HIGHMOUNT, New York ??” Maureen McGovern,”The Stradivarius Voice,” makes a return engagement to Highmount on Saturday, July 16 at 8 p.m. as the Belleayre Music Festival introduces its Encore Performance Series.Maureen wowed the Belleayre audience with her captivating performance eight years ago. Since she first graced the Belleayre stage, Maureen’s career has never been busier. Her work during the past three decades includes recordings, concerts, Broadway, films, television and radio. She is currently starring on Broadway as “Marmee” in Little Women, The Musical.

From a jazzy, warm pop register, Maureen glides easily into a crystalline coloratura. It is no wonder she has been called, “The Stradivarius Voice.” A singer with a vocal range of unparalleled purity, Maureen has gained rave reviews for her current recordings The Music Never Ends: The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Out of This World: McGovern Sings Arlen.

Her recording career began with the chart-topping, Academy Award-winning Gold Record “The Morning After” from The Poseidon Adventure and a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist.” Maureen made history in 1975 as the first singer to have recorded and introduced two Oscar-nominated songs in the same year, “We May Never Love Like This Again” and “Wherever Love Takes Me.”

She has received International Gold Records from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and the Philippines. In addition to her two Grammy nominations, Maureen has also participated in four other Grammy-nominated recordings.

The Belleayre Music Festival annually presents a unique blend of classical, Broadway, blues, pop music and dance, along with its signature Catskill Mountain Jazz Series.

The remainder of the summer 2005 lineup includes: Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m. – Belleayrians II featuring John Covelli, Justin Kolb and Edith Meshulam Korman; Saturday, July 23 at 8 p.m. – Kathy Mattea; Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m.- Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and Sunday, July 31 at 1 p.m. – Free Children’s Opera “Goldilocks.”

Also: on Saturday, August 6 at 8 p.m., Emmylou Harris with special guest Buddy Miller will perform. The Catskill Mountain Jazz Series gets underway on Friday, August 12 at 8 p.m. with the Taylor Eigsti Trio; on Saturday, August 13 at 8 p.m. – jazz superstars the Chick Corea Trio will be featured; Friday, August 19 at 8 p.m. – Roni Ben-Hur Quartet; Saturday, August 20 at 8 p.m. – Jane Monheit; Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m. – Free Children’s Jazz Concert. Ailey II performs “Revelations” and more on Saturday, August 27 at 8 p.m. and the season winds up in classic rock-n-roll style on Saturday, September 3 at 8 p.m. with Three Dog Night.

Tickets for the Belleayre Music Festival may be obtained by calling 800 942-6904, ext. 406 or via website at: www.belleayremusic.org. The e-mail address is: [email]festival@catskill.net[/email]. Seats in the 800-seat Phyllis Litoff Pavilion range from $40 to $65. Opera Elite tickets (including Premium seats and a reception with the performers) are $100. Lawn seating is available on concert dates for $15 and children under 12 are admitted free on the lawn. Belleayre Jazz Club shows are general admission and tickets are $20 each for the August 13 and 20 club performances.

For information on where to stay, dine, shop or to simply enjoy the great outdoors when you’re in town for the Belleayre Music Festival, please visit: www.catskillhighpeaks.com, www.delawarecounty.org or www.ulstertourism.info.

The festival is presented by the Belleayre Conservatory Inc., a non-profit founded to promote cultural programs in the Catskills. Concerts are held on the grounds of Belleayre Mountain in Highmount.Belleayre Mountain is located in the heart of New York’s Catskill Mountain region. The area is located just off Route 28 and is 37 miles west of Thruway Exit 19 at Kingston; 55 miles southeast of Oneonta on Route 28; 40 miles from the Route 17 exit at Roscoe; and 95 miles southwest of Albany and just two hours north of NYC.