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Contact: Cohn Dutcher Associates
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Dan Dutcher, 917.339.7157, ddutcher@cohndutcher.com
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David Mayhew, 203.533.5621, david@davidmayhew.net

"The conservatory-trained Miami-based musicians of
Tiempo Libre are bringing orchestral audiences out of
their seats - and onto the dance floor" - Symphony Magazine

Caramoor International Music Festival
begins third year of
SONIDOS LATINOS
with
TIEMPO LIBRE
Sunday, June 28, 2009

Katonah, New York  - The 2009 Caramoor International Music Festival kicks-off the third year of its acclaimed Sonidos Latinos Latin American music initiative with the high-voltage Latin jazz and hard-driving Cuban rhythms of Tiempo Libre on Sunday, June 28 at 4:30pm.  Audiences of all ages may enjoy Tiempo Libre, the two-time Grammy-nominated ensemble and top timba (Cuban Salsa) band in the country, in Caramoor's Venetian Theater or from the picnic grounds as the first Caramoor Al Fresco event of the summer.

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 Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son, a style of music that became popular in Cuba in the 1920s.  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).

Sonidos Latinos
Sonidos Latinos, Caramoor's adventurous Latin American music initiative, was established in 2007.  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.

The 2009 Sonidos Latinos series continues on July 16 with the first Northeastern U.S. appearance of Jorge Luis Prats, one of Cuba's finest pianists; July 19 with the legendary Paquito D'Rivera and his first-ever all Cuban band; and August 1 and 2 with Caramoor Jazz Festival sets featuring the foot-stomping Latin Jazz of the Chuchito Valdes Quartet and the Brazilian sensations Luciana Souza and Romero Lubambo.

Tickets
Tickets for Tiempo Libre are $15, $20, $30, and $45 and include seating in the Venetian Theater.  Caramoor Al Fresco tickets are $10 for audiences, particularly family audiences, to hear the concert from the picnic lawns at Caramoor.  Tickets may be purchased at the Caramoor Box Office, 914.232.1252 or ordered online at www.caramoor.org.

Groups of 16 or more may purchase discounted tickets by contacting Matthew Scarella at 914.232.5035 ext. 266 or matthew@caramoor.org.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in 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 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 artworks spanning the centuries from B.C.E. to the 20th-century, 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 1,714-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 Rosens were prolific collectors and the Rosen House contains artworks spanning the centuries from B.C.E. to the 20th-century, 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 making the Rosen House one of just five mansions in the country that imported and incorporated entire rooms.  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 Iris and Peony 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 lawns for only $10.00 per ticket on the following Sunday afternoons at 4:30pm:  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 $10.00 (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.

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

2009 CARAMOOR INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

TIEMPO LIBRE

June 28                                                                   Tiempo Libre
Sunday, 4:30 p.m.                                               Sonidos Latinos I
Venetian Theater 
$15, $20,  
$30, $45 
Al Fresco $10

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

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

ALL PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Performances are made possible, in part, by Arts Westchester, with funds from the Westchester County Government

Performances are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts a state agency