Music Mountain's 86th Summer Music Season in Litchfield Hills

This year marks the 86th Season of Music Mountain and concert aficionados from around the country will want to make room on their summer calendars for Music Mountain, America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, this summer. Music Mountain will continue their season past Labor Day – making this season, once again, one of the longest running seasons since the 1930s! The summer will include many favorite returning chamber ensembles, first time guests, the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring Jazz, Country, and Folk Music, and the first Great Artist Recital Series. Concerts are scheduled through September 27.

In 2015, 28 works will be given their Music Mountain premiere. Including compositions of Dutilleux, Penderecki, Kurtag and Caroline Shaw. However, the core schedule remains what Music Mountain has long been known for: wonderful performances of the great string quartets, played by world famous artists. In addition, in a tribute to Music Mountain's illustrious past, 12 works from the founding 1930 season will be reprised.

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on June 20 (6:30PM) with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and continues with Cantata Profana (June 27);Jeff Newell's New-Trad Quartet (July 4); Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks (July 11); The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (July 18); Swingtime Big Band (July 25); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 15); Peter & Will Anderson with Alex Wintz (August 22); Michael Berkeley (August 29); The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival presenting Spuyten Duyvil (September 12); and Jive By Five (September 19). Special pre-concert themed dinners will also return as part of the Twilight Series.

The 86th season will also feature the first Great Artist Recital Series on select Friday evenings ---- visiting Master Teachers Daniel Phillips, Kim Kashkashian, and Colin Carr will each perform a unique and exclusive program including works by Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and Kashkashian's Grammy Award winning solo performance of György Kurtág: Signs, Games and Messages for Solo Viola.

Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, wine & beer are also available for purchase.

Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Sunday, June 14 are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2015 concert. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, September 6 are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2015 or 2016 concert. Two specially priced concerts on Sunday, June 28 with the Juilliard String Quartet and on Sunday, July 12 with Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu are $60.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Friday Evening Great Artist Recital Concerts are $35 at the door and $30 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays, unless otherwise noted. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

2015 CHAMBER MUSIC SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 3PM
Calidore String Quartet
Daniel Phillips, Viola

Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 703 (1820) (8)
Caroline Shaw: Entr'acte (2011) (1)
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F Minor Opus 80 (1847) (5)
Brahms: Viola Quintet in G Minor, Opus 111 (1890) (16)

SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 3PM
Juilliard String Quartet
All Tickets: $60
Underwritten by an Anonymous Donor

Haydn: String Quartet in G Major, Op. 33 No. 5 (1781) (2)
Webern: Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 (1909) (5)
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and The Maiden" (1824) (30)

SUNDAY, JULY 5, 3PM
Arianna String Quartet
Colin Carr, Cello

Mozart: String Quartet in D Minor, K.421 (1783) (13)
Boccherini: Cello Concerto in G Major, G. 480 (1770) (1)
Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27 (1877) (6)

SUNDAY, JULY 12, 3PM
Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu, Piano, 4 Hands
All Tickets: $60
Underwritten by an Anonymous Donor

Schumann-Bizet: 6 Etudes in Canonical Form for Pedal-Piano, Opus 56 (1845; 1873) (1)
Bizet: Selections from Jeux d'Enfants, Opus 22 (1871) (1)
Mozart: Sonata in B Flat Major, K. 358 (1733-4) (1)
Schubert: Lebensturme in A Minor, D.947 (1828) (1)
Schubert: Theme & Variations in B Flat Minor, D. 603 (1824?) (1)
Schubert: Rondo in A Major. 951 (1828) (1)
Brahms: Four Hungarian Dances. WoO 1 (1869) (1)

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 3PM

Enso String Quartet
Soyeon Kate Lee, Piano
Moravec: Dialogue with the Past I (2015)
(commissioned by Music Mountain; world premiere)
Schumann: String Quartet in A Major, Opus 41, No. 3 (13)
Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet #1 in C Minor, Opus 1 (1895) (22)

SUNDAY, JULY 26 3PM
Avalon String Quartet
Jan Opalach, Bass-Baritone
Jonathan Yates, Piano

Fauré: Mandoline, Opus 58 #1 (1891) (1)
Debussy: Mandoline, L. 29 (1882) (1)
Debussy: Fêtes Galantes II, L. 104 (1869) (1)
Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Opus 10 (1890) (36)
Lili Boulanger: Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie (1913-1914) (1)
Ravel: Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1932-33) (1)
Ravel: String Quartet In F (1903) (44)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 3PM
Penderecki String Quartet
Matt Haimowitz, Cello
Dedicated to the memory of Michael Janeway

Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor BWV 1008 (1717-1723) (1)
Beethoven: String Quartet in C Sharp Minor Opus 131 (1825) (16)
Schubert: Cello Quintet in C Major, Opus 163. D. 956 (1828) (25)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 3PM
St. Petersburg String Quartet
Pamela Mia Paul, Piano
Sulkhan Tsintsadze: 5 Miniatureson Jewish Folk Tunes for String Quartet (1990) (3)
Arensky: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 35 (1894) (4)
Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57 (1945) (26)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 3PM
St. Petersburg String Quartet
Daniel Austrich, Violin
Melvin Chen, Piano
Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92 (1941) (11)
Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 (1923-27) (1)
Chausson: Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet in D Major, Op. 21 (1889-91) (14)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 3PM
Harlem String Quartet
Francine Kay, Piano
Beethoven: Scherzo from String Quartet In C Minor, Opus 18#4 (1798-1800) (24)
Turina: La Oración del Torero (1925) (25)
Bartok: Scherzo from String Quartet # 2 Opus 17, SZ 67 (1915-7) (4)
Borodin: Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 in D major (1881) (25)
Dvorak: Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81 (1887) (45)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 3PM
Dover String Quartet
Alexander Fiterstein, Clarinet
Dutilleux: Ainsi La Nuit (1976) (3)
Dvorak: String Quartet in F major, Op. 96 "American" (1893) (24)
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581 (1789) (14)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 6:30PM
Shanghai String Quartet
Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Opus 20#4 (1772) (12)
Beethoven: String Quartet in F Minor, Opus 95 "Serioso" (1810) (33)
Penderecki: String Quartet No. 3 "Leaves from an unwritten diary" (2008) (2)
Beethoven: String Quartet in B Flat Major, Opus 18 # 6 (1798-1800) (30)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 3PM
Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception: All Tickets: $75
(Includes a Voucher for any Regularly Priced 2015 or 2016 Concert)
Shanghai String Quartet
Gilbert Kalish, Piano
Jonathan Yates, Piano
Brahms: Selected Waltzes for Piano, 4 Hands, Opus 39 (1865) (1)
Beethoven: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 (1806) (39)
Brahms: Piano Quintet in Minor, Op. 34 (1864) (45)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 3PM
Cassatt String Quartet
Ursula Oppens, Piano
Clara Schumann: Romance Variée for Solo Piano in C Major, Op. 3 (1833) (1)
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13 (1827) (10)
Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44 (1842) (41)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 3PM
Borromeo String Quartet
Bach: Fugue in C# Minor from the Well Tempered Klavier, Book 1, BWV 849 (1722) (1)
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 in D-Flat Major, Op. 133 (1968) (2)
Beethoven: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 130/133 (1825-6) (15; 10)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 3PM
Amernet String Quartet
Vivek Kamath, Viola
Edward Arron, Cello
Haydn: String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76 No. 2 (1796-7) (11)
Bartok: String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85 (1927) (4)
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir of Florence, String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70 (1890) (7)
2015 TWILIGHT SERIES SCHEDULE
(subject to change)
Saturday, June 20, 6:30PM
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players
The Wandr'ing Ministrels and H.M.S. Pinafore, plus G&S Favorites!

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by Friday, June 19

Saturday, June 27, 6:30 PM
Cantata Profana

A wildly gifted young ensemble performing two 20th century masterpieces

Stravinsky: Sacre du Printemps, (arr. for Piano, Four Hands) (1917) (1)
Stravinsky: L'histoire du Soldat (1918) for narrator, strings, winds & percussion (1)

Saturday, July 4, 6:30
Jeff Newello's New-Trad Quartet
Historic American music re-iomagined. Sousa, Foster, old hymns & more Allin Celebration of July 4.
"compelling..original " -Chicago Tribune

Saturday, July 11, 6:30PM
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
(Underwritten by Norman Fields)

"The Finest of the Big Bands"
Grammy Award Winners
"An erupting wellspring of Euphoria. That would describe the Vintage Swing emanating from Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks".... NY Times

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by Friday, July 10

Saturday, July 18, 6:30PM
The New Black Eagle Jazz Band, With Dancing!

That soulful New Orleans Sound from the 1920's and 1930's
"So far ahead of other traditional Bands...there is scarcely any basis for comparison".. NY Times

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by Friday, July 17

Saturday, July 25, 6:30PM
Swingtime Big Band, With Dancing!

