Gretna Music - What About It?

Gretna Music
Music at Gretna Inc.
1 Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
717-361-1508

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Why We Do What We Do
Gretna Music is a not-for-profit Pennsylvania corporation dedicated to the presentation of a broad range of excellent classical music and jazz with an emphasis on communication between musicians and audience. We serve the mission through concerts, master classes, and pre-concert talks. We encourage musicians to talk with the audience, from the stage and before and after performances.

Historical orchestra Our Roots
Begun in 1976 by physician/flutist Carl Ellenberger as an opportunity to play chamber music with his friends, Gretna has grown into not one but two highly-anticipated annual music festivals: Music at Gretna each August in Mt. Gretna, PA, and Gretna Music at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA. Each is dedicated to the presentation of artists and programs of the highest excellence.

Empire Brass at Gretna Music Music at Gretna
Long a much-beloved summertime classical chamber music and jazz festival, Music at Gretna combines a breathtaking setting in the woods of the Appalachian foothills with exquisite performances that will expand in 2008 to include theater, comedy and variety. Concerts are presented in "casual elegance" in the open-air (but covered!) Mt. Gretna Playhouse in the beautiful resort town of Mt. Gretna, home of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua. Audiences from throughout the mid-Atlantic come to Music at Gretna each summer.

Mt. Gretna Playhouse
The covered outdoor Mt. Gretna Playhouse, rebuilt in 1995, offers remarkable acoustics, comparable to the best indoor concert halls anywhere, and is sized perfectly for chamber music and jazz. Musicians come from all over the country and Europe for a great opportunity to enjoy the small community and rehearse and play with other great artists and friends (and occasionally with birds in the woods).

Leffler Chapel Gretna Music at Elizabethtown College
In 1995 Music Gretna began a residency at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA, which continues to this day. Thus was born Gretna Music at Elizabethtown College, a series of classical chamber concerts through the academic year. Concerts are presented in the beautifully and acoustically exquisite Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.

The Town of Mt. Gretna Mount Gretna street
Entering the small historic community of Mt. Gretna is like stepping back into the 19^th century. First-time visitors are amazed by the quaint Victorian and Queen Anne-style houses that crowd together on the narrow winding tree-lined avenues, each adorned by rows of colored lanterns and rocking chairs.

Early Acclaim
Did you know that in 1980, after only four seasons, Time Magazine featured the chamber music series as "one of six of the best" in the US? It's true! We are still one of the best!