For Immediate Release
Contact: Cohn Dutcher Associates
 Lois Cohn, 917.339.7187, lcohn@cohndutcher.com
Dan Dutcher, 917.339.7157, ddutcher@cohndutcher.com
Christina Jensen, 917.339.7188, cjensen@cohndutcher.com

CARAMOOR INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
2007 SUMMER SEASON

CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND GENERAL DIRECTOR MICHAEL BARRETT
ANNOUNCES 62ND ANNUAL SUMMER FESTIVAL

OPENING NIGHT GALA CONCERT ON JUNE 23
Featuring Hélène Grimaud with the Orchestra of St. Luke's
Conducted by Peter Oundjian
Celebrating His 10 Years of Artistic Leadership at Caramoor

SONIDOS LATINOS
Two-Year Latin American Music Initiative Offers Five Diverse Programs
Paquito D'Rivera Appointed 2007-08 Caramoor Composer-in-Residence

BEL CANTO AT CARAMOOR CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Will Crutchfield, Director
Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle
Ewa Podles in Verdi's Il Trovatore
Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix

CARAMOOR CAVALCADE DEBUTS
Featuring the Remarkable Diversity of Caramoor's Programs in One Day

FIVE WORLD PREMIERES
By Paquito D'Rivera, John Musto, Marco Granados,
Lera Auerbach, and Shih-hui Chen

TWO-DAY JAZZ FESTIVAL - JOE LOVANO, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Embraces Varied Programs Including Latin American Jazz

Katonah, New York - Chief Executive and General Director Michael Barrett has announced the 2007 Caramoor International Music Festival.  The wide-ranging summer program, Caramoor's 62nd, will run for seven weeks opening Saturday, June 23 and continuing through Sunday, August 5.  The Festival features renowned musicians and ensembles; the 10th anniversary of the Bel Canto at Caramoor opera program; a vibrant new Latin American Music Initiative, Sonidos Latinos; five world premieres commissioned by Caramoor; cabaret performances; and a two-day Jazz Festival.

Michael Barrett, now in his fourth year as Caramoor's Chief Executive and General Director, said, "Our 62nd season offers audiences the greatest opportunities ever to experience the broad range of musical genres, arts and activities available at Caramoor.  We are particularly proud this year to make Latin American music an integral part of our programming with the new initiative, Sonidos Latinos, which includes a world premiere of a work commissioned by Caramoor from 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence, Paquito D'Rivera.  In addition, our first-ever Caramoor Cavalcade will be a one-day event offering a sampling of all aspects of Caramoor, featuring concerts held throughout the exquisite gardens.  And of course, we are very proud to celebrate two 10th anniversaries this year - Peter Oundjian in his 10th year of artistic leadership at Caramoor, whom we will honor at the Opening Night Gala, as well as the 10th year of the Bel Canto at Caramoor program, led by Will Crutchfield."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2007 FESTIVAL
(See Schedule of Events for locations, dates, and times)

OPENING NIGHT GALA CELEBRATION AND CONCERT - June 23

Caramoor's 62nd season will open with a gala evening on June 23, celebrating a decade of artistic leadership by Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor, Peter Oundjian.  Maestro Oundjian will conduct the Orchestra of St. Luke's with guest artist Hélène Grimaud performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83.  The program also features Rossini's Overture to Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Kodály's Dances of Galanta. 

SONIDOS LATINOS

This year Caramoor launches a two-year Latin American Music Initiative, Sonidos Latinos, an adventurous project made possible with generous support from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  Spanning two years, this project encompasses new compositions, Festival concerts, radio broadcasts, and family outreach concerts throughout Westchester.

Caramoor's goal with Sonidos Latinos is to bring Latin American music, often under-represented in serious classical music venues, to a position of importance commensurate with the growing prominence and influence of Latin American culture in our society.  The initiative explores indigenous musical traditions and contemporary trends while also expanding the genres through new compositions.

As part of Sonidos Latinos, Cuban-born Paquito D'Rivera, a recent National Medal of the Arts recipient, has been appointed Caramoor's 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence and Marco Granados, a Venezuelan flute player and composer, will be Musical Advisor.  With their assistance and input, Caramoor will present eight Latin American-themed concerts over the next two seasons.

The 2007 Festival features five concerts programmed as part of the initiative, each focusing on different aspects of Latin American music.  This summer will showcase Venezuelan dance music, Latin American chamber music and orchestral works, Latin jazz, and traditional instruments and music from Latin America in a concert for the whole family.

