Manchester Music Festival announces artists and programs for 50th anniversary season

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Philip Setzer, founder and violinist of the Emerson String Quartet, the Manchester Music festival announces its 50th anniversary season lineup, celebrating “The Romantic Journey” with more than 30 curated events. The golden anniversary season, running July 11 – August 8 will explore the definition and roots of Romanticism, taking audiences on a musical odyssey from Beethoven to Schubert, to Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms, and onward to Dvor?a´k, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and more. The fourth week of the festival includes the world premiere of a new version of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Drink the Wild Ayre for harp and ensemble. The main festival concerts will take place at the Southern Vermont Arts Center’s (SVAC) Arkell Pavilion. Tickets will go on presale April 10, and public sale begins on April 24 at www.mmfvt.org    

Each week of the 2024 festival includes a theme focused on Romantic composers: 

July 11: Beethoven, Schubert  
Wu Han, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; David Finckel, cello 

July 18: Schumann, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky  
Jeewon Park, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; Edward Arron, cello; MMF Young Artists* 

July 25: Brahms, Robert and Clara Schumann, and Strauss  
David Shifrin, clarinet; Sara Couden, contralto; Jenny Lin, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; Colin Carr, cello; MMF Young Artists 

August 1: Debussy, Elgar, P. Setzer, Sarah Kirkland Snider  
Nancy Allen, harp; Philip Setzer, violin; TBA, bass; MMF Young Artists 

August 8: Dvorák, Brahms, Barber, Respighi 
Christine Goerke, soprano; Gilles Vonsattel, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; Sarah Crocker Vonsattel, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; Estelle Choi, cello; MMF Young Artists Chamber Ensemble 

*MMF Young Artists: Brian Anderson, viola; Andrew Cannestra, piano; Hannah Corbett, violin; Bree Fotheringham, violin; Antonia Fuglsang, violin; Dylan Kinneavy, cello; Ignacio García Núñez, cello; Julia Palecka, viola; Johannes Rosenberg, violin; Hang Zhong, piano 

Setzer, who brings with him decades of programming experience from the Emerson String Quartet, hopes the festival’s theme cuts to the heart of how art reflects people’s shared humanity. 

Performing alongside the featured artists are the members of the Festival’s highly selective Young Artists Program, a full scholarship intensive for string players and pianists, ages 18-26. The 10 Young Artists receive coaching sessions from the MMF guest artists and attend masterclasses during the Festival. MMF will also present concerts featuring these Young Artists in a special program called “Given a Chance”—Romantic works of underrepresented composers who have struggled to have their voices heard. 

“I am excited because this year the Young Artists will be more interwoven into the texture of the programming than ever before,” Setzer said.?“They will have their own concerts but will also appear on the main Thursday night concerts.?This will allow a more cohesive and inclusive experience for all of the musicians as well as for the public.” 

The festival’s five different series: MMF Thursday Nights, MMF Young Artists, MMF Special Events, MMF Discovery, and MMF Family will dive deeper into the weekly themes with concerts, discussions, and kid-friendly activities. View each series and its corresponding events below.  

View the full season line up below.  

MMF Thursday Nights Program One – Season Opener 
Lighting the Torch – Beethoven, Schubert 
Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. 

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97 (“Archduke”) 
Franz Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat, Op. 100 (D.929) 

ARTISTS 
Wu Han, piano 
Philip Setzer, violin 
David Finckel, cello 

MMF Thursday Nights Program Two 
Passing the Torch – Schumann, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky 
Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. 

Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 
Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Op. 60 

ARTISTS 
Jeewon Park, piano 
Philip Setzer, violin 
Edward Arron, cello 
MMF Young Artists 

MMF Thursday Nights Program Three  
Brahms and Lyricism – Brahms, The Schumanns and Strauss 
Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. 

Johannes Brahms: 16 Waltzes for piano four hands, Op. 39 
Robert Schumann 
Mondnacht 
Der Spielmann 
Clara Wieck Schumann 
Liebst du um Schönheit 
Lorelei 
Johannes Brahms 
Sapphische-ode 
Von ewiger Liebe 
Richard Strauss 
Zueignung 
Morgen!  with viola 
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 

ARTISTS 
David Shifrin, clarinet 
Sara Couden, contralto 
Jenny Lin, piano 
Philip Setzer, violin 
Lawrence Dutton, viola 
Colin Carr, cello 
MMF Young Artists 

MMF Thursday Nights Program Four 
France, England, and Some Things New – Debussy, Elgar, Setzer, Snider  
Thursday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m. 

Claude Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane 
Claude Debussy: Claire de Lune (arr. by Philip Setzer and Nancy Allen) 
Philip Setzer: Elegy for violin and harp 
Sarah Kirkland Snider: Drink the Wild Ayre (WORLD PREMIERE of new version for harp and ensemble) 
Edward Elgar: Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84 

ARTISTS 
Nancy Allen, harp 
Philip Setzer, violin 
TBA, bass 
MMF Young Artists 

MMF Thursday Nights Program Five 
The Grand Finale – Dvorák, Brahms, Barber, Respighi 
Thursday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m. 

Antonín Dvorák: Slavonic Dances for piano 4 hands, Op. 72 
Johannes Brahms: Two Songs for Alto Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91 
Ottorino Respighi: Il Tramonto 
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings 
Antonín Dvorák: Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, Op. 81 

ARTISTS 
Christine Goerke, soprano 
Gilles Vonsattel, piano 
Philip Setzer, violin 
Sarah Crocker Vonsattel, violin 
Matthew Lipman, viola 
Estelle Choi, cello 
MMF Young Artists Chamber Ensemble 

MMF Young Artists Program One 
Sunday, July 21 at 5 p.m. 

