4TH OF JULY WEEKEND AT CARAMOOR
Katonah, NY ~ June 7, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cohn Dutcher Associates
4TH OF JULY WEEKEND AT CARAMOOR
CELEBRATES AMERICA’S MUSICAL PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
TRANSPORT TO THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA WITH ‘MUSIC AT THOMAS
JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO”, JULY 1
ALL-DAY “AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL” PRESENTS THE LATEST TRENDS IN BLUEGRASS AND TRADITIONAL MUSICS WITH THE DAVID GRISMAN
FOLKJAZZ TRIO, OLLABELLE, JAMES MADDOCK AND MORE, JULY 2
CELEBRATE OUR NATION’S BIRTHDAY WITH “POPS, PATRIOTS AND FIREWORKS”, JULY 3
KATONAH, NY – Caramoor International Music Festival presents a weekend-long celebration of our nation’s birthday with three days of unique concert programs representing over 300 years of American music, July 1 – 3. Kicking off in homage to our musical past, Music at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello starts the weekend in the Spanish Courtyard on Friday, July 1. All-day Saturday, July 2, the “American Roots Music Festival” brings lively music spanning folk, bluegrass, country and blues to the grounds of Caramoor. On Sunday, June 3, in salute of Independece Day, Caramoor CEO and General Director Michael Barrett caps off the weekend conducting theOrchestra of St. Luke’s in “Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks”, a festive concert in the Venetian Theater that culminates with a spectacular fireworks display.
Music at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Friday, July 1 at 8:00pm in the Spanish Courtyard
Caramoor kicks off the holiday weekend by transporting audiences to the American revolutionary era with an original program entitled Thomas Jefferson’s Music at Monticello. Musicians Paul Woodiel, Robert Mealy, Mazz Swift Christoper Layer, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Dennis James, Neely Bruce, Katie Reitman and Kerry O’Malley, offer a snapshot of two cultures living side-by-side at the legendary Virginian estate of our nation’s third president – from the Mozart, Haydn, and Corelli heard in the salon, to the African spirituals heard in the slave quarters. Performances on the glass armonica, an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin, will also be featured.
American Roots Music Festival
Saturday, July 2, All Day
Saturday brings a day-long celebration of American Roots Music, featuring performances throughout the Caramoor grounds as families are invited to picnic and stroll the gardens. David Grisman – one of the world’s most influential and innovative mandolin players – leads The FolkJazzTrio featuring Jim Hurst and Samson Grisman, a new group offering a highly intricate hybrid of acoustic bluegrass, folk and jazz. The soulfully unique Brooklyn-based quintet Ollabelle, indie singer/songwriter James Maddock, rollicking country swing group The Sweetback Sisters, harmonic trio Brother Sun and alt roots string band Spuyten Duyvil will span the broad spectrum of fundamentally American music.
Pops, Patriots and Fireworks
Sunday, July 3 at 8:00 pm in the Venetian Theater
Caramoor CEO Michael Barrett takes the podium for the spectacular Pops, Patriots & Fireworks concert of symphonic American classics – including music by John Philip Sousa, George Gershwin and Scott Joplin. ViolinistCharles Yang, featured many times on NPR’s From the Top, joins Barrett and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s to perform Henri Vieuxtemp’s “Yankee Doodle” Variations. The concert is followed by a fireworks display, creating a perfect holiday event for the whole family.
ABOUT CARAMOOR
Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built their summer home – now known as the historic Rosen House at Caramoor – and filled it with their treasures. Walter Rosen was the master planner for the Caramoor estate, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world. Their musical evenings were the seeds of today’s Caramoor International Music Festival. Realizing the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor – the house with its art collection, the gardens, and the musical programs on summer evenings – in 1946 the Rosens established a public charity to open Caramoor to the community. Lucie Rosen survived her husband by seventeen years. During those years, she expanded the Music Festival: the Spanish Courtyard was used as a setting for musical events, as it is today, and, under her direction, the great stage of the Venetian Theater was built.