• June 29 -  Un Mundo - The Music of Venezuela
  After an extraordinary performance at last year's Festival, flutist Marco Granados and Un Mundo, featuring some of Venezuela's most virtuosic instrumentalists, return in a program bursting with Latin rhythms and styles that includes the world premiere of The Venezuelan Suite by composer/performer Granados, commissioned by Caramoor.
  
  
• June 30 - Caramoor Cavalcade Family Concert
  Latin sounds for the family will be heard in an afternoon program at the Venetian Theater featuring narrator Jamie Bernstein and Marco Granados exploring traditional instruments and music of seven Latin American countries.  The performance is appropriate for ages six and up; there will be a parallel program at the same time for children under the age of six featuring Andes Manta performing vibrant music from the Andes on traditional instruments in the Spanish Courtyard.
  
  
• June 30 - Conversations with Cachao (World Premiere)
  The centerpiece of Sonidos Latinos will be the world premiere of 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence Paquito D'Rivera's Concerto for Double Bass, Clarinet/Alto Saxophone, and Orchestra (Conversations with Cachao) inspired by the legendary Cuban musician known as "Cachao," an 88-years-young bassist who played everything from symphonies and ballets to silent movies, circuses, and nightclubs.  Michael Barrett will conduct the Orchestra of St. Luke's in this concluding event of the one-day Caramoor Cavalcade, the Cavalcade Celebration.
  
  
• July 13 - Camerata Latina
  In an exclusive Caramoor performance, Paquito D'Rivera and Marco Granados team with Alon Yavnai, Gonzalo Teppa, and the Daedalus Quartet for a fascinating evening of chamber music.  The concert captures the beguiling flavor of Latin American music with Ginastera's Impresiones de la Puna for Flute and String Quartet; D'Rivera's Pipe Dreams, Golijov's Lullaby & Doina for Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet; Otero's Milonga 19, and Contacto Permanente; selections of Latin American favorites arranged by Franzetti; and duos for flute and clarinet by various composers.
  
  
• July 28 - Jazz Festival I/The Latin Pulse
  The soulful tenor saxophone playing of David Sanchez and his quartet opens the afternoon performance of Jazz Festival I, followed by the piano stylings of Geri Allen and her all-star trio, and Steve Turre, whose work on trombone and conch shells has made him a favorite of everyone from Ray Charles to the Saturday Night Live Band.  The evening features with a piano summit between two supremely talented Brazilian pianists, Weber Iago and Jovino Santos Neto, and ends with the legendary Eddie Palmieri, influenced in his youth by the riotous sounds of Latin music in Spanish Harlem.

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF BEL CANTO AT CARAMOOR

Under the leadership of Will Crutchfield, Caramoor's renowned opera program, Bel Canto at Caramoor, will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the 2007 Festival with four performances of three notable events, all taking place in Caramoor's acoustically superb outdoor Venetian Theater.  Rossini's final masterpiece, Petite Messe Solennelle, will open the Bel Canto program on July 8; contralto Ewa Podles will return to Caramoor following her triumphant 2006 debut with two concert performances of Verdi's Il Trovatore, July 14 and July 20; and a semi-staged performance of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix, with soprano Sarah Coburn in the title role, will conclude the 10th anniversary on July 21.

Dubbed "essential" by The New York Times for its exploration of operatic rarities, Bel Canto at Caramoor presents productions featuring the world's foremost singers.  In addition, Bel Canto at Caramoor has always been dedicated to the training of a new generation of singers.  The Caramoor Bel Canto Young Artists, a select group of rising bel canto stars, forms the ensemble company for the Festival season.  In addition to joining the guest soloists in the productions, they present short concerts before each opera, offering further musical perspectives on the theme of each.  All operas are sung in their original languages with English super-titles.

During the afternoon and evening of the Saturday opera performances on July 14 and 21, ticket-holders may also enjoy a varied menu of pre-opera lectures and recitals along with the opportunity to picnic in Caramoor's famous gardens.  A pre-opera lecture will be held prior to the Friday evening, July 20, performance of Il Trovatore.  (See opera release for complete information.)

• July 8 - Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle
   Rossini mystified the operatic world by retiring from the theater at the height of his fame  in 1829.  Decades later he again took up his pen and composed his final masterpiece in  1864, an astonishing 35 years after his last opera.  Petite Messe Solennelle is a Mass of  haunting beauty and intense expressiveness.  Scored for a small ensemble of solo voices and three keyboard instruments, it blends operatic fervor with an unsuspected  mastery of counterpoint and deep spirituality.  Artists include Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano; Laura Vlasak Nolen, mezzo-soprano; Barry Banks, tenor; Daniel Mobbs, bass-baritone; and the Caramoor Bel Canto Young Artists. 
  
