FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
January 17, 2007  
Contact:  David Mayhew for Cohn Dutcher Associates
             (203) 453-4275     david@davidmayhew.net

SPRING SEASON OF INDOOR CONCERTS BEGINS MARCH 18
AT CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS

Katonah, NY - Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts announces Caramoor Indoors, its spring concert series, beginning Sunday, March 18, 2007.  The spring schedule includes performances by the Caramoor Virtuosi and the Parker String Quartet, Caramoor's 2006-07 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence; three Family Music Programs; and Cabaret in the Music Room, featuring acclaimed New York City cabaret artists Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano.

Caramoor Indoors concerts, with the exception of Family Music Programs, take place in the Music Room of the House Museum, the residence of Caramoor's founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen.  Caramoor's Chief Executive and General Director, Michael Barrett, describes the Music Room as "perhaps the most elegant and intimate performance space in the metropolitan area."  The Music Room, which seats 200 for performances, is richly decorated with an extraordinary collection of original Renaissance paintings, sculpture and tapestry, and Asian art.

Caramoor Classics

The Spring 2007 Caramoor Indoors season features three Caramoor Classics concerts.  These performances are appropriate for families with children 8 years and older and will include comments from the artists about the program.

March 18 - Parker String Quartet
2006-07 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence

The Parker String Quartet - Daniel Chong and Karen Kim, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; and Kee-Hyun Kim, cello - will open the Spring 2007 Caramoor Indoors season on Sunday, March 18 at 4:00 pm with a program of Mozart's String Quartet in G Major, K 387; Ligeti's String Quartet No. 1 Metamorphoses Nocturnes; and the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1 by Schumann.

The Parker String Quartet, Caramoor's 2006-07 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, is the winner of the 2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition.  Founded in May of 2002, the Quartet quickly established itself as a dynamic young chamber ensemble.  Its New York area appearances have included Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Symphony Space, and Lincoln Center.  
 
As Caramoor's 2006-07 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, the Parker String Quartet also participates in Caramoor's Student Strings Program, which provides an opportunity for middle and high school string players to work with professional musicians.  The Quartet visits area schools for "Concerts and Conversations" and offers clinics at Caramoor for selected students.  Students and their families also receive discounted tickets or free vouchers to attend the Quartet's Caramoor Classics performance.

March 31 - Caramoor Virtuosi

The Caramoor Virtuosi follow on Saturday, March 31, at 7:30 pm.  The Caramoor Virtuosi are Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Max Mandel, viola; Edward Arron, cello; and Andrew Armstrong, piano and their program will be Beethoven's Variations in G Major on Wenzel Muller's theme "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu," Op. 121a; Dohnanyi's Serenade in C Major, Op. 10; and the Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 26 by Brahms.

The Caramoor Virtuosi comprise alumni of Caramoor's Rising Stars Workshops, a program in which members begin the transition from promising students to accomplished artists.  Heard around the world as soloists, concertmasters and orchestral and chamber players, Caramoor Virtuosi have been a presence since 1999 in the Music Room as well as at the Caramoor International Music Festival in the summer.

April 14 - Parker String Quartet

The Parker String Quartet will return on Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 pm for the final spring Caramoor Classics concert with a program of Haydn's Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3 ("The Rider"); Ligeti's Quartet No. 2; and Beethoven's String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135.

Tickets for Caramoor Classics are $25.

Family Music Programs - March 24, April 21, and May 5

Family Music Programs take place in the Diane Moss Education Center, a lively, informal space in one of Caramoor's original Mediterranean-style buildings.  Programs are suitable for children ages three and up and are geared to young attention spans and levels of comprehension.  Most programs run 45 minutes to one hour.

Westchester's Singing Harp, a theater company dedicated to performing stories adapted from traditional fairy tales and classic literature, opens the spring Family Music Programs series on Saturday, March 24 with their acclaimed presentation of The Golden Bird.  Based on a story by the Brothers Grimm, two actors perform this tale of a young prince whose quest leads him to treasure, danger, love, and a most remarkable friend.  Using masks, the actors portray a remarkable cast of characters including evil brothers, a princess, fox, horse, and, of course, a golden bird.  The performance is complemented by original harp music played by live performers.  
 
The One World Kids Show follows on Saturday, April 21 with a fun, educational, and highly interactive program focused on cultural harmony and diversity.  Performer Chris Merwin, who has traveled the globe to study indigenous music and collect exotic instruments, will lead the audience in singing, limbo dancing, learning sign language, playing Tibetan trumpets and "jamming" on percussion instruments from around the world.

The Tanglewood Marionettes conclude the spring Family Music Programs season with their presentation of The Fairy Circus on Saturday, May 5.  In this showcase of turn-of-the-century-style trick puppetry, over twenty beautifully hand-crafted marionettes dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, transform, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease, all to the best-loved music of favorite composers.

March 24, April 21, and May 5 Family Music Program performances will be at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm each day.  Tickets are $24 for a Trio Subscription (a ticket to each of the three Family Music Programs), $10 for a single ticket, or $45 for families of five or more.

Cabaret in the Music Room - May 5

New York City's most acclaimed singer/pianist Eric Comstock and award-winning pop/jazz singer Barbara Fasano make their Caramoor debuts in Cabaret in the Music Room on Saturday, May 5 at 8:00 pm.  These two cabaret stars have received individual acclaim in clubs and concert halls throughout the country; in the Music Room at Caramoor they will join forces and celebrate their marriage with their first joint show, Two For the Road.

The duo of Comstock & Fasano will perform songs by other celebrated pairs such as Rodgers & Hart, Kern & Fields, Ellington & Strayhorn, the Gershwins, Coleman & Leigh, as well as Porter and Berlin.  Fasano will also sing selections from her brand-new Harold Arlen CD, "Written in the Stars."

This special benefit event includes a meet-the-artists champagne and dessert reception following the performance.  Tickets for Cabaret in the Music Room are $200, $125, and $75 (all but $30 is tax deductible).

Tickets

For tickets to Caramoor Classics and Family Music Programs call the Caramoor Box Office at 914.232.1252 or visit www.caramoor.org.  Tickets to Cabaret in the Music Room can be obtained by calling the special events line at 914-232-1492 or by email at events@caramoor.org. 

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

About Caramoor

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built the great house 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 the International Music Festival of today.  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 - the Rosens established a Foundation to open Caramoor to the public in perpetuity.

Caramoor is easy to get to by car or mass transportation. 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. By car: 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 junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor. (Detailed directions: 914-232-5035, press 2 or visit www.caramoor.org).
 
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