For Immediate Release
Contact: Cohn Dutcher Associates
Lois Cohn, 917.339.7187, lcohn@cohndutcher.com
Dan Dutcher, 917.339.7157, ddutcher@cohndutcher.com
Laura Malick, 917.339.7183, lmalick@cohndutcher.com
David Mayhew, 203.533.5621, david@davidmayhew.net

CARAMOOR INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
2009 SUMMER SEASON

HISTORIC ROSEN HOUSE AT CARAMOOR RESOUNDS WITH
MUSIC AND ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER

Katonah, New York - The historic Rosen House at Caramoor, once the country retreat of Caramoor's founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen, is a magnificent Mediterranean-style villa. Built around a central courtyard, the house maintains the same charm and beauty as when the Rosens were in residence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rosen House has been offering tours since 1970 and is a popular destination, offering abundant activities throughout the Caramoor International Music Festival.

The twenty rooms that are open to the public are decorated with the extraordinary and eclectic collection of Eastern and Western art and furnishings the Rosen's amassed over the years. Noteworthy are the 16th-Century ceiling imported from Toledo in the Spanish Alcove, which is off the Music Room; the Burgundian Library, which came from a chateau in Southern France and features a beautifully painted vaulted ceiling executed in 1678 and featuring scenes from the Old Testament; and the lovely 18th-Century La Loggia Bedroom, which came from an Italian Villa.  
 
The Rosen House has the distinction of being one of just five mansions in the country that incorporates entire rooms from European villas and palaces into its design.  Of the spectacular objects in this collection, of particular note are the exquisitely-carved eight-paneled 18th-Century green jade screen from China - one of only two in the world; a relief from the studio of Donatello; tapestry from 14th-Century Florence; terra cotta reliefs from the studio of della Robbia; Renaissance furniture and tapestries; a gilded bed purportedly once owned by Pope Urban VIII; Ming vases; and works by 20th-Century artists such as Malvina Hoffman and Paul Troubetzkoy.

On view throughout the summer is the Rosen House's 2009 special exhibition From Here to Eternity:  Popular Female Deities in Chinese Art.  Curated by Adriana Proser, John H. Foster Curator of Traditional Asian Art at the Asia Society Museum, the exhibition includes gilt bronze, ivory, porcelain, wooden, and stone sculptures, including sumptuous jade and lapis lazuli carvings, from the amazing Rosen collection of female deities of Buddhism and Taoism, two popular traditions of belief in Asia.

Docent-led tours of the Rosen House throughout the summer Caramoor International Music Festival are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm (last tour begins at 3:00pm) and Saturdays from 1:00pm to 5:00pm (last tour begins at 4:00pm). 

Tickets for tours of the Rosen House are $10 with children under 16 admitted for free. 

Afternoon Tea
A popular and enduring activity in the Rosen House is Afternoon Tea, served in the grand style on the Rosens' own antique china in the Summer Dining Room overlooking the Rosen House's romantic Spanish Courtyard.  This traditional tea, featuring a rich assortment of tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and preserves, mouth-watering desserts, and specialty teas, is held on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the Caramoor International Music Festival from 1:30pm to 4:00pm and includes a tour of the Rosen House.  Tickets are $30.00, children 16 and under $22.00. 

On June 5 and 18, guests are invited to add a Garden Tour with Caramoor's horticulturist, Cliff Dickson, for a total price of $34.00.

On July 9, 23, and 30 guests may enjoy tea, a Garden Tour, and also add the evening concert (July 9 - pianist Ayano Ninomiya, July 23 - Caramoor Virtuosi, July 30 - Ariel String Quartet) for a total price of $45.00.

Wednesday Morning Concerts
Music continues to be a focal point for the Rosen House, as it was when the Rosens were in residence.  Wednesday Morning Concerts are held throughout the summer at 11:00am in the Music Room of the Rosen House.  Tickets for these concerts are $17.00 and include a tour of the house:

- July 1 - Bear Cats Dixieland Jazz Band
- July 9 - David McCarroll, violin
- July 15 - Tessa Lark, violin
- July 22 - Jeewon Park, piano
- July 29 - Intersection:  Laura Frautschi, violin; Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello; John Novacek, piano

Special Events
Special events in the Rosen House during the 2009 Caramoor International Music Festival include popular events inaugurated during preceding seasons:

Soirée Tribute to the Rosens - on July 9 and 16 at 5:15pm this event will include cocktails in the cloisters, a brief presentation about the Rosens, a demonstration of the mysterious electronic musical instrument, the theremin, by Thom Holmes (Lucie Rosen was an accomplished and noted Theremin player), dinner on the East Porch, and the evening's concert (July 9 - Ayano Ninomiya, violin; July 16 - Jorge Luis Prats, piano).  Tickets are $65.00 and space is limited.