  
• July 14 and July 20 - Verdi's Il Trovatore (concert performances)
  Verdi called Azucena the most important role in Il Trovatore, and at one point planned to name it Azucena before deciding to retain the name of the Spanish play (El Trovador) on which it is based.  "If I were a prima donna - and a fine thing that would be - I would always play the role of the gypsy," he wrote to a colleague.  The music he conceived for the half-crazed woman was the most forward-looking and psychologically intense he had yet written.  Bel Canto at Caramoor presents contralto Ewa Podles as Azucena along with soprano Julianna Di Giacomo as Leonora, tenor Francisco Casanova as Manrico, baritone Daniel Sutin as Il Conte di Luna and bass-baritone Daniel Mobbs as Ferrando.  Will Crutchfield will lead the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
  
  
• July 21 - Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix (semi-staged)
  Donizetti achieved the summit of operatic ambition early in the 1840s with an appointment as Kapellmeister in Vienna, and Linda di Chamounix was his calling-card opera there.  Today it is best remembered for the lilting soprano aria "O luce di quest'anima," but the whole score is on a high level of inspiration, and Donizetti paid tribute to the city of Schubert and Beethoven with a full-scale symphonic overture of rare beauty.  Caramoor presents a semi-staged performance of Linda di Chamounix, which is the world premiere of the definitive critical edition by Gabriele Dotto, joint General Editor of Ricordi's Donizetti Edition, who has restored some superb music not heard since the opera's premiere.  Artists include stage director Steven Tharp, soprano Sarah Coburn as Linda, mezzo-soprano Laura Vlasak Nolen as Pierotto, tenor Barry Banks as Carlo, baritone Marco Nistico as Antonio, bass-baritone Ricardo Herrera as Marchese, and bass Eric Jordan as Il Prefetto.  Will Crutchfield will lead the Orchestra of St. Luke's.

CARAMOOR CAVALCADE - June 30

The Caramoor Cavalcade on June 30 marks the first time ever that audiences will experience the diverse aspects of Caramoor in one extraordinary day.  Caramoor Cavalcade encompasses six concerts in five different venues, including never-before-used locations.  Patrons of all ages will have the opportunity to explore Caramoor's legendary gardens, as well as tour the House Museum.

• Walton/Sitwell/Façade: An Entertainment
  At 1:00 pm at the Tapestry Hedge in the gardens, Michael Barrett conducts the Caramoor Ensemble in Walton's 1920s settings of Edith Sitwell's experimental and nonsensical poems.
  
  
• Bel Canto Soloists and Caramoor Virtuosi
  The 2:00 pm concert in the Spanish Courtyard of the House Museum features arias, songs and chamber works showcasing the brilliant young performers in the Caramoor family.
  
  
• David Leisner, guitar
  A program of guitar classics takes place at 3:00 pm in the beautiful Sunken Garden and includes Five Preludes and Three Etudes by Villa-Lobos, and Bach's Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro, BWV 998.
  
  
• June 30 - Caramoor Cavalcade Family Concert
  Latin sounds for the family will be heard in an afternoon program at the Venetian Theater featuring narrator Jamie Bernstein and Marco Granados exploring traditional instruments and music of seven Latin American countries.  The performance is appropriate for ages six and up; there will be a parallel program at the same time for children under the age of six featuring Andes Manta performing vibrant music from the Andes on traditional instruments in the Spanish Courtyard.
  
  
• Cavalcade Celebration
  The day culminates with an 8:00 pm concert featuring Michael Barrett conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's in an early Fourth of July Celebration.  The program includes Aaron Copland's Three Latin American Sketches, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and concludes with the world premiere of Paquito D'Rivera's Concerto for Double Bass, Clarinet/Alto Saxophone, and Orchestra (Conversations with Cachao).

JAZZ FESTIVAL

Joe Lovano, Caramoor's Artistic Director of Jazz and a tenor saxophone virtuoso, will lead two all-day jazz programs.  The festival will feature a line-up of hot jazz artists on July 28 playing Latin American jazz on July 28 in "The Latin Pulse," part of the Sonidos Latinos initiative, and jazz masters on August 4 celebrating "Great Musical Minds."  Hourly sets from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Venetian Theater on both days are designed to allow visitors to come and go throughout the day and evening.

