Contributed by Susan Mark / Skaneateles Festival

Skaneateles Festival: World Class Music By The Lake

SKANEATELES FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2008 SUMMER SEASON
Four weeks of music that will transport you!
Jazzing it up with Grammy–winning Turtle Island Quartet
The grandeur of the Concert Organ with David Higgs
Imani Winds, Tai Murray, Miró Quartet, and more international sensations

Skaneateles NY – There’s nothing quite like the sound of an oboe amidst the crickets, or a piano concerto floating over lake water. Nestled in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, the Skaneateles Festival brings the magnificence of chamber music in all its forms to summer nights. The results, hailed as “world class”, have galvanized over 7,000 eager listeners each season and garnered close attention and bright acclaim from The New York Times, Boston Globe, Bon Appetit, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. All this, right in Skaneateles’ own beautiful Presbyterian Church, or (Saturday nights) outdoors under the stars, where listeners are welcomed to the elegance of the sloping lakeside lawn at Brook Farm - and are encouraged to celebrate with their own summer evening picnic!

The Festival will outdo itself yet again during its bold, breathtaking 29th season. Co- Artistic Directors David Ying (cellist of the Grammy-winning Ying Quartet) and Elinor Freer (pianist and musical innovator), who recently won the Festival an Award for Adventurous Programming from Chamber Music America, have expertly themed four weeks of captivating music. We’ll be treated to the jazzy metamorphoses of the Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet, the musicultural phenomenon Imani Winds, the wonder and romance of Paris and Vienna, the splendor of the concert organ, dozens of internationally renowned musicians, some of the most sublime works in the repertoire, including Bach’s beloved Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Mozart’s magnificent Sinfonia Concertante, and Vaughan Williams’ heartrending The Lark Ascending. And, as always, an exciting array of free events, from FamilyFest! to student workshops to thoughtful, informative talks and lively post-concert receptions.

Week One – All That Jazz
August 7-9

The Festival takes off this year with some of the best genre-obliterating musicians on today’s musical scene. The first concert of the season is a free FamilyFest! entitled “Music is Fun”, with Imani Winds, a dynamic Afro-Euro-Ameri-Latin cultural phenomenon. That evening, Imani Winds will transport audiences all over the globe and into new realms, with works from Gershwin, Poulenc, and an Afro-Cuban Concerto. As their Swahili name (“Imani”, or “Faith”) suggests, this group will make you believe in what music can do.

The week continues with more musical wonder for all - an exciting FREE Community Concert at the village’s lakeside gazebo. On Friday the 8th, at 2:00 pm, the jazzy, forward-thinking, Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet will perform. And it doesn’t stop there. Friday evening, the Turtle Island Quartet and Imani Winds will be joined by celebrated local bassoonist Gregory Quick to delight and enchant with works from Martinu to tango master Astor Piazzolla. On Saturday, All That Jazz comes to a rousing conclusion as the Turtle Island Quartet brings their own indefinable sparkle to beloved standards. In reviewing their Grammy-winning CD “A Love Supreme”, All Music Guide says, “The Turtle Island Quartet has the chops, the guts, the soul, the spirit and the taste to take on the musical legacy of John Coltrane”.

Week Two – Wordplay
August 13 – 16

Week Two tracks some of the most stunning moments in the inexorable love affair between words and music. See firsthand how words from stories, poems, and even jotted notes can give rise to some of the most magnificent music ever written.

The wonderland of words starts with a Wednesday morning free FamilyFest! event, “Musical Storytime!”, Bruce Adolphe’s clever, delightful musical settings of classic fairytales, narrated by Skaneateles native soprano Joanna Manring. That evening, the finer things in life come together as special event “Villas, Vittles, and Fiddles” brings tasty treats, unbeatable ambience, and, of course, a shimmering musical experience in a magnificent home by the lake. On Thursday evening, listeners will experience the music of Copland set to the poems of Emily Dickinson, and indulge in some of the richest interactions between words and music, including Schubert’s beloved “Death and the Maiden”. Renowned performers include soprano Sari Gruber, (proclaimed “nothing short of sensational” by Opera Magazine), and the stunning Miró Quartet.

Friday, a special pre-concert Behind the Scenes chat with Miró Quartet violist John Largess will spill the secrets behind the evening’s concert, which includes three pieces from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. On Saturday, the Festival orchestra enchants by the lake with Samuel Barber’s dream-like, nostalgic Knoxville: Summer of 1915, as well as works from Handel, Haydn, and Rossini.

