Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Culture in the Heartland

OKMozart festival in Bartlesville, Okla., enlivens oil town with classical music and variety of events

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- Tommie Chapple feasts on the world's classical music, and her hunger takes her to the great music halls throughout the world.

A widow from Sam's Valley, Ore., Chapple has seen many of the great artists perform from London to New York. In seven of the past eight years, she has sat in a concert hall seat in Bartlesville, Okla., and drank in the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Here there is no medieval fortress overlooking the city nor are there spires of centuries-old cathedrals reaching into the sky. Yet every summer, an American-sized portion of Salzburg, Austria, is served up in Bartlesville (pop. 36,000) as the town sheds its prairie-bred, oil-fueled existence and delivers a nine-day festival dedicated to the composer.

Chapple had not heard of it until a 1996 episode of "Sunday Morning on CBS" featured a musician who was planning to perform in the event. Never having heard of the city, Chapple searched the Internet for information and decided to attend. It was then she fell in love.

In its 21st year, OKMozart, which runs June 10-18 this year, is an odyssey of musical flavors with 170 events planned -- some beginning as early as 6 a.m.

Unless you love birds and breakfast, though, sleeping in at one of the city hotels may be tempting. Cool summer mornings with temperatures in the 70s are standard fare this time of year.

Events not to be missed include concert hall performances by the Solisti New York Orchestra, as well as more intimate musical performances by artists such as classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott and bluegrass band Byron Berline. Filling the gaps between performances are workshops on topics ranging from vintage hat-making to how to observe high tea to the art of the bath. These are definitely a matter of taste, though the speakers' range of knowledge can be impressive.

OKMozart spokeswoman Jacqueline Davis said the annual event embodies what Bartlesville is about -- a jewel that is often overlooked by those who feel the cultural centers in America are only in New York or Los Angeles

"People who know this festival love it and come back," Davis said "Bartlesville is not your typical small town. How many towns of this size have their own symphonies? But this festival, like Bartlesville, is changing."

Change is certainly on the minds of local residents, and it comes in the very foundation the community was built on -- oil.

The town, which rests about 29 miles north of Tulsa on a ribbon of state Highway 75, was a very typical Oklahoma town until April 15, 1897, when the first commercial oil well in the state -- the Nellie Johnstone No. 1 -- blew in a gusher. That fueled wildcatters who came to the area looking to make their fortune. Among them were Frank and L.E. Phillips, two brothers raised on an Iowa farm. The pair struck their own gusher and in 1917, founded Phillips Petroleum Co.

For 85 years, Phillips pumped billions into the local economy. The gusher created an Oz-like world of Americana where skyscrapers tower over the small city. There is a colorful Norman Rockwell feel to the town that Phillips built. In the summer, a small carnival in the city's oldest park, Johnstone, shakes off its dust with rides for kids under age 10, and American Legion Baseball is played at a historic old ballpark just a few yards away.

In the 1980s, harsher tones of economic reality fueled by the oil bust attracted two hostile takeover attempts of Phillips led by corporate raiders T. Boone Pickens and Carl Icahn. Those events, known locally as "greenmailing," led to harsh downsizing of the company's work force. In 2002, Phillips merged with Conoco, which moved the corporate headquarters to Houston, taking hundreds of high-paying jobs with it.

The town felt the pain. But the music plays on.

Davis said OKMozart was made possible through the vision of Bartlesville Symphony Director Ransom Wilson as well as Phillips executives and community leaders who built facilities and put up the money to bring in the artists.

With big-money supporters dwindling, however, officials saw the need to change if OKMozart was to survive. This year, ticket prices were lowered and programs got a much-needed freshening. Events will include a light opera (Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado") and a classical concert for children (Mozart's "Magnificent Voyage"). Prices for events range from $3 to $25 for students and $10 to $45 for adults, though many events are free.

Those venturing downtown will find a soup of architectural flavors from modern steel and glass to lime and sandstone buildings harkening back to the start of the 20th century. The city's greatest architectural gem is the Price Tower at 510 Dewey Ave. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it is the only skyscraper constructed by the legendary architect. The copper-green 19-story building was built in 1956, based on a design first considered for St. Mark's in the Bowery of New York City. The tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now a luxury hotel that features Copper, an eclectic upscale American eatery.

Another jewel in the city's architectural crown is the Bartlesville Community Center, designed by architect William Wesley Peters, vice president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The design emphasizes sweeping curves, avoiding right angles altogether.

Other attractions near the downtown include the Nellie Johnstone oil well in Johnstone Park, Frank Phillips home and Phillips' ranch, now a wildlife refuge known as Woolaroc -- just west of downtown.

Those visiting Bartlesville will come away impressed by the quality of the events and the local hospitality. Davis said she believes most visitors will be astounded by this small cultural oasis.

"OKMozart is wonderful," she said. "This is a friendly city and those who come here will be amazed. It is far more than greatest classical event in this state. It is an international success."