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Press Releases
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival 2024: Twelve programs July 14 through August 11 explore themes of transformation and love
The festival features a wide range of music and commissioned works by Michael Stephen Brown and Sebastian Currier
Scenes from Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival 2023, photos by Michael Lawrence
The 2024 Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival presents 12 concerts July 14 through August 11 that celebrate the twin themes of transformation and love in music. Selections including variations on Pachelbel’s Canon by George Rochberg and jazz legend Django Reinhardt’s interpretations of Bach performed by Stephane Wrembel explore the theme of evolution, joining such expressions of romance as Schumann’s Piano Quintet (inspired by his wife, Clara) and Michael Stephen Brown’s Relationship (performed by the husband-and-wife team of Osmo Vänskä and Erin Keefe) to shape the wide-ranging programs of the 41st season of Long Island’s longest-running classical music festival.
"We are all in a constant state of transformation," said BCM Artistic Director Marya Martin, "and looking at change through the lens of music offers an opportunity to experience classic works in a new way, and celebrate new music that launches from tradition. And what better, and more human, theme to pursue than musical expression of love!"
Based at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, the festival also includes such annual events as an art-themed concert at the Parrish Art Museum; the Wm. Brian Little Concert, preceded by wine and hors d’oeuvres, in the Channing Sculpture Garden; and the benefit concert and dinner at the Atlantic Golf Club. New this year is an event at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack, a wine reception and concert in the garden’s newly-reconstructed gallery.
Transformation and love
The world premieres of two BCM-commissioned works, Michael Stephen Brown’s The Lotos-Eaters for Flute, Cello, Piano, and Percussion, inspired by the Tennyson poem of the same name (itself based on Greek mythology), and Sebastian Currier’s Ongoingness for Harp and String Quartet (a co-commission), expand the festival’s theme of transformation, along with a chamber music arrangement of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson; Arvo Pärt’s Mozart Adagio, a reflection on a Mozart piano sonata; Vijay Iyer’s Mozart Effects for String Quartet; Kevin Puts’ And Legions Will Rise, in the composer’s words, “about the power in all of us to transcend during times of tragedy and personal crisis”; and Bach’s Triple Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord – a piece that the composer adapted from earlier solo harpsichord and organ works.
The theme of love encompasses the ups and downs that come with it; Relationship is a work by Michael Stephen Brown for clarinet and violin, and the segment “Argument” will be performed by Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate and clarinetist Osmo Vänskä and violinist and former Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Erin Keefe, themselves husband and wife. Woven throughout the festival’s programs are Romances by Beethoven and Gaubert, Adoration by Florence Price; and Elgar’s Salut d’Amour.
Rounding out this summer’s programs are a Mozart thread running through many of the programs; piano quartets by Brahms, Dvorák, Mozart, Schumann, and Strauss; the string octets of Enescu and Mendelssohn, and much more. Full programs are listed below.
As always, the festival’s roster of artists comprises one of the best multi-generational groups of chamber musicians to be found anywhere. Led by flutist and festival founder Marya Martin, this summer’s BCM musicians are James Austin Smith, oboe; Graeme Steele Johnson, Bixby Kennedy, and Osmo Vänskä*, clarinet; Nanci Belmont*, bassoon; Stewart Rose, horn; Kate Arndt*, Paul Huang, Chad Hoopes, Erin Keefe, Anna Lee*, Kristin Lee, Anthony Marwood, Amy Schwartz Moretti, Rubén Rengel*, and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, violin; Ettore Causa, Masumi Per Rostad, Matthew Lipman, Cynthia Phelps, and Cong Wu, viola; Carter Brey, Nicholas Canellakis, Brannon Cho, Narek Hakhnazaryan*, and Mihai Marica, cello; Donald Palma, bass; Michael Stephen Brown, Juho Pohjonen, Albert Cano Smit, Orion Weiss, and Shai Wosner, piano; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord; Ian Rosenbaum, percussion; the Parker String Quartet*; and the Stephane Wrembel Quartet. (Those marked with an asterisk are making their BCM debuts.)
Bridgehampton Chamber Music
“This longtime East End festival, directed by the flutist Marya Martin, has flourished by offering concerts both effervescent and distinguished,” said The New Yorker. In the 40 years since its founding, Bridgehampton Chamber Music has become known for presenting a broad range of music performed by some of the best musicians in the world in one of the most beautiful seaside settings on the East Coast. With autumn and spring mini-series joining the summer festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music now offers programs almost year-round.
BCM Festival: Usually comprising a dozen events over four weeks, the summer festival has developed a loyal core audience among local residents and summer visitors since it began with four artists in two concerts in the intimate setting of the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. The festival is still based in the graceful 1842 church – which boasts glowing acoustics – and has expanded to include other special event venues, including the Channing Sculpture Garden and Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton and the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill.
BCM Records: In 2012, BCM launched its own record label, BCMF Records. Signifying the festival’s commitment to American composers, the label’s first recording was BCMF Premieres, a disc of contemporary American music. The label’s current discography of 12 releases includes music by Bruce Adolphe, Robert Beaser, Leon Kirchner, Howard Shore, Paul Moravec, Kevin Puts, and Elizabeth Brown, as well as Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, and more.
