Caramoor Summer Festival 2017

admin Posted OnMay 25, 2017

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Caramoor Summer Festival 2017… 29 nights of classical, opera, chamber music, jazz, American Songbook, American Roots and World Music. Featuring Broadway’s Sutton Foster and Ryan Silverman, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, McCoy Tyner, Angela Meade, Emmy Lou Harris, Daniil Trifonov, Rhiannon Giddens & Sarah Jorosz, Jason Vieux and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Opening Night! A Night of Italian Opera, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 6/17: 8:30pm: Caramoor’s Artist-in-Residence soprano Angela Meade is featured in an evening of popular overtures, classic arias, rousing choral numbers and heartbreaking duets from Rossini, Verdi, Mozart, Donizetti and more. Manhattanites will bus up on the Caramoor Coach for this performance that will be broadcast live on Classical 105.9 WQXR. The evening features a pre-show benefit gala and an After Dark party. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Schubert and Gopnik: A Musical Dialogue, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra & Adam Gopnik, Venetian Theatre – Sun, 6/18: 4pm: This innovative program presents the music of Schubert’s Octet, an OSL signature piece, in dialogue with one of New York’s most distinctive literary voices, Adam Gopnik. Between movements of the Octet, Gopnik will read an original narrative about the intersection of music and life. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Roman Rabinovich (piano), Spanish Courtyard – Thurs, 6/22: 7pm: Winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Israeli pianist Roman Rabinovich performs Chopin’s quartet of ballades, some of the most challenging pieces in the piano repertoire. At this performance Mr. Rabinovich will also debut an original composition, Memory Box, and will complete the evening’s program with a duo of Haydn sonatas. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Edward Arron & Friends, Spanish Courtyard –Fri, 6/23: 8pm: The NYT’s acclaimed cellist Edward Arron offers another of his popular chamber music concerts joined by his colleagues and companions—many of which are fellow Evnin Rising Stars alumni—for a diverse program of quintets and sextets. Including Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture arranged for Piano four Hands, violin and cello, and works by Vaughan Williams and Henry Purcell. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Chamber Music Alert! A Chamber Feast in Three Courses, Venetian Theatre, Sun, 6/25: 3pm: Chamber music fans can feast on three hearty courses chamber fare served up from Pamela Frank, (violin) Edward Arron (cello) and a host of Caramoor stars including horn virtuoso Stewart Rose. On the menu: Wolf’s Italian Serenade, Dvorak’s Trio for two Violins and Viola, Miniatures, Beethoven’s Piano Trio, Ghost, Mozart’s Quintet for Horn, Violin, 2 Violas & Cello. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Un avvertimento ai gelosi by Manuel Garcia, Bel Canto Young Artists, Spanish Courtyard – Thurs, 6/29: 7pm: Manuel García, Rossini’s opening night tenor in Il barbiere di Siviglia, was also a prolific composer. In 1830-31 he wrote a series of one-act “operettas” with piano accompaniment, to be performed by his students. Un avvertimento ai gelosi (“Advice to the Jealous”)–performed here as edited by Teresa Radomski. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Jason Vieaux with Escher String Quartet, Spanish Courtyard – Fri, 6/30: 8pm: Artist-in-Residence Jason Vieaux (guitar) teams with the Escher Quartet (former Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence) for an evening of chamber music. Vieaux performs Ginastera’s only original composition for guitar; the Escher String Quartet performs quartets by Haydn and Shostakovich. Then Vieaux joins the quartet for the Boccherini Quintet. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Mozart Alert! All Mozart, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Venetian Theatre – Sun, 7/2: 4pm: 18^th century music expert, Bernard Labadie conducts OSL in a program of youthful Mozart works including his Symphony in D Major, “La finta giardiniera”. OSL’s principal flute, Elizabeth Mann will be joined by Emmanuel Ceysson, principal harp of the Met Orchestra, on Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Genre Bending Treat! Gabriel Kahane & yMusic, Spanish Courtyard, Fri, 7/7: 8pm: Gabriel Kahane, a Brooklyn songwriter and composer is known for his genre-bending collaborations with Chris Thile, Brooklyn Rider, Rob Moose, Sufjan Stevens. His adventurous indie-classical ensemble yMusic will perform an eclectic program of music including the world premiere of Kahane’s new work, co-commissioned by Caramoor. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Hot ticket alert! Il pirata by Bellini, Bel Canto, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 7/8: 7:30pm: This semi-staged production of Bellini’s 1827 breakthrough opera Il pirata (“The Pirate”) features Artist-in-Residence soprano Angela Meade in the demanding role of Imogene. Tenor Santiago Ballerini, returns to Caramoor as Gualtiero, the pirate and brilliant young bass Harold Wilson makes his Caramoor debut. Das Opernglas hailed Meade’s Caramoor performance of Bellini’s Norma as “a truly perfect night at the opera”. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Daniil Trifonov (piano), Venetian Theatre – Sun, 7/9: 4pm: Winner of the Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein competitions, 26-year-old Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov tackles challenging works from Schumann (Kinderszenen – “Scenes from Childhood” – and Kreisleriana) Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Trifonov’s 2016 album of Liszt etudes, Transcendental, ended up on numerous year-end lists and his sold-out Carnegie Hall recital last December was streamed to a worldwide audience on Facebook. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

