Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sunriver Music Festival




2010 Summer Concerts - 33rd Season

Artistic Director: Maestro Lawrence Leighton Smith

Sunriver Music Festival Pops Concert ~ “A Sentimental Journey”
Tuesday, August 10 ~ 7:30 PM ~ Summit High Auditorium, Bend
A walk down memory lane featuring the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra and Pops vocalist Susannah Mars. Conducted by Maestro Lawrence Leighton Smith. Enjoy a memorable evening of music with nostalgic favorites like That Old Black Magic, You Made Me Love You, I’ll Be Seeing You, In the Mood and Begin the Beguine.

Sunriver Music Festival Concert I
Friday, August 13 ~ 7:30 PM ~ Tower Theatre, BendGabrieli: Antiphonal Brass ChoirSaint-Saƫns: Concerto no.3 in B minor for Violin and Orchestra, op.61 Gerald Elias, violin Mozart: Symphony no.40 in G minor, K.550

Sunriver Music Festival Concert II
Saturday, August 14 ~ 7:30 PM ~ Tower Theatre, Bend Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and LudmillaSchubert: Symphony no.8 in B minorWeber: Concerto no.2 in E-flat for Clarinet and Orchestra, op.74 Benjamin Lulich, clarinetHaydn: Symphony no.104, D major

Sunriver Music Festival Family Concert
Sunday, August 15 ~ 2:00 PM ~ Sunriver Village Mall
The Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra perform on the Village Mall lawn demonstrating the workings, sounds and harmonies of their instruments. Excerpts from Concert I & II, including the Gabrieli Brass Antiphonal Choir will be performed. Nine time Young Artist Scholarship winner, violist Katie Hagen, will join the orchestra to perform the Hummel Fantasy from Potpourri op.94 for viola and orchestra.

Sunriver Music Festival Piano Recital ~ 2009 Van Cliburn Finalist, Di Wu
Thursday, August 19 ~ 7:30 PM, Great Hall, Sunriver
Once every four years, a select few young pianists emerge victorious from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: “the most prestigious classical piano contest in the world.” Miss Di Wu’s solo piano recital will include the music of Schumann, Debussy, Ravel and Liszt.

Piano Master Class ~ Taught by Di Wu, 2009 Van Cliburn finalist
Thursday, August 20 ~ 1 to 4 PM, Great Hall, Sunriver

Sunriver Music Festival Concert III
Friday, August 20 ~ 7:30 PM ~ Great Hall, Sunriver
Handel: Water Music Suite no.1 in D and FLiszt: Totentanz Hunter Noack, piano, Young Artist Scholarship winnerBrahms: Serenade no.1 in D, op.11

Sunriver Music Festival Concert IV
Saturday, August 21 ~ 7:30 PM ~ Great Hall, Sunriver
ALL BEETHOVEN PROGRAM!
Overture to The Creatures of PrometheusConcerto no.5 in E-flat for Piano and Orchestra, op.73 “Emperor” Di Wu, 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition FinalistSymphony no.8 in F, op.93

Sunriver Music Festival Kayak Kantata
Sunday, August 29 ~ 2:00 PM ~ Deschutes River Float
Accompanied by music, kayak, canoe, or ride a party boat down the Deschutes to arrive and dine in Stuart and Sandy Young’s beautiful backyard garden. A delicious catered dinner, wine and friends for a perfect afternoon and evening.

Ticket information: Call 541-593-9310http://www.sunrivermusic.org/ ~ tickets@sunrivermusic.org

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

New Flight from Redmond to San Francisco


United Airlines will offer a third daily round-trip flight from Redmond, Ore. to San Francisco beginning November 4, 2010. The flights, operated by SkyWest Airlines as United Express service, are in addition to the airline's daily round-trip United Express service from Redmond to Denver and Redmond to Portland.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Some Stats for our Property Owners

Here are some interesting lodging industry numbers for our property owners. Occupancy levels are up for Central Oregon, but nightly prices are down.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Support Sunriver Aquatics Redevelopment

Why Sunriver Resort and Bennington Properties support the amphitheater development proposal

Tom O’Shea, Managing Director, Sunriver Resort

Q: At the June 7 meeting with property managers and the SROA Board of Directors, you and Penny Bennington said you would continue to participate in the access agreement with SROA. Is that still the case?
A: Absolutely. The Resort will be part of the access agreement.