BCM Spring: Convinced that there were music lovers looking for more opportunities to hear excellent chamber music year-round, BCM introduced its Spring series in 2015, and in 2017 expanded it from two concerts to three.
BCM Autumn: This three-concert series was launched in the fall of 2021.
Bridgehampton Chamber Music has a wide variety of performance videos and online programs from past seasons posted on its website and YouTube channel.
BCM website “Watch & Listen” page: https://www.bcmf.org/watch-listen
BCM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/bcmfmusic
Marya Martin
Internationally acclaimed flutist Marya Martin enjoys a musical career of remarkable breadth and achievement. Gracefully balancing the roles of chamber musician, festival director, soloist, teacher, and supporter of musical institutions, she has performed throughout the world in such halls as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall, Sydney Opera House, Casals Hall in Tokyo, and other international venues.
A native of New Zealand, Ms. Martin studied at Yale University, and shortly thereafter moved to Paris to study with flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal. After winning top prizes in the Naumburg, Munich International, and Jean-Pierre Rampal International competitions, and the Concert Artists Guild and Young Concert Artists International Auditions—all within a two-year period—she returned to the U.S. and has since appeared as a soloist with major orchestras and at leading festivals and chamber music series throughout the country.
In 2006 she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Auckland, and in 2011 received the Ian Mininberg Distinguished Service Award from Yale University. Committed to expanding the flute repertoire, she has commissioned more than 20 new works. She most recently commissioned eight works for flute and piano comprising Eight Visions, an anthology published by Theodore Presser, and recorded them for the Naxos label. In 2011, Albany Records released Marya Martin Plays Eric Ewazen. Ms. Martin has been a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music since 1996.
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival 2024
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Opening Night: Schumann Journey
The season launches with a program featuring all of the festival’s themes. First, a Mozart focus highlighted by the duo that opens the program. Second, the idea of transformation, in this case Zhao Tian’s dynamic Viaje (Journey), which was originally scored for flute and string quartet. Finally, love – Florence Price’s gorgeous Adoration speaks to a Godly devotion, and Schumann’s Piano Quintet was inspired by the love of his life, his wife Clara.
W. A. Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola in G major, K. 423
Zhou Tian Viaje for Flute, Cello and Piano
Florence Price Adoration for Violin and Piano
Robert Schumann Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44
Marya Martin, flute; Juho Pohjonen, piano; Paul Huang, violin; Kristin Lee, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; Brannon Cho, cello
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Beethoven Variations
Beethoven looms large in this program; here, his youthful second piano trio and gorgeous Romance are paired with Carl Reinecke’s Schumannesque piano quartet in E-flat major and a set of variations on one of the most famous tunes in music, Pachelbel’s Canon.
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio No. 2 in G major, Op. 1, No. 2
George Rochberg Variations on Pachelbel’s Canon, from String Quartet No. 6
Ludwig van Beethoven Romance for Violin and Piano in F major, Op. 50
Carl Reinecke Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 34
Albert Cano Smit, piano; Chad Hoopes, violin; Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola;
Brannon Cho, cello
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Americans in Paris – Gershwin/Debussy/Currier/Ravel
Gershwin’s famous An American in Paris serves as the inspiration for a program of works juxtaposing great American composers George Gershwin and Sebastian Currier (in a work co-commissioned by BCM), and French legends Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
George Gershwin Lullaby for String Quartet
Claude Debussy Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune for ensemble (arr. Graeme Steele Johnson)
Sebastian Currier Ongoingness for Harp and String Quartet (world premiere, BCM co-commission)
Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro for Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
Marya Martin, flute; Cindy Wu, violin; Anna Lee, violin; Ettore Causa, viola; Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello; Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet; Donald Palma, bass; Bridget Kibbey, harp
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: All-Bach Concerti
J. S. Bach’s concerti are among the most diverse, moving, and fascinating works ever created. We’ve collected three of his best (all for multiple instruments) to highlight his immense range and imagination.
J.S. Bach:
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043
Triple Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord in A minor, BWV 1044
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 for Harpsichord, Flute, and Violin, BWV 1050
Marya Martin, flute; Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, violin; Anna Lee, violin; Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Rubén Rengel, violin; Ettore Causa, viola ; Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello; Donald Palma, bass; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Saturday, July 27, 2024, 6:30pm
Atlantic Golf Club
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Annual Benefit: For the Love of It
The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Board of Directors hosts a celebration of 41 years of incredible music making and friendship at its Annual Benefit. This season, we celebrate love, with romantic (and not-so-romantic) works from Schumann to Michael Stephen Brown.
Philippe Gaubert Pièce Romantique for Flute, Cello and Piano
Michael Stephen Brown “Argument” from Relationship for Clarinet and Violin
Robert Schumann Andante from Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47
Johannes Brahms “Rondo Zingarese” from Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25
Marya Martin, flute; Osmo Vänskä, clarinet; Erin Keefe, violín; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Orion Weiss, piano
Tickets and information: 212-741-9073
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Beethoven & Strauss
Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio stands among Beethoven’s most “heroic” works, while Strauss brings his own burly romanticism to the fore in his early, Schumannesque Piano Quartet.
