Second Classical Remix Music Fest performs ‘Bridgerton,’ America’s 250th concert and more

Fans of Netflix’s period soap opera Bridgerton know that when the Queen’s grand ballroom is aflutter with debutantes in billowing gowns, the music is usually a chamber ensemble’s rendition of a pop song. These elegant, catchy covers include tracks by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Coldplay and Madonna, among others. 

Atlantans who want to experience some of the show’s classical-pop fusions live are in luck. 

On June 21, at the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve’s amphitheater in Johns Creek, a string quartet composed of musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Opera will play parts of the Bridgerton soundtrack at a free outdoor concert.

Following the Bridgerton portion of the evening, students from the William Pu Music Academy (and Pu himself) will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. 

While the amphitheater seats 100 people on wooden benches, attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to kick back and enjoy the music, surrounded by the preserve’s 46-acre forest.

The event is just one of four taking place this month as part of Atlanta’s Classical Remix Music Festival. 

In its second year, the Festival has been described by its founder, Atlanta violinist and composer Alice Hong, as “a world where pop music and classical collide.” 

The Festival grew from last year’s three events to this year’s four.  

The first event this Saturday is a sold-out kids’ concert at Lostintheletters bookstore, pairing music with popular children’s books, including Peter and the Wolf and Goodnight Moon. 

On June 25, in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the Festival will host its Classical Remix Gala Concert. A three-course, prix fixe dinner will be offered at Kitty Dare before the concert at the Trolley Barn, featuring musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, ensemble vim and others.

The lineup is an eclectic mix, curated thoughtfully by Hong. The first half includes Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine;” Ray Charles’ version of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind;” and George Gershwin’s “Three Preludes;” among others. The second half closes with Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” a sweeping, American epic that required expanding the ensemble from last year’s 10 musicians to this year’s 13.

Two contemporary pieces round out the program: Hong’s own “Pomegranate Noir,” a short, tender work commissioned in memory of a grandmother, and “Threnody” by Jeremy Crosmer, a cellist and composer with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Hong described Crosmer’s piece as a deliberate counterweight to the evening’s more celebratory fare.

“It’s a very bittersweet piece because I think right now, even though we’re celebrating America’s 250th, it’s kind of a complicated time for our country,” she said. “We didn’t want it to just be fireworks and all that stuff. I think this piece is a really beautiful way to honor both sides of the experience.”

On June 28, the Festival will host “Eight Cellos of Atlanta: Around the World in 80 Minutes” at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Midtown.

The concert features eight cellists performing a program intended to take audiences on a journey across continents. The show travels from Japan, with an arrangement of the Studio Ghibli theme “My Neighbor Totoro,” to Ireland for the folk tune “Danny Boy” and France for Gabriel Fauré’s stately “Pavane.” Two very different takes on the four seasons will juxtapose each other: Vivaldi’s baroque classic “Summer” and Astor Piazzolla’s tango-infused version from Buenos Aires.

Hong chose the cello ensemble format deliberately. The cello, she noted, is the instrument closest to the human voice. Gathering eight of them on one stage is a rare experience.

“These kinds of concerts happen elsewhere, but, as far as I know, it’s never happened here,” she said. 

Hong’s dream for the Festival is that it will become a regular summer staple and expose a wide audience to classical music. The idea was born out of her experiences playing pop-classical fusions during the pandemic. While performers everywhere were having to re-invent live concerts, Hong was invited to perform in Fever Up’s outdoor Candlelight Concerts, which were designed to expose mainstream audiences to classical music by featuring pop songs. 

While playing arrangements of Taylor Swift, the Beatles and Queen for crowds who had never set foot in a concert hall, Hong said she noticed something unexpected: People started to become fans of classical music. Later, at more traditional orchestral performances, she would run into those same concertgoers who often thanked her for the introduction. 

“Seeing that reaction and how it’s enriched a lot of people’s lives really inspired me to start the Classical Remix Festival,” she said.

The mission was also personal.

“I felt like I needed this as a performer,” she said. “I really craved the feeling of connection with the audience.”

Where and When 

The Classical Remix Festival will take place June 13 through June 28 at various venues.
Ticket prices range from free up to $65, depending on the event.

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Danielle Charbonneau is a former arts and entertainment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution turned full-time freelancer. She covers a broad range of topics ranging from art, theater and dance to film, travel and events. She holds both a bachelor’s in print journalism and a master’s in specialized journalism in the arts from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.