Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Partners with Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Beg. Aug 2014

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) and Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) are proud to announce CMS at SPAC, a new partnership in which CMS will become SPAC's resident chamber music ensemble.

In establishing the history-making relationship, CMS joins the Philadelphia Orchestra and Lincoln Center colleague, the New York City Ballet, in making SPAC its summer home.

CMS will program and perform the traditional three-week, six-concert Saratoga Chamber Music Festival, now entitled, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at SPAC, beginning in August 2014.

CMS Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han commented on the new initiative, "The concerts that we are designing for this exciting new venture will present the repertoire and artists that are making The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center the most talked-about organization of its kind. Add to the mix a community dedicated to the performing arts, the idyllic setting and superb acoustics of the Spa Little Theater, plus the major commitment of SPAC to an ongoing partnership, and we see the perfect chemistry for the emergence of a world-class chamber music festival. CMS is excited to call SPAC its first summer home, and we look forward to musically and personally becoming a part of the Saratoga Springs community."

Chamber Music at SPAC: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, established in 1966, is a vibrant cultural destination located in Saratoga Springs, New York, playing host to national and international audiences, as well as those from upstate New York, the Hudson Valley, Vermont, the Berkshires, Connecticut, and nearby Canada.

Chamber music performances have been a part of the summer tradition at SPAC since its opening season, when members of The Philadelphia Orchestra performed in a chamber music series in Saratoga's Congress Park. In the succeeding years, SPAC offered chamber music in a variety of locations and formats in an effort to meet growing audience interest in the art form. In 1991, chamber music was established as a permanent part of SPAC's season with the appointment of Canadian violinist Chantal Juillet who founded the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival at the 500-seat Spa Little Theatre.

In anticipation of the historic partnership SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia White remarked, "Today we celebrate a seminal event in the history of Saratoga Performing Arts Center: the launch of a new artistic partnership with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the nation's premier chamber music organization. This new residency represents an unprecedented investment in SPAC's chamber music programming and a deepening of our mission to present and promote a breadth of world-class cultural opportunities.

"David Finckel and Wu Han, world-renowned classical musicians, are equally dynamic in their roles as the artistic leaders of CMS. Their talent, energy, and imagination have established the organization as one of the greatest success stories in the performing arts; through performances, educational outreach, and broadcasts, CMS draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind in the world. That impact is poised to grow through this exciting new partnership.

"We welcome and encourage fans in the Northeast and beyond to make plans now to join us at SPAC in 2014 for the spectacular inaugural year of this new series and to experience firsthand, chamber music artistry and innovation at its finest."

The CMS residency at SPAC will kick off on August 11th and continue through August 26, 2014 in the intimate Spa Little Theatre. Spanning three weeks, performances will take place on August 11, 12, 17, 19, 24, and 26. Artist and repertoire details will be announced in the coming weeks.

CMS Executive Director Suzanne Davidson noted, "With this unprecedented partnership with SPAC, CMS realizes a cherished goal of an annual summer festival presence in the U.S., thereby increasing its audience-reach and year-round visibility as a leading international destination for chamber music. The SPAC summer residency is an important and significant addition to CMS's national and international performance profile, which has seen tremendous growth under the inspired leadership of David Finckel and Wu Han."

About Saratoga Performing Arts Center: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, has established a reputation as one of America's most prestigious summer festivals. Just three hours from Boston, New York and Montreal, SPAC presents its world-class summer programming at two locations within the breathtaking 2,400-acre Saratoga Spa State Park: at its 5,200-seat open-air amphitheatre and at the intimate 500-seat Spa Little Theatre. The summer season features programs by its resident companies, the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the legendary Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival and concerts by Live Nation. In 2014, SPAC will celebrate a landmark event as it becomes the summer home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

About The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is one of eleven constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Along with other constituents such as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society has its home at Lincoln Center, in Alice Tully Hall. CMS presents annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. Performing repertoire from over three centuries, and numerous premieres by living composers, CMS offers programs curated to provide listeners a comprehensive perspective on the art of chamber music. The performing artists of CMS, a multi-generational and international selection of expert chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. The annual activities of CMS include a full season of concerts and events, national and international tours, and annual performances at eight residencies around the world. CMS' artistry is supported by numerous live-streamed concerts, lectures, and master classes, nationally televised broadcasts on Live From Lincoln Center, an international, year-round radio series, and regular appearances on American Public Media's Performance Today. In 2004, CMS appointed cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han artistic directors. They succeed founding director Charles Wadsworth (1969-89), Fred Sherry (1989-93), and David Shifrin (1993-2004).

Dedicated to developing the chamber music leaders of the future, CMS created CMS Two, the highly regarded and rigorously competitive three-season residency for the most important chamber music ensembles and individuals, that fully integrates CMS Two artists into every facet of CMS activities. Each year, a number of CMS Two alumni are invited to become CMS Season Artists and Guest Artists, and many of the world's leading artists, such as pianist Lang Lang, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, flutist Tara Helen O'Connor, violinist Hilary Hahn, and many others are alumni of the program. A Season Artist with CMS since he completed the program in 2011-12, CMS Two alumnus cellist Nicholas Canellakis wrote: "There isn't a single musical organization in the country that helps young musicians like the Chamber Music Society does with its CMS Two program." Website: www.ChamberMusicSociety.org

About David Finkel and Wu Han: Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, Musical America's 2012 Musicians of the Year, rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent, energy, imagination, and dedication they bring to their multifaceted endeavors as concert performers, recording artists, educators, artistic administrators, and cultural entrepreneurs go unmatched. In high demand year after year among chamber music audiences worldwide, the duo has appeared each season at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States and around the world to unanimous critical acclaim. For thirty-four years, David Finckel served as cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet. David Finckel and Wu Han's wide-ranging musical innovations include the launch of ArtistLed (www.artistled.com), classical music's first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, whose catalogue of sixteen albums has won widespread critical acclaim. David Finckel and Wu Han are the founding Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley now in its eleventh season, and have served as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2004. In 2011, David Finckel and Wu Han were named Artistic Directors of Chamber Music Today, an annual festival held in Korea, and David Finckel was recently named Artistic Director and honoree of the Mendelssohn Fellowship, which identifies young Korean musicians and promotes chamber music in Korea. In these capacities, as well as through a multitude of other education initiatives, such as their newly created chamber music studio at Aspen Music Festival and School, they have achieved universal renown for their passionate commitment to nurturing the careers of countless young artists. In addition, David Finckel serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University. David Finckel and Wu Han reside in New York City. For more information, visit www.davidfinckelandwuhan.com.

Pictured: Gil Shaham, David Finckel and Wu Han performing Haydn's "Gypsy Trio."