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke”
Richard Strauss Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13
Erin Keefe, violín; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Orion Weiss, piano
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Mozart Reflections
Despite its ebullient spirit, Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major was written when he was in desperate personal circumstances. Kevin Puts’s And Legions Will Rise is, in the composer’s words, “about the power in all of us to transcend during times of tragedy and personal crisis.” Rounding out the program is Mozart’s delightful A major flute quartet, and the world premiere of The Lotos-Eaters, a BCM commission from pianist and composer Michael Stephen Brown. The work is inspired by Tennyson’s poem of the same name taken from a tale from Homer’s Odyssey about mariners who, once they taste of the lotos, forget their homes and live out their days in bliss.
W. A. Mozart Quartet in A major for Flute and Strings, K. 298
Kevin Puts And Legions Will Rise for Clarinet, Violin, and Marimba
Michael Stephen Brown The Lotos-Eaters for Flute, Cello, Piano, and Percussion (world premiere,
BCM commission)
W. A. Mozart Piano Quartet in E-flat major, K. 493
Marya Martin, flute; Osmo Vänskä, clarinet; Erin Keefe, violín; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Michael Stephen Brown, piano; Ian Rosenbaum, percussion
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Dvorák and More
Drama and reflection. Farrenc’s passionate and virtuosic Sextet is subdued by Pärt’s reflective meditation on Mozart’s G minor piano sonata, K. 280, while Dvorák’s Schumann-inspired Piano Quartet in D brings both together with grace and balance.
Louise Farrenc Sextet for Piano and Winds in C minor, Op. 40
Arvo Pärt Mozart Adagio for Piano Trio (m) (t)
Antonin Dvorák Piano Quartet in D major, Op. 23
Marya Martin, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; Nanci Belmont, bassoon; Stewart Rose, horn; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; Chad Hoopes, violin; Cong Wu, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Shai Wosner, piano
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Parrish Art Museum
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival at The Parrish: Exploring Color
This colorful program delves into the many emotional states that art produces. From the whimsy of Poulenc’s Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, to the romance of Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, to the solemnity of Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque, this program spans a wide range of human expression.
Francis Poulenc Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano
Joseph Suk Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale "St. Wenceslas" (arr. for winds)
Iva Bittová Hoboj and Divná Slecinka for Oboe and Viola
Edward Elgar Salut d'Amour for Cello and Piano
Sergei Rachmaninoff Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor
Marya Martin, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; Nanci Belmont, bassoon; Stewart Rose, horn; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; Chad Hoopes, violin; Cong Wu, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Shai Wosner, piano
Tickets: $35
Wednesday, August 7, 2024, 6pm
Madoo Conservancy
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival at Madoo: Wine & Whimsy
In a new collaboration with Madoo Conservancy, we present a very special evening featuring one of the great string quartets performing today in the intimacy of Madoo’s beautifully reconstructed barn/gallery. The concert will be preceded by a wine reception, making it a perfect date night in the Hamptons.
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127, I. Maestoso. Allegro
Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor (selections)
Vijay Iyer Mozart Effects for String Quartet
Vijay Iyer Dig the Say for String Quartet
Parker String Quartet: Daniel Chong, violin; Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello
Tickets: $35
Friday, August 9, 2024, 6pm wine and hors d’oeuvres, 7pm concert
Channing Sculpture Garden
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Wm. Brian Little Concert: Stephane Wrembel “Bach & Django”
“His music speaks to my heart and brings tears to my eyes.”
––Django Reinhardt on the music of Bach
The great jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel returns with his band to join BCM artists in the annual Wm. Brian Little evening of wine, food, and music. Wrembel’s program explores the connection between the music of Bach and the jazz legend Django Reinhardt, including Reinhardt’s own interpretation of Bach’s double violin concerto.
J. S. Bach Vivace from Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043
(arr. Reinhardt)
Django Reinhardt Improvisation No. 1 for Solo Guita
J. S. Bach Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Django Reinhardt Songe d’Automne
Erik Satie Gymnopédie No. 1 for ensemble (arr. Manchon
J. S. Bach Prelude No. 12, Book II, from The Well Tempered Clavier, BWV 857 (arr. Reinhardt)
Django Reinhardt Minor Swing for ensemble
Marya Martin, flute; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Kate Arndt, violin; Anthony Marwood, violin; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Carter Brey, cello; Parker String Quartet (Daniel Chong, violin; Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello); Special Guests: Stephane Wrembel Quartet
Tickets: $175
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival: Outstanding Octets – Mendelssohn/Enescu
The season comes to a close with two masterful works for string octet: the effervescent virtuosity of Mendelssohn is paired with the overwhelming audacity of Enescu to create a stunning sendoff to the season.
Felix Mendelssohn String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20
George Enescu String Octet in C major, Op. 7
Anthony Marwood, violin; Kate Arndt, violin; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Carter Brey, cello; Parker String Quartet (Daniel Chong, violin; Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello)
Tickets: $75, $50, $10 student ticket
Tickets and information: www.bcmf.org, 631-537-6368
May 20, 2024
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