Cooperstown Summer Music Festival to Welcome Jazz and Classical Artists, 8/6-24

The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival, under the artistic direction of flutist Linda Chesis, opens its 16th season on Wednesday, August 6 with the concert Inspired by Italy. The Enso String Quartet, Chesis, violist Richard Young, and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan will perform works by Puccini, Verdi, Boccherini, and Tchaikovsky. The concert also features the premiere of a new arrangement of Canzoniere by David Ludwig, created for Linda Chesis and the Enso String Quartet to perform at the Festival. The Enso regularly performs the classics of the string quartet literature, but also champions lesser-known works that deserve to be heard, along with contemporary music. The Quartet received a 2010 Grammy nomination for "Best Chamber Music Performance.

The American String Quartet, internationally recognized as one of the world's premiere quartets, returns to the Festival on Sunday, August 10 to perform in a concert titled Only the Good Die Young: Mozart, Mendelssohn & Schubert. The Quartet will perform with cellist Alan Stepansky and Linda Chesis. The New York Times has praised the Quartet for its "luxurious, beautifully sculptured performances." The program features the Mozart Flute Quartet No. 1, Mendelssohn String Quartet in E flat and Schubert String Quintet in C Major, regarded by many as a masterpiece.

On Sunday, August 17, Trio da Paz brings its virtuosic jazz and driving Brazilian rhythms back to the Festival, having performed there in 2007. The Trio was formed in 1990 by Romero Lubambo, guitar; Nilson Matta, bass; and Duduka da Fonseca, drums. All three are seasoned masters of both jazz and Brazilian music with impressive resumes. Following their performance in Cooperstown, the Trio will have a two-week summer residency at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. This will be the seventh year the Trio has performed at Dizzy's to consistently sold-out crowds.

The Festival finale is "Let's Dance" on Sunday, August 24 featuring the Momenta Quartet, Linda Chesis, flute; Moran Katz, clarinet; and Olga Vinokur, piano. The program is a tour of dance-infused music, spanning the continents and the centuries, with works by Schubert, Strauss II, Bartok and a 2014 arrangement by Elizabeth Brown.

"This summer we welcome back three ensembles to the Festival-t he American and Enso String Quartets, and Trio da Paz. I'm delighted to introduce many new faces as well. Two of my all-time favorite works will be performed, Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and the Schubert C major Quintet. Please join us for this celebration of chamber music and jazz," says Chesis.

All concerts begin at 7:30 pm. The August 6 concert will be held at The Farmers' Museum, 5775 State Route 80 in Cooperstown, the Sunday evening concerts (August 10, 17, 24) will be held in the ballroom of the Otesaga Hotel, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown.

The Festival will hold the last of its pre-season events on July 31 at 7:30 pm, when it presents Flutes in the Drawing Room at Hyde Hall. The concert features 21 flutists from the NY Summer Music Festival International Flute Institute performing classical works and a few surprises. No tickets required for this performance.

Tickets and Information
Tickets ($25 for adults, $15 for students) can be ordered online, CooperstownMusicFest.org, or by calling the box office service Brown Paper Tickets, 800/838-3006. Tickets will be sold at the door, as available. There is no service charge, no matter which method of payment you choose.

To find out more about the season, go to CooperstownMusicFest.org, call the Festival at 877/666-7421, or email info@CooperstownMusicFest.org.

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