Classical Movements Announces Autumn and Spring Season of Garden Concerts in Alexandria, VA

FOR RELEASE: September 10, 2021

Alexandria, VA

Classical Movements Announces Autumn and Spring Season

“Hope & Harmony” Continues in Alexandria

28 Outdoor, Socially Distanced Concerts | September 24, 2021 – June 16, 2022

The Rectory on Princess Street | Old Town Alexandria, VA

Chamber Music | Solo Recitals | Flamenco | Opera | Early Music | Jazz

The concert series that brought live classical music back to the United States returns to Alexandria, VA beginning September 24. In response to public demand for more concerts in the enchanting Secret Garden, Classical Movements is delighted to announce the return of its critically acclaimed concert series “Sounds of Hope & Harmony” for a limited series of 28 concerts presented in the garden of the historic Rectory on Princess Street in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, VA.

Beginning with a festive season opening performance on Friday, September 24 and continuing until Thursday, June 16, 2022, Classical Movements’ innovative series continues its commitment to musical excellence and creative programming with a diverse range of artists, ensembles and musical genres – welcoming back audience favorites and introducing accomplished performers in their first appearances in the Secret Garden.

Returning Favorites

In addition to returning ensembles of musicians from the National Symphony, the Secret Garden will see the return of esteemed artists who have thrilled audiences in past seasons, including violinist and Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim, cellist Amit Peled, Grammy-nominated lutist Ronn McFarlane, soprano Shana Oshiro, musicians from the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra/Washington National Opera in Brahms’s ravishing Clarinet Quintet and the engaging father-son duo of Ken and Brad Kolodner for a program of bluegrass and Americana.

Garden Debuts

Artists who have performed on the world’s great stages continue to make their way to the uniquely gorgeous, intimate setting of the Secret Garden. World-renowned stars of the classical music world and emerging artists who will be making their first appearances in the Secret Garden in this season include award-winning pianist Vijay Venkatesh, viola da gambist Carolyn Surrick, jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro and her jazz band Nuage Rhythm, guitarist and vocalist Wadih Ettabakh and rising star soprano Judy Yannini.

More to Come!

Following the mainstage season, the music in the Secret Garden will play on with special festival performances of opera, choral music and chamber music. Following a spectacular debut with Mozart’s Magic Flute in June 2021, the Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival will return for an Alexandria Residency at the Rectory, May 28 – June 5, 2022, with performances of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

The Serenade! Washington, D.C. Choral Festival, praised by the Washington Post as “a colorful pageant of choruses,” returns June 29 to July 4, 2022 for performances around the greater Washington area, including the Secret Garden, featuring a diverse  ensembles from across the country.

From July 21-30, 2022, Classical Movements inaugurates the Serenade! for Strings Chamber Music Festival, a celebration of instrumental music in the Western classical tradition and vibrant traditions from around the world.

Dates, artists and programming will be announced at a later date.

The First of Its Kind: Live Concerts since June 2020

Three months into the Covid-19 pandemic that silenced orchestras, choruses and performances of all sorts across the world, Classical Movements became the first to bring back live classical music in June 2020 and later, the first live choral concert in the U.S. in outdoor, socially-distanced concerts at the company’s historic home in Old Town Alexandria, The Rectory on Princess Street. Since the success of that event and in response to mounting public demand, Classical Movements presented a total of 85 concerts for over 3,000 delighted audience members, through the groundbreaking series “Sounds of Hope & Harmony.”

Concerts in the Secret Garden

Presented in the enchanting surroundings of the Secret Garden at Classical Movements’ home in Old Town Alexandria, the Rectory on Princess Street, “Sounds of Hope & Harmony” concerts follow the innovative format that Classical Movements introduced in June 2020 to allow for safe concert experiences during COVID-19:  featuring hour-long musical programs presented without an intermission for limited, socially-distanced, masked audiences.

 

 

Sounds of Hope & Harmony

Autumn 2021/Spring 2022 Season

Friday, September 24, 2021 | 5pm, 7pm

Season Opener

A Spanish September: An Evening of Flamenco and Moroccan Music

 

Wadih Ettabbakh, guitar and voice | Coco Barez, percussion | Mariana Gatto, dance

 

Don your finery for an elegant and festive season opening, infused with the distinctive music of Andalusia and Morocco. Dance returns to the Secret Garden as the fiery rhythms and passionate melodies of flamenco take you on a musical journey to Southern Spain – then across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco for a fusion with Arabic musical traditions. After the performance, join Classical Movements for a 30-minute celebratory toast to the beginning of the season.