The Intimate Bellini, Bel Canto Young Artists, Spanish Courtyard – Thurs, 7/13: 7pm: “There are long, long, long melodies such as no-one had ever made before,” wrote Giuseppe Verdi of Bellini’s unique gift. Bellini poured his melody into intimate piano-accompanied songs – sometimes developing ideas that later found their way into his operas. The Bel Canto Young Artists join Director of Opera Will Crutchfield in this tribute to the father of modern melody. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Argus Quartet, Spanish Courtyard – Fri, 7/14: 8pm: The Los Angeles-based Argus Quartet, this season’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam to the Hear Now Music Festival in Los Angeles and New Orleans’ Birdfoot Festival. Their varied program, here, contains masterworks by Haydn and Beethoven, and a world premiere by Donald Crockett, commissioned by Caramoor specifically for the Argus Quartet. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Hot Ticket Alert! The Four Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Jason Vieaux (guitar) Venetian Theatre – Sun, 7/16: 4pm: In another master-stroke of Caramoor programming, OSL performs Vivaldi’s Four Seasons followed by Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for Guitar and Bandonion by legendary tango composer, Astor Piazzolla. Guitarist, Jason Vieaux will perform with bandoneonist Julien Labro. Vieaux will open the show with Vivaldi’s beloved Guitar Concerto in D Major. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Sarah Rommel, cello and Xiaohui Yang, piano, Spanish Courtyard – Thurs, 7/20: 7pm: A recent prizewinner in the George Enescu International Cello Competition, Evnin Rising Star alumna cellist Sarah Rommel and pianist Xiaohui Yang perform a program that pairs cello works from Germany and Czechoslovakia, including Martinů’s brooding variations on a Slovak theme and Beethoven’s delightful variations on Papageno’s aria from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini, Bel Canto, Venetian Theatre – Sun, 7/23: 4pm: The final concert celebrating Bel Canto at Caramoor features a choral gem from one of opera’s greatest composers. Rossini surprised the musical world by retiring from the theater when he was only 32; he surprised it again by emerging at more than twice that age to compose his alternately jubilant and haunted “the last mortal Sin of my Old Age,” his Petite Messe Solennelle (1864). Caramoor presents the piece in its original chamber instrumentation for two pianos and harmonium. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Guitar in the Garden, Jason Vieaux, Sunken Garden, Thurs, 7/27: 7pm: Gramophone magazine placed Artist-in-Resident Jason Vieaux “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists.” In his final concert of the season, Vieaux returns to Caramoor’s Sunken Garden for a solo recital of classical and contemporary guitar music from Italy and Argentina to Mexico, Brazil, and the US—including selections from his 2014 Grammy Award-winning album, Play. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Season Finale, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano, Venetian Theatre – Sun, 7/30: 4pm: Two titans of the Romantic repertoire close out Caramoor’s 2017 summer season. Liszt’s tone poem Les préludes opens the program followed by French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s characteristic “fiery account” (The Washington Post) of the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Robert Schumann’s uplifting Second Symphony, set in the bright key of C Major, brings the Caramoor summer season to a sunny close. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

