Caramoor Presents Spring Season in Historic Rosen House
By Roslyn Wertheimer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For further information: Glenn Petry, 21C Media Group 212.625.2038/gpetry@21cmediagroup.com
Caramoor Presents Spring Season in Historic Rosen House, with Vocal & Chamber Recitals, Jazz, Roots, Cabaret and More (March 12–June 15)
This spring, New Yorkers can enjoy music amid the authentic Renaissance furniture and Gothic tapestries of the newly renovated Rosen HouseMusic Room, where Caramooroffers a wealth of diverse and imaginative programming. This “grandly appointed music room of the treasure-filled home” has been lovingly restored and thoughtfully reconfigured, heralding what the New York Times welcomes as “a new era of greater flexibility in Caramoor’s presentations.” Spring highlights include a creatively curated showcase for the emerging young singers of SchwabVocal Rising Stars; new music by the Sleeping Giant composers collective from the resident Argus Quartet; the return of celebrated chamber series Edward Arron & Friends; violin duets by Pamela Frank and Christian Tetzlaff; a sold-out set from roots outfit Darlingside; the brass of the Gotham Kings, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center; and a special cabaret benefit with Melissa Errico.
Schwab Vocal Rising Stars: “Four Islands”
To launch the spring season, a quartet of young singers from SchwabVocal Rising Stars, Caramoor’s intensive vocal mentoring program, presents “Four Islands” (March 12). Developed in conjunction with the New York Festival of Song, their original program takes listeners on a journey to four very different island cultures – Ireland, Cuba, Madagascar, and Manhattan – by way of song cycles that combine traditional melodies with art songs and show tunes by Arnold Bax, Maurice Ravel, José Mauri, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Cole Porter, and many more. Under the mentorship of Steven Blier, Artistic Director of the program, these will be performed by soprano Christine Taylor Price, who boasts “a pure crystalline sound that soars into the stratosphere” (Voce di meche); mezzo Hannah Dishman, as seen in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s world premiere production of Shalimar the Clown; tenor Jack Swanson, whose honors include first prize in the National Opera Association Competition; baritone Benjamin Dickerson, first prize-winner in the Marilyn Horne Song Competition; and pianist HoJae Lee, who recently made recital debuts at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. The many Vocal Rising Stars alumni who have gone on to enjoy thriving international careers include tenor Andrew Owens, who gave a “well-characterized” performance in the title role of Rossini’s Aureliano in Palmira at Caramoor last summer, demonstrating a “taut, sweet tenor that projected well” (Opera News).
Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence: Argus Quartet
This year’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence is the Argus Quartet. A prizewinner at the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Argus is, as the Kronos Quartet’s David Harrington put it, “at the forefront of the new generation of string quartet groups, and they are finding fresh, thrillingly expressive possibilities and adding bold new colors to a canvas that has their clear signature on it.” For its upcoming Music Room concert (April 2), the group presents a program of music by the Sleeping Giant composers collective, whose six members are all alumni of the Yale School of Music, where the Argus concurrently serves as Fellowship Quartet in Residence. “Unquestionably some of the most talented and engaging young composers around” (New Yorker), Sleeping Giant comprises Grawemeyer Award-winner Andrew Norman, Jacob Cooper, Christopher Cerrone, Robert Honstein, Ted Hearne, and 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist Timo Andres, whose piano concerto The Blind Banister was co-commissioned by Caramoor and received its New York premiere there last summer. The Argus Quartet explains: “The pieces in this special program represent six distinct voices that challenge our notions of a string quartet’s sound and musical capacity in very different ways. The compositions extend over a vast artistic and emotional range: from the dark sonic immersion of Jacob Cooper’s Bad Black Bottom Kind to the sparse, brooding portrait of depression in Christopher Cerrone’s How to Breathe Underwater, to the playful wit of Andrew Norman’s Peculiar Strokes.” The concert highlights a yearlong residency that also sees the Argus give multiple performances and classroom-based instruction and clinics in Caramoor’s educational outreach program.