Their 8th Annual Music Mountain appearance bringing back the music of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and others

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by Friday, June 24

Saturday, August 1, 6:30PM
The Sharon Playhouse
Broadway at Music Mountain!

Show tunes from the popular musical theatre repertoire of yesterday and today!
Guest Performers to be announced!

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by Friday, July 31

Saturday, August 8, 6:30PM
"Trios Fur Zwei – Trios for Two"
Ensemble Les Inégales - Rodrigo Tarraza, Traverso
Christine Gevert, obligato Harpsichord

Bach: Sonata in B minor, BWV 1030
Plus Sonatas by his contemporaries Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Joachim Quantz & C.P.E. Bach

Saturday, August 15, 6:30PM
The Galvanized Jazz Band, With Dancing!

Dynamic and Energetic New Orleans, Dixieland Jazz, Blues, Stomps, Struts & Spirituals!

Saturday, August 22, 6:30PM
Peter & Will Anderson, Saxophone & Clarinet
with Alex Wintz, Guitar

Thrilling audiences with their broad repertoire of swing, Latin, and original works. Direct from touring Europe, South America, and Asia.

The Washington Post: (about their recent album) "imaginatively unfolding in ways that consistently bring a fresh perspective to classic jazz and pop."

"You dudes are the future!" Quincy Jones

"Virtuosos on both clarinet and saxophone." (NY Times)

Saturday, August 29, 6:30PM
Michael Berkeley presents "There is no Tune like a Show Tune"
(Underwritten By an Anonymous Donor)

Celebrate the Golden Age of Broadway with Michael Berkeley & Friends in the acoustically perfect Music Mountain Concert Hall. Thrill to your favorite show tunes in this nostalgic and fast-paced musical revue!

Pre-Concert Dinner at The Falls Village Inn
(Limited to 70)
Dinner (5pm) & Concert (6:30PM): $65
Concert Only: $30 at the door. $27 in Advance
Must Reserve for Dinner by ??

Saturday, September 12, 6:30PM
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Presents Spuyten Duyvil, With Dancing!

A leading & very popular folk band returns to Music Mountain with the Falcon Ridge Spirit! Spuyten Duyvil, a mighty 7-piece powerhouse of soaring vocals & traditional jug band energy join us for a barn-burning romp through the last 100 years of American Roots music.

Saturday, September 19, 6:30PM
Jive By Five, With Dancing!

This Connecticut favorite returns with the Sizzling Dance Music of the Jazz Age. From the Charleston to the Two-Step & the Fox Trot - the wild rhythms of the 1920's for your listening & dancing pleasure!

GREAT ARTIST RECITALS

Friday, June 19, 7:30PM
Daniel Phillips, Violin
Jonathan Yates, Piano

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat Major, K.380 (1781)
Bach: Sonata # 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 (1720) (3)
Eugene Phillips: Fantasy Étude (1913) (1)
Brahms, Sonata for Violin & Piano #1 in G Major, Opus 78 (1878-9) (5)
Wieniawski: Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Opus 4 (1852) (1)

Friday, June 26, 7:30PM
Kim Kashkashian, Viola

György Kurtág: Signs, Games and Messages for Solo Viola (1998-2005) (1)
(Grammy Award winning performance)
Interwoven with Bach: excerpts from Six Suites for Solo Cello 1-6, BWV 1007-1012 (1717-1723)

Friday, July 3, 7:30PM
Colin Carr, Cello
Jonathan Yates, Piano

Bach: Suite # 1 for Solo Cello in G Major, BWV 1007 (1717-1723) (2)
Beethoven: Sonata for Cello & Piano #3 in A Major, Opus 69 (1808) (5)
Bach: Suite # 6 for Solo Cello in D Major, BWV 1012 (1717-1723) (1)

All programs subject to change

Music Mountain Celebrates 85th Concert Season

Concert aficionados from around the country will want to mark their calendars for Music Mountain, America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival that is celebrating their 85th concert season this summer through September 14.  To commemorate the milestone, Music Mountain located in the scenic Litchfield Hills of Connecticut will continue their season past Labor Day – making the 85th Anniversary Season the longest running season since the 1930s! The summer will include returning chamber ensembles, first time guests and the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring Jazz, Country, and Folk Music. Concerts are scheduled through September 14.

