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

CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND GENERAL DIRECTOR MICHAEL BARRETT
ANNOUNCES 64TH ANNUAL SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL

OPENING NIGHT GALA CONCERT ON JUNE 27
features Mezzo-Soprano Susan Graham
with the Orchestra of St. Luke's conducted by David Robertson

BEL CANTO AT CARAMOOR
Will Crutchfield, Director
Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore - Critical edition by Alberto Zedda
Rossini's Semiramide - Critical edition by Philip Gossett

ORCHESTRA AND SOLOISTS
Orchestra of St. Luke's 30th Anniversary at Caramoor
Alisa Weilerstein, Jonathan Biss, Susan Graham

SONIDOS LATINOS
Latin American Music Initiative Begins Third Year
Music of Cuba with Paquito D'Rivera, Tiempo Libre, Chuchito Valdés
and Jorge Luis Prats in his first Northeast U.S. performance

CHAMBER MUSIC AND RECITALS
Pacifica Quartet, Susan Graham, Caramoor Virtuosi, Vladimir Feltsman,
Aulos Ensemble, Brentano String Quartet, Ariel String Quartet

FAMILY EVENTS
Pops, Patriots & Fireworks - 4th of July Extravaganza with Fireworks
Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
Dancing at Dusk

AFRICAN ROOTS
Béla Fleck's Africa Project
Caramoor International Jazz Festival featuring Jazz Legends Randy Weston, Dianne Reeves, Junior Mance, Cedar Walton, Cyrus Chestnut among many others


 

Katonah, New York - Michael Barrett, Caramoor's Chief Executive and General Director has announced the 2009 Caramoor International Music Festival, metropolitan New York's largest outdoor music festival.  The wide-ranging summer program, Caramoor's 64th, will run for six weeks, opening Saturday, June 27 and continuing through Wednesday, August 5.  The Festival features renowned musicians and ensembles; the acclaimed Bel Canto at Caramoor opera program; the third year of the vibrant Latin American music initiative, Sonidos Latinos; a world premiere commissioned by Caramoor; family performances; the 30th anniversary of the Orchestra of St. Luke's residency, and the annual Jazz Festival.

Michael Barrett, now in his sixth year as artistic leader of the world-renowned Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, said, "It's no secret that the country and the world are facing challenging times.  Great music - food for the soul - becomes increasingly essential.  We are proud that in our 64th season we have a remarkable range of musical offerings, something to suit a great diversity of tastes and interests, from classical concerts and string quartets to banjo and Cuban timba and jazz."  Mr. Barrett continued, "We have kept many of our ticket prices frozen at 2008 levels, making affordable tickets available for all performances.  Early ticket sales indicate that our worldwide audience will be making Caramoor a destination once again this summer.  But we also want to remind local audiences that a trip to Caramoor can encompass not just a concert but tours of the gardens and the Rosen House and picnicking on our beautiful estate, making Caramoor an ideal daytrip "daycation" or "staycation" for audiences from Metropolitan New York, upstate New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2009 FESTIVAL

OPENING NIGHT GALA CELEBRATION AND CONCERT
Caramoor's 64th season opens with a gala evening on June 27 featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, the dazzling Metropolitan Opera star, singing a selection of Mozart's most beautiful and emotionally affecting arias:  Ch'io mi scordi di te…Non temer, amato bene, K. 505 and Deh per questo istante solo and Parto, parto ma tub en mio from La Clemenza di Tito.  The program, featuring Caramoor's resident Orchestra of St. Luke's and former Caramoor Rising Star guest pianist Ilya Polataev under the baton of David Robertson also features Rossini's Overture to La Gazza Ladra and concludes with the most famous symphony of all time, Beethoven's Fifth.

SONIDOS LATINOS
Sonidos Latinos, Caramoor's adventurous Latin American music initiative, continues for a third summer with a focus on the music of Cuba. Sonidos Latinos was established in 2007 with generous support from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  The continuing goal of the initiative is to bring Latin American music, often under-represented in classical music venues, to a position of importance commensurate with the growing prominence and influence of Latin American culture in our society. 

This summer features five performance of Latin music:
- June 28 - Sonidos Latinos I - Tiempo Libre
The top timba (Cuban Salsa) band in the country, two-time Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre opens the third year of Sonidos Latinos with high voltage Latin Jazz and hard-driving Cuban rhythms.

- July 16 - Sonidos Latinos II - Jorge Luis Prats
Acknowledged internationally as one of Cuba's finest pianists and arguably one of the world's greatest living pianists, Jorge Luis Prats recently left his native land and settled in the U.S.  Caramoor audiences will have the first opportunity to "discover" this remarkable, sought-after musician - acclaimed for the beauty of his sound, technical mastery, and depth of interpretation - in his first performance in the Northeast.

- July 19 - Sonidos Latinos III - Paquito D'Rivera
Sonidos Latinos star Paquito D'Rivera, Caramoor's 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence, returns with his first-ever all-Cuban band - Mike Rodriquez, trumpet; Manuel Valera, piano; Richard Padron, guitar; Charles Flores, bass; Ernesto Simpson, drums; and Pedro Martinez, percussion - in a sizzling program improvising through the musical styles of native Cuba.

- August 1 - Sonidos Latinos IV - Chuchito Valdes Quartet
Continuing the family legacy of great piano players from Cuba, Chuchito Valdes and his quartet plays a foot-stomping Latin jazz set on the first day of Caramoor's annual Jazz Festival.

- August 2 - Sonidos Latinos V - Luciana Souza and Romero Lubambo
The Brazilian sensations Luciana Souza, a Grammy-winning vocalist, and guitarist Romero Lubambo conclude the summer 2009 Sonidos Latinos series on the second day of Caramoor's Jazz Festival. 