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances for piano four hands, WoO 1 
Sergei Rachmaninov: Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor  
Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 
Felix Mendelssohn: String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 87 

MMF Young Artists Program Two 
Sunday, August 4 at 5 p.m. 

Dmitri Shostakovich: 3 Duets for 2 Violins and Piano, Op. 97d 
Frank Bridge: Phantasy for Piano Quartet, H.94 
Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata for 2 Violins, Op. 56 
Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15 

MMF Special Events 
Various Venues and Times 

MMF @50 Presentation and MMF Young Artists Solos in Concert 
Saturday July 13 at 5 p.m. 
Manchester Library 

A special presentation of Manchester Music Festival 50th Anniversary programming with Artistic Director Philip Setzer and introducing MMF Young Artists Class of 2024 as they perform in a program with solo works. Presented in Partnership with Manchester Library 

Talk and Performance 

Pianist Vassily Primakov in Concert 
Sunday July 14 at 5 p.m. 
SVAC Arkell Pavilion 

Fundraiser and Mixer. 13 Études by Saint- Saëns, Scriabin, Blumenfeld, Liszt, Chopin and Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition 

Camille Saint-Saëns Étude in D-flat, Op. 52 No. 6 (“En forme de Valse”)           
Alexander Scriabin  
Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 2, No. 1 
Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 42, No. 5 
Étude in F-sharp, Op. 42, No. 4 
Étude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12 
Felix Blumenfeld  
Étude in A-flat for the left hand, Op. 36 
Étude-Fantasie in E-flat minor, Op. 25, No. 2 
Franz Liszt  
Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141: No. 3 in G-sharp minor ("La campanella") 
Études d'exécution transcendante S.139: No. 10 
Frédéric Chopin               
Étude in E, Op. 10, No. 3 
Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 7 
Étude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 (“Winter Wind”) 
Étude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 (“Revolutionary”) 
Modest Mussorgsky   
Pictures at an Exhibition 
 

MMF presents The Steinway Spirio and MMF Young Artists Solos in Concert 

Saturday July 27 at 5 p.m. 
Manchester Library 

Presenting the Steinway & Sons Spirio, the high-resolution self-playing piano, and introducing MMF Young Artists Class of 2024 as they perform in a program with solo works. Presented in Partnership with Steinway & Sons and Manchester Library. 

 

MMF Talks “The Romantic Era” 

Saturday August 3 at 5 p.m. 
SVAC Arkell Pavilion 

MMF Artistic Director Philip Setzer joins a panel of distinguished authors to discuss the Romantic Era, raising questions and seeking answers about what "romantic" and Romanticism meant in history both emotionally and intellectually. Presented in partnership with Northshire Bookstore and GMALL. 

MMF Discovery 

GIVEN A CHANCE:  Concert and Discussions  

Sunday, July 28 at 5 p.m.  
SVAC Arkell Pavilion 

Clara Wieck Schumann: 3 Romances, Op. 22 
Rebecca Clarke: Lullaby, from 2 Piece for Viola (or Violin) and Cello 
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: 4 African Dances, Op. 58 
Florence Price: Piano Quintet No. 2 in A minor 
George Walker: Lyric for Strings 

ARTISTS 
Philip Setzer, violin 
MMF Young Artists 

MMF Family 

Art & Music: Pictures at an Exhibition 
Sunday, July 14 at 1 p.m. 

Edward Arron and MMF Young Artists  
“Strings & Things: A Musical Playdate” 
Saturday, July 20 at 1 p.m. 

Live Music with storytelling and illustrations 
Melody’s Mostly Musical Day 
Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m. 

 

ABOUT PHILIP SETZER 
Violinist Philip Setzer, a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and began studying violin at the age of five with his parents, both former violinists in the Cleveland Orchestra. He continued his studies with Josef Gingold and Rafael Druian, and later at the Juilliard School with Oscar Shumsky. 

Currently serving as the Distinguished Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SUNY Stony Brook and Visiting Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Mr. Setzer has given master classes at schools around the world, including The Curtis Institute, London's Royal Academy of Music, The San Francisco Conservatory, UCLA and The Mannes School. Mr. Setzer is also the Director of the Shouse Institute, the teaching division of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit.  

A versatile musician with innovative vision and dedication to keep the art form of the string quartet alive and relevant, Mr. Setzer is the mastermind behind the Emerson’s two highly praised collaborative theater productions: The Noise of Time, premiered at Lincoln Center in 2001 and directed by Simon McBurney, is a multi-media production about the life of Shostakovich and has given about 60 performances throughout the world; in 2016, Mr. Setzer teamed up with writer-director James Glossman and co-created the Emerson’s latest music/theater project, Shostakovich and the Black Monk: A Russian Fantasy.   

Philip Setzer exclusively uses Thomastik Dominant and Vision strings.  Violin: Samuel Zygmuntowicz (Brooklyn, NY 2011)   

 

ABOUT MANCHESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL 
Established in 1974, Manchester Music Festival (MMF) has been a beacon for classical music enthusiasts for half a century, showcasing both established artists and young talents. Nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Southern Vermont, MMF plays a pivotal role in the cultural enrichment of our community and beyond.  

 

The Festival celebrates its Golden Anniversary in 2024 with a curated season of more than 30 events, including performances, masterclasses, open rehearsals, talks, and outreach programs. Under the leadership of our Artistic Director, Philip Setzer, founder and violinist of the Emerson String Quartet, Season 50 celebrates “The Romantic Journey,” a theme that cuts to the heart of how art reflects our humanity.  

 

“The annual Manchester Music Festival transforms the town into a harmonious haven for music enthusiasts.” – WorldAtlas.com