Tippet Rise Art Center Concert Season Begins August 16

Tippet Rise Art Center welcomes musicians and concertgoers for its ninth concert season, beginning August 16 and running through September 15, 2024.

With more than 25 indoor and outdoor performances planned over five weekends, including free pop-up concerts and family concerts, the season features a wide range of repertoire performed by young trailblazers and acclaimed artists. A highlight of this summer's season is the opening of a new outdoor performance venue, the Geode, designed by Arup.

To mark this occasion, two special concerts are planned including the world premiere of a Tippet Rise Commission by Grammy-nominated world music composer Dawn Avery, performed by the cellist Arlen Hlusko, and flutist Claire Chase performing alongside shamisen player Hidejiro Honjoh for the world premiere of Dai Fujikura's Reizei for Flute and Shamisen (2021). The audience at the Geode will have a unique sonic and visual experience, experiencing music as if set indoors while amidst a breathtaking backdrop of seven surrounding mountain ranges.

Set against the backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains on a 12,500-acre ranch, Tippet Rise opened on June 14 for hiking, biking, sculpture van tours, and special programs showcasing its monumental outdoor sculptures and architectural structures. This year, the art center has installed two newly acquired sculptures—The Soil You See… (2023) by Wendy Red Star and Crossroads II (1990) by Richard Serra.

Concert Season Highlights

The season features four world premieres. On August 17, cellist Arlen Hlusko gives the inaugural performance at the Geode— featuring a world premiere and Tippet Rise commission of Àkweks Katyes (The Eagle Flies) (2024) as well as the world premiere of Paul V. Cortez's Hyacinth Garnishes from Bouquet Suite (2024), a work written as part of his participation in a Weill Music Institute program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. On August 18, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska and pianist Kunal Lahiry make their Tippet Rise debut with the North American premiere of composer and pianist Nahre Sol's Apperceptive Algorithms (2022). On August 24, flutist Claire Chase joins shamisen player Hidejiro Honjoh at the Geode for the world premiere of Dai Fujikura's Reizei for Flute and Shamisen (2021). On August 30 and 31, Jennifer Frautschi and Evren Ozel perform the world premiere of Valentyn Silvestrov's Twelve Waltzes of the Moment and One Serenade for Violin and Piano, the eighth of ten works commissioned by Tippet Rise in 2022 from Silvestrov, Ukraine's leading living composer.

On September 14, the popular Wander series returns, which moves musicians and audience members among sculptures. This year, the concert visits Ai Wei Wei's Iron Tree and Patrick Dougherty's Daydreams and Cursive Takes a Holiday. A group of wind players perform music by György Ligeti, Endre Szervánszky, Astor Piazzolla, and Samuel Barber.

Click here for detailed information about the concert season.

During the concert season, lunch and dinner on Fridays, and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, are available for purchase from Tippet Rise culinary partner and two-time James Beard-nominated PREROGATIvE KITCHEN.

Art at Tippet Rise

Tippet Rise Art Center celebrates the union of land, art, architecture, and music. Joining the other works of art spread across the land, there are two newly installed sculptures this year—The Soil You See… (2023) by Wendy Red Star and Crossroads II (1990) by Richard Serra. 

Recently displayed on the National Mall, The Soil You See… now resides permanently at Tippet Rise. The glass sculpture stands 8' tall and depicts a red thumbprint with swirling ridges inscribed with the names of 50 local Apsáalooke chiefs who signed land treaties with the U.S. government between 1825 and 1880. The Soil You See… is in significant dialogue with Tippet Rise, which sits within the traditional sacred land of the Apsáalooke, and is one of the first works guests encounter as they approach the main Cottonwood Campus.

Crossroads II (1990) by Richard Serra consists of four solid, 8” thick plates constructed from weatherproof steel. Each plate is 57' tall, with two shorter plates measuring 2' 8” and the longer plates measuring 20'. The plates are arranged at 90-degree angles and are separated by distances ranging from 8” to 85”. Visitors can walk among the plates, which are situated on a prow of volcanic rock overlooking the dramatic Murphy Canyon. The work is a gift from Leonard I. Korman in memory of Jane F. Korman.

In addition to these seminal new works, many of the works installed at Tippet Rise are site-specific commissions. Xylem (2019) is a contemplative pavilion designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré. Ensamble Studio has created several impressive sculptural structures like Domo (2016), which will host an outdoor concert this summer, Beartooth Portal (2015), Inverted Portal (2016), and Folds (2022). Tippet Rise also features commissioned works such as Stephen Talasnik's Satellite #5: Pioneer (2016) and Patrick Dougherty's Daydreams (2015) and Cursive Takes a Holiday (2022), which will also host an outdoor concert.

Also set in the landscape are Trilogy (1978) by Louise Nevelson and Archway II (1984/2016) by Alexander Liberman, both of which were installed last year, and three monumental works by the internationally renowned sculptor Mark di Suvero—Beethoven's Quartet (2003), Proverb (2002), and Whale's Cry (1983). Contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's Iron Tree (2013) is installed on the art center's main campus and is visible through the window of the Olivier Music Barn's performance hall. Companion Species (Floating and Held) (2022), a wall hanging by interdisciplinary artist Marie Watt, is the first work to greet guests as they enter the Visitor Center, located in the Olivier Music Barn. Two works by Alexander Calder are on loan from the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, including Two Discs (1965), the first outdoor work guests encounter as they arrive at Tippet Rise, and Stainless Stealer (1966), installed within the Olivier Music Barn performance space. 

Getting to Tippet Rise Art Center

Located in Stillwater County, Tippet Rise is approximately one-hour southwest of Billings, two hours southeast of Bozeman, and two-and-a-half hours north of Yellowstone National Park. It is served by two major airports: Billings Logan International Airport and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Ticketing Information

Tickets for the season's performances were available through a randomized drawing. Tickets returned to the box office are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be placed for sale on the website. Concert tickets are $10 each for adults, and free to anyone 21 and under. For additional information, please visit tippetrise.org.

Reservations for self-guided hiking and biking tours of the art center opened in April 2024, and a limited number of hiking and biking reservations are added to the website every week during the summer season. Self-guided tours are free for everyone, though prior registration via the Tippet Rise website is required for all visitors.

For those who are unable to attend concerts in person, the Olivier Music Barn is equipped with state-of-the-art recording technology, and recorded performances are added regularly to the Tippet Rise website and to the art center's YouTube channel.

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