The American Songbook

Fireworks Alert! Pops, Patriots & Fireworks, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 7/1: 8pm: Broadway star Ryan Silverman (Phantom, Chicago, Side Show) sings from South Pacific, Kiss Me Kate and Man of La Mancha – for the Pops. The Westchester Symphonic Winds, conducted by Kurt Ebersole, performs John Philip Sousa and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture – for the Patriots. And then there are the fireworks on Friends Field after the show. We call it “the most civilized way to see 4th of July Fireworks.” Did we mention the stilt walkers, picnic options and no stress parking? (Photo by Gabe Palacio) (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Hot Ticket Alert! An Evening with Sutton Foster, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 7/29: 8pm: Two-time Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster takes the stage for an evening of show tunes, pop and country. Foster won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002. In 2011 she returned to the Broadway stage in another Tony-winning performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. “In olden days a glimpse of stocking, was looked on as something shocking, now heaven knows, anything goes.” We already have our tickets. See you there! (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Jazz

Jazz/Classical Fusion Alert! The Westerlies, Spanish Courtyard, Thurs, 7/6: 7pm: The Westerlies, a self-described “accidental brass quartet” are known for their adventurous explorations with jazz, roots, and chamber music influences. NPR’s Fresh Air called them “Skilled interpreters who are also adept improvisers” (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Jazz Festival with McCoy Tyner Trio, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 7/15: all day: Caramoor’s Jazz Festival, curated by Jazz at Lincoln Center, features 16 acts in multiple venues on the Caramoor grounds. The McCoy Tyner Trio headlines the evening show at the Venetian Theatre. The daytime artists, beginning at 4pm, include the Cuban rhythms of the Pedritro Martinez Group, guitarist Mary Halvorson and a centennial celebration of jazz great Thelonious Monk. Plus interactive sessions for kids. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Fats Waller Alert! Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9, Spanish Courtyard – Fri, 7/28: 8pm. The Big Easy comes to Caramoor when New Orleans pianist Henry Butler teams with trumpeter Steven Bernstein and The Hot 9 for a tour through the early songbooks of Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, and original compositions from their 2014 album Viper’s Drag. BB & The Hot 9 transport “the earliest roots of jazz… to the age of 21st-century postmodernism.” – Houston Press (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

American Roots

American Roots Festival – Sat, 6/24: all day: The annual American Roots Music Festival offers a day full of folk, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, string band, and old time music throughout the Caramoor grounds during the day. At the evening performance at the Venetian Theatre Multiple award winning banjo and fiddle player Rhiannon Giddens headlines with her blend of Americana genres. And five-time Grammy Award nominee and 2017 Grammy Award winner for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Performance, Sarah Jarosz returns with her new trio. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

John Fullbright, Spanish Courtyard – Fri, 7/21: 8pm: Fan favorite John Fullbright, winner of the ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, returns with an evening featuring the Oklahoma singer/songwriter’s pungent lyrical imagery. Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Fullbright joins the lineage of terse Southwestern songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, sticking to a few folky chords and reaching for unassailable clarity.” (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Hot Ticket Alert! Emmy Lou Harris, Venetian Theatre – Sat, 7/22: 8pm: 13-time Grammy Award-winner, Country Music Hall of Famer and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Emmylou Harris returns to Caramoor with her iconic blend of folk, country, and roots music. In addition to her own compositions her repertoire features the songs of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson and Paul Simon. Her 13 Grammy’s include six solo wins and collaborations with Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt and Rodney Crowell. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Dancing at Dusk

Kids Alert! A Voyage to Japan, Friends Field – Wed, 6/28: 5pm: Accompanied by traditional instruments, Sachiyo Ito and Company will introduce beginners to the delicate elegance of Japanese dance. Activities include crafts, a performance and a meet and greet with the artists. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Kids Alert! Hoedown in the USA, Friends Field – Wed, 7/5: 5pm: What better way to wrap up the July 4th holiday than with square and line dancing? Pat Cannon’s Foot & Fiddle Dance Company perform and teach the kids about the American traditions and diverse cultures that contributed to the American repertoire of country dancing. Activities include crafts, a performance and a meet and greet with the artists. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Kids Alert! Celebrating Mexico, Friends Field – Wed, 7/19: 5pm: Hailed by the New York Times as “terrific”, The Calpulli Mexican Dance Company celebrates the rich diversity of Mexican and Mexican-American cultural with an evening that will explore traditional dances from a 100-year-old wedding dance of Veracruz to the popular “La Bamba”. Activities include crafts, a performance and a meet and greet with the artists. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Kids Alert! Traditional Russia, Friends Field – Wed, 7/26: 5pm: Accompanied by instruments such as the Balalaika and Garmoshka, folk artists of Ensemble Barynya present an evening of dances, songs, and virtuoso performances from the Russian tradition. Activities include crafts, a performance and a meet and greet with the artists. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Caramoor Photos courtesy of Gabe Palacio

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