Week Three – As the Century Turns
August 20 – 23

This week celebrates the incredible dynamism in musical and artistic culture in Europe, especially Vienna and Paris, just before and after 1900. Startlingly alive and varied, this place/time combo couldn’t be a richer treasure chest of music’s finest moments.

The week begins with a special, free Open Rehearsal in the afternoon and a Turn-of-the-Century Organ Recital in the evening with David Higgs. Higgs, who has dazzled audiences from Vienna to Lincoln Center, returns to Skaneateles by popular demand, following his extraordinary performance here in 2006, when he delighted audiences with his lively commentary as well as his musical prowess. On Thursday, enjoy “An Evening in Old Vienna” and on Friday, delight in “An Evening in Paris”, with music from Schoenberg, Brahms, Debussy, Satie, and more, performed by baritone Randall Scarlata, David and Phillip Ying of the Ying Quartet, pianist Elinor Freer, Israeli violinist Ittai Shapira, and renowned cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach.

The week closes on Saturday evening at Brook Farm with one of the most exciting young violinists performing today, the enchanting Tai Murray, making her second appearance in Skaneateles to perform Vaughan Williams’ breathtaking The Lark Ascending. Other unforgettable music this evening comes from the works of Grieg, Elgar, and Wagner, played by the Festival Chamber Orchestra under the stars.

Week Four – Listeners’ Choice
August 27 – 30

We asked last season’s audience to choose, and they chose well! The concluding week of the 2008 season features some of the most glorious, exciting music ever written, with each piece particularly requested by the Festival’s devoted audience.

This week of popular demand will open on Wednesday with workshops for students, providing young musicians with the unique experience of one-on-one coaching by outstanding Festival musicians. Thursday and Friday concerts bring together incomparable musicians! Captivating young cellist Julie Albers joins forces with Artistic Director David Ying for Schubert’s majestic “Cello Quintet”, then pairs with the electrifying pianist Adam Neiman on Rachmaninoff’s lush Cello Sonata in G minor. The Rochester Philharmonic’s Joanna Basset, flute, dynamic returning violinist Mark Fewer, and many other musical stars will be performing the works of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Arensky, Joan Tower, and more, all by our listeners’ special request!

On Saturday, August 30, the Festival’s 2008 Finale brings back long-time festival favorite, conductor Peter Bay, to lead the Festival Chamber Orchestra in some of the most well-loved works in the repertoire. Stravinsky’s thrilling “Dumbarton Oaks”, Bach’s unforgettable Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, and Mozart’s sublime Sinfonia Concertante will wave a glorious season adieu under the summer night.

Locations and Tickets

Skaneateles Festival concerts are held Thursday and Friday evenings at 8:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 97 East Genesee Street in downtown Skaneateles. Friday evening post-concert receptions are also held in the church, and are open to all audience members. On Saturdays, concerts are performed at 7:30 pm from the porch of Brook Farm, a lakeside estate 2.5 miles south of Skaneateles on West Lake Road (Route 41A). Audiences are welcome to arrive as early as 6:00 pm and bring picnic suppers to enjoy on the lawn overlooking the lake. In the event of inclement weather, Saturday concerts move indoors to Skaneateles High School. Venue changes may be confirmed by calling 315/685-7418 or visiting www.skanfest.org after 3:00 pm on concert days.

FamilyFest!

Free family concerts are held Wednesday mornings at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church. Open Rehearsals and Student Workshops are also held at the First Presbyterian Church.

Festival tickets are reasonably priced. Single tickets range from $15 to $30. Children under 13 may attend evening concerts free in “B” seating, though tickets are required for all ages. Discounted season subscriptions and weekly passes are available. FamilyFest! concerts, Student Workshops, and Open Rehearsals are FREE to audience members. Tickets for the special event “Villas, Vittles and Fiddles” are $60 per person and capacity is limited. For more information and a complete schedule, call 315/685-7418 or visit www.skanfest.org.

Media Information: To arrange a press visit to the Skaneateles Festival, for photographs, or to schedule an interview, please contact the Festival by calling 315/685-7418. A complete festival schedule, high resolution pictures and other resources are also available on the website at www.skanfest.org. Click on “For the Media” on the right-hand side of the home page.

Additional Background: Since 1980, the Skaneateles Festival has grown from a few concerts in the local library to a month-long celebration each August that attracts some of the world’s finest musicians, involves more than 125 community volunteers, and draws audiences from all over the Northeastern United States.

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