Young Composer Debuts ‘Buellton Equals’

The City of Buellton celebrates its 30th anniversary on June 18, but the musician tasked with creating an original composition to commemorate this milestone is just 20 years old. Buellton Equals, an original composition by Davis Reinhart, makes its world premiere at the Buellton in the Park festival. Commissioned by the City of Buellton and featuring members of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra, the live performance incorporates recorded media, including sounds of the City of Buellton, as well as recorded audio interviews from about 100 residents.

Currently entering his junior year at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, Reinhart recently cofounded the nonprofit Muffin Music with his business partner, Sylvia Jiang, a classical concert pianist who will perform at the festival. Working with local entities to produce the free festival, Muffin Music focuses on promoting arts and culture through the presentation of musical events and the implementation of music education programs.

The festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Riverview Park, features food trucks, local vendors, kids’ activities, wine and beer, and live music that’s “a mix of genres from international-caliber artists, local professional bands, and student performers,” said Reinhart. Headliners include world-renowned classical concert pianist Conor Hanick, and actress-singer-songwriter Q’orianka Kilcher, who recently starred in the movie Dog with Channing Tatum. The bands include Territorial Law, Banda Los 7 De Jalisco, Vineyard Birds, Les Rose Jazz Ensemble, Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band, and of course, the premiere of Buellton Equals.

“I know it will be incredibly gratifying to have this piece performed for the people I wrote it for. … This piece was written to represent a community and also a way for me to say thank you. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have received so much support from the city of Buellton as well as the Santa Ynez Valley, which makes it even more important for me to do all I can to continue to earn their support,” said Reinhart. “I hope that when people listen to this music, even if they aren’t from around here, they’ll feel like they are experiencing who we are and why we live here.” See muffinmusic.org/buellton-in-the-park.

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