Chamber music: Edward Arron & Friends; Pamela Frank & Christian Tetzlaff
As the New Yorker remarks, ever since Caramoor’s founding, “chamber music has been a vital part of the enterprise, [and] in recent years, the quietly charismatic cellist Edward Arron has been a major player.” Caramoor’s beloved chamber series Edward Arron & Friends returns with a program of Haydn, Brahms, and Shostakovich (March 26). The cellist serves as Program Alumni Artistic Director of Evnin Rising Stars, another of the intensive mentorship programs through which Caramoor serves as an incubator for exceptional young talent. He himself is an alumnus of the program, as are all four of his fellow performers on this program: pianist Jeewon Park, violinists Laura Frautschi and two-time Grammy nominee Jesse Mills; and violist Max Mandel, of the trailblazing FLUX quartet. The program’s Artistic Director is Avery Fisher Prize-winning violinist Pamela Frank, who joins fellow violin virtuoso Christian Tetzlaff – a 2017 Grammy Award nominee who has been hailed as “one of the most brilliant and inquisitive artists of the new generation” (New York Times) – for a Music Room duo recital on April 23.
Jazz: Alphonso Horne presents Gotham Kings featuring Riley Mulherkar
This spring’s “Jazz in the Music Room” event marks the latest co-presentation with Jazz at Lincoln Center, the world-renowned organization with which Caramoor launched an innovative programming collaboration in 2015. After getting audiences dancing at Caramoor’s annual jazz festival last summer, the Gotham Kings return by popular demand. Their Music Room debut (April 8) showcases the signature sound of trumpeters Alphonso Horne, winner of the National Trumpet Competition, and Riley Mulherkar, first recipient of the Festival of New Trumpet Music’s Laurie Frink Career Grant, fusing the creole of pioneering bandleader King Oliver with upbeat New Orleans jazz. As Jazz Times puts it, “Caramoor is a perfect day trip for city slickers who want to hear some of the most prominent jazz artists of the day.”
Roots: Darlingside and Lula Wiles
“Roots Music in the Music Room” returns this spring with an already sold-out event (April 22) featuring the “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” (NPR) of Darlingside. Consisting of four vocalists and multi-instrumentalists who construct each piece collaboratively, the Massachusetts-based ensemble is known for its eclectic mix of ’60s folk, classical arrangements, soaring harmonies, and modern indie-rock sensibility. Opening for them will be Lula Wiles – “an impressive, multi-talented, all-female group featuring tight soaring harmonies, clever songwriting, and an old-timey vibe” (Glide magazine) – which returns after capturing hearts at Caramoor’s 2016 American Roots Music Festival.
Beethoven, Broadway, flamenco and more
Rounding out Caramoor’s inviting spring lineup is an array of offerings as impressive as they are eclectic. Juilliard-trained concert pianist and Harvard-educated psychiatrist Dr. Richard Kogan presents an exploration of “The Mind and Music of Beethoven” (April 25), one of his signature concerts with commentary of which Yo-Yo Ma has marveled: “I came away from this extraordinary lecture and performance deeply moved by a fascinating presentation that only Dr. Kogan, psychiatrist and concert pianist, can deliver.” Tony nominee Melissa Errico – a familiar face on Broadway – presents favorites from the American songbook in a special “Cabaret in the Music Room” benefit event (May 6). As the New York Times put it, Errico “has the power to take a sumptuous Broadway ballad to the moon and back!” The Wednesday Morning Concert Series, which includes tours of the Rosen House and seasonal buffet lunches, provides the perfect opportunity to explore Caramoor’s “stunning physical environment” (Huffington Post). Patrons are invited to enjoy a “Spring Revival” (May 10), a “Mediterranean Celebration” (May 17), a sold-out survey of “Joyfulness in Song” (May 24), and a sold-out “Flamenco in the Courtyard” performance (May 31). Visitors can also enjoy Afternoon Tea, which combines a guided tour of the Rosen House with a formal tea service in the Summer Dining Room that overlooks the romantic Spanish Courtyard (May 18 & 26; June 1, 9 & 15).
About Caramoor
Caramoor is a performing arts center located in 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. In summer, audiences are invited to come early to explore the beautiful grounds, tour the historic Rosen House, and on special Sundays enjoy a delicious Afternoon Tea or unwind with a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, and the magnificent gardens. Summer concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the acoustically superb Venetian Theater, which seats approximately 1,500, and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard, which seats around 470. In the fall and winter, concerts are presented in the magnificent Music Room in the Rosen House. Caramoor’s gardens, also used for concerts and the sound exhibition Sonic Innovations, are well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens. Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually impaired, the Sunken Garden, a Butterfly Garden, the Tapestry Hedge, and the Iris and Peony Garden.