• July 28 - Jazz Festival I/The Latin Pulse
  The soulful tenor saxophone playing of David Sanchez and his quartet opens the afternoon performance of Jazz Festival I, followed by the piano stylings of Geri Allen and her all-star trio, and Steve Turre, whose work on trombone and conch shells has made him a favorite of everyone from Ray Charles to the Saturday Night Live Band.  The evening features with a piano summit between two supremely talented Brazilian pianists, Weber Iago and Jovino Santos Neto, and ends with the legendary Eddie Palmieri, influenced in his youth by the riotous sounds of Latin music in Spanish Harlem.
  
  
• August 4 - Jazz Festival II/Great Musical Minds
  Arturo O'Farrill, son of the legendary Chico O'Farrill, begins the day with his trio, followed by crossover pioneer Fred Hersch on solo piano.  The afternoon ends with the audacious Odean Pope Saxophone Choir, nine saxophonists plus rhythm section exploring the limits of the instrument.  The Brad Mehldau Trio, with its versatile styles drawn from sources as eclectic as Schubert, Keith Jarrett, and the Beatles, starts the evening which concludes with the Joe Lovano/Paquito D'Rivera Festival Ensemble, bringing together Caramoor's Jazz Festival Artistic Director and Composer-in-Residence in a powerhouse meeting of great musical minds.

AMERICAN MUSIC

Caramoor will celebrate music that is distinctly American in performances by two very different musicians, cabaret star Andrea Marcovicci and banjo legend Tony Trischka.

• June 24 - Tony Trischka's Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular
  Joined by a luminous roster of fellow five-stringers, banjo innovator Tony Trischka debuts at Caramoor with a double banjo spectacular.  Classically styled and dynamic, yet still finding new ways to expand timeless traditions, this is bluegrass as only Tony Trischka can envision it.
  
  
• July 31, August 1 and 2 - Andrea Sings Astaire in Cabaret at Caramoor
  Andrea Marcovicci returns to Caramoor for an intimate night of cabaret.  Her acclaimed show, Andrea Sings Astaire, recreates a nostalgic world of 1930s black and white glamour, style and sophistication, capturing the unique allure of Fred Astaire, Hollywood's debonair dancing star who introduced more popular standards than any other legend. 

QUINTET OF QUARTETS

Five string quartets, with programs that include two world premieres commissioned by Caramoor.

• June 28 - Formosa Quartet - Spanish Courtyard
  Winner of the First Prize and Amadeus Prize at the Tenth London International String Quartet Competition in 2006, the Formosa Quartet makes its Caramoor debut as the first quartet in the Quintet of Quartets series.  Their program will include Debussy's Quartet in G minor, Op. 10; the world premiere of Shih-hui Chen's Mei Hua for String Quartet; and Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 67 by Brahms.
  
  
• July 6 - Pacifica Quartet - Spanish Courtyard
  Hailed by the Chicago Sun-Times as "one of the most vibrant chamber ensembles around," the Pacifica Quartet, Caramoor's 2001-02 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, returns with a program featuring Dutilleux's Ainsi la nui, for string quartet, Bartók's Quartet No. 4, and Beethoven's Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3.
  
  
• July 12 - Jupiter String Quartet - Spanish Courtyard
  John Musto's New Work for String Quartet, the world premiere of Volume VII of Caramoor's commissioning project, A String Quartet Library for the 21st Century, by last year's Composer-in-Residence, will be on the program with Beethoven's Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1; and Mendelssohn's Quartet in F minor, Op. 80, when the Jupiter String Quartet, the 2005-06 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, returns.
  
  
• July 19 - Parker String Quartet - Spanish Courtyard
  Caramoor's 2006-07 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence
  The Parker String Quartet concludes its Caramoor residency with a program that explores the language of the string quartet from the Slavic romanticism of Smetana's Quartet No. 1 in E minor (From My Life) to the captivating lyricism of Lera Auerbach's Findings, the world premiere of Volume VIII of Caramoor's commissioning project, A String Quartet Library for the 21st Century.  Also on the program is Ligeti's Andante and Allegretto for string quartet.
  
  
• July 22 - Mendelssohn Quartet with Jonathan Biss - Venetian Theater
  Sensational young pianist Jonathan Biss teams with one of the premiere quartets of our time, the Mendelssohn String Quartet, on Brahms' Quintet in F minor, Op. 34.  The program also will include Haydn's Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 6, and Bolcom's Quartet No. 11.

PIANISTS IN RECITAL

Each of these piano recitalists possesses a unique musical voice and has a reputation for extraordinary commitment to musicality and intimate communication with an audience.