Upstairs - Downstairs - on July 11 and 26 at 4:00pm visitors will have the opportunity to see the upstairs rooms of the Rosen House.  These rooms are not usually open to the public and have an ambiance and atmosphere completely different from the public areas downstairs.  Guest rooms, only accessible via stairways, as well as the kitchen will be included.  Tickets are $13.00.

TICKETS
Tickets may be ordered by calling the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or online at www.caramoor.org. 

The historic Rosen House at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, New York.

ABOUT CARAMOOR
Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built their summer home - now known as the historic Rosen House at Caramoor - and filled it with their treasures.  Walter Rosen was the master planner for the Caramoor estate, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to showcase his vast collection and to entertain friends from around the world.  Their musical evenings were the seeds of today's Caramoor International Music Festival.  Realizing the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor - the house with its art collection, the gardens, and the musical programs on summer evenings - in 1946 the Rosens established a public charity to open Caramoor to the community.

Lucie Rosen survived her husband by seventeen years.  During those years, she expanded the Music Festival: the Spanish Courtyard was used as a setting for musical events, as it is today, and, under her direction, the great stage of the Venetian Theater was built.

Caramoor is often described as "a Garden of Great Music" where audiences are invited to come early, explore the beautiful grounds, take a tour of the Rosen House, visit the gift shop, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens.  With its unique heritage, Caramoor remains a place where magical summer days and nights are shared and enjoyed by thousands. "Caramoor is the loveliest Festival of them all." - The New York Times

Concert Venues, Art and Gardens
Concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard.  Caramoor is more than just music - there is beauty at every turn.  The Rosen House contains a vast collection of Renaissance, 18th-century, and Eastern art objects, including furniture, tapestries, sculpture, paintings, textiles, porcelain, and jade in twenty rooms that are open to the public.  There are entire rooms that were imported from European palaces and villas.  In fact, Caramoor is one of just five mansions in the country that incorporate entire rooms from historic Europe into its collection.  On Thursdays and Fridays, Afternoon Tea is served in the Summer Dining Room, overlooking the charming Spanish Courtyard.

Caramoor's gardens are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens.  Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, a Butterfly Garden, Tapestry Hedge, and Sunken Garden, which may be enjoyed on one's own or seen on a guided tour.

Enjoy a Picnic at Caramoor
Extend your Caramoor experience by arriving for concerts early and enjoying a picnic amidst the beautiful gardens.  Bring your own picnic or pre-order from Great Performances® by calling 212.337.6055.

Caramoor Al Fresco
Introduce your family to Caramoor and enjoy the sounds of the concert from the picnic grounds for only $10.00 per ticket on June 28 (Tiempo Libre), July 5 (Pacifica Quartet with Jeremy Denk), July 12 (Brentano String Quartet), July 19 (Paquito D'Rivera), and July 26 (Vladimir Feltsman).

Rosen House
Guided tours of the historic Rosen House at Caramoor are provided from Wednesday through Sunday, 1:00pm-4:00pm with the last tour at 3:00pm.  On Saturdays, during the Festival, tours are given from 1:00pm-5:00pm, with the last tour at 4:00pm.  Tickets are $10 (children 16 and under free).

GETTING TO CARAMOOR
Caramoor is easy to get to by car and mass transportation.  The Caramoor Caravan is available for Bel Canto at Caramoor performances.

By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey, take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah.  Exit at Route 35/Cross River.  Turn right and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor.  (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 2, or online at www.caramoor.org).  Parking at Caramoor is free.

By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah, New York. Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.

From Manhattan, take the Caramoor Caravan to Bel Canto at Caramoor opera performances on July 18, and 31, and ride comfortably in a luxurious, air-conditioned coach.  For information and reservations call the Caramoor Box Office at 914.232.1252.

TICKETS
Tickets may be ordered by calling the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or online at www.caramoor.org. 

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, New York.

CREDITS     
Performances are made possible, in part, by Arts Westchester, with funds from Westchester County Government
Performances are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

ALL PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Press Tickets:
Laura Malick
917.339.7183
lmalick@cohndutcher.com