America's Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival, Music Mountain, continues its 86th anniversary season on Sunday, July 19th (3pm) with Enso String Quartet and Soyeon Kate Lee, piano performing Moravec, Schumann, and Dohnanyi. Also, the weekend welcomes The New Black Eagle Jazz Band on Saturday, July 18th (6:30pm) plus a pre-show dinner at The Falls Village Inn (5pm). The summer of chamber music, country, jazz, and folk concerts, plus salutes to Broadway and opera continues thru September 27th.
July 19th marks the inception of the singular and spear heading Dialogues with The Past, a five-year commissioning project where five composers of different viewpoints and aesthetics will be commissioned to write new works for String Quartet that integrate archival recordings of the Gordon String Quartet, the founding quartet of Music Mountain. The first commissioned piece, undertaken by Pulitzer-Prize winner Paul Moravec, entitled simply Dialogue, will premiere on Sunday afternoon. In addition to Moravec: Dialogue, the program will include Schumann: String Quartet in A Major, Opus 41, No. 3 and Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet #1 in C Minor, Opus 1. Soyeon Kate Lee joins as guest artist.
Since its founding in 1999, the Enso String Quartet has risen to the front rank of string ensembles. Past season highlights include an extensive tour in the U.S., with performances in Seattle,
Washington D.C., and New York, and debut appearances in both Brazil and Mexico. The quartet regularly performs the classics of the string quartet literature, but also champions lesser-known works that deserve to be heard, along with much contemporary music, including works the Enso has commissioned. The ensemble gives master classes for the next generation of professional musicians, but also works with enthusiastic amateurs, young and old, and with the autistic, in conjunction with the United Kingdom-based organization Music for Autism. The Enso String Quartet has been awarded for its work with schoolchildren in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Pianist Soyeon Kate Lee has received numerous prizes and accolades and garnered rave reviews for her stunning artistry and style. As guest soloist, Ms. Lee has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra and the London
Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and San Diego Symphony. Her recent recital appearances include New York City programs at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Art's Alice Tully Hall, and Washington's John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Lee is co-founder and artist director of Music by the Glass, a concert series dedicated to bringing together young professionals in New York City. Ms. Lee is currently an Assistant Professor of Piano at the Cincinnati
College Conservatory of Music.
If you like the uplifting and soulful music of New
Orleans you'll love the sound of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band! They'll bring their huge and eclectic repertoire of jazz from the 1920's and 30's to Music Mountain on Saturday evening, July 18th. Entertaining audiences since 1971, The Black Eagles, as they are known to their fans, have performed extensively all across North America, and toured throughout Europe countless times. The Grammy Award nominated band have mastered the great music of the era from Louis Armstrong and
Jelly Roll Morton to early Duke Ellington to Cole Porter. Don't forget your dancing shoes! In addition, join fellow audience members as they enjoy a pre-concert themed dinner at
The Falls Village Inn (5pm). Reservations must be made by Friday, July 17.
Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, locally baked cookies, coffee, and spring water are also available for purchase.
Upcoming quartets scheduled to perform include Avalon String Quartet with Jan Opalach, bass-baritone and Jonathan Yates, piano (July 26); Penderecki String Quartet with Matt Haimowitz, cello (August 2); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Pamela Mia Paul, piano (August 9); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Daniel Austrich, violin and Melvin Chen, piano (August 16).
The Saturday Evening Twilight Series will continue with Swingtime
Big|Brave Band (July 25); The Sharon
Playhouse (August 1); Trios Fur Zwei - Trios For Two (August 8); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 15).
Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Pre-Concert Dinner + Concert: $65. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays, unless otherwise noted. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit
www.musicmountain.org or call
860-824-7126.