Music Mountain photo credit Joan Waldon

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on June 14 (6:30PM) with The West Point Alumni Glee Club. Evening concerts continue with New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (and the first of several pre-concert dinners, June 21); Jive By Five (June 28); The Sharon Playhouse (July 5); Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks (July 12); Gunsmoke (July 19); Swingtime Big Band (July 26); The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (August 2); The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (August 9); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 16); Baroque Italian Opera Arias & Duets (August 23); and Michael Berkeley (September 6). 

This year, the twilight series will broaden its variety of musical offerings to include folk music, opera and the golden age of Broadway. A special concert of Old Time Country Music by Tater Patch, whose bass player Richard Gordon is a grandson of Jacques Gordon, Music Mountain's Founder, and the only descendant of the Founder ever to appear at Music Mountain, will also be presented as the final Twilight concert on September 13.

Orion String Quartet

Music Mountain's 85th Anniversary Season will also include their annual Teaching Program -- bringing master teachers and aspiring young musicians together. Artistic Director of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists at Music Mountain, composer, c. "America's leading oboe recitalist," Humbert Lucarelli returns to Music Mountain for his master Oboe Seminar Sunday, July 20 through Friday, July 25. Returning for the second year, Carol Kastendieck, faculty member at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, will teach an actors vocal training program in August.

Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, wine & beer are also available for purchase.

Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Saturday, June 7 and End of Season Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, August 31 are $75 and include a voucher for one regularly priced concert. Two special mid-summer benefit concerts on Sunday, June 22 with the Juilliard String Quartet and on Sunday, July 20 with Peter Serkin and the Orion String Quartet are $60 per ticket. Pre-concert dinners are $60 and include concert ticket. Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder (Music Mountain gratefully acknowledges children admission support by the Hellen Plummer Foundation for a gift in memory of James Merrill, Connecticut's first Poet Laureate).

Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

For information on Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

Jazz, Chamber Music and a Quartet - Music Mountain has it all!

Galvanized Jazz Band

Music Mountain located in the heart of the Litchfield Hills has planned a musical extravaganza this weekend. On Saturday, August 17 at 6:30 p.m. the Galvanized Jazz Band returns to this venue for the 20th year with their high energy, exciting Dixieland, Blues and Stomps.

The Galvanized Jazz Band with its sparkplug leader cornet player Fred Vigorito and a group of hard playing skilled and very experienced colleagues will deliver another great show as they have done at Music Mountain for 19 years.  This will be their 20^th   year here and will feature two special guests: Bob Price, banjo and Jim Fryer, trombone.

On Sunday, August 18 at 3 p.m., the Dover String Quartet returns for their second appearance this summer.   They bring with them their recent European touring partner Roberto Diaz, a wonderful violist and president of the Curtis Institute, from which all the members of the Dover Quartet graduated.

In keeping with our 2013 theme, they will play 2 pieces seldom played at Music Mountain. The concert opens with the Haydn String Quartet in B Flat Major, Opus 76 # 4, one of the last instrumental pieces that Haydn wrote, which will receive only its 7th Music Mountain performance. The concert will close with Roberto Diaz joining the quartet to play the Mendelssohn Viola Quintet in B Flat Major, Opus 87 for its 2nd Music Mountain performance.   
 
The middle piece is the Beethoven String Quartet in E Minor, Opus 59 # 2. It is performed at Music Mountain regularly and is a basic part of our repertory.  One of the three Rasoumovsky quartets, this is the one with the Russian theme from a patriotic hymn in its third movement, the same melody that can be found in the opera Boris Godunov and other works by Russian composers, including the Arensky Quartet for 2 cellos, which was played on August 4. 

Tickets

Saturday, August 17, Tickets in Advance: $30 Tickets at the Door: $35

Sunday, August 18 Tickets in Advance: $30, Tickets at the Door: $35

Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut, in the northwestern corner of the state, approximately 100 miles or 2 1/2 hours from New York City.

Entrances to Music Mountain Road are on Route 63 near the junction of Route 126, and on Route 7, across from the Housatonic Valley Regional High School From the Route 7 turnoff, bear left at every intersection.

From either entrance, a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Arrive early, bring a box lunch or dinner and enjoy a stroll around our lovely grounds.