• July 5 - Gabriela Montero
  Seen recently on CBS's 60 Minutes, Gabriela Montero possesses the technical facility and emotional depth of a great classical pianist along with the exceptional ability to improvise in any style.  Her program features selections from the classical repertoire plus impromptu improvisations on themes presented by the audience.
  
  
• July 15 - Christopher Taylor
  After a transcendent performance last summer, Christopher Taylor returns to Caramoor with Bach's keyboard masterpiece.  Mr. Taylor brings with him the only existing dual-manual Steinway concert grand piano for a performance that best translates this unique work to the modern keyboard instrument.
  
  
• August 3 and 5 - Mitsuko Uchida
  Acclaimed as one of the greatest pianists on the concert stage today, Mitsuko Uchida has chosen the Caramoor International Music Festival as one of only three venues where she will play an extraordinary offering of Beethoven's last five piano sonatas.

CARAMOOR VIRTUOSI AND RISING STARS

Caramoor Virtuosi
Led by Edward Aaron, the Caramoor Virtuosi is made up of outstanding musicians who have participated in Caramoor's Rising Stars workshops and performed in Caramoor's Music Room series and other Festival programs.  At Caramoor they cross the threshold from promising students to assured professionals, launching careers that have placed them in the limelight at home and internationally.

• July 7 - Caramoor Virtuosi with the Orchestra of St. Luke's
  Founding members of the Caramoor Virtuosi take center stage with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Peter Oundjian, in a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto.  The Virtuosi are Jennifer Frautschi, violin; Edward Arron, cello; and Andrew Armstrong, piano; in a program that also includes Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 (Italian).
  
  
• July 26 - Caramoor Virtuosi I
  The program will include Rossini's Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Two Violins, Cello, and Bass; Dvořák's Quintet in A Major for Piano and Strings, Op. 81; and Metamorphosen by Strauss (realized for septet by Rudolph Leopold).
  
  
• July 27 - Caramoor Virtuosi II
  Beethoven's Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 16; Kodály's Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12; and Schubert's Quintet in C Major, D. 956 comprise the program.

Rising Stars
The Rising Stars are chosen for their talent, personality, and musicality to best benefit from the Rising Stars Program, now in its 15th year, which culminates in two exciting public performances.  Distinguished artists, who mentor and coach the young musicians 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 encouragement of emerging talent.  In 1991, Will Crutchfield began working with young singers to produce opera in the Music Room.  The following year, 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.

The 2006 Rising Stars are featured during the Festival as part of the Performer's Showcase series, held every Wednesday morning at 11:00 am in the Music Room of the House Museum.

ALL-MOZART CONCERT WITH ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE'S

The Orchestra of St. Luke's has been Caramoor's Orchestra-in-Residence since 1979 and will conclude their 2007 performances with an all-Mozart concert.

• July 29 - All Mozart
  Roberto Abbado conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's with Gil Shaham, violin, and Paul Neubauer, viola in a brilliant combination of concerti and symphonies featuring Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, K. 211; Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 (Haffner); Symphony No. 26 in E-flat Major, K. 184; and Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, K. 364.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Michael Barrett - June 30
Michael Barrett is Chief Executive and General Director of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts where he is responsible for the administration and programming of the year-round program and Summer Music Festival.  In 2003, building on a career of over 25 years of programming and performing experience in the arts, Mr. Barrett assumed the position at Caramoor, where he leads the artistic mission and is responsible for its fiscal well-being.  In the last three seasons, Mr. Barrett has reaffirmed his reputation as an innovator.  He has enhanced or implemented programming for a wide variety of ambitious music rarely heard in a festival setting covering a wide range of new presentations that attract diverse audiences.  In 1988, Mr. Barrett 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.  He is also the Artistic Advisor for the Estate of Leonard Bernstein.  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 variously as conductor, producer, and music director of numerous special projects, among them The Bernstein Beat, a young people's symphonic concert about rhythm at Carnegie Hall; the world premiere of Volpone by John Musto, which took place at Wolf Trap in 2004; and Hopper's Wife by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie at the Long Beach Opera.

Peter Oundjian - June 23, July 7
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 formalized his artistic relationship with Caramoor, where he currently serves as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor.  Peter Oundjian has been Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since the 2004-2005 season.

Hélène Grimaud - June 23
Pianist Hélène Grimaud, who is a member of Caramoor's Board of Trustees, last appeared at the Festival in 2005.  She performs regularly in the leading concert halls and with major orchestras worldwide, including the Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Tonhalle Zürich and St Petersburg Philharmonic orchestras. She continues to appear with the world's renowned conductors such as Boulez, Ashkenazy, Eschenbach and Neeme Järvi. Today she balances her acclaimed international performing and recording career with a less public avocation:  raising wolves at her Westchester County, New York home.