BEL CANTO AT CARAMOOR
Under the leadership of Will Crutchfield, Director of Opera, the 13th season of Bel Canto at Caramoor, an annual operatic exploration that The New York Times called "an essential contribution," will feature a fresh look at a Bel Canto classic, Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) and the last and grandest opera Rossini composed for his native Italy, Semiramide.  The latter will include the dramatic death scene Rossini added for Paris, reconstructed by Philip Gossett. 

L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love), on Saturday, July 18 at 8:00pm, continues Caramoor's recent series of familiar classics renewed and reanimated by the study of 19th-century bel canto style, which has surprised and charmed audiences in recent Caramoor revivals of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Traviata and Il Trovatore. Star tenor Lawrence Brownlee takes on the classic role of Nemorino for the first time anywhere and returning Caramoor Bel Canto favorites Georgia Jarman as Adina, Marco Nistico as the quack doctor Dulcamara, and Markus Beam as Belcore.

With Semiramide on Friday, July 31 at 8:00pm the program carries forward its superlative and widely praised presentation of Rossini's serious operas, beginning with the inaugural production of La Donna del Lago in 1997.  Soprano Angela Meade makes her Caramoor debut as the Babylonian queen opposite Vivica Genaux, a Caramoor favorite, Lawrence Brownlee, and Daniel Mobbs in Philip Gossett's critical edition.

Both operas will be performed in concert with English supertitles.

In addition to presenting the world's foremost singers, Bel Canto at Caramoor has always been dedicated to the training of a new generation of singers.  A select group of rising Bel Canto young artists will join the guest soloists in the productions and present further musical perspectives on various themes in afternoon and early-evening programs before each opera.  During the afternoon and evening of the Saturday opera performance on July 18 ticket-holders may enjoy pre-opera lectures and recitals along with the opportunity to picnic in Caramoor's gardens.  On Friday, July 31 prior to the performances of Semiramide there will be a pre-opera recital and pre-opera lecture.  (See opera release for complete information.)

July 18 - Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore
Who could have guessed that, writing in a hurry between the 36th and 38th of his nearly seventy operas, for a secondary theater in Milan while he was in town for something more important at La Scala, Donizetti would produce one of the four or five most beloved comic operas in history?  And who could have imagined that, when he tossed a free-standing tenor aria into the last act (there is no recitative or introductory scene; Nemorino just walks on stage unannounced and begins "Una furtiva lagrima") he would be penning his most celebrated single composition?  L'Elisir d'amore, composed in about six weeks early in 1832 for a cast of mostly little-known singers, has been a success and attracted the stars ever since.  It has a perfect balance between whimsy (the idea of the love potion), low comedy (Nemorino's drunken scene) and sentiment (throughout).  Its durable stereotypes (the lovesick peasant lad; the sophisticated girl who loves him; the swaggering sergeant; the charlatan doctor) are enlivened by Donizetti's light and affectionate touch with the music and his wealth of truly memorable melody. 

July 31 - Rossini's Semiramide
Semiramide could hardly offer a greater contrast.  It was not at all tossed off but was rather the carefully meditated culmination of a long series of grand operas by the leading composer of the age:  Rossini's last opera for Italy, in fact.  It is almost Baroque in its grandeur and in the stately unfolding of its magnificent musical ideas.  Crutchfield says of Semiramide that "it is not so much a drama as a single moment of the utmost dramatic tension, sustained and elaborated until the tension must break into catastrophe."  The opera has almost no plot: one terrible event, the murder of a king by his own queen, has happened before the curtain rises, and one more - expiation through the queen's death at her own son's hand - must happen at the close.  The dénoument is foreshadowed and broadly hinted at throughout, starting from Act One scene one.  What passes in between is almost an oratorio, but one of immense musical and emotional force.

ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE'S - 30th Anniversary at Caramoor
The 2009 Caramoor International Music Festival marks the 30th anniversary of its association with the renowned Orchestra of St. Luke's, Caramoor's Orchestra-in-Residence since 1979.  In addition to performing on Opening Night, June 27 with guest artist Susan Graham, and the two Bel Canto at Caramoor performances, they will be featured in concerts with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Jonathan Biss, as well as a 4th of July great American music and fireworks extravaganza, and a family-focused performance of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.

- July 4 - Pops, Patriots & Fireworks
Vocalist Darius de Haas joins the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Michael Barrett, for a 4th of July celebration of great American music, including favorites for the entire family, with children under 12 admitted at half price.  Alan Menken's hits from beloved Disney films will be performed along with Sousa marches and music by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and other greats.  A dazzling display of fireworks will conclude the evening as families gather on Caramoor's lawn following the concert.
 
- July 11 - Alisa Weilerstein Plays Haydn
The most brilliant cellist of her generation returns to Caramoor for a celebration of Haydn. The program includes Symphony No. 6 in D Major, and Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Major, and Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485.

- July 25 - Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
Conductor Michael Barrett and the Orchestra of St. Luke's perform Prokofiev's masterpiece of music and storytelling (narrator to be announced).  Eric Satie's brief and zany Sports and Divertisements kicks off this afternoon concert, exploring the musical worlds of tennis, golf, yachting, and even the picnic.  Appropriate for ages 6 and up.  There will be a simultaneous program performed for children under the age of 6.

- July 25 - Jonathan Biss Plays Mozart
Conductor Peter Oundjian returns to Caramoor with acclaimed young pianist Jonathan Biss in a program of Grieg's Holberg Suite, Op. 40; Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite; and Mozart's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 21, in C Major, K. 467.

AFRICAN ROOTS:  Béla Fleck, Caramoor International Jazz Festival
- July 3 - Béla Fleck - The Africa Project
The world's premiere banjo virtuoso has been a dominant creative force in bluegrass, jazz, pop, classical, and world music.  For The Africa Project, he journeyed to Africa to explore the little known origins of the banjo.  This pioneering collaboration with some of the continent's greatest musicians resulted in the award-winning documentary and recording Throw Down Your Heart.

