Music Mountain to Welcome Penderecki String Quartet with Geoffrey Burleson, 8/2-3

American's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, Music Mountain, continues its milestone 85th anniversary season with the return of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band on Saturday, August 2nd (6:30PM) performing the best of 1930s New Orleans followed by the Penderecki String Quartet performing Mozart, Faure, and Schubert with guest artist Geoffrey Burleson, piano on Sunday, August 3rd (3PM). This summer season the glorious sounds of music have filled Gordon Hall. The summer has plenty more music to offer in the coming weeks -- chamber, jazz, country, and an afternoon of Italian arias will be presented. Concerts run through September 14 - the longest running season in decades!

If you like the uplifting and soulful music of New Orleans you'll love the sound of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band! Their music has been featured in Ken Burns' documentaries and on NPR Radio, as well as being featured guests on The Prairie Home Companion. Formed in 1971, this seven-piece Grammy-nominated band has delighted audiences all over the world with their huge and eclectic repertoire of jazz from the 1920's and 30's. Great American music - from Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton to early Duke Ellington and Cole Porter!

Penderecki String Quartet return to Music Mountain for another season on Sunday with guest artist Geoffrey Burleson, piano. The afternoon's program will include the Music Mountain premiere of Mozart: Quartet in B Flat Major, K. 158 in addition to Faure: Piano Quintet: #1 in D Minor, Opus 89; and Schubert: String Quartet in G Major, Opus 161, D. 887. Audience members are invited to stay and participate in a post-concert discussion and informal reception with Music Mountain president Nicholas Gordon.

Formed in 1986, the Penderecki String Quartet has become one of the most celebrated chamber ensembles of their generation. The four Penderecki musicians bring their varied yet collective experience to create performances that demonstrate their "remarkable range of technical excellence and emotional sweep." The quartet has toured extensively throughout Europe, Mexico and South America, in addition to stops in New York, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. The Penderecki Quartet continue as active members of the Faculty of Music at Laurier University where they have built the string program to be one of the top programs in Canada; they have been Quartet-in-Residence since 1991.

Geoffrey Burleson has performed to wide acclaim throughout Europe and North America, and is equally active as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and jazz performer. He has performed in prominent venues in Paris, Rome, Athens, Mexico City, New York and Chicago, among others. Mr. Burleson currently performs as principal pianist with the Boston Musica Viva and the Tribeca New Music Festival, and is recording the complete piano works of Camille Saint-Saëns. Mr. Burleson teaches piano at Princeton University, and is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College of The City University of New York. He is also on the piano faculty of The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

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, coffee and cookies are also available for purchase.
Upcoming quartets scheduled to perform include St. Petersburg String Quartet with Ricardo Cavalcante de Oliveira, viola (August 10); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Michelle LaCourse, viola and Rhonda Rider, cello (August 17); Blair String Quartet with Melvin Chen, piano (August 24); Shanghai String Quartet (August 30) and with Haochen Zhang, piano (August 31); Dover String Quartet with Roberto Diaz, viola (September 7); and the Cassatt String Quartet and pianist Ursula Oppens, (September 14).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series will continue with The Falcon Ridge Folk and the Cassatt string quartet and pianist 8ursula Oppens (Sunday, sept. 124)Music Festival featuring Spuyten Duyvil (August 9); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 16); Baroque Italian Opera Arias and Duets (August 23); Michael Berkeley presents "No Tune Like A Show Tune" (September 6) and Tater Patch (September 13).

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder (Music Mountain gratefully acknowledges children admission support by the Hellen Plummer Foundation for a gift in memory of James Merrill, Connecticut's first Poet Laureate). Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays. 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.