America's oldest continuing summer Chamber Music Festival, Music Mountain, continues their 85th Anniversary Season with Swingtime Big Band on Saturday, July 26 (6:30PM) with the popular pre-concert dinner beforehand (5PM) followed on Sunday, July 27 (3PM) by the piano virtuoso Misha Dichter and the acclaimed Harlem String Quartet. Music Mountain has had a long-standing mission of bringing the experience of live music to a new audience. The Harlem String Quartet's mission is in accordance with that, as they strive to bring classical music to inner-city school children. For nine eight decades Music Mountain has been a growing institution as it they expands its their music outreach and invites jazz, country, folk, and new this season, opera to Gordon Hall, in addition to the traditional chamber music concerts. Concert series runs for an extended summer - thru September 14.
For their seventh annual appearance at Music Mountain, Swingtime Big Band will wow audiences with music of the Swing and Big Band Era! Led by the spirited Steve Shaiman, the 20-piece band thrills concert audiences and ballroom dancers alike with authentic recreations of the timeless swing music of the great Big Band leaders:
Count Basie, Artie Shaw,
Glenn Miller,
Benny Goodman,
Tommy Dorsey, and
Duke Ellington. Featured vocalists Bobbie Ruth and
Jerry Costanzo emulate such stellar singers as
Peggy Lee,
Ella Fitzgerald, Nat 'King' Cole and the immortal
Frank Sinatra. Get ready to dance into the dusk! Also, this evening will be a pre-concert Swingin' Dinner at the Falls Village Inn (5PM). Seating is limited; reservations for dinner must be made by Friday, July 25. $60 ticket price includes dinner and the concert.
Back by popular demand, Misha Dichter, piano. and the Harlem String Quartet returns to Music Mountain with a Sunday afternoon's program will include: Mozart: String Quartet in E Flat Major, K.428;
Chick Corea: Adventures of Hippocrates - a Music Mountain debut; and Schumann: Piano Quintet.
Now in the fifth decade of an illustrious international career, Misha Dichter is regarded as one of the finest pianists of his generation. His exemplary performances have often been referred to as poetry at the keyboard. Mr. Dichter has given solo recitals and made appearances with virtually all of the world's major orchestras. An active chamber musician, as well, he has collaborated with most of the world's finest string players. In addition, Mr. Dichter and his wife, accomplished pianist Cipa Dichter frequently perform duo-piano recitals and concerto performances, bringing to the concert stage many previously neglected works of the two-piano and piano-four-hand repertoires.
Formed in 2006, the Harlem String Quartet's mission is to advance diversity in classical music and engage young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers. The quartet is also an advocate of bringing classical music to inner-city school children. The New York based ensemble has performed throughout the U.S. as well as in France, the U.K., Belgium, Panama, Canada, and recently in South Africa and in 2009 performed for
President Obama and
First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, coffee, lemonade and water are also available for purchase.
Upcoming quartets scheduled to perform include Penderecki String Quartet with Geoffrey Burleson, piano (August 3); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Ricardo Cavalcante de Oliveira, viola (August 10); St. Petersburg String Quartet with Michelle LaCourse, viola and Rhonda Rider, cell (August 17); Blair String Quartet with Melvin Chen, piano (August 24); Shanghai String Quartet (August 30).
The Saturday Evening Twilight Series will continue with The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (August 2); The Falcon Ridge Folk Music Festival featuring Spuyten Duyvil (August 9); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 16); Baroque Italian Opera Arias and Duets (August 23);
Michael Berkeley presents "No Tune Like A Show Tune" (September 6).
Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Pre-Concert Dinner on Saturday, July 26 is $60 and includes admission to Swingtime Big Band. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder (Music Mountain gratefully acknowledges children admission support by the Hellen Plummer Foundation for a gift in memory of
James Merrill, Connecticut's first Poet Laureate). Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit
www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.
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