- August 1 and 2 - Caramoor International Jazz Festival
The 2009 Caramoor International Music Festival concludes with two days of stellar line-ups of jazz legends and new voices, assembled by Jazz Producer Jim Luce. 

Dianne Reeves, one of the premier vocalists in the world, headlines this year's festival with her program Strings Attached featuring guitar masters Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo. After his sizzling performance in last year's Cuban Piano Summit, pianist Chuchito Valdés returns with his quartet to kick off the evening Cubanismo style.  New York City-based French pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc opens the afternoon with his trio, in a performance of his Chaplin Suite: music reflecting and inspired by Charlie Chaplin's films.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the recording of the John Coltrane masterpiece Giant Steps.  Legendary pianist, Cedar Walton, who participated in these sessions, has assembled an ensemble to pay tribute to this historic music.  Twenty-five year old Gerald Clayton, with his trio, demonstrates why he is one of the most significant young pianists emerging today.

The festival's second day opens with two trios, the Junior Mance Trio and the Cyrus Chestnut Trio.  The leading Brazilian duo of singer Luciana Souza and guitarist Romero Lubambo present a sultry and expansive set of music from their native Brazil.  The Jazz Festival concludes with jazz piano legend Randy Weston African Rhythms in an exploration of the connections between Afro-American jazz and the ancestral rhythms of the African continent. On both days, sets are scheduled to allow visitors to come and go throughout the afternoon and evening.

August 1 - Jazz Festival I
3:00pm - Modern Lights, original music by Jean-Michel Pilc, scenes inspired by the work and music of Charlie Chaplin, with the Jean-Michel Pilc Trio
4:15pm - Cedar Walton presents "50 Years of Giant Steps:  The Music of Coltrane and Walton"
5:30pm - Gerald Clayton Trio
Dinner Break
8:00pm - Chuchito Valdés Quartet.  Dianne Reeves: Strings Attached, featuring Romero Lubambo and Russell Malone

August 2 - Jazz Festival II
2:30pm - Junior Mance Trio
3:30pm - Cyrus Chestnut Trio
4:45pm - Luciana Souza, vocals, and Romero Lubambo, guitar
6:00pm - Randy Weston African Rhythms  

CHAMBER MUSIC AND RECITALS
Stellar string quartets, Caramoor introductions, and solo recitals include:
- July 2 - David Leisner - Guitar in the Garden
The extraordinary guitarist infuses the flower-scented evening air with lyricism and beauty in the tranquil Sunken Garden.

- July 5 - Pacifica Quartet with Jeremy Denk
The 2009 Grammy Award-winning quartet returns to Caramoor and joins one of today's most compelling young pianist in a scintillating program of works by Mendelssohn, Ligeti, and Dvoøák.

- July 9 - Introductions:  Ayano Ninomiya
Caramoor Virtuoso and former Rising Star violinist Ayano Ninomiya makes her Caramoor recital debut in a program of works by Bartók, Fauré, Schumann, and Robert Mann.

- July 10 - Susan Graham in Recital
In her second Caramoor performance of the summer, the dynamic mezzo-soprano, acclaimed for her roles in French opera, presents a journey through a hundred years of French art song, bringing together 24 songs from 22 French composers.

- July 12 - Brentano String Quartet
The leading American string quartet of its generation present an intricately constructed program exploring polyphony and counterpoint through works by Monteverdi, Haydn, and Beethoven.

- July 17 - Aulos Ensemble
The peerless Baroque band that performs on period instruments will be joined by soprano Dominique Labelle for a celebration of Handel's vocal and instrumental work, including a suite from the Water Music, an oboe concerto, and Handel's Aviary, a group of arias evoking nature.

- July 26 - Vladimir Feltsman
The Russian pianist is one of the most consummately interesting artists performing today and he returns to Caramoor to perform three masterpieces:  Bach's first published work, Partita No. 1 in B-flat, BWV 825; Beethoven's early success, Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (Pathétique); and a full dose of Russian virtuosity, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

- July 30 - Ariel String Quartet - world premiere of a Caramoor Commission
Caramoor's 2008-09 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence completes its residency with a world premiere of Yohanan Chendler's Quartet, commissioned by Caramoor, and two masterpieces from the quartet repertoire:  Mozart's Quartet in D Major, K. 499 (Hoffmeister); and Mendelssohn's Quartet in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2.

CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI AND RISING STARS
Caramoor Virtuosi
Each summer, after spending the year performing in the most important concert venues throughout the world, the Caramoor Virtuosi return to Caramoor for a week-long residency culminating in ensemble performances that highlight their collaborative approach to chamber music.  This year the Virtuosi, under Artistic Director Edward Arron, present two wonderfully diverse programs.  Thursday night's concert features Franck's shimmering Piano Quintet - a watershed work of late Romanticism - and Mozart's masterful second string quintet.  On Friday night, the Virtuosi conclude their residency by celebrating Mendelssohn's bicentennial with the glorious and giddy Octet.

- July 23 - Caramoor Virtuosi I
The program will include Dvorak's Terzetto in C Major for two violins and viola, Op. 74; Mozart's String Quintet No. 2 in C minor, K. 406; and Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor.

- July 24 - Caramoor Virtuosi II
Menotti's Suite for Two Cellos and Piano; Schnittke's Piano Quintet; and Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 20, performed in celebration of his bicentennial.

Rising Stars
The Rising Stars are chosen for their talent and musicality to best benefit from the distinguished artists who mentor, coach, and perform with them in the ensembles.  Though Caramoor presents a full slate of world-class artists and ensembles every summer, it is equally committed to the cultivation of emerging talent.  In 1992, then Artistic Director André Previn initiated the Rising Stars Program by inviting eight young instrumentalists to join distinguished artists for a week of chamber music activities.

Some of the 2008 Rising Stars are featured as part of the Wednesday Morning Concert series, held every Wednesday morning at 11:00 am in the Rosen House Music Room.