Q: Your comments at the meeting indicated you support the amphitheater site development as proposed. Could you expand on that a little?
A: There are three things pivotal to the Sunriver Community: 1) the Resort; 2) the Village; and 3) the major amenities like the pools and the bike paths provided by the owners’ association. The Resort has been bringing its facilities up to certain level of quality. The Village is doing a wonderful job with their remodel efforts. Sunriver has a number of natural amenities, such as the Deschutes River; however, the pools are run down. The amphitheater site development will attract and impress new visitors to Sunriver, and they will want to return. I feel very passionate about this. As a community, we can be myopic, looking at only today or tomorrow. Or, we can be strategic, looking out five years and beyond.

Q: Where is Sunriver in comparison to the rest of the destination resort industry? Some say we don’t need to do anything, others say now is a bad time because of the recession. What are your views?
A: Sunriver is on the edge of an opportunity. Sunriver has a great brand; new visitors come here with certain high expectations that, if not met, will cause them to not come again. We will face greater competition in Central Oregon in the future. We must make changes when they are needed, and right now they are needed. Remember, the Resort views the amphitheater site development from the perspective of an owner. We will be contributing about $700,000 to fund this project. This is a pivotal time for the community to come together. Information made available to the public must be accurate. If folks have questions, they should ask and receive accurate answers. The owners should make their decision based upon accurate information, not just commentary. Everyone should remember; this debate is not just Yes/No to this proposed development. It also is, if No to this proposal, Yes to what? We have to do something.

Q: Are you comfortable with the estimates of future operational costs presented by SROA?
A: I feel comfortable the people working on this project have consulted with knowledgeable people and have the wherewithal to make the right decisions.

Penny Bennington, Owner, Bennington Properties

Q: Why do you like the amphitheater development proposal?
A: In the 13 years we’ve lived here, the owners association has not developed or added any new amenities. The resort has spent millions of dollars renovating their lodge and golf courses and I think it’s high time we keep pace with what the rest of the destination resorts are doing. We can’t compete without new amenities.

Q: You’ve attended most of the owner forums and board meetings in Sunriver concerning the amphitheater development proposal. What are your thoughts and reactions at this stage?
A: I was surprised at the extensive development of the plan however pleasantly pleased because it is more forward looking rather than just next year or the need to replace the South Pool. It’s looking for what can we add for the long-term in this community. It’s always cost effective to combine projects instead of trying to stage things out. The concept of a year round facility is just great.

Q: Will you participate in the Recreation Access Agreement?
A: Yes. As a property manager I know that I’m going to pay more for an indoor pool because I don’t have an indoor pool for my guests to go to. There are ways to exclude the costs of the indoor pool in the wintertime for the owners of Mavericks who already have one. There’s a whole lot of ways of ways we can get creative in the access agreement, but overall, our company is supportive of the project and we will continue to participate in the access agreement. I will pay my fair share as a property manager to provide this amenity to our guests.

Q: Are you comfortable with the estimates of future operational costs presented by SROA?
A: Yes. In ten years, our homeowners’ association dues are still going to be lower than our competitors. Worst-case scenario: The homeowners pay more to operate the facility if the operational projections turn out to be wrong. But it will be incrementally doable because owners pay so little now. I don’t think we are going to get anywhere close to excess expenses that some property managers are projecting. But we’re going to gain it in property values and everything else.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

New Mexican Restaurant opens in Sunriver


El Caporal Family Mexican Restaurant is now open in building #19 in The Village at Sunriver (next to the former Paper Station). Hours are 11am to 10 pm, 7 days a week. Info & reservations – 541-593-3335.

Hair & Nail Spa Opens in Sunriver Village


Obsidian Hair Spa has opened its doors in building #17 of The Village at Sunriver (next to Hot Lava Baking & Coffee Co.). Staffed by Dawn Christensen, owner & stylist, Ken Fenicle, barber, and Pennie Olson, nail technician, the spa is open Mon thru Fri, 8 am to 6 pm, & 8 am to 2 pm on Saturday. Info – 541-593-5682.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Bennington dog tag reunites international dog with owner


We have reunited many dogs with their owners here in Sunriver because of the little green tags we give out to all of our doggie guests, but this is the first international reunite that we have ever been a part of. Last week we received a call from Vancouver, British Columbia from a person who said that while walking their two dogs they had found a dog with only the ‘I am lost in Sunriver; Bennington Properties’ tag on his collar. It just so happened that Simon, our guest from July 2008 and owner of the lost dog in question,"Pepsi," had also called us. We are proud to report that Simon and Pepsi are happily reunited.