As the 2013 season draws the curtain, we caught up with Artistic Director Andrés Franco and Vice President of Marketing Andrea Helm for a look at this year's festival.
Your lineup this year includes music from Elvis to Star Wars to Broadway to Mozart. What was the process like for arranging such a diverse program?
Franco: The series has been going on for 23 years now, so we know by now what people want to hear. But along with the artists they know and love, they also want to hear something new. So we had Elvis and Woodstock and Broadway and the Rolling Stones, great artists and personalities of music that everyone knows. We had Green River Ordinance and Casey James perform with us for the first time. They were two lesser-known artists, but they have connections to Fort Worth and the audience loved them. It's all about finding the balance between familiarity and discovery.
What was the biggest point of pride for the festival this summer?
Helm: One major milestone would be its longevity. It's grown from a small festival with a, "Are we going to renew this next season?" mindset to a family and community tradition. Just the fact that we've been a part of Fort Worth life for so many summers means we have another generation of friends and fans.
What was the most exciting part for you personally about the 2013 Concerts In The Garden season?
Franco: The fireworks for every single performance were choreographed to the music. One of the most exciting things was always starting the final piece of each concert and hearing the fireworks go off exactly on cue. That was always very powerful for me. I couldn't really see them while I was conducting, but I could hear them, and it was always one of the most exciting parts for me.
How do you hope to see Concerts In The Garden grow in the future?
Helm: The goal has always been to present the best music and the best artists, and we depend on feedback from our patrons to let us know if we're doing it right. With every new season, we are aware of some artists that we want to have come back for sure-music of the Eagles, for example-but we can never settle and just expect people to like what we do. We always are paying attention. We want our patrons to have the most pleasant, rewarding, and fun night of the summer. – Jared Lax
