ROCKPORT MUSIC
June 10-July 18, 2010, 29th Season Preview
Founded in 1981 in the picturesque and historic Cape Ann seaport village of Rockport, Massachusetts, RockportMusic celebrates its 29th season this June 10-July 18, 2010 with the inauguration of its new home, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, and a summer chamber music season featuring stellar guest artists performing over 60 works in 20 concerts.
The 2010 season begins with the world premiere of Granite Coast, a piano trio commissioned by Rockport Music (RM) from the award winning Massachusetts-based composer Scott Wheeler, to mark the opening of the state-ofthe-art performance hall. It will be performed by RM artistic director/pianist David Deveau, violinist Bayla Keyes and cellist Michael Reynolds. Rounding out the program is Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Copland’s Appalachian Spring. The Grand Opening Week (June 10 –13) includes performances by a number of noted classical musicians, among them renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson in an all-Chopin solo recital; the acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet, and a special concert featuring music and the poetry of Shakespeare and Donne performed by the dynamic ensemble, Parthenia, “one of the brightest lights in New York’s early-music scene”.
With a long-standing tradition of presenting some of today’s foremost classical musicians and ensembles, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival continues to introduce its audiences to world-renowned artists.
The 2010 season includes the Festival debuts of many exciting artists, including actor Paul Hecht, pianist Alpin Hong, violinist Midori, the Boston Brass, Boston Musica Viva, the male vocal ensemble Cantus, and Parthenia. Highlights of the 2010 Festival include:
June 18 – Boston Musica Viva, with guest soprano Pamela Dellal, make their debut in a concert of works by modern American composers.
June 19 – The Jupiter String Quartet in a program that includes Dvorak’s ever popular “American” quartet and Enescu’s Octet for Strings (with violinists Andres Cárdenes & Joana Genova; violist Ariel Rudiakov and cellist Anne Martindale Williams).
June 25 – The Biava Quartet are joined by baritone Stephen Salters for Elena Ruehr’s Song of the Silkie (1999 RM
commission).
July 8 – Festival debut of the internationally acclaimed male vocal ensemble, Cantus.
July 10 – Violinists Todd Phillips (of the Orion String Quartet) and Carmit Zori (artistic director of the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society) perform Prokofiev’s Sonata for two violins in C, Op. 56.
July 11 – Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin returns for the second season in a row in solo recital.
July 17 – Festival debut of world renowned violinist Midori. Her program includes works by Beethoven, Bloch, Brahms and Szymnowski.
Prelude Supper Lecture Series-June 11, 18, 25 and July 9 and 16. Held each Friday evening from 6-7:30 PM in the third floor Reception Hall of the Shalin Liu Performance Center before the 8 PM concert, the series includes a gourmet boxed dinner, lecture and Q & A. This season’s speakers include pianist Mia Chung, author/musicologist Elizabeth Seitz, composer Elena Ruehr, librettist Laura Harrington, French horn player/composer Michael Weinstein and composer Robert Bradshaw.
Free Family Concerts-Two Saturday morning concerts at 10 AM: June 19 with Manguito, the international Latin American ensemble, and June 26 with pianist Alpin Hong.
A major milestone in Rockport Chamber Music Festival’s history will be reached this season when it moves into its new home on June 10, 2010. Since 1981, performances have been graciously hosted by the historic Rockport Art Association. The growing popularity of the Festival, combined with the vision of the Artistic Director and Board of Trustees to expand artistic programming and build new audiences, led to the call for a larger venue. Rockport Music’s new home, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Main Street in Rockport,
will fulfill the organization’s vision to present an expanded season of top quality artistic programming to even more audiences, in a larger extraordinary venue with more capacity. Designed by Principals-in-Charge Alan Joslin and Deborah Epstein of Epstein Joslin Architects and acoustician R. Lawrence Kirkegaard, the new 330-seat performance center will feature a state-of-the-art concert hall with a two-story stage window with direct ocean views. Named in honor of the Massachusetts philanthropist who contributed the lead gift to Rockport Mucontinued…
sic’s $20 million campaign to build the new hall, the center replaces the 1870’s Haskins Building at 37 Main Street. It will be unique in New England, combining intimacy, extraordinary acoustical quality and a matchless natural setting.
Among the musical offerings now presented by Rockport Music in addition to the summer festival are a 3-concert fall-winter-spring Rockport Music Series; a 4-concert “Rockport Music Presents” summer non-classical concert series; 7 Free Community Concerts; music education outreach programs for children, prelude suppers, a spring lecture series, and a music book group. New this 2010 season, Rockport Music will also present open rehearsals, a master class, panel discussion/lunch and two adult lectures during the RCMF series.