Britt Festival

Britt Festival, also known as the Britt Music & Arts Festival, is a nonprofit performing arts festival based in Jacksonville, Oregon. It presents a seasonal program of live performances in an outdoor setting on the grounds associated with the historic Peter Britt estate, with the Britt Pavilion serving as its principal performance venue. The festival is recognized as one of the prominent performing arts events in the Pacific Northwest and has developed a program that combines orchestral and classical music with popular music and other live-performance formats. The festival’s origins date to 1963, when Portland conductor John Trudeau and several companions were looking for a suitable location for a summer music festival in southern Oregon. They selected the former hillside estate of Jacksonville pioneer Peter Britt because of its natural acoustics, scenic setting, and views across the surrounding valley. A temporary plywood stage was erected during the inaugural summer, and a local orchestra provided the principal performances. This initial event established the outdoor, community-oriented model that remains central to the Britt experience. For its early years, the festival relied heavily on local orchestral participation. A major infrastructure change came in 1978 with the construction of the current pavilion. The permanent venue allowed Britt to expand seating, improve production capabilities, and present a wider range of artists. Over time, the festival grew beyond its original orchestral emphasis, attracting nationally recognized and high-profile touring performers while continuing to feature regional and local musicians. Its setting, rather than a conventional enclosed concert hall, remains a defining part of the brand: audiences attend performances in a hillside environment surrounded by the landscape of southern Oregon. Most performances take place at Britt Park in Jacksonville. The park is owned by Jackson County and operated by Britt under a long-term lease, giving the festival access to a permanent seasonal venue while retaining a relationship with local public infrastructure. The location supports the festival’s identity as both a cultural institution and a destination event for audiences in southern Oregon and the wider Pacific Northwest. Britt’s activities extend beyond ticketed performances. Through The Britt Institute, its educational arm, the organization sponsors educational programs intended to connect young people and community members with music and the performing arts. These programs complement the festival’s concert schedule and reinforce its nonprofit mission. Britt describes that mission in terms of bringing audiences and artists together to celebrate live performance, community, and the distinctive atmosphere of the Britt experience. The organization’s present-day scope therefore includes seasonal concerts, outdoor venue operations, community engagement, and arts education. Its brand positioning rests on the combination of respected performers, a scenic historic site, regional cultural service, and an intimate alternative to large commercial concert venues. The festival remains active and continues to operate in Jacksonville, although specific current programming, leadership, attendance, and financial information are not established by the supplied reference material.

The concept for Britt Festival emerged in 1963 when Portland conductor John Trudeau and several associates traveled through southern Oregon seeking a location for a summer music festival. They identified the former estate of Jacksonville pioneer Peter Britt as an especially suitable site. The property offered hillside terrain, natural acoustics, and expansive views over the valley, qualities that made it possible to create an outdoor performance environment with a distinctive sense of place. A plywood stage was constructed for the first summer program. The early festival centered on performances by a local orchestra, reflecting the classical and orchestral interests of its organizers and the cultural resources available in the region. Rather than beginning as a large commercial concert operation, Britt developed as a community-oriented seasonal arts event tied closely to Jacksonville and southern Oregon. The festival operated with its temporary and comparatively modest infrastructure for a number of years. In 1978, construction of the current pavilion marked an important turning point. The new structure increased the venue’s capacity and production capability, enabling Britt to accommodate more spectators and present a broader range of performers. This development helped the festival move from a primarily local orchestral gathering toward a larger regional institution with national visibility. In the years that followed, Britt expanded its programming to include high-profile touring artists as well as local and regional acts. Music remained central, but the festival’s wider performing-arts identity allowed it to serve audiences interested in multiple forms of live entertainment. The outdoor pavilion and surrounding park continued to distinguish Britt from indoor concert halls and large urban festival grounds. Britt’s principal venue is located in Britt Park in Jacksonville. Jackson County owns the park, while Britt operates at the site under a long-term lease. This arrangement has allowed the festival to preserve its connection to a public regional landscape while maintaining a stable venue for its seasonal performances. The organization also established The Britt Institute as an educational arm. Through the institute, Britt sponsors educational initiatives that extend the organization’s cultural role beyond the summer performance calendar. These activities reflect a broader mission focused on the relationship among artists, audiences, community, and live performance. Britt is now an active nonprofit performing arts organization and a recognized cultural institution in the Pacific Northwest. Its identity is built from several linked elements: the historic Jacksonville setting, outdoor performances at the Britt Pavilion, a mixture of nationally known and local artists, and educational and community programming. The available reference material does not specify a complete chronology of later seasons, individual executive appointments, attendance figures, or financial results, so those details are not included here.

• 1978

  Current pavilion constructed

  [1]Britt Festivalen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the current pavilion improved seating and venue capacity, supporting the festival’s subsequent growth and broader artist program.

• 1963

  Festival concept developed

  [1]Britt Festivalen.wikipedia.org

  Portland conductor John Trudeau and associates identified the former Peter Britt estate in Jacksonville, Oregon, as a potential site for a summer music festival.

• 1963

  First outdoor stage and performances

  [1]Britt Festivalen.wikipedia.org

  A plywood stage was built and a local orchestra supplied the principal music for the festival’s early presentation.

A nonprofit Pacific Northwest performing arts festival combining nationally recognized and regional artists with an outdoor historic setting, community participation, and arts education.

• Live performing arts · 1963

  Britt Festival seasonal concert series

  The festival’s core offering is a seasonal schedule of outdoor performances in Jacksonville, Oregon. The program developed from a local orchestral foundation and expanded to include classical music, popular music, nationally recognized touring artists, and local or regional performers. The concerts use the setting at Britt Park and the Britt Pavilion as an integral part of the audience experience.

• Performance venue · 1978

  Britt Pavilion

  The Britt Pavilion is the festival’s principal performance venue. Built in 1978, it replaced the festival’s earlier temporary stage and provided expanded seating and improved production infrastructure. The pavilion supports the festival’s outdoor concert format and is located within Britt Park, a Jackson County property used by Britt under a long-term lease.

• Arts education

  The Britt Institute

  The Britt Institute is the organization’s educational arm. It sponsors educational programs connected with music and the performing arts, extending Britt’s role into community engagement and learning beyond the main seasonal concert program.

1. 1Britt Festivalen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Britt Festival official websitebrittfest.org