Violinist Jennifer Koh, Cellist Alisa Weilerstein Perform at Caramoor Fest

Violinist Jennifer Koh and cellist Alisa Weilerstein will perform Brahms's Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, in A minor, Op. 102 together for the first time with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, on Saturday, July 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Venetian Theater as a part of the 2011 Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, NY. Known for its requirement for two equally gifted soloists, Brahms's "Double Concerto" was the composer's final orchestral work. It is featured on a concert program that will also include Beethoven's Overture to Egmont, Op. 84 and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 led by young Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado in his Orchestra of St. Luke's and Caramoor Festival debuts.

Ms. Weilerstein will also perform in a duo recital at the festival with composer/performer Gabriel Kahane on Friday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. in the Spanish Courtyard. This recital will feature the New York premiere of Mr. Kahane's Little Sleep's Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight, written specifically for Ms. Weilerstein. A mix between a cello sonata and a song cycle, this piece features four movements for cello and piano interspersed with settings of seven stanzas of lyrics from poet Galway Kinnell.

Mr. Kahane and Ms. Weilerstein performed the world premiere of the piece at the University of California in Santa Barbara in February with subsequent performances in Vancouver, Bethesda and Minneapolis. They will perform the New York City premiere at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in April of next year.

Although they have known each other since childhood, the performances and creation of this work marked the first professional collaboration between the two artists. The recital program on July 29 will also include Ms. Weilerstein performing unaccompanied cello suites by Bach and Britten and Mr. Kahane performing his own compositions.

Tickets for the Orchestra of St. Luke's performance are available for $16, $28, $41, $54, and $67. Tickets for Alisa Weilerstein and Gabriel Kahane's recital are available for $30 and $40. Both can be purchased by calling 914-232-1252, online at www.tickets.caramoor.org, or in person at the box office.

Ms. Koh's performance at the Caramoor International Music will follow appearances at Lorin Maazel's Castleton Festival held on Mr. Maazel's property, Castleton Farms in Rappahannock County, VA. Ms. Koh will perform in Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale on Sunday, June 26 at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m. A Soldier's Tale, conducted by Mr. Maazel and featuring choreography by Faye Driscoll, is part of a double-bill with Manuel De Falla's Master Pedro's Puppet Show. Ms. Koh will also perform Lorin Maazel's own work, Music for Violin & Orchestra with the Castleton Festival Orchestra led by Mr. Maazel on Sunday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets for Castleton Festival performances are available to be purchased from www.castletonfestival.org or by calling the Box Office at 866-974-0767.
Additionally this summer Ms. Koh will give her first performance of Britten's Violin Concerto at the Grant Park Music Festival, perform in a duo recital with pianist Shai Wosner at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, and perform chamber works at SummerFest La Jolla.
Ms. Weilerstein's performances at the Caramoor International Music Festival follow a busy summer season that has included chamber performances at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC and an appearance at the Istanbul Music Festival with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra with Christoph Eschenbach. Immediately following her Caramoor concerts, Ms. Weilerstein will perform Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C with conductor Mr. Eschenbach at the Boston Symphony's Tanglewood Festival on Sunday, July 31 at 2:30 p.m. at the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Tickets are available for $19-$91 and can be purchases from www.bso.org or by calling 617-266-1492.

Friday, July 29, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Spanish Courtyard, Caramoor Center for the Arts, Katonah, NY

Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Gabriel Kahane, piano, voice, banjo, electric guitar, loops

Britten Cello Suite No 2, Op. 80
Kahane Songs
Bach Suite for solo Cello No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012
Kahane Little Sleep's Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight

Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Venetian Theater, Caramoor Center for the Arts, Katonah, NY

Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Jennifer Koh, violin
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Beethoven Overture to Egmont, Op.84
Brahms Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, in A minor, Op. 102
Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op. 90 (Italian)

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