Oh, Wolf Trap. You're celebrating your 50th anniversary and what else can we say except we love you! Having the only national park dedicated solely to the performing arts right here in Fairfax County is something that we brag about all the time. But the cool thing is, we don't even have to brag, because anyone who's ever been to a summer concert to see a show there does all the bragging for us. But to honor this special occasion we wanted to say something. So we thought up 50 reasons that make Wolf Trap one of the most celebrated and unique concert venues in America in honor of its 50th Anniversary season.
Read on to see what they are - and don't forget to add your favorite memories of Wolf Trap in the comments below. (And check out what's in store for the 50th Anniversary season here.)
Reasons 1 - 13: You Put a Spotlight On The Music that Makes Us Happy
1. You're oh so musical! And who doesn't like music? Music soothes the soul. Music is what art sounds like. Music is the soundtrack to life.
2. You bring everyone together to enjoy the arts - and togetherness is what everyone needs.
3. The concerts you put on year after year, decade after decade, are AMAZING!
4. You highlight the majesty of opera and are a wonderful home to the Wolf Trap Opera Company.
5. You showcase the beauty of ballet and introduce that art form to new audiences.
6. You welcome the greatest lyricists of hip-hop lore onto your stage to rock the crowd.
7. You embrace the complex and beautiful artistry of jazz for us to enjoy.
8. You dust off your boots and let country legends sing their hearts out.
9. You give shout-outs to pop superstars and let everyone sing along on the lawn.
10. You celebrate musical art, and give artists a platform to share what they love.
11. The National Symphony Orchestra visits you all the time and mesmerizes the crowd with their magical sound.
12. Your allure brings out legendary musical acts to share their talents with us time and time again.
13. You’ve made us feel groovy, hip, cool, sophisticated, etc. depending on the music that you bless us with.
Reasons 14 - 23: You Embrace and Enhance the Outdoors
14. You get us outdoors! Listening to music surrounded by nature is as good as it gets.
15. Your trails and rolling hills offer the opportunity to bond with nature.
16. You offer access to hiking in a place where the spirit of music surrounds us.
17. You give the national park system a musical cool factor that would be absent without you.
18. You’re the ONLY national park dedicated solely to the performing arts – in the whole wide world.
19. You give us the chance to watch beautiful sunsets while being serenaded by our favorite tunes.
20. You’re a generous caretaker of your 117-acre natural habitat.
21. You give us harmony between music and nature.
22. You give us spectacular scenery and an unforgettable backdrop for the musical journeys we go on together.
23. When the stress of the world has us down, you give us a relaxing place to go.
Reasons 24 - 42: You Create Memories and Teach Us Lessons that Last Forever
24. You celebrate the diversity that music has to offer, and that teaches us to be diverse ourselves.
25. You give us such sweet memories…with our family, friends, strangers, and everybody else who wants to sing along.
26. Your stage lends itself to rock and roll royalty and never have they sounded so sweet.
27. The Children’s Theatre-In-The-Woods creates a lifelong love of music for our beautiful kids.
28. The musical experiences that generations have had there are an inspiration for countless individuals who use music to motivate themselves.
29. Your Barns make our colder months warm with an intimate musical experience found nowhere else.
30. You give us magical moments full of guitar riffs, sweet saxophones, and holiday sing-alongs.
31. You offer the perfect romantic setting for a great date night.
32. You educate our children in a fun way with your Early Learning for the Arts program.
33. The mesmerizing sight of the Filene Center at night is a beautiful thing.
34. You let us bring our blankets to the lawn to get comfortable for the show.
35. You let us picnic surrounded by music and fellow music lovers.
36. You offer unique opportunities to engage with the arts through your hands-on educational programs.
37. You have a special place in the heart of music lovers everywhere.
38. You allow us to bring wine and beer to the lawn to spark our courage to sing along as loud as we can.
39. You give us an excuse to get together with friends.
40. You bring families together over the love of music.
41. You allow us to start traditions with each other that span generations.
42. The sound engineers, the ushers, the staff, the musicians – everyone who has a part in making the events such a great atmosphere to be a part of – thank you.
Reasons 43 - 49: You're Historic and Visionary
43. Your Filene Center is a remarkable architectural masterpiece and makes sweet sounds even sweeter.
44. The concept of building a musical destination in the hills of Virginia was a visionary act of musical generosity.
45. Your founder, Catherine Filene Shouse, was an amazing lady who changed how music can be experienced.
46. The setting, the history, and the acoustics make you a truly one-of-a-kind venue for audiophiles.
47. Your brilliant reputation has led Presidents and royalty to visit for a show.
48. You turn 50 years old this year and still feel brand new.
49. Thank you for being picky about the construction details that give the acoustics at your venues that special quality everyone should appreciate.
Reason 50: You Spread Love
50. You show the world that love is music, and music is love. And love conquers all.
What is your favorite thing about Wolf Trap? Be sure to tag us in your photos or use #FXVA so we can follow you on your musical experiences during Wolf Trap's 50th Anniversary Season. There are so many special things to love about Wolf Trap, we can't wait to see what yours are!