DANCING AT DUSK
On the first Wednesday of each summer month (pre-Festival on June 3, during the Festival on July 1 and August 5), audiences are invited to come to Caramoor for an affordable evening of fun with the kids:  only $20 per car!  Children of all ages can dance to live music, interact with the musicians, get to know the instruments, and ask questions.  Dancing at Dusk, which begins late in the afternoon, is a wonderful way to introduce children to music in a relaxed and joyous way.

FEATURED ARTISTS
Caramoor will present an outstanding array of artists during the 2009 Festival.

Ariel String Quartet - July 30
The youthful and talented Ariel String Quartet - Sasha Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violins; Sergey Tarashchansky, viola; Amit Even-Tov, cello - is Caramoor's 2008-09 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence.  The Quartet was founded in Jerusalem in 1998 and coached by the violinist Avi Abramovich at the Jerusalem Conservatory of Music and Dance and later at the Jerusalem Academy.  The members were part of the Young Musicians Group of the Jerusalem Music Centre.  Since their debut in 2000 at the Jerusalem Music Center, the quartet has performed in major venues in Israel and abroad.  Recent appearances include the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Kaisersaal in Frankfurt, the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Neue Galerie in New York City and Jordan Hall in Boston.  In 2003, the Ariel String Quartet won First Prize in the "Franz Schubert and the Music of Modernity" international competition held in Graz, Austria, and the audience prize at the "Aviv" competition in Tel Aviv.  In 2006, they were Grand Prize winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.  In September 2007, they were represented Israel at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. They were given the Székely Prize for the outstanding performance of a Bartók String Quartet.

Edward Arron - July 23, July 24
Cellist Edward Arron, Artistic Director of the Caramoor Virtuosi, has rapidly gained worldwide recognition for his elegant musicianship, impassioned performances, and creative programming.  A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Arron made his New York recital debut in 2000 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Earlier that year, he performed Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Cellos with Yo-Yo Ma and the Orchestra of St. Luke's at the Opening Night Gala Concert of the Caramoor International Festival.  Since that time, Mr. Arron has appeared in recital, as a soloist with orchestras, and as a chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East.  The 2008-09 season marked Mr. Arron's fifth as the Artistic Coordinator of the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, a chamber ensemble created in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Museum's prestigious Concerts and Lectures series.  Edward Arron was a Caramoor Rising Star in 1993, 1994, 1997, and 1999.

Aulos Ensemble - July 17
Formed in 1973 by five graduates of The Juilliard School, the Aulos Ensemble was at the forefront of the now vigorous movement to perform with original period instruments. With the release of their first recording in 1978, Aulos' reputation for exhilarating performances informed with scholarly insight was firmly established.  Since the 1980's, Aulos has brought the joy of its music making to an ever-larger public through its appearances on America's major chamber music series and its expanding discography.  It inaugurated a New York concert series featuring guest artists prominent in the field of original instruments collaborating with the ensemble.  Members of the Aulos Ensemble are Christopher Krueger, playing flute; Marc Schachman, playing Baroque oboe; Linda Quan, playing Baroque violin; Myron Lutzke, playing Baroque violoncello; and Arthur Haas playing harpsichord.

Michael Barrett - July 4, July 25
Michael Barrett is Chief Executive and General Director of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, where he is responsible for year-round administration and programming and for the Caramoor International Music Festival each summer.  In 2003, building on a career of twenty-five years of artistic programming and performing experience, Mr. Barrett assumed his position at Caramoor, where he leads the artistic mission of the organization.  In the last four seasons, Mr. Barrett has reaffirmed his reputation as an innovator.  He has enhanced and implemented programming for a wide variety of ambitious music rarely heard in a festival setting.  In 1988, he co-founded, with Steven Blier, the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), which presents a diversity of thematic song recitals in New York City and beyond and, in 1992, co-founded the Moab Music Festival (MMF) with his wife, violist Leslie Tomkins.  Mr. Barrett has been a guest conductor with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France, among others.  He also has served as conductor, producer, and music director of numerous special projects, among them the world premiere of Volpone by John Musto at Wolf Trap in 2004; Hopper's Wife by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie at the Long Beach Opera; and, most recently, Lucrezia and Bastianello, a double bill of one-act comic operas by William Bolcom and John Musto at Carnegie Hall and Caramoor.

Jonathan Biss - July 25
American pianist Jonathan Biss has acquired a flourishing international reputation through his orchestral and recital performances.  Winner of the 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award, Mr. Biss has performed with many major orchestras throughout the world.  An enthusiastic performer of chamber music, he frequently collaborates with chamber ensembles such as the Borromeo, Mendelssohn, and Vermeer quartets.  He last appeared at Caramoor in March 2009 in a Great Artists in the Music Room concert celebrating Mendelssohn's 200th anniversary.

Brentano String Quartet - July 12
Since its inception in 1992, the Brentano String Quartet has appeared throughout the world to popular and critical acclaim.  Within a few years of its formation, the Quartet garnered the first Cleveland Quartet Award and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and, in 1996, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center invited them to be the inaugural members of Chamber Music Society Two, a program which was to become a coveted distinction for chamber groups and individuals.  The Quartet had its first European tour in 1997 and was honored in the U.K. with the Royal Philharmonic Award for Most Outstanding Debut.  In recent seasons the Quartet has traveled widely, appearing all over the United States and Canada, in Europe, Japan and Australia, performing in the world's most prestigious venues.  The Quartet - Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violins; Misha Amory, viola; Nina Lee, cello - is named for Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars consider to be Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved," the intended recipient of his famous love confession.