Tony Trischka - June 24
Tony Trischka is one of the world's most innovative banjo players. Throughout his thirty year career, he has defied boundaries and explored a wide variety of genres commonly considered out-of-bounds for the banjo.  He first broke the banjo barrier with the 1973 release of his debut album, Bluegrass Light.  Both traditional tunes and original tracks shimmered with a fresh energy: the fusion of bluegrass, jazz, rock and classical. In a flash, banjos, fiddles and mandolins were hanging out with saxes, electric guitars and synthesizers.  His music evolved, venturing into more sophisticated chordal territory and blending his talents in the studio and on-stage with such diverse and venturesome musicians as Béla Fleck, David Grisman, the Violent Femmes, members of REM, William S. Burroughs and Leftover Salmon.

Shih-Hui Chen - June 28
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Shih-Hui Chen came to the United States in 1982 and received her master's degree from Northern Illinois University and her doctoral degree from Boston University. Her works have been performed by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.  Her music has also been featured in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy and Amsterdam.  Recent performances include Fu II by members of Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Moments for Orchestra (Shanghai, China); Jin, Concerto for Pipa and Chamber Orchestra with Wu Man and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Shui by the Fischer Duo (Boston and NY); Four Little Pieces for Wood (Dallas and Houston), and her music was featured in a Composer's Portrait Concert by the Freon Ensemble in Rome, Italy.

Marco Granados - June 29, June 30, July 13
Marco Granados last appeared at Caramoor with Un Mundo in 2006.  Since his 1991 New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall his performance highlights have included concerts at Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, The 92 Street Y, the 1999 British Flute Society International Convention in Manchester, as well as his thrilling performance at the closing ceremonies concert for the National Flute Association in Columbus, Ohio in 2000.  In 2001, he made his London debut at the fabled Wigmore Hall, with a solo recital of classical Latin American compositions, as well as recitals at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and for The British Flute Society at Queens College in London.  Over the past several years, he has been a favorite performer at flute festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Paquito D'Rivera - June 30, July 13, August 4
Caramoor's 2007-08 Composer-in-Residence, Paquito D'Rivera last appeared during the 2005 Caramoor International Music Festival.  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.

Gabriela Montero - July 5
Improvisation plays as important a part in Gabriela Montero's life as it did for Bach and Mozart and, to show the link, her latest CD, Bach and Beyond, is a disc of improvisations on themes by Bach.  Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she gave her first public performance at the age of five. At age eight she made her concerto debut with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra conducted by Jose Antonio Abreu and was granted a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the United States.  At twelve, she won the Baldwin National Competition and AMSA Young Artist International Piano Competition, performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  More recent among her many international prizes is the Bronze Medal from the 13th International Chopin Piano Competition.  She has appeared with orchestras across the world from South America and the U.S., Europe, to Japan and the Far East. Recently, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel.

Edward Arron - July 7, 26 and 27
Cellist Edward Arron is rapidly gaining recognition worldwide 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 of the Caramoor International Festival. Since that time, Mr. Arron has appeared in recital, as a soloist with orchestra, and as a chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East.  In addition to his responsibilities as the Artistic Director of the Caramoor Virtuosi, Mr. Arron is in his fourth season as the Artistic Coordinator of the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert and is Artistic Director of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival in Summit County, Colorado.

Will Crutchfield - July 8, 14, 20 and 21
Will Crutchfield spent his teens as a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist, made his name as a writer and musicologist in the mid-1980's (becoming the youngest music critic in the history of The New York Times), and returned to his theater roots in the mid-1990's 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: Juilliard, Manhattan and Mannes.

Barry Banks - July 8 and 21
Barry Banks has established himself as one of today's finest interpreters of the bel canto repertoire. He is much in demand on the international opera platform performing at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra National de Paris, English National Opera, Chatelet, Salzburg Festival, La Monnaie, The Santa Fe Opera, Teatro Communale di Bologna and Oper Frankfurt amongst others. His roles include: Lindoro (L'Italiana in Algeri); Nemorino (L'Elisir d'amore); Don Ramiro (La cenerentola); Oreste (Ermione); Tom Rakewell; Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); Don Narciso (Il turco in Italia); Belfiore & Libenskof (Il viaggio a Reims); Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor); L'Astrologue (Le coq d'or) and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni).  Opera highlights this season include Don Ramiro and Ernesto (Don Pasquale) at The Metropolitan Opera and The Love for Three Oranges at Opéra National de Paris.

