Michael Richards was the son of Mountain Town Music’s Executive Director Brian Richards. He died unexpectedly in 2019 from an undiagnosed medical issue. Michael started working for Mountain Town Music as a kid and eventually became the utility worker for the organization, doing whatever needed to be done.
His dad said the Michael James Richards Memorial Fund was established not only to honor his son’s life but to help students prepare for a career in the music industry.
TheJamboree is set for Thursday, June 15, at the Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship. Richards said he hopes to raise at least $50,000. The money raised will support Summit County students who want a career in music.
“We continue to keep his legacy alive through making an impact on students here in Summit County,” Richards said. “We have one of the only credited high school internship programs for audio engineering in the state of Utah. We also provide scholarships for students and this year we gave Park City Song Camp, presented by Marybeth Maziarz, a grant to support students to go to her program. So, it's a pretty awesome fund and I’m super stoked that we can continue Michael's legacy. It's very important to me as well as the community.”
Tickets to the event are $300 and include cocktails and food as well as live music featuring Freedog and dancing after the live auction with Dustbowl Revival.
“There's a ton of really cool items," he said. "I know we got a couple of door-to-door packages which will bring a concert to your backyard. There's a weekend stay at Blue Sky Ranch. There's a wellness program from Dr. Hunt Dog and Fetch."
Transportation is available from Park City High School to Blue Sky Ranch’s lower parking lot and guests will be shuttled up to the ranch from there.
Meanwhile, Richards is busy with the opening of the live outdoor music scene and hundreds of shows planned for the next four months. Nearly 200 acts have been booked at one of several venues from City Park to Snowbasin Resort and Woodenshoe Park in Peoa to Quarry Village in Pinebrook.
More than 20 of the concerts will be back at City Park with classical music on Monday evenings, Latin music on Tuesdays and Jazz on Wednesdays. You can find the schedule of all of the shows here.
