Season's Greetings and Songs of the Season with The Hamptons Festival of Music

FOR INMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 9, 2024

East Hampton, NY— The Hamptons Festival of Music is brimming with hope, holiday cheer, and exciting news as we approach the close of 2024!

Greeting from maestro Michael Palmer

Dear Friends

I want to take advantage of the upcoming holiday season to thank you for your critical support of The Hamptons Festival of Music in these all-important formative years. Your expressions of support and encouragement have warmed our hearts as we traverse the formative paths pointing the way, and realizing together our vision of binging a vibrant and vital “living” experience of the great works of orchestral repertoire to The East End.

I am happy to bring you the news of my successful surgery and on time recovery progression. The post op meeting with my surgeon is in the next few weeks and we are anticipating, at that time, to have all restrictions lifted for travel, at which point I will return to our home in East Hampton in time to ring in the New Year. In the meantime, the entire TH·FM team joins me in sending to you our warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. Stay tuned for our new season announcement, including the 2025 MainStage Festival programming and guest artists, as well as the exciting news of our move to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Wishing you happy and safe holidays,

–Michael

Songs of the Season: A Classical Christmas

The Hamptons Festival of Music invites you to embrace the holiday spirit with Songs of the Season: A Classical Christmas. This enchanting evening of music takes place on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the intimate Hoie Hall at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, East Hampton Village.

Experience the joy of the season with Met-Opera award-winning soprano Greer Lyle, accompanied by TH·FM Associate Conductor Logan Souther on piano. Together, they will perform a selection of timeless carols, arias, and art songs that capture the magic of Christmas.

Highlights of the program include:

• "Rejoice greatly" from Handel’s Messiah

• "Prepare yourself, O Zion" from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio

• Adolphe Adam’s O Holy Night

• Gounod’s Ave Maria

For lovers of art song, the concert features selections from Peter Cornelius's Weihnachtslieder, while Logan Souther will delight audiences with solo piano arrangements of dances from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

Tickets are $50 and include general open seating. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today to ensure you don’t miss this heartwarming celebration of holiday music.

Event Details:

Date & Time: Thursday, December 19, 2024, 6:00 PM
Location: Hoie Hall, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 18 James Ln, East Hampton, NY 11937
[Google Map]

Buy tickets online now at: thehamptonsfestivalofmusic.com/holidayconcert

Supporting a Legacy of Music

Your ticket purchase helps support The Hamptons Festival of Music’s mission to foster a love for classical music in future generations. In 2025, Hoie Hall becomes home to the festival’s MainStage Series, featuring the return of The New American Sinfonietta.

Please consider supporting TH•FM as part of your year end charitable giving plans. For more information and to support, visit: www.thehamptonsfestivalofmusic.com

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ABOUT MAESTRO MICHAEL PALMER


Michael Palmer (born May 8, 1945, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American orchestral conductor. Palmer began his professional career at age 21 when he became Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1967 under its legendary Music Director, Robert Shaw. Palmer was later named the ASO’s Associate Conductor. In that capacity, he founded and became the first director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra in 1974. In 1975 Palmer was one of the first young American conductors selected as an EXXON/Arts Endowment Conductor by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Palmer left the ASO in 1977 to become Music Director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra (1977–1990), followed by the posts of Music Director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (1989–1997) and the American Sinfonietta (1991–2002), with whom he toured Europe for 10 consecutive seasons. Beginning in 1993, he served as Founder and Artistic Director of the Bellingham Festival of Music (Bellingham, Washington) and, as of 2023, is now Conductor Laureate.

Palmer also was Guest Conductor for three seasons for the Houston Symphony Orchestra (1978–1981) and Co-Principal Guest Conductor of the Denver Symphony Orchestra (1979–1982) and has made international appearances as a conductor in Canada, Europe, and China. He has also held academic conducting posts as Director of Orchestras for Wichita State University (1999–2004) and Distinguished Professor of Orchestral Studies at Georgia State University (2004–2023).

ABOUT THE HAMPTONS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

The Hamptons Festival of Music (TH·FM) is the brainchild of Maestro Michael Palmer, who has established, maintained, and sustained the Bellingham Festival of Music, the premier orchestral music festival in the Pacific Northwest, for over 29 years. (www.bellinghamfestival.org)

Maestro Palmer recognized the artistic gravitational pull of Long Island’s East End, which is deeply rooted in the works of many legendary artists. He set in motion plans to create a similar yet unique classical music and festival experience, specifically serving the local, year-round residents in East Hampton and the surrounding hamlets and villages.

Following the success of its inaugural pilot and sophomore seasons, TH·FM returns to the Hamptons for a third consecutive year to provide concertgoers the opportunity to experience full orchestral concerts in the intimate performance space at LTV Studio 3. Festival performances will present audiences with unforgettable experiences of live performances of some of the greatest classical masterworks.

TH·FM features internationally recognized guest artists performing with The New American Sinfonietta, the resident orchestra of TH·FM. This orchestra comprises top orchestral musicians from across the US, Canada, and abroad, including many who hold principal positions with leading orchestras and ensembles.

WEBLINKS:

For more information about Maestro Michael Palmer, visit: maestropalmer.com

For more information about TH·FM, visit: thehamptonsfestivalofmusic.com

FESTIVAL CONTACT:

E-mail: contact@thehamptonsfestivalofmusic.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mark Gresham
Lux Nova Media
e-mail: media@luxnovamedia.com
tel: 404-664-0759

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