Getting to Caramoor
Getting to Caramoor is simple by car, train or public transportation. All parking is free and close to the performance areas. Handicapped parking is also free and readily available. By car from New York City, take the Henry Hudson Parkway north to the Saw Mill River Parkway north to I-684 north to Exit 6. Go east on Route 35 to the traffic light (0.3 miles). Turn right onto Route 22 south, and travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road where there is a green Caramoor sign. At the junction, veer left and make a quick right onto Girdle Ridge Road. Continue on Girdle Ridge Road 0.5 miles to the Caramoor gates on the right. Approximate drive time is one hour. By train from Grand Central Station, take the Harlem Division Line of the Metro-North Railroad heading to Southeast, and exit at Katonah. Caramoor is a 3.5-mile drive from the Katonah station, where taxi service is always available and free shuttle service is available for select performances. For current information, check the Metro-North schedule.
Caramoor: Spring Season
Unless otherwise noted, all spring events take place in the Music Room of the Rosen House.March 12Schwab Vocal Rising Stars3pm $25, $35, free for students 18 and under “Four Islands” Ireland
Traditional: Siúl A Ghrá
Traditional: The Palatine’s Daughter
Arnold Bax: As I Came Over the Grey, Grey Hills
From Three Irish Folk Songs, arr. John Corigliano: “The Foggy, Foggy Dew”; “She Moved Through the Fair”
Houston Collisson: Eileen Óg
Cuba
Sindo Garay: Guarina
Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes: Tú
Ernesto Lecuona: Quiero ser hombre
José Mauri: “Aria de Matilde,” from La Esclava
Emilio Grenet: Tú no sabe inglé
Alejandro García Caturla: Juego santo
Madagascar
Traditional: Iga’ma lo Ta’ndo
Maurice Ravel: Chansons madécasses
Manhattan
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Manhattan Skyline
Irving Berlin: Through a Keyhole
John Musto: Litany
Cole Porter: I Happen to Like New York
March 26Edward Aaron and Friends3pm $10, $15, $25, $35, $45, $55, free for students 18 and under Jeewon Park, piano Jesse Mills, violin Laura Frautschi, violin Max Mandel, viola Edward Arron, celloHaydn: Trio in G for Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 53, No. 1 Shostakovich: Three Duets for Two Violins with Piano Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 April 2Argus Quartet2016-17 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence3pm $15, $35, free for students 18 and under Sleeping Giant CollectiveChristopher Cerrone: How to Breathe UnderwaterRobert Honstein: ArcticJacob Cooper: Bad Black Bottom KindTimo Andres: Early to RiseTed Hearne: For David LangAndrew Norman: Peculiar StrokesApril 8Jazz in the Music Room: Alphonso Horne presents Gotham Kings featuring Riley Mulherkar8pm $15, $25, $35, $45, $55, $65 Presented in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center April 22Roots Music in the Music Room8pm $15, $25, $35, $45, $55, $65 Darlingside Lula Wiles April 23Pamela Frank, violinChristian Tetzlaff, violin3pm $10, $15, $25, $35, $45, $55 Program TBA April 25The Mind and Music of Beethoven7pm $25 Lecture & Concert by Richard Kogan, MD May 6Cabaret in the Music Room8:30pm Premium $225, Preferred $150, Standard $75 Melissa Errico May 10, 17, 24 & 31Wednesday Morning Concerts May 10: Spring Revival 11am Concert Only $22.50; Concert, Tour & Lunch $59.50 Andrew Armstrong, piano May 17Mediterranean Celebration11am Concert Only $22.50; Concert, Tour & Lunch $59.50 David Galvez, guitar May 24 Joyfulness in Song11am Concert Only $22.50; Concert, Tour & Lunch $59.50 Vocalist, tbd Derrick Goff, piano May 31Flamenco in the Courtyard11am Concert Only $22.50; Concert, Tour & Lunch $59.50 Isabel del Dia, Alfonso Cid, Cristian Puig May 13Mothers and Others Tea Musicale1pm Child $39, Adult $59 May 18, 26; June 1, 9, & 15Afternoon Tea1:30pm For ticket price call the Rosen House at 914-232-5035
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All concerts made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with funds from the Westchester County Government. | All concerts made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
The 2017 Summer Music Festival is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
© 21C Media Group, January 2017