John Musto - July 12
Award-winning composer and pianist John Musto is regarded as one of the most versatile musicians before the public today.  In 2005-06, he was Caramoor's first season-long Composer-in-Residence.  Musto has garnered two Emmys and two CINE Awards for his scores written for television, and was a finalist for the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for his orchestral song cycle Dove Sta Amore.  He has been featured on the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center and the Composer Portrait series at Columbia's Miller Theater and his opera, Volpone, was premiered in 2004 at Wolf Trap.

Ewa Podles - July 14 and 20
Ewa Podles made her Caramoor debut last summer in the critically acclaimed Bel Canto at Caramoor presentation of Rossini's Tancredi.  With her distinctive, dramatic voice of staggering range, agility and amplitude, Ewa Podles is widely regarded as the world's foremost contralto.  Her engagements have included the Seattle Opera (title role of Handel's Giulio Cesare, Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma and Erda in Wagner's Ring cycle); San Diego Opera (Cesare); San Francisco Opera (Polinesso in Handel's Ariodante), Canadian Opera Company (Cesare, Jocasta in Oedipus Rex, Klytamnestra in Elektra and title role of Rossini's Tancredi); Houston Grand Opera (Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera and the Marquise in Donizetti's La fille du Régiment); Dallas Opera (Bertarido in Handel's Rodelinda and Erda); Milwaukee's Florentine Opera (Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore), Michigan Opera Theatre (Ulrica) and Minnesota Opera (Malcolm in Rossini's La donna del lago).  Appearances at New York's Carnegie Hall include Gluck's Orphée et Euridice with the Oratorio Society of New York, Ulrica with the Collegiate Chorale, baroque and Rossini programs with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Das Lied von der Erde with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Szymanowski's Three Hymns with Sinfonia Varsovia.

Christopher Taylor - July 15
Christopher Taylor last appeared at Caramoor in 2006.  He was propelled into the music pages of the nation's newspapers in 1993 when he became the first American since 1981 to reach the finals in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.  He then went on to win the Bronze Medal, and his resulting CD won critical acclaim.  Prior to his performances at the Cliburn, Mr. Taylor was one of the first four recipients of the Gilmore Young Artists Award, a scholarship for exceptionally promising American pianists aged 22 or younger.  He has given concerts as guest artist with major orchestras and festivals throughout the country and abroad.

Lera Auerbach - July 19
Lera Auerbach is one of the most widely performed composers of her generation.  A virtuoso performer, Ms. Auerbach continues the great tradition of pianist-composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.  Born in Chelyabinsk, near Siberia, Lera Auerbach became one of the last artists to defect from the Soviet Union during a concert tour in 1991 while still in her teens.  In addition to performances at Caramoor, Auerbach's compositions have been commissioned and performed at leading Festivals throughout the world including Lucerne, Lockenhaus, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein.

Jonathan Biss - July 22
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 appeared at the Caramoor Festival last summer in an all-Beethoven program with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.

Andrea Marcovicci - July 31, August 1, August 2
Cabaret legend Andrea Marcovicci continues to entertain sold-out audiences from coast-to-coast whenever touring her numerous critically acclaimed shows.  She celebrated her 20th Anniversary at the legendary Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel last fall with her show I'm Feeling Like a Million: A Salute the Incomparable Hildegarde.  She returns there in May of 2007 for the second year of her successful just love...by request, described by critics as a "magical evening" and Andrea as "radiant as a storybook princess."  She has been hailed as the "most Sinatra-like" of the new generation of cabaret performers by Life Magazine, and in the words of The New York Times, "Andrea Marcovicci has an incandescent enthusiasm and a masterly balance between poignancy and wit."

Mitsuko Uchida - August 3, August 5
Mitsuko Uchida is one of the most renowned and highly-praised pianists of her generation.  She started her piano studies in Tokyo.  In 1969, at age 20, she received the first prize at the Beethoven Competition. The following year, she won second place at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw.  In 1982, she performed all of Mozart's nineteen sonatas at London's Wigmore Hall.  Ms. Uchida has recorded all nineteen of Mozart's sonatas, as well as all of the concertos.  Despite her success and fame, she balances her life and career by performing only fifty concerts and recording only one CD a year, for Philips.

