Music Mountain Continues 88th Season

America's Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival, Music Mountain, continues its 88thseason with Cassatt String Quartet with guest artist Mihae Lee, piano on Sunday, June 25th (3pm) performing Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Shostakovich. The New Black Eagle Jazz Band kicks off the weekend on Saturday, June 24(6:30pm)! Concerts are scheduled thru September 17th!

The New Black Eagle Jazz Band has been a fixture on the international jazz scene since 1971, bringing the sounds of traditional New Orleans Jazz to audiences all over the world. The band has delighted audiences throughout North America and Europe with their huge and eclectic repertoire of jazz from the 1920's and 30's. The group has a mature mastery of this great American music from Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton to early Duke Ellington and Cole Porter.

Keeping with long-standing tradition, the Saturday Twilight Series features pre-concert dinners at the quaint Falls Village Inn. Experience a piece of history in this 175-year-old Inn before dancing to the very best in New Orleans style Jazz, Gospel & Blues!

Sunday afternoon welcomes the Cassatt String Quartet with guest artist Mihae Lee, Piano. The program is scheduled to include Mendelssohn: 4 Pieces for String Quartet, Opus 81 "Capriccio"; Beethoven: String Quartet in A Minor, Opus 132; and Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G Minor Opus 57.

Acclaimed as one of America's outstanding ensembles, the Manhattan based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout North America, Europe, and the Far East, with appearances at New York's Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Theatre des Champs in Paris and Maeda Hall in Tokyo, among others. Equally adept at classical masterpieces and contemporary music, the Cassatt Quartet has collaborated with a remarkable array of artists/composers. With a deep commitment to nurturing young musicians, the Cassatt Quartet has devoted itself to coaching, conducting sectionals and reading student composers' works, while offering lively musical presentations in music theory, history and composition.

Pianist Mihae Lee has been captivating audiences throughout North America, Europe, and Asia in solo recitals and chamber music concerts with her poetic lyricism and scintillating virtuosity. She has performed in such venues as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Berlin Philharmonie, and Academia Nationale de Santa Cecilia in Rome. An active chamber musician, Ms. Lee is a founding member of the Triton Horn Trio and has appeared frequently at numerous international chamber music festivals. Her recordings of Brahms, Shostakovich, Bartok, and Stravinsky with the members of the Boston Chamber Music Society have been greeted with critical acclaim.

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.

Music Mountain is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission On Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chamber music concerts continue with Peter Serkin & Anna Polonsky Piano 4 Hands (July 2); Arianna String Quartetwith Victoria Schwartzman, Piano (July 9); Penderecki String Quartet with Leopoldo Erice, Piano (July 16); andAriel Quartet with Soyeon Kate Lee, Piano (July 23).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series continues withSwingtime Big Band (July 1); The Peter & Will Anderson Trio (July 8); Alexis Cuadrado Group (July 15); andAnouman Gypsy Jazz Quartet (July 22).

Saturday evening pre-concert dinner at the intimate Falls Village Inn (5pm) is $70. Ticket includes dinner & concert. Seating is limited; reservations must be made 24 hours prior to concert date.

Specially Priced Concerts are as Follows: Tickets to theSunday, July 2 (3PM) Piano 4 Hands Concert with Peter Serkin & Anna Polonsky are $60. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, September 3 (3PM) with The Shanghai String Quartet, guest artist Qing Jiang, piano, are $75. Tickets for the closing concert on Sunday, September 17 (3PM) with The Juilliard String Quartet are $60.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35. Twilight Series Concerts are $30. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. SaturdayTwilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. 4-Pak Pre-Season Ticket Vouchers are available for $100. 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: Cassatt String Quartet ltoR-r. Elizabeth Anderson, Cello; Ah Ling Neu, Viola; Muneko Otani,Violin; Jennifer Leshnower

Photo: Anna Ablogina