IMG Artists and Renée Fleming announce the IFAC Handa Hamptons Festival of the Arts

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., June 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IMG Artists and Fleming in partnership with the Parrish Art Museum, present the launch of the first annual Hamptons Festival of the Arts. The Festival will be a celebration of the arts that will include a wide range of performances and events including music, dance, theater and the visual arts. The launch event will take place August 13^th and 14^th at the Parrish. Renée Fleming, the world-renowned soprano, will serve as the Festival Curator.  She will launch the event the first night performing an intimate recital in the galleries of the Parrish with guest artist Rufus Wainwright followed by a private reception. On August 14, in the Museum's Lichtenstein Theater, Festival Dance Curator Benjamin Millepied, will perform as part of a dance program he has created expressly for the event for a beautiful day performance.

The Festival was created through a partnership among the founders of the event: IMG Artists and Barrett Wissman, Renée Fleming, Benjamin Millepied, IFAC Handa Foundation and the Parrish Art Museum. IMG Artists and Barrett Wissman serve as the Executive Producers of the event. The Parrish is the venue partner of the launch event, which will be held at the Museum's new, award-winning building designed by the acclaimed architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

Barrett Wissman said: "IMG Artists and all of its partners are truly excited to be working together with Renée Fleming to bring this new cultural addition to the dynamic summer season in the Hamptons to life.  Renee will bring her masterful artistry together with her experience as an arts administrator in this forward-looking new endeavor."  Renée Fleming commented: "The Hamptons are already a meeting place for tastemakers and lovers of nature and gorgeous scenery. We hope to create beautiful, unexpected experiences in the arts, to add to this idyllic setting."

Curators:

One of the most acclaimed singers of our time, Renée Fleming, has been awarded America's highest honor for an individual artist, the National Medal of Arts. A four-time Grammy Award Winner, she brought her voice to a vast new audience in 2014, as the first classical artist ever to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. In 2008, Renée became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala. She holds major artistic advisory roles at Lyric Opera of Chicago and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This year, Renée's concert schedule includes Boston, New York, Stockholm, London, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Buenos Aires, and San Francisco.

Choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied is internationally renowned for his award-winning work and performances on stage and screen. Born in France, the L.A. Dance Project Founding Director moved to New York to study with the School of American Ballet in 1992. Following his training, he became a member of New York City Ballet and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2001, a rank he held until his retirement as a dancer in 2011. As a choreographer, his ballets are in the repertory of major dance companies around the world including NYCB, Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Mariinsky Ballet. He earned widespread acclaim for his choreography and starring performance in Darren Aronofsky's Academy Award winning Black Swan.

Partners:

The Parrish Art Museum: Located in Water Mill, NY, The Parrish will host the first Hamptons Festival of the Arts, curated by the celebrated, four-time Grammy® winner, Renée Fleming. Concerts and events – including the inaugural festival launch reception on August 13^th – will be held in the theater and galleries of the Museum's new, award-winning building designed by the acclaimed architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

IFAC HANDA: A Tokyo-based philanthropic institution run by Dr. Haruhisa Handa, an artist, businessperson, musician, poet and Buddhist spiritual leader. IFAC Handa concentrates its activities in the arts and arts education, access to proper health care, empowerment of the handicapped and disabled through sport, AIDS/HIV education for youth in Africa, and interreligious tolerance and understanding.

IMG Artists: A global leader of performing arts management. For more than thirty years, the company has set the standard for excellence across the fields of artist management, touring, dance, attractions, festivals, events and cultural consulting. IMGA specialists in offices across three continents are proud to offer unparalleled international reach and depth of experience to the company's artists, clients and partners.

SOURCE IMG Artists

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