Concert aficionados from around the country will want to make room on their summer calendars for Music Mountain, America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, when it kicks off its record-breaking 86th Anniversary Season beginning Sunday, June 14th! In keeping with last season's success, Music Mountain will continue their season past Labor Day - making this season, once again, one of the longest running seasons since the 1930s! The summer will include many favorite returning chamber ensembles, first time guests, the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring Jazz, Country, and Folk Music, and the first Great Artist Recital Series. Concerts are scheduled through September 27.
This season also brings exciting new additions to the Music Mountain organization. Nicholas Gordon, President of Music Mountain, is pleased to announce the election of the first new Musical Director of Music Mountain since 1986: conductor and pianist Jonathan Yates. "We felt Jonathan was the perfect fit for Music Mountain," says Mr. Gordon. "He is Harvard and Juilliard-educated; has played and conducted all over the world; and has extensive experience as a Musical Director through his work with Norwalk Symphony and Norwalk Youth Symphony in Connecticut. Most importantly, he has played every year at Music Mountain since 2008 and our audiences love him."
"It's an immense honor to be joining the Music Mountain family, particularly at a place where history and family are so meaningfully intertwined," says Mr. Yates. "The President is the son of the founder, the great violinist Jacques Gordon; the original 1930 season, featuring the Gordon String Quartet, is published in every program; the hall bears the Gordon family name. My aspiration is to deeply explore the roots of this festival, including the Gordon Quartet's original dedication to new music; to works outside the string quartet repertoire; to engaging young talented artists through mentorship. It is by having a creative and active relationship with the festival's storied past that we can begin making exciting new plans for its future.
In that spirit, Music Mountain is announcing a number of new plans, including:
+ The reintroduction of Music Mountain's own teaching programs for the first time since 1989: "The Music Mountain Chamber Music Masterclasses." The inaugural program will consist of three weeks of chamber music teaching by three of the country's top chamber musicians: Daniel Phillips, Kim Kashkashian, and Colin Carr. In addition, each of those three artists will give public concerts as part of Music Mountain's new Great Artist Recital Series, which will be expanded in future seasons.
+ A five-year commissioning project: Dialogues with The Past. Every year (over five seasons)---a composer of different viewpoints and aesthetics will be commissioned to write new works for String Quartet that will integrate archival recordings of the Gordon String Quartet, the founding quartet of Music Mountain. In 2015, the project will be undertaken by Pulitzer-Prize winner Paul Moravec and premiered on July 19 by the Enso String Quartet. The full cycle will be performed in 2019 to celebrate Music Mountain's 90th anniversary.
+ A new commitment to works that have never been performed before at Music Mountain including works outside the string quartet repertoire. In 2015, 28 works will be given their Music Mountain premiere. Including compositions of Dutilleux, Penderecki, Kurtag and Caroline Shaw. However, the core schedule remains what Music Mountain has long been known for: wonderful performances of the great string quartets, played by world famous artists. In addition, in a tribute to Music Mountain's illustrious past, 12 works from the founding 1930 season will be reprised.
The 86th Anniversary Season kicks off on June 14th (3PM) with the Opening Concert & Reception featuring
David Finckel, cello and Wu Han, piano performing an extended program of masterworks including Bach: Sonata in G Major for Viola da Gamba & harpsichord BWV 1027; Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello # 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1; Brahms: Sonata for Cello & Piano # 1 in E Minor, Opus 38; Scriabin: Five Preludes for solo piano, Op. 16; and Rachmaninoff: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19. The summer season continues with renowned chamber musicians and string quartets playing many distinguished programs, including Calidore String Quartet, Juilliard String Quartet, Arianna String Quartet, Enso String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Penderecki String Quartet, St. Petersburg String Quartet, Harlem String Quartet, Dover String Quartet, Shanghai String Quartet, Cassatt String Quartet, Borromeo String Quartet, and Amernet String Quartet. Guest artists are set to include
David Finckel, Cello; Wu Han, Piano; Daniel Phillips, Viola; Colin Carr, Cello; Peter Serkin, Piano; Julia Hsu, Piano; Soyeon Kate Lee, Piano; Jan Opalach, Bass-Baritone; Matt Haimowitz, Cello; Pamela Mia Paul, Piano; Daniel Austrich, Violin; Melvin Chen, Piano; Francine Kay, Piano; Alexander Fiterstein, Clarinet; Gilbert Kalish, Piano; Ursula Oppens, Piano; Vivek Kamath, Viola; Edward Arron, Cello; and Jonathan Yates, Piano. (see below for full season schedule)
The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on June 20 (6:30PM) with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and continues with Cantata Profana (June 27);Jeff Newell's New-Trad Quartet (July 4);
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks (July 11); The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (July 18); Swingtime Big Band (July 25); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 15); Peter &
Will Anderson with Alex Wintz (August 22);
Michael Berkeley (August 29); The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival presenting Spuyten Duyvil (September 12); and Jive By Five (September 19). Special pre-concert themed dinners will also return as part of the Twilight Series.
The 86th season will also feature the first Great Artist Recital Series on select Friday evenings ---- visiting Master Teachers Daniel Phillips, Kim Kashkashian, and Colin Carr will each perform a unique and exclusive program including works by Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and Kashkashian's Grammy Award winning solo performance of György Kurtág: Signs, Games and Messages for Solo Viola.
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, wine & beer are also available for purchase.
Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Sunday, June 14 are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2015 concert. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, September 6 are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2015 or 2016 concert. Two specially priced concerts on Sunday, June 28 with the Juilliard String Quartet and on Sunday, July 12 with Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu are $60.
Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Friday Evening Great Artist Recital Concerts are $35 at the door and $30 in advance. 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.
Photo by David Teicher
