Eastern Music Festival Announces 58th Season Of Summer Performances, Artists

Eastern Music Festival (EMF), a nationally recognized music festival and summer educational program based in the heart of North Carolina, returns June 22 through July 27, 2019, for its 58th season of performances. The 2019 season includes 65+ performances by three symphonies, multiple chamber ensembles, and signature guest artists performances at its home location at Guilford College and other locations in Greensboro, the Triad, and also Boone, North Carolina.

"Each summer, Eastern Music Festival presents world-class performances by today's esteemed music artists in an array of diverse masterworks of the Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras," said music director Gerard Schwarz. "Our artists and performances are stellar. And as educators, they are guiding the next generation of gifted talent," added Schwarz.

Returning for a second year is the Pay What You Can Orchestral Celebration on Friday, June 28. The Pay What You Can event is made possible by a grant from the Mebane Foundation. This support enables community members to attend a performance for a price they deem appropriate. The All Brahms Orchestral Celebration will feature both the Eastern Festival Orchestra (our professional symphony) and both EMF Young Artists Orchestras. Faculty members Nigel Armstrong, violin, and Julian Schwarz, cello, will perform as soloists.

"We are grateful for the generosity of the Mebane Foundation, the NC Arts Council, ArtsGreensboro, the Cemala Foundation, the Lincoln Financial Foundation, the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation, the DeJoy-Wos Foundation, the City of Greensboro, and our other community partners to bring captivating music performance and study to Greensboro," noted executive director Chris Williams. "Our 2019 season will feature works that are both new and familiar to EMF and to our dedicated audiences and will be truly memorable," added Williams.

2019 EMF Season Highlights

· Thursday, June 27 - SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: EMF Chamber Orchestra - Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg leads EMF's faculty artists in performance. Works by Philip Glass, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich will be featured. 8 p.m.

· Friday, June 28 - EMF's season-opening Orchestral Celebration: All Brahms features three EMF orchestras under the baton of Maestro Schwarz. Violinist Nigel Armstrong and cellist Julian Schwarz are the soloists in the Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102, with the Eastern Festival Orchestra. EMF's Young Artists will perform Brahms' Fourth Symphony. This PAY WHAT YOU CAN performance is supported through a grant from the Mebane Foundation. 8 p.m.

· The Joseph M. Bryan, Jr. Festival Orchestra Series features renowned soloists Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (violin), The Pacifica Quartet, Mark Peskanov (violin), Awadagin Pratt (piano), Jeffrey Multer (violin), and Horacio Gutiérrez (piano) in performance with the Eastern Festival Orchestra. (Saturdays, June 29 - July 27, 8 p.m.)

· Sunday, June 30 - SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: The Pacifica Quartet-In Recital - Exuberant and daring, the GRAMMY Award-winning Pacifica Quartet perform intimate chamber works by Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. Special time: 3 p.m.

· Wednesday, July 3 - Mozart, Mozart, and More Mozart - Maestro Gerard Schwarz leads the members of the Eastern Festival Orchestra and faculty soloists William Wolfram (piano), Jake Fridkis (flute) Jenny Grégroire (violin), and Kevin Reid (horn) in a quadruple-bill All Mozart program. 8 p.m.

· Eight Young Artists Orchestras Series performances on Thursday and Friday evenings, led by resident conductors Grant Cooper and José-Luis Novo feature our young musicians and faculty soloists. Thursday, July 25 features our Young Artist Concerto Competition winners. (Thursdays and Fridays, July 4 - 26, 8 p.m.)

· Nine Eastern Chamber Players performances on Mondays at the Recital Hall at the UNCG School of Music and on Tuesdays at Guilford College's Dana Auditorium. 8 p.m.

· And more ... including the 5th Annual EMF Chamber Crawl pre-season launch in downtown Greensboro (June 15); SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: William Wolfram-In Rectal (piano); (July 17); our 5th Annual EMF Open House (July 21), the always-sold-out Guitar Summit (July 24), and free Master Classes, Young Artists recitals and outreach performances around town and throughout the Triad.

For complete 2019 Festival schedule including artists, dates, times, and locations of all performances and events, visit easternmusicfestival.org.

SUBSCRIPTION AND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to most EMF performance start at $20; Young Artists Orchestra performances are $10. Master classes and "Encircling the City" outreach performances are free. All guest artists, programs, pricing, and dates are subject to change.

Subscription renewals begin April 8; single ticket sales to the general public begin May 1.

For more information about EMF's season of performances and events and to purchase tickets for the 2019 season: visit easternmusicfestival.org or contact the Triad Stage Box Office at 336-272-0160.

To post a comment, you must register and login.