A Grammy-nominated folk musician, a 12-year-old piano prodigy and a literal “musical feast” are just some of the acts scheduled for the 28th annual Skaneateles Festival, set to run at various locations Aug. 8 to Sept. 1.
The festival was created in 1980 by Skaneateles residents David and Louise Robinson, and their home at Brook Farm on West Lake Road quickly became the festival's home base.
That first year, the festival consisted of two weeks' worth of intimate chamber music recitals, but it has since grown into a nationally recognized event..
And 2007's festival has something for just about everyone.
“I'm really proud of the diversity of this year's (lineup),” Elinor Freer, who along with husband David Ying is in her third year as festival co-artistic director, said from her home in Rochester. (Both Freer and Ying serve on the faculty at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music.)
Preparations for each year's Skaneateles Festival begin immediately after the previous festival closes, when the couple brainstorms ideas for weekly themes for the next year, Freer explained.
“We try to come up with (themes) that hopefully have a wide appeal and are somewhat different from themes of years past,” she said.
In addition to the evening concerts, the festival includes FamilyFest presentations each Wednesday morning, which are free and open to the public.
Here's a look at some of the offerings:
WEEK 1: “From Folk to Film” (Aug. 8 to 11)
The Skaneateles Festival kicks off with an opening-day FamilyFest performance by Mike Seeger, a member of what many consider American folk music's First Family. Along with half-brother Pete and sister Peggy, Seeger and his kin have been at the forefront of folk music for more than 50 years.
On Friday, Aug. 10, an eight-piece ensemble that includes Freer on piano and the all-sibling Ying Quartet will present “Reel Music,” an evening of songs from modern cinema, with pieces from the likes of John Williams, George Gershwin and Cole Porter.
The week ends with a Saturday night concert at Brook Farm by the New Lost City Ramblers, Seeger's folk trio.
WEEK 2: “A Modern Master” (Aug. 15 to 18)
“We've wanted to have a composer-in-residence for (the festival), so this year we invited Kevin Puts, who's known as one of the most gifted composers in modern music,” Freer explained.
This week's highlights include chamber performances of two Puts compositions. “Einstein on Mercer Street,” part of Wednesday's concert, is a unique piece for baritone and large chamber ensemble, and Thursday will feature “And Legions Will Rise,” an equally inventive work that combines three instruments - marimba, violin and clarinet - that are rarely associated.
Before the concerts, Puts will host “Beyond the Notes,” discussions in which the composer will talk about his writing methods and 20th-century classical music styles.
Saturday's Brook Farm performance features the Festival Chamber Orchestra, which will play works by Samuel Barber and Beethoven, among others. The concert will also include Puts' “Concerto for Oboe and Strings,” with longtime festival favorite Peggy Pearson on oboe.
WEEK 3: “Musical Mentors” (Aug. 22 to 25)
As a teacher, Freer is an advocate of music education.
She and Ying chose just such a focus for the third week, which will examine how musical knowledge is passed on from educator to pupil. One featured musician will be pianist Gilbert Kalish, who in addition to his playing is known for his dedication to the development of young musicians.
Perhaps the highlight of the festival will be this week's Saturday concert at Brook Farm, with a performance by 12-year-old pianist Conrad Tao. The young prodigy had his Carnegie Hall debut last year and is one of the youngest students ever enrolled at Juilliard School of Music in New York City.
WEEK 4: “Bon Appetit”
(Aug. 29 to Sept. 1)
A little-known fact is that listening to music and eating food stimulate similar areas of the brain. More common knowledge is that the Skaneateles Festival was featured in a summer issue of “Bon Appetit” magazine several years ago because of its flair for hospitality and warmth.
Freer and Ying combined people's passions for food and music in creating the theme for the closing week. Concerts will feature works like Schubert's “Trout Quintet” and Leonard Bernstein's oddly titled “Ox-Tail Soup and Rabbit at Top Speed from Four Recipes.”
Wednesday's concert is a special presentation from the home of Bill and Donna Davis on Wagon Wheel Road, called “Villas, Vittles & Fiddles.” The evening will feature selections of several of the week's compositions, along with gourmet hors d'oeuvres and desserts prepared by the festival staff.