Caramoor is a performing arts center, located on a unique 90-acre setting of Italianate architecture and gardens in Westchester County, NY. It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality. Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music. It is often described as “a Garden of Great Music,” where audiences are invited to come early, explore the beautiful grounds, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens.
With its unique heritage, Caramoor remains a place where magical summer days and nights are shared and enjoyed by thousands. “Caramoor is the loveliest Festival of them all.” – The New York Times
Concert Venues and Gardens
Most Summer Festival concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard. Caramoor’s gardens are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens. Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, a Butterfly Garden, Tapestry Hedge, and Iris and Peony Garden, which may be enjoyed on one’s own or seen on a guided tour.
GETTING TO CARAMOOR
By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey, take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah. Exit at Route 35/Cross River. Turn right, and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor. (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 2, or online at www.caramoor.org). Parking at Caramoor is free on-site on a first-come, first-served basis. Once on-site parking is full, alternate parking will be available with free shuttle bus service.
By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah, New York. Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.
TICKETS
Music at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello: $30, $40, children under 16 half price!
American Roots Music Festival: $20, $30, $40, children under 16 half price!
Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks: $30, $40, $50, $60, $70, children under 16 half price!
To order tickets, call the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or visit www.caramoor.org. Groups of 16 or more may purchase discounted tickets by contacting Matthew Scarella at 914.232.5035 ext. 252 or matthew@caramoor.org.
PICNICKING AT CARAMOOR
Extend the Caramoor experience by arriving early and enjoying a picnic amidst the beautiful gardens. Concertgoers can bring their own picnic, or order one for pick-up at Caramoor by calling Great Performances® at 212-337-6055 or online at www.greatperformances.com/caramoorpicnics.
PRESS CONTACT
For press tickets, images, artist information or interviews, contact Whitney Holden at 917.339.7188 orwholden@cohndutcher.com
PROGRAMS
Friday, July 1, 2011 in the Spanish Courtyard
Music at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Paul Woodiel, violin, curator, and host; Robert Mealy, violin; Mazz Swift, violin and voice; Christopher Layer,bagpipes and flutes; Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, guitar, banjo and voice; Dennis James, glass armonica; Neely Bruce, piano; Katie Reitman, cello; Kerry O’Malley, voice
Billings Chester
trad. Jefferson and Liberty
Corelli La Folia variations for Violin and Continuo
F. Hopkinson Songs dedicated to General Washington
James Hewitt Battle of Trenton Sonata
trad. Scots Air Bonny Broom
Mozart Adagio and Rondo for Armonica and Strings K. 617
Haydn Scottish Songs
trad. African-American Pharaoh
trad. Appalachian Grey Eagle
trad. American Bright Sunny South
Saturday, July 2, 2011 in the Venetian Theater
American Roots Music Festival
12:30pm – 4:00pm: Spuyten Duyvil
Brother Sun
The Sweetback Sisters
James Maddock,
4:30pm: Ollabelle
7:00pm (in the Venetian Theater): The David Grisman FolkJazz Trio, featuring Jim Hurst and Samson Grisman
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 8:00pm in the Venetian Theater
Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks
Fireworks Display to Follow the Concert (Ticketholders only)
Michael Barrett, conductor
Charles Yang, violin
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Vieuxtemps Souvenir d’Amérique: Variations burlesques sur “Yankee Doodle”, Op. 17
Sousa Stars and Stripes Forever and other marches
Gershwin For Lily Pons
Gershwin Short Story
Bernstein overture to Candide
Joplin The Entertainer
Joplin Ragtime Dance
Performances are made possible, in part, by
ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government.
Performances are made possible with public funds from
the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
The 2011 International Music Festival is supported in part by
an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ALL PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS IS LOCATED
AT 149 GIRDLE RIDGE ROAD, KATONAH, NEW YORK.