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We built a home my husband and I, not to be old or new, just to be beautiful. And we built it for music. ~ Lucie Rosen
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Beginning this year, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts will embark on a comprehensive planning project to restructure the programs and usage of the historic Rosen House on Caramoor's 90-acre campus. The Rosen House will continue to serve the public as a venue for year-round concerts and continue to act as an engaging learning environment for the over 5,000 area schoolchildren who take part in Caramoor's arts-in-education programs each year. Select activities will be suspended. These include the Wednesday Morning Concert Series, Afternoon Teas, and tours to the general public.
We apologize for any inconvenience these necessary suspensions of programs may cause and look forward to re-launching the Rosen House at Caramoor. To read the full press release about the future of the Rosen House click here. |
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ABOUT THE ROSEN HOUSE |
The historic Rosen House at Caramoor is greater than the sum of its parts. As a whole, it provides insight into the social and cultural history of America in the first half of the twentieth century. It also tells the story of its founders, Lucie and Walter Rosen, who maintained a passionate commitment to music throughout their lives. It is thanks to their vision that Caramoor is today a vibrant performing arts center with more than 70 public concerts, arts-in-education programs for schoolchildren, and acclaimed young artist mentoring programs. The Rosen House acts as the inspiration and foundation for all of these activities.
The Rosens purchased the Caramoor estate in Katonah, NY, an hour north of New York City, in 1928 with the intention of building an Italianate mansion as a country home. However, the following year the Great Depression took hold of the nation and the Rosens set aside their original plan. Instead, from 1929 to 1939, they gradually converted a complex of farm buildings on the estate into a uniquely personal home filled with the decorative objects and complete rooms Walter Rosen acquired during their travels in Europe. The Rosen House is noteworthy for both the scope of its decorative art objects-from medieval tapestries to 18th-century jade screens to Renaissance panel paintings-and for the 15 complete period rooms from European palaces and villas. For more information on the Rosen's collection click here.
Upon its completion in 1939, the Rosens began to present private concerts in the music room. When their only son was killed during World War II, they resolved to preserve the musical heritage of Caramoor for posterity and in 1946 they established Caramoor as a public performing arts center. Concerts were originally presented in the music room and the open courtyard of the Rosen House. In response to growing audiences, an open-air theater, located a short distance from the Rosen House on the Caramoor estate, was inaugurated in 1958. Performances are still presented in these three venues: the intimate and acoustically exquisite, 220-seat Music Room; the magical, open-air, 550-seat Spanish Courtyard; and the soaring, 1,750-seat Venetian Theater.
In 1970 19 rooms were opened to the public for viewing. Four years later a new wing designed by architect Mott B. Schmidt was built on the southwest side of the house as a setting for three complete interiors from European palaces, brought from the Rosens' New York City townhouse, and vitrines for the display of small decorative objects.
Today, the public visits the Rosen House at Caramoor to listen to exceptional music performances, participate in arts-in-education programs, and experience the beautiful home that the Rosens created at the beginning of the 20th century.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 2009 |
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THE HISTORIC ROSEN HOUSE AT CARAMOOR TO EMBARK
ON STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
BEGINNING JANUARY 2010 |
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Katonah, NY - Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts will embark on a comprehensive planning project to restructure the programs and usage of the historic Rosen House on Caramoor's 90-acre campus. The goal of this one- to two-year planning project is to fully articulate the integral role of the Rosen House within Caramoor's music-based mission. This project will also include reviewing collections management, maintenance of the building, restoration projects, and a recasting of public programs. It will involve Caramoor's staff, members of its Board of Trustees, community members, and independent experts.
During the planning process, the Rosen House will continue to serve the public as a venue for year-round concerts. It will also continue to act as an engaging learning environment for the over 5,000 area schoolchildren who take part in Caramoor's arts-in-education programs each year. In addition, the Rosen House will continue to be utilized as a unique learning laboratory by the young musicians who participate in Caramoor's emerging artist mentoring programs, including the Rising Stars, Vocal Rising Stars, Bel Canto Young Artists, and Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence. Select activities will be suspended beginning in 2010, including the Wednesday Morning Concert Series, Afternoon Teas, and tours to the general public.
The primary goal of this project is to create a seamless harmony between the public presentation of the Rosen House and the music-based mission of Caramoor. This mission was first articulated by Caramoor's founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen, who established the estate and built a Mediterranean style house, now known as the Rosen House, as its centerpiece. The Rosens filled their home with music, inviting friends to enjoy performances in a serene and beautiful setting. Thanks to their determination to bring music to the community, Caramoor today is a preeminent cultural destination with a seven-week Summer Music Festival, year-round concerts, mentoring programs for young musicians, and music-based arts-in-education programs for area schoolchildren. |
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