The Sedona Cultural Park opened with a flourish of trumpets on May 26, 2000, as the Phoenix Symphony under the baton of Hermann Michael performed Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” to honor Georgia Frontiere in the pavilion that bore her name.

Three years later, the park slipped quietly into bankruptcy due to mismanagement, but two decades after its closure, locals still remember those three years of world-class music.

The city of Sedona purchased the Cultural Park last fall but has not yet determined what to do with the land, amphitheater and stage.

On the 23rd anniversary of the park’s opening, Sedonans and visitors then and now reflect on what the Cultural Park meant to them and to the community.

The Movers

“I woke up this morning more nervous than I was Super Bowl morning,” Georgia Frontiere said on opening night. “The Super Bowl was one day, but this is forever.”

“Don’t tell the press, but this is even better than winning the Super Bowl,” Frontiere added later. “When I hear music, I hear hope.”

“The facility will define arts and entertainment in northern Arizona,” Jeff Forsyth wrote in a letter to the Sedona Red Rock News. “I, along with a skilled and motivated local workforce, am proud to have helped turn this vision into reality … At times, our managers and company owners treated the project as just another job, but those who performed the hands-on work knew different. This job — in which we invested blood, sweat and tears — will be a lasting contribution to making Sedona a better place … To my fellow workers, I hope you bought tickets and also attended. I encourage you to frequent future performances and loudly proclaim that you built this place of expression.”

“It’s a venue unlike any other in the world,” architect Ken Podany, who worked on the park’s plans as a young man, said, remembering “what a big deal it was for the city and the community to have it come to the area … Of all the cities in the U.S., it’s just perfect. It was one of those experiences in my career that cemented my interest in architecture and creating unique projects.”

Nan Freegard helped organize the park’s concessions staff. “You wouldn’t believe it. It was so outstanding,” Freegard said. “You could be in the very back and still enjoy it … You could see the entertainers and get a bird’s-eye view, and then as you got closer to the stage, that was good too because you could be so close to the entertainers that you could practically touch their feet.”

The Shakers

“I’ve played twice at the Cultural Park, and many more times I’ve been in attendance,” jazz guitarist and Sedona resident Stanley Jordan said. “I’m blessed to have performed at some of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the world, including Red Rocks in Colorado and Fertőrákos in Hungary, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful venue than the Sedona Cultural Park. Let’s bring it back.”

“Vince Gill, Norah Jones, Willy Nelson — every performer who has ever been on stage at the Sedona Cultural Park has remarked on how overwhelmed they were by such a beautiful facility and the huge audience that attended in a small town,” organizer Marion Herrman told the city council in the aftermath of the park’s closure.

Another of those performers was Tony Bennett, who told the crowd at his October 2002 concert, “I have performed in many beautiful venues from around the world, but none as beautiful as this.”

The Merrymakers

“I attended the first two concerts and the effect was stunning,” wrote Kenneth LaFave of the Arizona Republic. The park’s opening concerts, on May 26-28, 2000, featured the Phoenix Symphony performing Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, with the added talents of Lorna Luft, Donald O’Connor and Vinson Cole.

“Although unfinished, the pavilion is inviting, serene and audience-friendly,” LaFave continued. “The audiences at both concerts I attended were amazingly quiet. It was as if the aesthetically pleasing environment focused them and all but eliminated the usual chatter and movement to-and-fro that can make outdoor concerts a pain … The acoustics were excellent … As for those distinctive arches, which ought to become as much a landmark as the ‘ship in the desert’ look at the Santa Fe Opera, they will remain uncovered.”

“Hotels were full with an exclamation point,” realtor John D. Miller said of the opening weekend. “I would venture an educated guess that there wasn’t a vacancy within 30 miles of Sedona through the Memorial Day holiday … Noise was a non-issue, with only 20 decibels [of a maximum of 70 allowable] registered from the property perimeter at the high points of the shows.”

“The concerts and events at the Sedona Cultural Park were magical and stellar,” Sedona International Film Festival director Patrick Schweiss recalled. “The most stunning part of it was watching the sunset behind the performers with our beautiful and majestic red rocks in the background. Some of the greatest performances were Tony Bennett, Norah Jones, The Manhattan Transfer, Willie Nelson and LeAnn Rimes. Truly memorable. And for us to have that right here in Sedona was really quite special. It made a great night out with friends, neighbors and visitors in the splendor of our beautiful city. And who can forget opening night with Sedona’s own Donald O’Connor and the Phoenix Symphony? It was all like a big block party with some phenomenal entertainment!”

Sharon Day recalled watching B.B. King play on into a pouring rainstorm. “I remember him saying he would play as long as we were staying and enjoying his music,” Day reminisced.

Dan Jensvold, one of the park’s designers, remembered that night as well. “Everyone was still smiling and they all stuck around,” Jensvold said. “It just cleared up and it was a perfect sky. BB was right there sitting on a chair with Lucille, and we were right there, and it was magical. There were really magical nights that happened here.”

“This was the most amazing concert venue I have been to in the world,” Madhu Wolvekamp said. “If the city is wise, this could be once again the number one venue for concerts with big-name artists. I am grateful to have experienced many great ones when it was happening.”

“We saw Willie Nelson at the Cultural Park before it closed,” Ellen Betts said. “I remember walking down the beautifully-lit winding pathways and sitting on the lawn on a spread-out blanket. We got there just at sunset and the view of the pavilion against the backdrop of the red rocks was spectacular. At that time, we felt very blessed to have such a venue in our small town.”

“It was so convenient to go to instead of traveling out of town, and we loved that feature,” Loren Gronewold remembered. “We always saw so many people we knew and met other new acquaintances. A very casual, fun atmosphere … The acoustics and views were wonderful of the bands, stage and red rocks in the background. Nothing better than that. Parking in the several parking lots were well marked and easy to find a spot for our vehicle. The musical artists we so enjoyed listening to were Emmy Lou Harris, BB King, Gordon Lightfoot, Sam Bush, Norah Jones and possibly a couple others. The tickets were affordable at that time, which was also an additional treat.”

To sign Riley Hilbert’s petition to save the Cultural Park, visit change.org/p/save-the-sedona-arizona-cultural-park or her Cultural Park page at facebook.com/groups/905048887408392.

Sedona Cultural Park Performers, 2000-2003