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Press Release
May 9, 2024
For Immediate Release

Press Contact:
Gail Wein - (646) 484-9691
ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com

The Cassatt String Quartet gives performances across Maine at the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music August 3-6

Programs in Vinalhaven, Portland, and Belfast

Works by Wang Jie, Shirish Korde, Vineet Shende, Daniel Strong Godfrey, and more

"an extraordinary quartet" – The New York Times

The world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet (Muneko Otani & Jennifer Leshnower, violins; Anna Griffis, guest viola; Gwen Krosnick, cello) performs in Maine as the longtime ensemble of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music. From the island of Vinalhaven to Portland, the quartet's itinerary includes public performances August 3-6, as well as numerous concerts in retirement homes and community centers across the state September 25-29. Details are in the calendar listing below.

The 2024 festival brings composers Wang Jie, Daniel Strong Godfrey, Shirish Korde, and Vineet Shende to Maine for concerts in Vinalhaven, Belfast, and Portland. Along with guest vocalist Dominique Eade and bassist Peter Weitzner, the Cassatts perform works by these composers throughout the festival.

Founded in 1994, the Seal Bay Festival fosters the relationship between American composers, performers, and audiences. At SBF’s annual Composer Institute, composers Wang Jie, Shirish Korde, and Daniel Strong Godfrey are mentors to composers who are at the beginning of their careers. Music by these Fellows is premiered by the Cassatts on August 5, after several days of workshop rehearsals.

Complete program and venue information is below.

Seal Bay Festival Calendar Listing and Program Details

August 3, 1 pm: Open Rehearsal with the Cassatt String Quartet
Vinalhaven Public Library (6 Carver St, Vinalhaven)
Free admission
Zexuan Ding: String Quartet
Zhang Chuqiao: String Quartet

August 3, 7 pm: Partners in Island Education Fundraising Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Smith Hokanson Memorial Auditorium at Vinalhaven School, 22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven
Suggested donation of $25, children attend free

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace (2020)
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)

August 4, 7 pm: Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Smith Hokanson Memorial Auditorium at Vinalhaven School, 22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven
Free admission, donations are welcome

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words
Shirish Korde: God Bless the Child for voice and cello
after Billie Holiday and Eric Dolphy (2024)
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)

August 5, 7 pm: Emerging Composers Concert, presented by Composers Institute at Seal Bay Festival
with the Cassatt String Quartet
The Colonial Theatre, Dreamland, 163 High St, Belfast
Tickets are $10, available at door

Zexuan Ding: String Quartet
Zhang Chuqiao: String Quartet
Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola
Florence Price: String Quartet No. 1

August 6, 7:30 pm: Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland
Tickets are $12-29, available at door and online (link coming soon)

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words
Shirish Korde: God Bless the Child for voice and cello
after Billie Holiday and Eric Dolphy (2024)
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)

denotes Maine premiere
denotes world premiere

Community Outreach Events September 25-29, 2024
Programs TBA

September 25

• 1 pm: 75 State Street (Portland)

• 3 pm: Atrium at the Cedars (Portland)

September 26

• 11 am: House concert (Brunswick)

• 1:30 pm: Thornton Oaks (Brunswick)

• 3:15 pm: The Highlands (Topsham)

September 27

• 11 am: Avita (Brunswick)

September 28

• 11 am: Village Square (Kennebunkport)

• 6 pm: House concert (Kennebunkport)

September 29

• 3 pm: Wells Reserve at Laudhol (Wells)

Cassatt String Quartet Biography

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the Cassatt String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim across the world since its founding in 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, the Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Centro National de las Artes, Maeda Hall, and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The group’s discography includes over forty recordings, including three discs that were named “10 Best Classical Recordings” in The New Yorker. The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. 

Seal Bay Festival is supported by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Aaron Copland Music Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Davis Family Foundation, Maine Arts Commission, and Amphion Foundation