 

Thursday, October 07, 2021 | 5pm, 6:30pm

An October Opus: The Brahms Clarinet Quintet

 

Musicians of the Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra:

 

David Jones, clarinet | Oleg Rylatko, violin | Ko Sugiyama, violin | Allyson Goodman, viola | Amy Frost Baumgarten, cello

 

Principal musicians from the Kennedy Center Opera House play one of the most gorgeous works of chamber music in their return to Secret Garden, following sold out concerts in spring 2021. Composed in a fit of creativity that drew Johannes Brahms out of retirement, the haunting character of the quintet for clarinet and strings is interrupted by moments of intense inner warmth, this is one of the most ravishing works of chamber music – and a perfect complement to an autumn evening.

 

Saturday, October 30, 2021 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Violin Masterworks: David Kim Plays Handel and Prokofiev

 

David Kim, violin | Jeffrey DeVault, piano

 

By popular demand, Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster makes a second appearance in the Secret Garden with a program of gorgeous, virtuosic showcases for the violin by Handel and Prokofiev – and also featuring John Williams’ heartbreaking violin theme from the film “Schindler’s List.” Don’t miss the opportunity to hear one of the world’s great violinists in a program that will take your breath away and move your soul in equal measure.

 

“Style and buoyance” The Philadelphia Inquirer

 

Tuesday, November 09, 2021 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Blow Those Horns: Music for Horn Quartet

 

Horn Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra

Abel Pereira | Markus Osterlund | James Nickel | Robert Rearden

 

After 13 concerts since June 2020, audience favorites from the NSO return once again to delight audiences when a quartet of musicians from the horn section performs in beloved staples of chamber repertoire in unexpected arrangements.

 

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Wind Sextets by Farrenc and Poulenc

 

Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra

Wind Principals of the NSO | Lisa Emenheiser, piano

 

Welcome spring with principal wind players of the NSO in two sublime sextets for piano and winds by French composers of the 19^th and 20^th centuries - one by Louise Farrenc as dramatic as Francis Poulenc’s is humorous

 

Thursday, March 31, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Out of Eden: A Concert of Art Songs

Shana Oshiro, soprano | Brian Bartoldus, piano | Jodi Beder, cello

Captivating and rarely performed arts songs showcase themes of transformation, feminism, and justice. Shana Oshiro performs classical to contemporary songs by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Jake Heggie, Florence Price and Jasmine Barnes.

Thursday, April 07, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

The Immortal Beloved: Love Through the Sound of the Cello

 

Amit Peled, cello

 

After a breathtaking debut performance in the Secret Garden in April 2021, internationally renowned cellist Amit Peled makes a return appearance for a program built around the passion, seduction, longing and despair of Beethoven and Brahms’s hidden love affairs.

 

“A glowing tone, a seductive timbre and an emotionally pointed approach to phrasing that made you want to hear him again” The New York Times

 

“Fiery and intelligent, Peled really shone in a bold and dramatically conceived interpretation” The Strad Magazine

 

Thursday, April 14, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

From A to Z: Arias to Zarzuela

 

Co-Presented with IN Series

Timothy Nelson, Artistic Director

Judy Yannini, soprano | Emily Baltzer, piano

 

An artist fast on the rise, Mexican soprano Judy Yannini makes her Secret Garden debut in an incandescent program of selections from vibrant zarzuelas and beloved operas, presented in partnership with IN Series.

 

Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Old Time Roots: Bluegrass and Americana

 

Ken Kolodner, hammered dulcimer, hammered mbira, fiddle| Brad Kolodner, banjo, gourd banjo, fiddle

 

The father-son team Ken & Brad Kolodner crosses the boundaries of Old-Time, Bluegrass and American Roots music played on banjo, hammered dulcimer and fiddle featuring distinctive songs by Ola Belle Reed, Kate Wolf, Walt Aldridge, traditional pieces and original music.

