Caramoor Opens Summer 2025 with Payare and Orchestra of St. Luke’s Performing Beethoven’s Ninth
Classical highlights include two early operas; Ax, Kavakos, and Ma; Trifonov recital; much more.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 09, 2025
This summer, Caramoor marks its 80th anniversary with a season that reflects both its legacy as a site for classical performance and its ongoing interest in musical variety and experimentation.
Set on its Westchester estate, the 2025 season features a mix of early opera, symphonic works, chamber music, and genre-crossing programming that includes jazz, roots, and sound art.
Among the classical offerings are two lesser-performed Baroque works presented in staged productions: Telemann’s Pimpinone alongside his cantata Ino, performed by Boston Early Music Festival; and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, in what will be Cappella Mediterranea’s only U.S. appearance this season. The Orchestra of St. Luke’s opens the festival with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, led by Rafael Payare in his Caramoor debut. Later concerts with the ensemble feature debuts from conductors Anna Rakitina and Teddy Abrams, performing with violinist Stella Chen and pianist Garrick Ohlsson, respectively.
Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Leonidas Kavakos return to continue their “Beethoven for Three” series. Pianists Daniil Trifonov, Timo Andres, and George Li each give solo recitals. New music programming includes a performance from Sō Percussion and Caroline Shaw, as well as a free public staging of Terry Riley’s In C produced by Bang on a Can. The Knights return for a program featuring mandolinist Chris Thile.
Chamber performances include appearances by the Takács and Escher Quartets (the latter joined by pianist Alessio Bax), a solo recital by violinist Claire Bourg with pianist Jinhee Park, and performances by the Terra String Quartet, this year’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence. Chanticleer returns with Music of a Silent World, a program centered on ecological themes. Three “Music and Meditation in the Garden” concerts round out the chamber offerings, featuring the viola duo Tallā Rouge, a set by flutist Alex Sopp and violinist Austin Wulliman, and a performance from cellist Gabriel Cabezas and guitarist Jordan Dodson.
Caramoor’s sound art component continues to evolve with the addition of a new work by composer Lisa Coons. Five Essays on Caramoor is a site-specific sound walk created using archival recordings, letters, and journal entries from Lucie Bigelow Rosen, one of Caramoor’s founders. According to the composer, the piece explores personal memory and social context, with movements that reflect both Rosen’s private life and the contradictions of her time.
The season also includes a variety of non-classical events. The annual Jazz Festival, co-presented with Jazz at Lincoln Center, features Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. The American Roots Music Festival, presented with City Winery, returns as an all-day event, with additional performances by Molly Tuttle and Lyle Lovett and His Large Band later in the summer. Other events include a Juneteenth celebration featuring The Legendary Ingramettes, a dance and music performance by Music From The Sole, and a Broadway Pride concert hosted by Seth Rudetsky. A series of outdoor concerts on the lawn will feature Endea Owens and The Cookout, Ranky Tanky, La Excelencia, and The Garifuna Collective. The traditional Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks concert will return, this year with guest vocalist Mimi Hilaire.
The season reflects Caramoor’s ongoing commitment to a wide range of music programming and its intention to make the grounds a place of both discovery and reflection. Full schedule and ticket details are available at caramoor.org.
About Caramoor
Caramoor is a cultural arts destination located on a unique 80-plus-acre estate with Italianate architecture and gardens in Northern Westchester County, NY. Its beautiful grounds include the historic Rosen House, a stunning mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Besides enriching the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality, Caramoor mentors young professional musicians and provides music-centered educational programs for young children.
Caramoor: 2025 summer season
All artists and dates are subject to change.
Sun, June 1
Caramoor grounds and Sonic Innovations open
Sun, June 15 at 4pm
Friends Field
Celebrating Juneteenth
The Legendary Ingramettes
Sat, June 21 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Opening Night: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Rafael Payare, conductor
Gabriella Reyes, soprano
Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano
Viktor Antipenko, tenor
Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone
Caramoor Festival Chorus
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Sun, June 22 at 4pm
Rosen House - Music Room
Terra String Quartet (2024–25 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence)
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D
Juri SEO: String Quartet No. 2, “Overgrown Paths” (world premiere, commissioned by Caramoor)
Henry Purcell: Chacony in G minor, Z. 730
Benjamin Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36
Thu, June 26 at 7pm
Friends Field
Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Pride!
Presented in Collaboration with The LOFT LBGTQ+ Community Center
Seth Rudetsky, piano and host
Lauren Patten
Gay Willis
Zachary Noah Piser
Fri, June 27 at 7:30pm
Venetian Theater
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 80
Frédéric CHOPIN:
Waltz in E, Op. Posth.
Waltz in F minor, Op. 70, No. 2
Waltz in A-flat, Op. 64, No. 3
Waltz in D-flat, Op. 64, No. 1
Waltz in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2
Waltz in E minor, Op. Posth.
