Bard SummerScape Festival 2014 Opens June 27

Friday, June 27 sees the curtain rise on the 2014 Bard SummerScape Festival, ushering in seven weeks of music, opera, theater, dance, film, and cabaret.

The hub of these offerings is the Bard Music Festival, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary season with an exploration of "Schubert and His World," comprising twelve orchestral, chamber, and operatic progams - a number of them featuring members of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein - supplemented by panel discussions and special events (Aug 8-10 & Aug 15-17). Other SummerScape highlights include the return of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, which presents Proscenium Works: 1979-2011 as part of its farewell tour (June 27 & 28); the first U.S. production in 100 years of Euryanthe, an opera by Schubert's contemporary Carl Maria von Weber (July 25-Aug 3); the world premiere of Love in the Wars, John Banville's new stage adaptation of Heinrich von Kleist's Penthesilea (July 10-20); a film series titled "Schubert and the Long 19th Century" (July 3-Aug 3); and entertainment ranging from cutting-edge cabaret to live music for dancing in Bard's authentic Belgian Spiegeltent (June 27-Aug 17). All SummerScape offerings take place in the striking Frank Gehry-designed Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College's idyllic Hudson River campus.

SummerScape 2014: key performance dates by genre:

MUSIC

Bard Music Festival, Weekend One: "The Making of a Romantic Legend" (Aug 8-10)

Bard Music Festival, Weekend Two: "A New Aesthetics of Music" (Aug 15-17)

* Round-trip transportation from Manhattan to Bard is available for certain performances on August 8, 10, 15, and 17. The round-trip fare is $20 and reservations are required; see further details below.

OPERA

Carl Maria von Weber: Euryanthe

Sosnoff Theater

July 25* and Aug 1 at 7 pm

July 27, 30, and Aug 3 at 2 pm

Tickets start at $25

Franz Schubert: Die Verschworenen

Franz von Suppé: Franz Schubert (1864)

Sosnoff Theater

Aug 10 at 5:30 pm* (BMF Program 6)

Tickets start at $25

Franz Schubert: Fierrabras

Sosnoff Theater

Aug 17 at 4:30 pm* (BMF Program 12)

Tickets start at $25

DANCE

Trisha Brown Dance Company: Proscenium Works: 1979-2011

June 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm

June 28 at 2 pm*

Sosnoff Theater

Tickets start at $25

THEATER

John Banville: Love in the Wars - A version of Heinrich von Kleist's Penthesilea

Theater Two

Previews July 10 and 11 at 7:30pm

Performances July 12*, 17, 18, and 19 at 7:30 pm and July 13*, 16, 19, and 20* at 2 pm

Tickets start at $25

FILM SERIES

"Schubert and the Long 19th Century"

Thursdays and Sundays July 3 to August 3 at 7pm

Ottaway Film Center

Tickets: $10

SPIEGELTENT

Live Music, Cabaret, Festival Dining, and After Hours salon

Dates, Times, and Prices vary

Venues:

SummerScape opera, theater, and dance performances and most Bard Music Festival programs are held in the Sosnoff Theater or Theater Two in Bard's Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and celebrated since its opening as a major architectural landmark in the region. Some chamber programs and other BMF events are in Olin Hall. The Spiegeltent has its own schedule of events, in addition to serving as a restaurant, café, and bar before and after performances. Film Series screenings are at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center in the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Center.

New York City Round-Trip Bus Transportation:

To make a reservation on the round-trip SummerScape coach provided exclusively to ticket holders for specific performances indicated by * in the listings above, call the box office at 845-758-7900 or select this option when purchasing tickets. The new, lower round-trip fare is $20 and reservations are required. The coach departs from behind Lincoln Center, on Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Street. Bus departure time will be included on the ticket order receipt, or visit fishercenter.bard.edu/visit/transportation.

Bard SummerScape Ticket Information

For tickets and further information on all SummerScape events, call the Fisher Center box office at 845-758-7900 or visit www.fishercenter.bard.edu. Fisher Center members receive priority access to the best seats in advance, and those who join the Center's email list receive advance booking opportunities as well as regular news and updates.