SOAR Festival to launch new cultural initiative near The Gorge

QUINCY — A new festival debuting this summer aims to introduce the public to an ambitious vision for arts, education and cultural programming in the Columbia Gorge.

The inaugural SOAR Festival is scheduled for Aug. 22 at Cave B Estate Winery near Quincy and will serve as the public launch of The Hilltop, a nonprofit cultural initiative created by Vince and Carol Bryan, founders of the Gorge Amphitheatre.

Festival organizers describe The Hilltop as a future cultural campus focused on four themes: arts, science, environment and human experience. Plans are already underway for new performance venues and educational programming overlooking the Columbia River.

The festival itself will feature an evening of live music and performances from internationally acclaimed producer and songwriter David Foster and vocalist Katharine McPhee, accompanied by the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra. Seattle-based Broadway performer Mari Nelson and Alexander Kilian are also scheduled to appear.

According to organizers, the event is intended to offer a first look at the broader mission behind The Hilltop while bringing together music, culture and community in one of the region's most recognizable landscapes.

The Hilltop's long-term vision includes a 1,200-seat indoor concert hall known as The Grotto and a 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheater called The Terraces. Organizers say the nonprofit hopes to create a destination where performances, learning opportunities and environmental exploration can intersect.

In a statement announcing the project, co-founder Vince Bryan said the vision is rooted in working with the natural landscape rather than imposing upon it.

The SOAR Festival will run from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at Cave B Estate Winery, 348 Silica Road NW in Quincy.

Tickets are available through the organization’s website at thehilltop.org. Organizers are also offering a limited number of VIP tickets, described as "Very Important Philanthropist" passes, with additional information available through the organization.

The event marks the first public step for The Hilltop as organizers seek to establish a new cultural destination in the Gorge alongside the legacy of the amphitheater the Bryans helped create decades ago.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media