ARNAUD SUSSMAN, MICHAEL BROWN, AND THE CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI
Katonah, NY ~ June 7, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cohn Dutcher Associates
CARAMOOR FESTIVAL PRESENTS
INTRODUCTIONS: ARNAUD SUSSMAN AND MICHAEL BROWN &
CHAMBER MUSIC GOES LATE-NIGHT WITH CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI
THURSDAY, JULY 7 AND FRIDAY, JULY 8 IN THE SPANISH COURTYARD
KATONAH, NY – On Thursday, July 7, at 7:30pm, two brilliant young chamber musicians will make their Caramoor recital debuts in the intimate Spanish Courtyard. Virtuosi mainstay and former Rising Star Arnaud Sussmann teams up with 2010 Concert Artist Guild Winner Michael Brown for an intricately powerful program of works for violin and piano by Janacek, Suk, Debussy and Brahms, illustrating why both artists are on the verge of very important careers.
With consummate artistry and fascinating programs, the Caramoor Virtuosi explore and animate the treasure trove of the chamber music literature, pairing masterpieces with the less known and the more recent. On Friday, July 8 at 8:00pm, the ensemble performs one of the most famous chamber music works—Schubert’s Trout quintet—alongside Mozart’s late quintet, and a mesmerizing work by John Adams. Concertgoers are invited to stay late for refreshments while the Virtuosi offer performances of solo encores and show(off) pieces.
PROGRAMS
Thursday, July 7 at 7:30pm in the Spanish Courtyard
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Michael Brown, piano
Janacek Violin Sonata, JW VII/7
Suk Four Pieces for Violin & Piano, Op. 17:
Debussy Sonata for Violin & Piano, L. 140
Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
Friday, July 8 at 8:00pm in the Spanish Courtyard
“Chamber Music Goes Late-Night” with Caramoor Virtuosi
Jeewon Park, piano; Jesse Mills, violin; Yura Lee, violin; Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; Max Mandel, viola; Alice Yoo, cello; Zachary Cohen, bass
Edward Arron, Artistic Director of Caramoor Virtuosi and cello
Mozart String Quintet in D Major, K. 593
John Adams Shaker Loops for String Septet (1978)
Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 (“Trout”)
After-concert “Virtuosic” encores and show(off) pieces
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2009, violinist Arnaud Sussmann is quickly establishing a reputation as a multi-faceted and compelling artist, earning the highest praise from both critics and audiences alike. Arnaud has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Central America, Europe, and Asia, and at many renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Smithsonian Museum and the Louvre Museum. He has recently appeared with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Monaco Chamber Orchestra, Nice Orchestra, Orchestre des Pays de la Loire, El Salvador National Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and presented recitals in numerous cities around the world including New York, Memphis, Chicago, Panama City, San Salvador, London, Paris, and St Petersburg. To learn more about Arnaud Sussmann, visit www.arnaudsussmann.com
Hailed as a “vividly characterized” and “free-spirited” player by The New York Times, pianist and composer Michael Brown was recently awarded the First Prize and Victor and Sono Elmaleh Award in the 2010 Concert Artists Guild (CAG) Competition. He recently performed Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto with Alan Gilbert and the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. He was a featured performer at the memorial concert for American composer George Perle at Merkin Hall, and has performed in virtually every major venue in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Caramoor Music Festival, Symphony Space, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum, Temple Emanu-el, and the Mostly Mozart Festival at Avery Fisher Hall. Mr. Brown has been invited to tour with “Musicians from Ravinia,”and to the Marlboro Music Festival in 2011. To learn more about Michael Brown, visitwww.michaelbrownmusic.com
ABOUT CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI
The Caramoor Virtuosi joyously embody the musical spirit of Caramoor, fostering the intimacy and immediacy of chamber music, cultivating collaborative music-making, and creatively engaging audiences in the shared excitement of musical performance.
Formed in 1999, they are a fellowship of adventurous musicians who trained at Caramoor as young artists, have since built successful professional careers, and now return to Caramoor throughout the year for performances and residency activities. Led by cellist Edward Arron, Artistic Director of the Caramoor Virtuosi, this extraordinarily accomplished group of artists seeks to expand the chamber concert experience with diverse, challenging, and engaging programming. Virtuosi concerts are enhanced by the unique atmosphere of camaraderie, fun, and fulfillment that has evolved through long personal and musical relationships, while the inclusion of young graduates of the Rising Stars program assures that the great collective performance tradition, nurtured at Caramoor, is handed on to each generation.
According to Edward Arron, Artistic Director of the Caramoor Virtuosi, “Each Caramoor experience is memorable. The musicians establish relationships, even if only for a week, and a chemistry develops. Caramoor is unique in that the Rising Stars and Virtuosi programs have created an association among musicians that’s especially long lasting. The number of musicians who consider Caramoor to be their musical home grows each year. Each year we see familiar faces combined with newer talents; each year the combination changes, creating a different chemistry.
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 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
Tickets to Introductions: Arnaud Sussmann & Michael Brown are $20 and $30. Tickets to Caramoor Virtuosi are $30 and $40. To purchase, call 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, or interviews, contact Whitney Holden at 917.339.7188 or wholden@cohndutcher.com
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, NY.
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