ballet Hispanico and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company to be presented during the Summer 2012 season. These two internationally acclaimed companies offer stunning performances in two completely varied—but equally brilliant—styles of dance. On September 8, Wolf Trap will unveil Face of America: Spirit of South Florida, its seventh installment as part of the world renowned Face of America series. Patrons will be taken on an artistic journey through one of the world's largest ecosystems with innovative choreography from internationally acclaimed Parsons Dance company and stunning visuals by film crew Blue Land Media, set to live music from GRAMMY nominated Cuban-American band Tiempo Libre and a recording of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird's album Useless Creatures.  

Sensational Pop, Rock & Country Plus Two Unforgettable Nights with A Prairie Home Companion

The Filene Center lights up the Northern Virginia area almost nightly with some of the finest touring acts of today. Two nights of the beloved A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor with special guests Sara Watkins and Heather Masse opens the 2012 Summer season, followed by the Summer Blast Off! with fireworks sponsored by USAA.

Wolf Trap is proud to feature the revered Crosby, Stills & Nash for a performance of their greatest hits and new material; award-winning classical-crossover group IL DIVO; the ultimate showman in standards Barry Manilow performing for two nights; country-music powerhouse Martina McBride with special guest David Nail; Bonnie Raitt with special guest Mavis Staples; Steve Winwood; and the one-two pop punch of Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat. Additional featured pop and rock performances include Norah Jones, Dead Can Dance, Al Green and Taj Mahal, a cappella sensations Straight No Chaser, and the smooth instrumental collective of Yanni.

Highly anticipated Wolf Trap favorites include Steve Miller Band for two nights; The Temptations and The Four Tops; Wolf Trap's 23rd Annual Louisiana Swamp Romp™; Broadway sensation RAIN – A Tribute to the Beatles; and the final U.S. stop of Riverdance.  

This list does not reflect all pop/rock/country performances. For the full roster, please visit http://www.wolftrap.org/~/media/FFB986EFED1646DA84FCB399BB20D8AF.ashx.

Timeless Musical Theatre For the Entire Family

Families will have numerous opportunities to relish the joy of musical theatre at Wolf Trap during the Summer 2012 season featuring the Broadway traveling show of South Pacific based on the 2008 Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production. Also perfect for Broadway aficionados and family outings are Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, and Sing-A-Long Sound of Music—back by popular audience demand.

Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods

Wolf Trap's 2012 Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods season features a diverse array of performance genres including kindie rock, Latin, Afro-Caribbean, country, folk, jazz, bluegrass, and pop-rock, as well as Irish dance, ballet, puppetry, and musical theatre. Thirteen new artists will grace the outdoor stage nestled in the woods behind the Filene Center. Debuts include (but are not limited to) Justin Roberts, The Jimmies, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper, Aaron Nigel Smith, German puppeteer Matthias Kuchta, jazz group Coal Train Railroad, and the drama ensemble Pushcart Players. Three audience favorites will also return this year: the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance, DinoRock, and pop-rock singer Robbie Schaefer, the guitarist for the popular Virginia-based pop band Eddie from Ohio and host of Sirus XM Radio's Kids Place Live. New this year, Theatre-in-the-Woods will feature one performance per day, Tuesdays through Saturdays at a new time of 10:30 am.

Wolf Trap is committed to the presentation of accessible and affordable arts experiences to the broadest possible audience. Wolf Trap offers tickets as low as $4, continues to allow patrons to bring their own food and beverages into the park, and provides metro accessibility and free parking for all shows at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for Wolf Trap's 2012 performances can be purchased online at www.wolftrap.org, by phone at 1(877)WOLFTRAP, or at the Wolf Trap Box Office located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts at 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia. For more information, please call Wolf Trap at (703) 255-1868.

*Visit www.wolftrap.org for a full list of performances, dates, descriptions, pricing, video, updates, and additions to the schedule.*

Wolf Trap Foundation greatly appreciates the generous support from our 2012 Official Partners:

SOURCE Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts