A Parisian Model 1908

The Bard Music Festival returns for its 31st season this August, with a rare and intensive two-week exploration of “Nadia Boulanger and Her World.” In twelve themed concert programs, performed live with limited in-person audiences, Bard examines Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979), the pioneering Parisian pedagogue, composer, conductor, pianist, organist and indomitable personality who shaped more than a generation of American musicians.

Viva la France! For Pacific Symphony's upcoming concert, two of the brightest French-Canadian classical music stars—celebrated pianist Louis Lortie and acclaimed guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni—perform a program inspired by the spirit of France with music by Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Ravel.

Pacific Symphony's upcoming concert presents Spain's pre-eminent pianist Joaquin Achucarro, performing Grieg's sweepingly dramatic Piano Concerto. Sir Simon Rattle said: "There is something special with Joaquin Achucarro. Very few musicians can extract this kind of sound from the piano," while Zubin Mehta remarked, "I have only heard this sound from Rubinstein." This not-to-be-missed Symphony debut by one of today's most talented pianists is part of a program that includes selections from Grieg's ever-popular "Peer Gynt," fairy-tale music from Stravinsky's iconic "Firebird" ballet, and a magical, mystical concerto by Rautavaara infused with bird songs. On the podium is the highly acclaimed, dynamic young Norwegian guest conductor, Rune Bergmann.

Pacific Symphony's upcoming concert presents Spain's pre-eminent pianist Joaquin Achucarro, performing Grieg's sweepingly dramatic Piano Concerto. Sir Simon Rattle said: "There is something special with Joaquin Achucarro. Very few musicians can extract this kind of sound from the piano," while Zubin Mehta remarked, "I have only heard this sound from Rubinstein." This not-to-be-missed Symphony debut by one of today's most talented pianists is part of a program that includes selections from Grieg's ever-popular "Peer Gynt," fairy-tale music from Stravinsky's iconic "Firebird" ballet, and a magical, mystical concerto by Rautavaara infused with bird songs. On the podium is the highly acclaimed, dynamic young Norwegian guest conductor, Rune Bergmann.

Russia's profound and far-reaching impact on 20th-century culture will be explored at the 2013 annual Bard SummerScape festival, which once again offers an extraordinary summer of music, opera, theater, dance, film, and cabaret, keyed to the theme of the 24th annual Bard Music Festival, Stravinsky and His World. Presented in the striking Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College's bucolic Hudson River campus, the seven-week festival opens on July 6 with the first of two performances of A Rite (2013) by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and SITI Company, and closes on August 18 with a party in Bard's beloved Spiegeltent, which returns for the full seven weeks. Complementing the Bard Music Festival's exploration of “Stravinsky and His World,” some of the great Russian-born composer's most captivating compatriots provide key SummerScape highlights. These include the first fully-staged American production of Sergey Taneyev's opera Oresteia; the world premiere of an original stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's seminal novel The Master and Margarita; and a film festival titled “Between Traditions: Stravinsky's Legacy and Russian Emigré Cinema.” Together, SummerScape's offerings will continue Bard's yearlong tenth-anniversary celebrations for the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, which commence with a month of special performances in April.