And the festival finale at Brook Farm, “A Musical Feast in memory of David Robinson,” will be an evening dedicated to the late festival founder, who passed away in 2006.
That first year, the festival consisted of two weeks' worth of intimate chamber music recitals, but it has since grown into a nationally recognized event..
And 2007's festival has something for just about everyone.
“I'm really proud of the diversity of this year's (lineup),” Elinor Freer, who along with husband David Ying is in her third year as festival co-artistic director, said from her home in Rochester. (Both Freer and Ying serve on the faculty at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music.)
Preparations for each year's Skaneateles Festival begin immediately after the previous festival closes, when the couple brainstorms ideas for weekly themes for the next year, Freer explained.
“We try to come up with (themes) that hopefully have a wide appeal and are somewhat different from themes of years past,” she said.
In addition to the evening concerts, the festival includes FamilyFest presentations each Wednesday morning, which are free and open to the public.
Here's a look at some of the offerings:
WEEK 1: “From Folk to Film” (Aug. 8 to 11)
The Skaneateles Festival kicks off with an opening-day FamilyFest performance by Mike Seeger, a member of what many consider American folk music's First Family. Along with half-brother Pete and sister Peggy, Seeger and his kin have been at the forefront of folk music for more than 50 years.
On Friday, Aug. 10, an eight-piece ensemble that includes Freer on piano and the all-sibling Ying Quartet will present “Reel Music,” an evening of songs from modern cinema, with pieces from the likes of John Williams, George Gershwin and Cole Porter.
The week ends with a Saturday night concert at Brook Farm by the New Lost City Ramblers, Seeger's folk trio.
WEEK 2: “A Modern Master” (Aug. 15 to 18)
“We've wanted to have a composer-in-residence for (the festival), so this year we invited Kevin Puts, who's known as one of the most gifted composers in modern music,” Freer explained.
This week's highlights include chamber performances of two Puts compositions. “Einstein on Mercer Street,” part of Wednesday's concert, is a unique piece for baritone and large chamber ensemble, and Thursday will feature “And Legions Will Rise,” an equally inventive work that combines three instruments - marimba, violin and clarinet - that are rarely associated.
Before the concerts, Puts will host “Beyond the Notes,” discussions in which the composer will talk about his writing methods and 20th-century classical music styles.
Saturday's Brook Farm performance features the Festival Chamber Orchestra, which will play works by Samuel Barber and Beethoven, among others. The concert will also include Puts' “Concerto for Oboe and Strings,” with longtime festival favorite Peggy Pearson on oboe.
WEEK 3: “Musical Mentors” (Aug. 22 to 25)
As a teacher, Freer is an advocate of music education.
She and Ying chose just such a focus for the third week, which will examine how musical knowledge is passed on from educator to pupil. One featured musician will be pianist Gilbert Kalish, who in addition to his playing is known for his dedication to the development of young musicians.
Perhaps the highlight of the festival will be this week's Saturday concert at Brook Farm, with a performance by 12-year-old pianist Conrad Tao. The young prodigy had his Carnegie Hall debut last year and is one of the youngest students ever enrolled at Juilliard School of Music in New York City.
WEEK 4: “Bon Appetit”
(Aug. 29 to Sept. 1)
A little-known fact is that listening to music and eating food stimulate similar areas of the brain. More common knowledge is that the Skaneateles Festival was featured in a summer issue of “Bon Appetit” magazine several years ago because of its flair for hospitality and warmth.
Freer and Ying combined people's passions for food and music in creating the theme for the closing week. Concerts will feature works like Schubert's “Trout Quintet” and Leonard Bernstein's oddly titled “Ox-Tail Soup and Rabbit at Top Speed from Four Recipes.”
Wednesday's concert is a special presentation from the home of Bill and Donna Davis on Wagon Wheel Road, called “Villas, Vittles & Fiddles.” The evening will feature selections of several of the week's compositions, along with gourmet hors d'oeuvres and desserts prepared by the festival staff.
And the festival finale at Brook Farm, “A Musical Feast in memory of David Robinson,” will be an evening dedicated to the late festival founder, who passed away in 2006.
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