RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills is launching its 19th season with national backing and a diverse lineup of world-class performances. Executive Director Michael Hill announced that the organization has secured a new grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support its free educational programming across the region.

The federal award, achieved while competing against multimillion-dollar organizations nationwide, highlights the artistic quality and local impact of the Rapid City-based festival. The organization also maintains ongoing local and regional backing from RBC Wealth Management alongside numerous other contributors.

The flagship Classical Concert Series returns this July at the Journey Museum in Rapid City, featuring Grammy-winning musicians selected from the top orchestras in the country. Dawn Marie Edwards, the festival’s artistic and education director, curated this year’s schedule to celebrate great music from all eras for both local residents and international visitors.

“We feel blessed to present this exceptional level of musicianship each year and thank you for the warm welcome they always receive,” Edwards said.

The series opens July 10 and 11 with Bright Lights, Hollywood Nights, an exploration of how America’s silver screen reshaped classical music into a “Symphonic Sanctuary” for European composers. The program features soloist Maya Anjali Buchanan and includes the first movement of the Korngold violin concerto, Waxman’s Carmen Fantasie, and works by Barber, Rota, Gershwin, and John Williams.

On July 17 and 18, the festival presents A Moose Walks into a Bar…, showcasing the musical mischief of PDQ Bach and the comedic genius of Peter Schickele. The Schickele family provided printed music and performance permissions for the event.

The series concludes July 24 and 25 with I Create, Therefore I Am?, an immersive program combining live chamber music with real-time digital art generated by artificial intelligence. The experiment in collective creation features flutist Aaron Goldman of the National Symphony Orchestra. All concerts begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings, with tickets available at the door or online at www.cmfbh.org.

Alongside the professional concerts, the festival is expanding its free educational programming throughout the Black Hills. The Discovery of Strings initiative, which began in June, provides direct ensemble instruction and free use of violins, violas, and cellos to Rapid City students at General Beadle, Knollwood, Horace Mann, and Rapid Valley Discovery Programs.

The festival will also host its annual Children’s Concerts on July 7, 14, and 21 in Sturgis, Rapid City, and at the Children’s Home, followed by specialized master classes later in the month.

“Our free educational programming has become the heart and soul of our organization as we see the real impact arts can create on a community,” Hill said. “The programs are designed to increase the academic and social outcomes for all our students utilizing the arts as a gateway to the sciences. In collaboration with colleagues from Lockheed Martin, NASA, and an Army engineer, we are creating new methods of instruction increasing the cognitive skills of the children in their understanding of their impact on the community and themselves.”