Lawrence Brownlee - July 18, July 31
In the span of just seven years, the remarkable Lawrence Brownlee has proven himself to be one of the most prominent bel canto tenors on the national and international scenes. He is lauded repeatedly for the beauty of his voice, as well as his seemingly effortless technical agility, and dynamic and engaging dramatic skills.  His schedule regularly comprises a varied array of debuts and return engagements at renowned music centers for appearances with the world's most prominent opera companies, orchestras and presenting organizations.  Mr. Brownlee was the winner of both the 2006 Marian Anderson and Richard Tucker Awards, a feat never before achieved by any artist in the same year. Additionally, he was honored with a 2003 ARIA Award, a 2003 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, and was a 2001 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  He was a participant in young artist programs at both the Seattle and Wolf Trap Operas.

Cyrus Chestnut Trio - August 2
Cyrus Chestnut first studied piano with his father at the age of five, with official lessons beginning two years later.  By the age of nine, he was enrolled in the prep program at the Peabody Institute.  He graduated from Berklee with a degree in jazz composition and arranging. Mr. Chestnut took his time, working with a number of top-notch musicians (Jon Hendricks, Betty Carter, Terence Blanchard, and Donald Harrison) before finally recording his first solo CD at the age of 30.  He enjoys mixing styles and resists being typecast in any one niche, though his gospel sound is apparent on a number of his recordings. His discography includes Cyrus Chestnut, Tribute to Duke Ellington, Charlie Brown Christmas, and Soul Food.

Gerald Clayton Trio - August 1
Pianist Gerald Clayton, born in 1984, followed in the family tradition (son of bassist John Clayton, nephew of reedman Jeff Clayton) and began classical piano lessons at the age of six.  He graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 2002, having won the Spotlight Award in 2001 and the Outstanding Soloist Award at the Monterey High School Jazz Competition in both 2001 and 2002.  He is leader of the Gerald Clayton Trio, all three members of which have been awarded the Shelly Manne Memorial New Talent Award by the Los Angeles Jazz Society.

Will Crutchfield - July 18, July 31
Will Crutchfield spent his teens as a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist, made his name as a writer and musicologist in the mid-1980s (becoming the youngest music critic in the history of The New York Times), and returned to his theater roots in the mid-1990s to conduct opera.  After initial conducting successes with productions in small companies and conservatories, Crutchfield was named to two positions:  Director of Opera for the Caramoor International Music Festival (1997-present) and Music Director of the Opera de Colombia in Bogota (1999-2005).  He has upcoming guest engagements in theaters in the U.S. and abroad and has been actively involved in training the next generation of singers, having served on the faculties of all three New York conservatories: The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and The New School of Music.

Paquito D'Rivera - July 19
Caramoor's 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence, Paquito D'Rivera was a child prodigy on the clarinet and saxophone and performed with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra at a very early age.  He founded the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna and Irakere, whose explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music was a groundbreaking addition to the Cuban musical milieu.  His discography includes over 30 solo albums, and he has appeared in solo performances throughout the world.  In 2005, the multi-Grammy Award winner was the recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government.  D'Rivera's Concerto for Double Bass, Clarinet/Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (Conversations with Cachao), commissioned by Caramoor, received its world premiere during the 2007 Caramoor International Music Festival.

Darius de Haas - July 4
Bridging the gap between music and theater, Darius de Haas' resume reads like a multifaceted road map of the performing arts.While pursuing a double major in music and theater at Columbia College, he worked with some of Chicago's finest theater companies including Northlight and The Goodman.  A scholarship to study at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy brought him to New York.  After graduating, he was cast as Daniel in the first national tour of Once On This Island.  He made his Broadway debut in Kiss of the Spider Woman and went on to be featured in various Broadway productions including Lincoln Center's revival of Carousel, Rent, and Marie Christine.  Darius de Haas has appeared in film and TV and his voice can be heard on the film soundtracks of Anastasia, Martin & Orloff, and the Oscar winning Chicago.

Jeremy Denk - July 5
In 1998, Jeremy Denk won both the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and received a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.  Over the past decade, the pianist's career has flourished and he has garnered critical acclaim for his engagements with leading orchestras and presenters nationwide.  In addition to performances at Caramoor, Ravinia, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Spoleto Festival, he has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and with many others.  Mr. Denk made his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in April 1997 as the winner of the Juilliard Piano Debut Award, and his Carnegie Hall recital debut with Beethoven's Hammerklavier and the Ives Concord, MA sonata.   Recent solo appearances include all-Beethoven and all-Bach recitals in Philadelphia, two programs at the Mostly Mozart Festival at New York's Lincoln Center, as well as recitals in Boston and Washington DC.

Vladimir Feltsman - July 26
An artist of immense range and insight, pianist Vladimir Feltsman is recognized as one of the most imaginative, versatile, and constantly interesting musicians of our time.  A regular guest soloist with every leading orchestra in the United States, he appears on the most prestigious concert series and music festivals throughout the world.  In addition to his recital at Caramoor, this season's performance highlights include performances of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 at Lincoln Center and in Chicago and Paris with the London Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, concerts with New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra de Paris, the New World Symphony, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Soloist Orchestra, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.  Mr. Feltsman's vast repertoire encompasses music from the Baroque to 20th century composers.  His extensive discography includes six albums of clavier works of J.S. Bach, recordings of Beethoven's last five piano sonatas, solo piano works of Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, and Messiaen, as well as concerti by Bach, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev.

Béla Fleck - July 3
Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world.  A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs.  While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by fellow banjo renegade Tony Trischka.  In 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, with material that ranged from straight ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea's "Spain."  In 1982, Mr. Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, making a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects ever since as a virtuoso instrumentalist.  In 1989, he formed the genre-busting Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as himself.  Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in his renowned Tales From the Acoustic Planet series, is his most ambitious project to date.  In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Béla Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves.  Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning film of the same name, which Mr. Fleck and director Sascha Paladino have been premiering at festivals nationwide.  Transcending barriers of language and culture, Béla Fleck finds common ground with musicians ranging from local villagers to international superstars such as the Malian diva Oumou Sangaré to create some of the most meaningful music of his career.

