Over 50 Artists Arrive In Michigan For The Return Of The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival  

Over 50 artists, some returning and others making their debut, will arrive in Michigan this summer for the return of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. From June 10 to 25, the Festival will host a series of chamber music concerts, workshops, artistic discussions and community events across metro-Detroit.

The theme of this year's Festival is nature. With 18 concerts and 13 special events, presented by 29 individual artists and seven ensembles, the Festival was designed to explore the overlap between music and nature, specifically the healing powers of nature.

"Over the years I've come to recognize the restorative nature of music and its power to heal and rejuvenate," said Festival Artistic Director Paul Watkins. "This year's Festival will celebrate the rich variety of music which has been directly inspired by the natural world, and explore the interconnectedness of art and the environment."

The repertoire at the 2022 Festival ranges from Schubert to the world premiere of Perry Goldstein's "Birding by Ear."

"One of the beauties behind the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival is that it provides an opportunity for musicians to perform, and audiences to experience, a wide range of repertoire," said Festival President Maury Okun said. "We've created a hub to appreciate and explore the breadth of chamber music."

Musicians at this year's Festival range from Grammy Award winners to Avery Grant recipients, who have performed in some of the world's most recognizable venues, such as Carnegie Hall and London's Wigmore Hall. Highlights from this season include:

• Watkins, Gloria Chien and Soovin Kim perform four Beethoven piano trios

• Four Shouse Institute ensembles, including two first prize winners from the Banff International String Quartet Competition

• A finale featuring Charles-Camille Saint-Saens "The Carnival of Animals" and Antonio Vivadi's "The Four Seasons."

• A question-and-answer session with composer Perry Goldstein and Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Powers at the Bloomfield Public Library.

This year marks the first full two-week Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerts and events will take place in venues like the Seligman Performing Arts Center, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Temple Beth El, Kirk in the Hills, St. Hugo of the Hills, Kerrytown Concert House and other venues across metro-Detroit and the state of Michigan.

"While we are returning to our regular indoor programming, we have included new guidelines in place to enforce a safer environment for attendees," Okun said.

Masks will be required to be worn upon entry and COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 will need to be presented. Capacity will be limited at the venues to accommodate for social distancing. The Festival will closely follow the guidance and recommendations of thea??Centers for Disease Control (CDC)a??and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS).

"We're looking forward to a summer of live chamber music once again," said Okun. "And our artists look forward to performing for our audiences once again."

Tickets are on sale now. Visit: greatlakeschambermusic.org/performances/

The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival was born in 1994 of a remarkable relationship between religious and cultural institutions. A secular event, the Festival is sponsored by three religious institutions (representing Catholic, Jewish and Protestant faiths) and Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, a prominent musical ensemble that is an administrative partner for the Festival. Traditionally, for two weeks each June, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival presents more than 20 concerts in southeastern Michigan. Many of these performances occur in the venues of the Festival's sponsors -- St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic Church, Temple Beth El and Kirk in the Hills.

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