 

“…exceptionally talented musicians and they have created a tight, top-notch sound.” Bluegrass Today

 

“The Kolodners and their collaborators play with impeccable chops and with great feeling.” Bluegrass Unlimited

 

Tuesday, May 03, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Haydn’s “Joke” for Strings

 

String Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra

 

Musical laughs meet exquisite harmony when musicians from the National Symphony play Haydn’s witty String Quartet in E-flat – nicknamed “The Joke,” appropriately for a composer noted for his sense of humor as well as for being the “Father of the String Quartet.”  The program also features “Southern Harmony” by Pulitzer-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, a gentle musical portrait of the South where she grew up. Then hilarious duo “The String Thing” (Heather LeDoux Green, Paul DeNola) leads a Guess the Composer Challenge. Test your knowledge of the great works of classical music – and see if special guest Jeff Weisner can keep his NSO colleagues on their best behavior!

 

Thursday, May 12, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Fantasia for Two: Early Music for Lute and Viola da Gamba

 

Ronn McFarlane, lute | Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba

 

Grammy Award-winning lutist Ronn McFarlane is joined by collaborator Carolyn Surrick for an imaginative and wide-ranging program of early music for the captivating combination of lute and viola da gamba, the Renaissance precursor to the modern cello.

 

“Here there is a genuine feeling of engagement and enjoyment here, a sense of sharing material with each other, the idea that after each tune someone says 'if that then this', or 'do listen to this'.” Planet Hugill

 

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

The Romantics in the Secret Garden: Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata

 

Vijay Venkatesh, piano

 

Hailed by the Herald-Tribune for “effortless technical command and authority with a sense of poetry and refinement that belies his years,” award-winning pianist Vijay Venkatesh comes to the Secret Garden with a program of German Romantic piano music by Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms – and bookended by two evocative early piano sonatas by Beethoven, including the famous “Moonlight” Sonata.

 

“Vijay Venkatesh is blessed with it all: transcendent technique, unbridled passion, and irresistible charisma. He breathes with an oxygen of imagination.” The Washington Post

 

Thursday, May 26, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Gypsy Jazz in Translation

 

Myriam Phiro with Nuage Rhythm

 

Chanteuse Myriam Phiro and her band Nuage Rhythm bring their international flair and a distinctive blend of Parisian and American Jazz from New York City to the Secret Garden. Inspired by the stylings of Edith Piaf and Nat King Cole, experience your favorite jazz classics in French, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, reimagined through the unmistakable sounds of gypsy jazz.

 

“…deep, powerful, fun and sexy all at once.” – NYC Culture & Style Magazine

 

Thursday, June 16, 2022 | 5pm, 6:30pm

Let Freedom Sing! A Juneteenth Celebration

 

With the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts

 

After presenting its first Juneteenth concert just a day after Congress voted to make Juneteenth a national holiday, Classical Movements and CAAPA partner once again to celebrate this day of joy and liberation. Discover the power and significance of this celebration from a new perspective through the combination of narration and chamber music.

 

“A timely celebration in jubilation of the abolishment of enslavement and involuntary servitude.” The Zebra

 

Programs and artists subject to change. Additional programs to be announced.

For program updates and ticket details, visit:

https://www.classicalmovements.com/secretgardenconcerts/

About Classical Movements

The premier concert tour company for the world’s great orchestras and choirs, Classical Movements creates meaningful cultural experiences through music in 145 countries. An industry leader for over a quarter-century, Classical Movements organizes more than 60 tours every year, producing some 200 concerts every season. Producer of two international choral festivals—Ihlombe! in South Africa and Serenade! in Washington, D.C.—and the Prague Summer Nights: Young Artists Music Festival, in addition, Classical Movements’ Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program has commissioned 97 works from Grammy, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers. Winner of Americans for the Arts’ BCA10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts Award, since its founding in 1992, as a truly global company, Classical Movements remains committed to facilitating cultural diplomacy across the world—promoting peace through the medium of music. During Covid-19, Classical Movements has continued to lead the way with innovative projects representing a pivot towards domestic touring and international tours for individuals and small groups, as well as presenting the first live chamber concerts in the United States since the pandemic.

About the Rectory

Built in 1785 and the home of Classical Movements’ offices since 2014, the building formerly served as the rectory of the nearby historic Christ Church, once the church of George Washington. Since then, it has been owned by several distinguished Virginians and has been a commercial space since the 1960’s.

Located in the heart of beautiful Old Town Alexandria at 711 Princess Street, the Rectory is minutes away from the shops and restaurants of bustling King Street and is easily accessible by bus and metro.

Press Contacts

 

Adam Jackson

Artistic Planning and Executive Assistant to the President

1 (240) 688-9826, ext. 201

Adam@classicalmovements.com