MUSIC MOUNTAIN Presents St. Petersburg String Quartet and Michael Berkeley & Friends Present Broadway's Best

America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, Music Mountain, continues its 87th Anniversary Season with the return of the St. Petersburg String Quartet with guest artist Melvin Chen, piano performing a remarkable program featuring Poulenc, Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich, and Brahms on Sunday, August 21 (3PM). The weekend starts on Saturday, August 20 (6:30pm) with Michael Berkeley & Friends presenting the Best of Broadway! Chamber ensembles, guest artists, and sizzling jazz ensembles have thrilled audiences all summer; come see why the New Yorker called Music Mountain "The Summer Shrine of the String Quartet." Concerts are scheduled through September 11.

It's Saturday Night on Broadway! Michael Berkeley & Friends dazzle with Broadway's best in the audience-favorite revue, No Tune Like A Show Tune! Musical Director Michael Berkeley, with his extraordinarily talented guests, offer a musical celebration of "The Best of Broadway." Audience members are invited to attend a pre-concert dinner at the charming Falls Village Inn. $70 includes dinner & concert! Reservations must be made by Friday, August 19.

Sunday afternoon welcomes the return of the St. Petersburg String Quartet with guest artist Melvin Chen, piano performing a unique program of Music Mountain premieres including Poulenc: Valse-improvisation sur le nom de BACH, FP 62; Ravel: Menuet sur le nom de Haydn; Debussy: Hommage à Haydn; and Castelnuevo-Tedesco: Tango on the Name of André Previn, Op. 170 #1. The program will also feature Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op 110; and Brahms: Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25.

The St. Petersburg String Quartet is one of the world's most esteemed chamber ensembles. Founded in 1985, they have blazed a trail through chamber music circles, winning a number of prestigious international competitions, earning a Grammy Award nomination, and performing in North America, Europe and Asia's most prestigious series and festivals. In 2009 the St. Petersburg String Quartet launched the St. Petersburg International Music Academy, an intensive summer program for students, which they bring to various campuses and festivals in the USA and Mexico. In 2010 St. Petersburg String Quartet was appointed the inaugural Quartet in Residence at Wichita State University.

A native of Tennessee, pianist Melvin Chen is recognized as an important artist, having received acclaim for performances throughout the United States and abroad. In recent seasons Mr. Chen's concerts have included solo recitals at Weill Recital Hall, concerto performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, Marin Symphony, Springfield Symphony, and the Paducah Symphony, along with numerous solo and chamber music appearances internationally and in the United States. In addition to his double master's degree from The Juilliard School in piano and violin, Mr. Chen also holds a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University. He is associate professor of piano and deputy dean at the Yale School of Music.

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, locally baked cookies and brownies, coffee, tea, lemonade, and spring water are available for purchase.

Music Mountain is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission On Culture & Tourism.

Chamber music concerts continue with Arianna String Quartet with Francine Kay, piano and Raman Ramakrishnan, cello (August 28), Shanghai String Quartet with Jonathan Yates, piano (September 3), Shanghai String Quartet with Gilbert Kalish, piano and Jonathan Yates, piano (September 4), and Amernet String Quartet with Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet (September 11).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series continues with Cantata Profana with Jonathan Yates, piano (August 27), and Jive By Five (September 10).

Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception featuring Shanghai String Quartet with Gilbert Kalish, piano and Jonathan Yates, piano are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2017 concert.

The 87th season will continue to offer two ticketing options to complement their established family friendly ticket prices! Concert goers will be able to reserve their favorite seat(s) in advance for a one-time payment of $60 per seat, per season. For information on how to reserve a seat and specific seat availability, please call 860-824-7126. Music Mountain also continues its popular Gold Pass program. Major Gold Pass benefits include: Admission to all concerts; Priority Reserved Seating (subject to availability); $20 price for one guest per Gold Pass. Cost for Gold Pass Memberships: Individual: $780; Pair: $1,500. For a list of other benefits and more information, please call 860-824-7126. All Gold Passes are transferable.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Pre-concert dinners are $70 and include admission to Saturday evening concert. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. Group rates and pre season ticket plans 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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