Buy your tickets online at www.musicmountain.org or Call 860.824.7126.  For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

Music Mountain’s 84th Season Continues Shanghai String Quartet August 31

America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, Music Mountain, continues its 84th Anniversary Season with a weekend of classical music by the Shanghai String Quartet on Saturday, August 31st (6:30PM) and Sunday, September 1st (3PM) featuring guest artist Haochen Zhang, piano. Music Mountain is located on 225 Music Mountain Rd. in Falls Village Connecticut.

Music Mountain has a long-standing reputation of bringing some of the finest and most widely admired chamber musicians and guest artists to Falls Village each summer, and this weekend is no exception. Award winning talents from around the world have filled Gordon Hall with the sounds of exceptional music. 

On Saturday evening, Shanghai String Quartet presents Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Opus 64 # 5, The Lark; Shostakovich: String Quartet # 6 in C Major, Opus 101; and Dvorak: String Quartet in A Flat Major, Opus 105. 

Sunday afternoon brings the acclaimed quartet back to perform Beethoven: String Quartet in C Major, Opus 59 # 3; and Schumann: Piano Quintet in E Flat Major, Opus 44. Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, Haochen Zhang will play a selection of his favorite concerts pieces. 

Haochen Zhang

Celebrated for their passionate musicality and impressive technique, the Shanghai String Quartet has become one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles. Since 1983, the quartet has regularly toured the major music centers of Europe, North America and Asia and has performed with many internationally distinguished artists. The Shanghai String Quartet currently serves as Quartet-in-Residence at Montclair State University and Ensemble-in-Residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. They have appeared at Music Mountain every summer since 1989. 

Award-winning pianist Haochen Zhang is already regarded as a seasoned master, lauded by critics and audiences alike. The young musician has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and is set to make his Paris debut with a recital at the Louvre Museum, and his Vienna debut with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in the spring. Zhang continues to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the guidance of Gary Graffman.

The Music Mountain summer season concludes with Bard Festival String Quartet; guest artist, Xak Bjerken, piano (September 8).

For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126. 

Music Mountain presents Daedalus String Quartet: September 11, Country Music Gunsmoke, August 27th and Tempo del Fuoco: August 26th

"America's Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival"

Music Mountain will host a double play of events this weekend starting with the duo Tempo del Fuoco on Friday, August 26th (8PM), followed by the toe-tappin' "New York's Band of the Year," Gunsmoke on Saturday, August 27th (6:30PM) and the acclaimed Daedalus String Quartet with award-winning pianist, Soyeon Lee on Sunday, September 11 (3PM). All three groups are just a sampling  of the 150 artists have graced the stage of Gordon Hall this summer, bringing together chamber, jazz and country music for the first time. Concerts are scheduled to run thru September 4th.

Formed in 2009, Tempo del Fuoco, the guitar and violin duo, recently began work on a project encompassing the development of the tango into their concerts.  Their Friday night program will feature: Piazzolla: L'Histoire du Tango, Wallace: El Primero, Schuttenhelm: "When the surface would suffice," Riley: Cantos Desiertos, and Pujol: Suite Buenos Aires.

Music Mountain's 1024 square foot dance floor will be hopping when Gunsmoke takes to the stage for a Saturday night of high-energy country and western music. The Fairfield County based band has been named "New York Band of the Year" six consecutive times and was just inducted into the Connecticut Country Music Association Hall of Fame. The audience favorite has opened for many country music superstars including Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., and Alan Jackson.  If you love authentic country & western music you won't be disappointed!

The lauded Daedalus String Quartet returns for an encore performance with Naumburg Award Winner, Soyeon Lee, piano. The quartet will offer a Sunday afternoon program including: the Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor, D703, the Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat Major, Opus 74, and the Brahms: Piano Quartet in G Minor, Opus 25. Daedalus String Quartet has performed in many of the world's leading music venues in the US, Canada, and Washington D.C., as well as abroad in Amsterdam, Paris, and Japan.

Praised by The New York Times and Washington Post, Soyeon Lee has been joyously received by audiences and critics alike, performing as guest soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, as well as recital appearances in New York City, Washington D.C., Madrid, and Seoul, Korea.

Located in Falls Village, Connecticut, Music Mountain is located on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring music lovers to Gordon Hall with ample & free parking. Beer and wine are available and, as is the Music Mountain custom, audience members are invited to picnic before the concerts on the scenic grounds.

Ticket prices for the Music Mountain 2011 season are $30 at the door, $27 in advance. (Admission is FREE for those 18 and under.)  All concerts begin at 6:30pm on Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sundays, unless otherwise stated. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

Music Mountain is located 225 Music Mountain Rd, Falls Village, CT.