Vivica Genaux - July 31
Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux, 2007 winner of the New York City Opera's Christopher Keene Award, returns to Caramoor where she was first introduced to New York-area audiences in 1996 in Rossini's La Cenerentola, conducted by Will Crutchfield.  She continues to be praised for her extraordinary performances on the world's great musical stages, not only for the technical command and beauty of her distinctive voice, but also for her compelling character portrayals.  She is consistently hailed as one of today's foremost interpreters of the music of the Baroque and Bel Canto eras.  This summer marks her ninth engagement at Caramoor and her first following her participation in Sonidos Latinos in 2008.

Susan Graham - June 27, July 10
Susan Graham, one of today's foremost opera stars, is a versatile and compelling singing actress with a devoted international audience. She has sung leading roles from the Baroque and Classical to contemporary creations in the great opera houses of the world, including at:  the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Dresden's Semperoper, and at the Salzburg Festival, and she has appeared with most of the world's leading conductors and orchestras.  In great demand at home and abroad, the Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano enchants audiences with her expressive voice, her natural, engaging acting ability in both comedy and tragedy, and with her tall and graceful stature. A cover article in Gramophone magazine dubbed her "America's favorite mezzo."

Georgia Jarman - July 18
A sought-after artist in Bel Canto repertoire, Georgia Jarman has appeared numerous times in Bel Canto at Caramoor, most recently in 2006 as Amenaide in Tancredi with Ewa Podles.  Her previous engagements at the Caramoor Music Festival include her first performances of La Traviata as well as the title role in Handel's Deidamia, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Amina in La Sonnambula.  She joined Caramoor's Director of Opera, Will Crutchfield, in her debut with Opera de Colombia for Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she has also sung with New York City Opera along with Adina in L'elisir d'amore, and has sung Marie in La Fille du Regiment with Florentine Opera and Indianapolis Opera.  She made her European debut as Amelia in Gustave III Ou Le Bal Masque at L'Opéra de Metz in France and recently joined Polish National Opera, reprising her celebrated performances of Amenaide in Tancredi, again with Ewa Podles.

David Leisner - July 2
Regarded as one of the world's leading classical guitarists, David Leisner's superb musicianship and provocative programming have been applauded by critics and audiences around the world.  His career as a guitarist began auspiciously with top prizes in both the 1975 Toronto and 1981 Geneva International Guitar Competitions.  In the 1980s, a disabling hand injury, focal dystonia, interrupted his performing career in mid-stream and plagued him for 12 years.  Through a pioneering approach to technique based on his understanding of the physical aspects of playing the guitar, Leisner gradually rehabilitated himself.  Now completely recovered, he has once again resumed an active performing career, earning accolades wherever he plays.  His recent seasons have taken him around the U.S., including his solo debut with the Atlanta Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and reappearances in Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Junior Mance Trio - August 2
Junior Mance, born Julian Clifford Mance, Jr., in Chicago, Illinois on October 10, 1928, is a jazz pianist, composer, author of How to Play Blues Piano, and recording artist of thirty plus albums as a leader and numerous recordings as a sideman.  Junior began playing the piano at the age of five, but did not begin formal training until the age of eight. He started playing professionally during his early teens.   In 1947 he joined Gene Ammons and, in 1949, joined Lester Young for almost two years before being drafted into the U.S. Army.  After his discharge he became part of the house rhythm section at the Bee Hive Jazz Club in Chicago for a year and accompanied jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Sonny Stitt, and many others.  In 1954, Junior Mance joined and toured with Dinah Washington and joined Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1958.  In 1961, he formed the Junior Mance Trio and has toured with the trio and as a solo artist consistently ever since. 

Angela Meade - July 31
American soprano, Angela Meade made her critically acclaimed professional operatic debut at the Metropolitan Opera in March of 2008, as Elvira in Verdi's rarely heard Ernani.  Ms. Meade joined an elite club that evening; as only a small handful of singers have ever made an unscheduled professional debut in a leading role at the Met.  During her performances at the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where she was named a Grand Winner, The New York Times hailed her as "an impressive soprano who powered out a 'Casta Diva' from Bellini's Norma that left everyone breathless."  Ms. Meade was also the winner of the XVI International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 2007, where she also captured the renowned competition's top prizes in Opera and Operetta, the first singer in the competition's long history to capture both first prizes, as well as the Prize of the Teatro alla Scala Milan and the Prize of the International Media-Jury.  In 2008 Ms. Meade was also the top winner in the second annual Jose Iturbi Foundation Competition.

Daniel Mobbs - July 31
American baritone Daniel Mobbs has won praise on both sides of the Atlantic, performing roles with major opera companies all over the world. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, his awards include first place in both the College Division of the MacAllister Awards and the Mario Lanza Scholarship. He is a winner of the Sullivan Foundation Award and also a recipient of a grant from the Puccini Foundation.  Mr. Mobbs has sung frequently with Bel Canto at Caramoor, most recently during the 2008 Caramoor International Music Festival in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  In 2008 the New York City Opera awarded him the Kolozsvar Award, recognizing his "memorable performance of multiple roles in the Mark Morris production of Purcell's King Arthur."

Ayano Ninomiya -July 9
Born in Takamatsu, Japan, violinist Ayano Ninomiya moved to the United States at the age of one and began violin studies at seven.  In 2003, she received a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Robert Mann.  She also holds joint degrees in Music and French from Harvard College.  Ms. Ninomiya, a former Caramoor Rising Star and current member of the Caramoor Virtuosi, has appeared extensively as a soloist with orchestras across the United States.  She recently toured Europe with "Musicians from Marlboro" and gave her much acclaimed New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall under the auspices of the Naumburg Foundation.  Also an avid chamber musician, Ms. Ninomiya performs regularly at the Marlboro, Rockport, and Strings in the Mountains chamber music festivals.

