Caramoor Presents the 2010 International Music Festival

April 9, 2010 - PRLog -- KATONAH, NY – Michael Barrett, now in his 7th year as CEO and General Director of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, announces the lineup for the 65th Caramoor International Music Festival, held annually at the Center’s distinguished 90-acre garden estate in Katonah, New York. The summer festival program, which will run from June 26 to August 8, offers a broad range of artists and repertoire from the worlds of classical, jazz, Latin, opera, bluegrass, and pop music.

“Our 65th summer season offers an incredibly rich array of offerings from powerful Mozart masterworks to jazz vibraphone, and from the summit of Bellini operas to the latest works from young artists breaking new ground,” said Michael Barrett, Chief Executive and General Director of Caramoor. “In fact, it may be the most eclectic season in Caramoor’s history. I hope audiences seek out their favorite music among our programs, but also venture outside their usual musical tastes and try something new. What better place than Caramoor, with its relaxed, bucolic atmosphere and musical artists all at the top of their game for audiences to discover something new, memorable, and inspiring?”
 
OPENING NIGHT
Caramoor’s 65th season opens on June 26 with the return of one of the greatest pianists of our time, Mitsuko Uchida. Last heard at Caramoor in 2007, Ms. Uchida will direct Caramoor’s resident orchestra – the Orchestra of St. Luke’s – from the piano in a performance of Mozart’s last piano concerto, No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595. Opening this celebratory evening of collaborative music-making, Michael Barrett and St. Luke’s will perform Mozart’s Symphonies Nos. 25 and 34.

Opening night will honor long-time Caramoor supporters Tony and Judy Evnin with gala celebratory events before and after the concert. Mrs. Evnin is the Chairman of Caramoor’s Board of Trustees.

Orchestra of St. Luke’s
The 2010 Caramoor International Music Festival marks the 31st anniversary of its association with the renowned Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Caramoor’s Orchestra-in-Residence since 1979. In addition to opening night, St. Luke’s will also perform the Bel Canto at Caramoor operas, the 4th of July concert, and the Schumann the Romantic concert, all detailed below.

BEL CANTO AT CARAMOOR
Under the leadership of  Will Crutchfield, Caramoor’s Director of Opera, the 14th season of Bel Canto at Caramoor – an operatic exploration that Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times calls “an essential contribution” – features two bel canto treasures, Bellini’s Norma and Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan, both performed semi-staged with supertitles in the Venetian Theater with Maestro Crutchfield leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

July 10 and July 16 – Bellini’s Norma
July 24 – Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan

CELEBRATING THE BICENTENNIALS OF SCHUMANN AND CHOPIN
July 15 – Chopin Bel Canto
July 17 – Schumann the Romantic: Vladimir Feltsman and Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Robert Spano
July 18 – Schumann and Chopin at 200

CHAMBER MUSIC
July 1 – Lukasz Kuropaczewski – Guitar in the Garden
July 8 – Anthony McGill avec ses amis
July 11 – Midori in Recital
July 22 – Jupiter String Quartet with Jon Nakamatsu
July 29 – Leipzig String Quartet
August 5 – Jasper String Quartet premieres a new work by Annie Gosfield

EXTREME CHAMBER MUSIC
July 2 – 2 Foot Yard
July 9 – ETHEL
July 30 – Christopher O’Riley’s Out of My Hands

CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI RESIDENCY CONCERTS
Caramoor Virtuosi
Each summer, after spending the year performing in the most important concert venues throughout the world, the Caramoor Virtuosi return to Caramoor for a week-long residency culminating in ensemble performances that highlight their collaborative approach to chamber music. This year’s Virtuosi, under Artistic Director Edward Arron, cello, include Jeewon Park, piano and harmonium, Jesse Mills and Arnaud Sussmann, violins, Yura Lee, violin and viola, and Max Mandel, viola, and Priscilla Lee, cello.

July 23 – Caramoor Virtuosi I
July 25 – Caramoor Virtuosi II

FAMILY FUN EVENTS, INCLUDING THE ANNUAL JULY 4TH CONCERT WITH FIREWORKS!
July 4 – Pops, Patriots & Fireworks
July 17 – Sandra Wong and The New Trad Trio
June 16 (Pre-Season); June 30, July 14, July 28; August 11 (Post-Season) – Dancing at Dusk
June 27, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1 – Al Fresco Sundays
Audiences are encouraged to purchase a low-priced ticket to enjoy select Venetian Theater concerts from Caramoor’s Picnic Lawns – a wonderful way to experience live music in a relaxed and joyous way.

AMERICAN ROOTS: NEW SHOOTS
July 3 – New Shoots Festival: New Perspectives on Traditional American Music
July 31 – Dr. John and the Lower 9-11

SONIDOS LATINOS
Sonidos Latinos, Caramoor’s adventurous Latin American music initiative, continues for a fourth summer with a concert featuring Tiempo Libre and the legendary Paquito D’Rivera, as well as several events during the Caramoor Jazz Festival.

June 27 – Tiempo Libre with Paquito D’Rivera
August 7 and 8 – Caramoor Jazz Festival

ROLLING IN THE AISLES – HUMOR IN MUSIC
August 1 – Polygraph Lounge

CARAMOOR JAZZ FESTIVAL
August 6 – Jazz Festival
August 7 – Jazz Festival
August 8 – Jazz Festival

ABOUT CARAMOOR
Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built their summer home – now known as the historic Rosen House at Caramoor – and filled it with their treasures.  Walter Rosen was the master planner for the Caramoor estate, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world.  Their musical evenings were the seeds of today’s Caramoor International Music Festival. Realizing the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor – the house with its art collection, the gardens, and the musical programs on summer evenings – in 1946 the Rosens established a public charity to open Caramoor to the community.  Lucie Rosen survived her husband by seventeen years.  During those years, she expanded the Music Festival: the Spanish Courtyard was used as a setting for musical events, as it is today, and, under her direction, the great stage of the Venetian Theater was built.

Caramoor is a performing arts center located on a unique 90-acre setting of Italianate architecture and gardens in Westchester County, NY.  It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality.  Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music.  It is often described as “a Garden of Great Music”, where audiences are invited to come early, explore the beautiful grounds, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens.

With its unique heritage, Caramoor remains a place where magical summer days and nights are shared and enjoyed by thousands.  “Caramoor is the loveliest Festival of them all.” - The New York Times

Concert Venues and Gardens
Concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard.  Caramoor’s gardens are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens. Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, a Butterfly Garden, Tapestry Hedge, and Iris and Peony Garden, which may be enjoyed on one’s own or seen on a guided tour.

Tickets are on sale now and may be ordered by calling the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or online at www.caramoor.org. (For opening night Gala tickets, including cocktail reception, dinner, concert, and post-concert dessert and dancing, email events@caramoor.org or call 914.232.1492.)

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With its outstanding summer music festival & indoors concerts, arts-in-education programming and beautiful grounds, Caramoor is a cornerstone of the cultural life of Westchester County, NY.