Samuel Barber: Piano Sonata in E-flat minor, Op. 26
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty Suite, Op. 66a (arr. Mikhail Pletnev)
Sat, June 28 at 12:30pm
Caramoor Grounds
American Roots Music Festival
Presented in Collaboration with City Winery
The Rumble feat. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
Amanda Anne Platt and The Honeycutters
Oh He Dead
The Barefoot Movement
Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart
Christa Joy and the Honeybees
Sun, June 29 at 4pm (3pm pre-concert conversation)
Venetian Theater
Telemann's Pimpinone & Ino
Boston Early Music Festival
Paul O'Dette, music director
Stephen Stubbs, music director
Gilbert Blin, director
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Danielle Reutter-Harrah, mezzo soprano
Christian Immler, bass-baritone
Georg Philipp TELEMANN:
Ino: Cantata for Soprano and Orchestra
Pimpinone
Thu, July 3 at 7pm
Friends Field
Endea Owens and The Cookout
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Fri, July 4 at 8pm
Venetian Theater
Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks
Westchester Symphonic Winds
Curt Ebersole, conductor
Mimi Hilaire, vocalist
Sat, July 5 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Tallā Rouge
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Sat, July 5 at 7:30pm
Friends Field
La Excelencia
Sun, July 6 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Escher String Quartet & Alessio Bax, piano
Samuel Barber: String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11
Florence Price: Quartet No. 2 in A minor
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81
Thu, July 10 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion featuring Ringdown
Sō Percussion
Caroline Shaw, vocals
Ringdown
WHO TURNS OUT THE LIGHT
Fri, July 11 at 7:30pm
Friends Field
Ranky Tanky
Presented in Collaboration with City Winery
Sat, July 12 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Alex Sopp, flute & Austin Wulliman, violin
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Sat, July 12 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea
Cappella Mediterranea
Leonardo García Alarcón, conductor
Sophie Junker, Poppea
Nicolò Balducci, Nerone
Mariana Flores, Ottavia, Virtù
Christopher Lowrey, Ottone
Samuel Boden, Arnalta, Nutrice
Edward Grint, Seneca
Lucía Martin-Cartón, Fortuna, Drusilla
Valerio Contaldo, Lucano
Claudio MONTEVERDI: L'incoronazione di Poppea (semi-staged concert performance)
Sun, July 13 at 4pm (3pm pre-concert conversation)
Venetian Theater
Orchestra of St. Luke's & Stella Chen
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Anna Rakitina, conductor
Stella Chen, violin
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Thu, July 17 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Music From The Sole
I DIDN'T COME TO STAY
Fri, July 18 at 7:30pm
Spanish Courtyard
Chanticleer: Music of a Silent World
Chanticleer
Kurt Weill: Lost in the Stars
Heinrich ISAAC: Cibavit eos
Heinrich ISAAC: Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen
Stephen Sondheim: I Remember
Majel CONNERY: I Am a Tree from The Rivers are our Brothers
Ayanna WOODS: I miss you like I miss the trees
Max REGER: Abschied – op. 83, no. 9
Ann Ronell: Willow Weep for Me
Majel CONNERY: I Am the Air from The Rivers are our Brothers
Max REGER: Hochsommernacht – op. 83, no. 5
Max REGER: Eine gantz neue Schelmweys – op. 83, no. 6
Majel CONNERY: I Am a Cloud from The Rivers are our Brothers
Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now
Majel CONNERY: I Am Snow from The Rivers are our Brothers
Traditional: Shenandoah
Jordan Cohen, Jonathan KOH, Jon BELLION, Gracie Lawrence: The Weather
Hoagy Carmichael: Stardust
Sat, July 19 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Jordan Dodson, guitar
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Sat, July 19 at 5pm
Rosen House – Music Room
George Li, piano
Robert Schumann: Arabeske
Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Sat, July 19 at 7:30pm
Venetian Theater
Molly Tuttle Presented in Collaboration with City Winery
Sun, July 20 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
The Knights & Chris Thile
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Philip Glass: Symphony No 3 (mvts I and III)
Caroline Shaw: “And So” from Is a Rose
J.S. BACH: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 (transcr. Thile)
Chris THILE: ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra
Thu, July 24 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
Timo Andres, piano
Robert Schumann: Canonic Etudes Op. 56 (arr. Timo Andres)
Timo Andres: It takes a long time to become a good composer
Aaron Copland: Piano Sonata
Fri, July 25 at 7:30pm
Spanish Courtyard
Takács Quartet
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G minor, H.III:74, "Rider"
Nokuthula NGWENYAMA: Flow
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C, Op. 59, No. 3, "Razumovsky"
Sat, July 26 at 12:30pm
Caramoor Grounds and Venetian Theater
Jazz Festival
Presented in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
HEADLINER:
Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
DAYTIME ARTISTS:
Dabin Ryu Trio
Imani Rousselle
Obed Calvaire: 150 Million Gold Francs
Luther Allison Trio
Hannah Gill
Jazz at Lincoln Center's Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands
Additional Artists TBA
Sun, July 27 at 4pm (3pm pre-concert conversation)
Sunken Garden
Bang on a Can plays Terry Riley's In C
Bang on a Can Festival Ensemble
Terry RILEY: In C
Wed, July 30 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma
Emanuel Ax, piano
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Nicholas Cords, viola
Ludwig van Beethoven:
“Leonore” Overture (arranged for piano quartet by Shai Wosner)
Symphony No 3 “Eroica” (arranged for piano quartet by Shai Wosner)
Fri, Aug 1 at 7:30pm
Friends Field
The Garifuna Collective
Sat, Aug 2 at 5pm
Rosen House - Music Room
Claire Bourg, violin & Jinhee Park, piano
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Violin Sonata in A, K. 526
Vivian FUNG: Birdsong
Maurice Ravel: Violin Sonata, Op. Posth.
Johannes BRAHMS: Scherzo in C minor for Violin and Piano, from F-A-E Sonata
Sat, Aug 2 at 7:30pm
Venetian Theater
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Sun, Aug 3 at 4pm (3pm pre-concert conversation)
Venetian Theater
Orchestra of St. Luke's & Garrick Ohlsson
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Caroline Shaw: Entr'acte
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
Johannes BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Louisville Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
GREASE (Ramsey Theatre Company)
10.7% of votes
2.
THE WIZARD OF OZ (Woodford Theatre)
9.1% of votes
3.
A BLUEGRASS CHRISTMAS CAROL (Artists Collaborative Theatre)
8.2% of votes
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