Marco Nistico - July 31
Marco Nistico has sung frequently with Bel Canto at Caramoor, most recently in Verdi's La Forza del Destino last summer.  Among his career highlights are Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Pallante in Handel's Agrippina, Prudenzio in Il Viaggio a Reims, Schaunard in La Bohéme, and Dancairo in Carmen with New York City Opera; Francesco Foscari in Verdi's I Due Foscari with Sarasota Opera; Antonio in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix at Caramoor; Buffo in Mozart's The Impresario with L'Opéra de Monte Carlo; Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Toledo Opera, in Bologna, in Amsterdam, and on tour throughout the Netherlands with Eurostage Productions.  Concert highlights have included performances with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Schubert's Mass in C with Mid America Productions, and a Carnegie Hall debut as baritone soloist in the Fauré Requiem.

Peter Oundjian - July 25
Peter Oundjian's relationship with Caramoor began in 1981 as the first violinist of the renowned Tokyo String Quartet, a position he held for 14 years.  He made his formal conducting debut at Caramoor in 1995, sharing the podium with André Previn in a concert with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.  In 1997, he began a ten-year formal artistic relationship with Caramoor, where he most recently served as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor.  Peter Oundjian has been Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since the 2004-2005 season.

Pacifica Quartet - July 5
Formed in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet – Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, violins; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello – swept top prizes in several leading international competitions including the Concert Artists Guild Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Competition.  Most recent honors include the 2009 Grammy Award for "Best Chamber Music Performance" for its recording of Elliott Carter's String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 and being named 2009 Ensemble of the Year by Musical America.  The Pacifica also won the 2003 Cleveland Quartet Award, and in 2006 it was awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, only the second chamber music ensemble ever to be selected.  The Pacifica Quartet tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, performing in the world's major concert halls in cities such as Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Tokyo.

Jean-Michel Pilc - August 1
Born in 1960 in Paris and now an American citizen, self-taught pianist Jean-Michel Pilc has played with Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Rick Margitza, Martial Solal, Michel Portal, Daniel Humair, Marcus Miller, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White, Chris Potter, John Abercrombie, Mingus Dynasty & Big Band, Lew Soloff, and Richard Bona. He has also worked with Harry Belafonte, as his musical director and pianist.  Mr. Pilc moved to New York City in 1995. There, he formed a trio with François Moutin (bass) and Ari Hoenig (drums). They recorded a one week engagement at Sweet Basil and, in 2000, released two CDs:  Jean-Michel Pilc Trio - Together - Live at Sweet Basil, NYC - Vol. 1 & 2.  In the last decade, Mr. Pilc has been intensively touring worldwide, performing trio, solo, and also teaching clinics and master classes.

Ilya Polataev - June 27
Ilya Poletaev leads a multi-faceted career as a classically trained pianist as well as a performer on early keyboards.  As a solo pianist, he has appeared with the Toronto and Hartford symphony orchestras; as a chamber musician, he has performed alongside such distinguished artists as Donald Weilerstein, Gary Hoffmann, and Boris Berman.  In addition to Caramoor, he has also appears at such festivals as the Sarasota, Norfolk, the Banff Festival of the Arts, the Orford Arts Center, Yellow Barn Music Festival, and Stratford Summer Music Festival.  As a harpsichordist, he has been the recipient of Early Music America scholarship and has been heard at the Vancouver Early Music, Amherst Early music festivals, as well as at Dartington Summer Music in the U.K.

Jorge Luis Prats - July 16
Jorge Luis Prats was born in Camagüey, Cuba, graduated from the National Arts College, and earned a scholarship at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow where he studied under Rudolf Kerer.  He continued his higher piano education at the Paris Conservatory and later on at the Hochshüle für Müsik und Künstler in Vienna under Paul Badura Skoda and Magda Tagliaferro in Paris. He also participated in master classes given by Witold Malcuzcynski in Warsaw.  He won the Grand Prix at the prestigious piano competition "Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud" together with the special prizes to the best interpretation of Maurice Ravel and André Jolivet along with the Chevillon Bonnard and Mohan awards at the same competition in Paris, 1977.  He obtained the Gold Medal at the Katia Popova Festival in Bulgaria and the First Prize of the Amadeo Roldán Piano Competition in Havana, Cuba.  Mr. Prats' concert tours have taken him to every nation in the European continent, North, South and Central America, China, Japan, and Korea. He has performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic in London, the BBC Orchestra, EOS Orchestra of New York, and with the Dallas Symphony.

Dianne Reeves - August 1
Dianne Reeves is a vocalist with an international reputation and following.  She made her name in the late 80's, when she was discovered by Blue Note Records at a time of a worldwide revival of interest in jazz.  Born in Detroit but raised from the age of two in Denver, she was still in high school, singing with the high-school big band, when she was spotted by trumpeter Clark Terry at the National Association of Jazz Educators Conference in Chicago.  In Los Angeles in the mid-70's, Ms. Reeves' vocal range led her quickly into the West Coast's studio scene, where she became very much in demand, recording for drummer Lenny White, saxophonist the late Stanley Turrentine and drummer Alphonzo Johnson.  Between 1978 and 1980, she worked full-time with Los Angeles-based pianist Billy Childs, who co-produced her debut album, the acclaimed Welcome to My Love.  But it was in 1987 that she had her biggest break, when Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall spotted her at an Echoes of Ellington concert in Los Angeles, and wasted no time in setting up her first major session.  The resulting Dianne Reeves featured George Duke, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Stanley Clarke and her old friend Billy Childs, and rocketed Dianne Reeves to international fame.

