Caramoor Enters the 21st Century

admin Posted OnFebruary 20, 2018

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Caramoor Enters the 21^st Century: Caramoor recently released it’s new lineup for the 2018 Caramoor Summer Festival. The New York Times recently billed it as a leap into the 21st century by Caramoor’s new vice president for artistic programming, Kathy Schuman. The festival’s classical music program will feature music by 22 living composers. Kathy was a former artistic administrator at Carnegie Hall. Tickets go on sale February 20.

Caramoor Enters the 21st Century Some 21st century highlights for crossover classical music fans include Kronos Quartet, famous for their classical interpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”, who will be performing Gershwin, Charles Mingus, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens (who headlined Caramoor’s 2017 Roots Festival) and their take on the Everly Brothers “House of the Rising Son”.

Caramoor Enters the 21st Century The Brooklyn-based percussion quartet, So Percussion, who recently performed at ChappPac, and who was hailed by The New Yorker for their “exhilarating blend of rigor… and bedlam” will perform Steve Reich, Paul Lansky and John Cage’s iconic “Third Construction” scored for “unorthodox percussion”. Another notable departure for Caramoor programming is a outdoor family performance from John Luther Adams of his composition Inuksuit that will be performed by 60 percussionists including conch shells, sirens, gongs, bells, drums, cymbals, and glockenspiels. The New York Times called Inuskuit “the ultimate environmental piece.”

For traditionalists there will be plenty of Beethoven, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Handel and Brahms from chamber groups Apollo’s Fire, Jasper String Quartet, Brentano Quartet and symphonic performances from The Knights and Caramoor house band The St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra with soloist Benjamin Beilman. And, of course, it wouldn’t be summer at Caramoor without Opera. This year they will present concert performances of Handel’s Atalanta with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Fancisco – Nicholan McGegan conductor. And On Site Opera will performa Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera in the exquisite Sunken Garden at Caramoor.

Roots, Jazz & Broadway

Broadway legend and six-time Tony-winner, Audra McDonald will open the festival on June 16 with a celebration of the Great American songbook. She will be backed by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. There will be more Broadway on July 14 when Mikaela Bennett (The Golden Apple), Alysha Umphress (On the Town), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), and Ben Davis (Violet) team up with Tony-Award-winning music director Ted Sperling for a celebration of Bernstein’s Broadway with songs from West Side Story, Candide, Wonderful Town, Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and On the Town. And again at Pops, Patriots and Fireworks on July 4, when alumni of Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars perform selections from The Music Man and West Side Story, followed by Caramoor’s annual performances of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever and, of course, fireworks.

Diane Reeves will headline Caramoor’s Jazz Festival, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Another Caramoor jazz evening features the Joey Alexander Trio. Pianist Joey Alexander debuted at Jazz at Lincoln Center at the age of 11 and by 14 already had three Grammy-noms to his name. He’s still just 15 and returns to Caramoor after performing at their jazz fest in 2015. You do the math.

Aimee Mann will headline Caramoor’s Roots Festival. Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June will warm up for Aimee with her eclectic mix of Appalachian blues, gospel and bluegrass. There will be more roots on July 7 when singer/songwriters and new Americana supergroup Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aiofe Donovan team up under the banner I’m With Her. Finally Caramoor checks the “World Music” box when “Africa’s premier diva” and Grammy Award-winner, Angelique Kidjo brings her “canyon-filling voice” to the Caramoor stage on July 28.