David Robertson - June 27
American conductor David Robertson is highly acclaimed worldwide for his impeccable musicianship, exhilarating presence, and innovative programming, which continue to inspire and enthrall audiences and fellow musicians alike.  Equally at home in both orchestral and operatic realms, Mr. Robertson's combination of passion and intellect have established him as a leading interpreter of both the standard classical repertoire as well as less traditional works of our time.  2009 finds Mr. Robertson in his fourth season as Music Director of the 129-year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, while continuing as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post to which he was appointed in 2005.  In addition to his commitments with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he continues to guest conduct nationally and internationally including appearances in the U.S. with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the San Francisco Symphony and Seattle Symphony.  Internationally, Mr. Robertson appears with the Sydney Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Tiempo Libre - June 28
Two-time Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre is one the hottest young Latin bands today.  Equally at home in concert halls, jazz clubs, and dance venues, the members of the Miami-based band are true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba.  Tiempo Libre's members were all classically trained in Cuba's premiere conservatories at a time when it was illegal to listen to American songs on the radio. Now, the group is a hit in the U.S. and abroad, celebrated for its incendiary, joyful performances of timba, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of high-voltage Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son.  Tiempo Libre's members were all enjoying thriving careers in Latin music performing, touring and recording with such artists as Albita, Cachao, Arturo Sandoval, NG La Banda, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Isaac Delgado, when the seven extraordinary musicians came together to realize their collective musical dream: to create the first authentic all-Cuban timba band in the United States.  Their eagerness to share their music with others led these multi-talented individuals to come together between projects to develop their new style together, hence the name Tiempo Libre (Free Time).

Chuchito Valdés - August 1
Chuchito Valdés, following in the footsteps of his famed father Chucho Valdés and grandfather Bebo Valdés, continues the legacy of great piano players from Cuba.  With influences of Caribbean rhythms and jazz, Mr. Valdés creates an exciting and energetic blend of spicy music that drives audiences wild.  He has recorded and performed piano with the world renowned Cuban band, Irakere, which he led for two years, and has also performed at festivals, clubs and concerts throughout the world from Cuba and the Caribbean to North America, South America, and Europe.  Mr. Valdés is recognized as a master of Cuban music including Son, Danzon, Cuban Timba and Guaguanco. 

Cedar Walton - August 1
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an uptempo career, which never seems to slow down.  Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after-hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane, who would sit in with Walton's group when they passed through town.  Walton is one of the most influential musicians active today. His original compositions like Bolivia, Clockwise and Firm Roots are frequently recorded by other musicians, and have become part of the standard jazz repertoire.  His playing regularly receives praise from critics, fellow jazz musicians and audience around the world.

Alisa Weilerstein - July 11
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who was guest artist at the Gala Opening of the 2008 Caramoor International Music Festival, has performed with the nation's top orchestras, given recitals in music capitals throughout the U.S. and Europe, and regularly participates in prestigious international festivals.  She is also dedicated to performing chamber music, having grown up in a family of musicians with whom she collaborated from an early age.  Ms. Weilerstein is continually engaged by orchestras across the U.S. and has performed as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, as well as major European orchestras.  She was the winner of the 2006 Leonard Bernstein Award, which she received at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany.  Alisa Weilerstein began her association with Caramoor as a Rising Star in 1999.

Randy Weston - August 2
After more than six decades of acclaimed performances, Randy Weston remains one of the world's foremost pianists and composers today.  Born in Brooklyn in 1926, he didn't have to travel far to hear the early jazz giants that were to influence him.  Though Mr. Weston cites Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Art Tatum, and Duke Ellington as his other piano heroes, it was Monk who had the greatest impact.  Randy Weston's first recording as a leader came in 1954 on Riverside Records:  Randy Weston Plays Cole Porter - Cole Porter in a Modern Mood.  In the late 60's, he left the country, but instead of moving to Europe like so many of his contemporaries, Mr. Weston went to Africa.  Settling in Morocco, he traveled throughout the continent tasting the musical fruits of other nations.  He continues to tour the world with his remarkable synthesis of the sounds of "Mother Africa" and contemporary jazz.

ARTISTS
Conductors:  Michael Barrett (July 4, July 25), Will Crutchfield (July 18, July 31), Peter Oundjian (July 25), David Robertson (June 27)

Ensembles:  Ariel String Quartet (July 30, 2008-09 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence), Aulos Ensemble (July 17), Brentano String Quartet (July 12), Caramoor Opera Chorus (July 18, July 31), Chuchito Valdés Quartet (August 1), Cyrus Chestnut Trio (August 2), Gerald Clayton Trio (August 1), Jean-Michel Pilc Trio (August 1), Junior Mance Trio (August 2), Orchestra of St. Luke's (June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, July 31), Pacifica Quartet (July 5), Randy Weston African Rhythms (August 2), Tiempo Libre (June 28)

Vocalists:  Markus Beam (July 18), Lawrence Brownlee (July 18, July 31), Darius de Haas (July 4), Christopher Dickerson (July 31), Vivica Genaux (July 31), Susan Graham (June 27, July 10), Georgia Jarman (July 18), Angela Meade (July 31), Daniel Mobbs (July 31), Marco Nistico (July 18), Dianne Reeves (August 1), Luciana Souza (August 2)

Banjo:  Béla Fleck (July 3)

Bass:  Charles Flores (July 19)

Cello:  Edward Arron (July 23, July 24), Sophie Shao (July 23, July 24), Alisa Weilerstein (July 11)

Clarinet:  Paquito D'Rivera (July 19)

Drums:  Ernesto Simpson (July 19)

Guitar:  David Leisner (July 2), Romero Lubambo (August 2), Richard Padron (July 19)

Percussion:  Pedro Martinez (July 19)

Piano:  Andrew Armstrong (July 23, July 24), Jonathan Biss (July 25), Jeremy Denk (July 5), Vladimir Feltsman (July 26), Ilya Polataev (June 27), Jorge Luis Prats (July 16), Manuel Valera (July 19), Cedar Walton (August 1), Andrius Zlabys (July 9)

Saxophone:  Paquito D'Rivera (July 19)

Trumpet:  Mike Rodriguez (July 19)

Viola:  Mark Holloway (July 23, July 24), Max Mandel (July 23, July 24)

Violin:  Jesse Mills (July 23, July 24), Ayano Ninomiya (July 9, July 23, July 24)

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 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 t