Joe Lovano - July 28, August 4
Joe Lovano has been Artistic Director of the Caramoor Jazz Festival since 2003.  His reputation as one of the great tenor saxophonists performing today stems from his search for new modes of artistic expression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom. Recent award highlights and accolades include Down Beat Critic's and Reader's poll 2005 and 2004 number one Tenor Saxophone performer; The New York Times "Jazz Album of the Year" in 2004 for his Ballads recording I'm All For You, featuring legendary pianist Hank Jones; as well as nominations for three Grammy Awards. 

ARTISTS

Conductors:  Roberto Abbado (July 29), Michael Barrett (June 30), Will Crutchfield (July 8, July 14, July 20, July 21), Peter Oundjian (June 23, July 7)

Ensembles:  Geri Allen Trio (July 28), Caramoor Bel Canto Young Artists (June 30, July 8, July 14, July 20, July 21), Caramoor Virtuosi (June 30, July 7, July 26, July 27), Daedalus Quartet (July 13), Formosa Quartet (June 28), Jupiter String Quartet (July 12), Joe Lovano/Paquito D'Rivera Ensemble (August 4), Brad Mehldau Trio (August 4), Mendelssohn Quartet (July 22), Arturo O'Farrill Trio (August 4), Odean Pope Saxophone Choir (August 4), Orchestra of St. Luke's (June 23, June 30, July 7, July 14, July 20, July 21, July 29), Pacifica Quartet (July 6), Eddie Palmieri Afro-Caribbean Jazz Septet (July 28), Parker String Quartet (July 19), David Sanchez Quartet (July 28), Steve Turre Quintet (July 28)

Narrators:  Jamie Bernstein (June 30)

Vocalists:  Barry Banks (July 8, July 21), Francisco Casanova (July 14, July 20), Sarah Coburn (July 21), Michael Daves (June 24), Julianna Di Giacomo (July 8, July 14, July 20), Leonardo Granados (June 29), Ricardo Herrera (July 21), Eric Jordan (July 21), Andrea Marcovicci (July 31, August 1, August 2), Daniel Mobbs (July 8, July 14, July 20), Marco Nistico (July 21), Laura Vlasak Nolen (July 8, July 21), Ewa Podles (July 14, July 20), Daniel Sutin (July 14, July 20)

Banjo:  Tony Trischka (June 24), Noam Pikelny (June 24)

Bass:  Roberto Koch (June 29), Leigh Mesh (July 26, July 27), Gonzalo Teppa (July 13), Skip Ward (June 24)

Cello:  Edward Arron (June 30, July 7, July 26, July 27), Jacob Braun (June 28), Daniel McDonough (July 12), Alexis Pia Gerlach (July 26, July 27), Kee-Hyun Kim (July 19), Raman Ramakrishnan (July 13), Marcy Rosen (July 22), Brandon Vamos (July 6)

Cuatro:  Jorge Glem (June 29)

Fiddle:  Brittany Haas (June 24)

Guitar:  Michael Daves (June 24), David Leisner (June 30)

Piano:  Andrew Armstrong (July 7), Jonathan Biss (July 22), Hélène Grimaud (June 23), Fred Hersch (August 4), Gabriela Montero (July 5), Eddie Palmieri (July 28), Christopher Taylor (July 15), Gilles Vonsattel (July 26, July 27), Mitsuko Uchida (August 3, August 5), Alon Yavnai (July 13)

Viola:  Jessica Bodner (July 19), Che-yen Chen (June 28), Nicholas Cords (July 26, July 27), Liz Freivogel (July 12), Max Mandel (July 26, July 27), Paul Neubauer (July 29), Daniel Panner (July 22), Masumi Per Rostad (July 6), Jessica Thompson (July 13)

Violin:  Sibbi Bernhardsson (July 6), Daniel Chong (July 19), Jennifer Frautschi (July 7, July 26, July 27), Meg Freivogel (July 12), Miriam Fried (July 22), Simin Ganatra (July 6), Karen Gomyo (June 30, July 26, July 27), Karen Kim (July 19), Kyu-Young Kim (July 13), Min-Young Kim (July 13), Nelson Lee (July 12), Jasmine Lin (June 28), Joseph Lin (June 28), Nicholas Mann (July 22), Ayano Ninomiya (July 26, July 27), Gil Shaham (July 29)

Clarinet:  Paquito D'Rivera (June 30, July 13, August 4)

Flute:  Marco Granados (June 29, June 30, July 13)

Saxophone:  Joe Lovano (July 28, August 4)

Trumpet:  Francisco Flores (June 29)

Maracas:  Leonardo Granados (June 29)

About Caramoor

Caramoor 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 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.

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. Under her direction, the great stage of the Venetian Theater was built.

Caramoor is a Garden of Great Music. "We invite people to come early, explore our beautiful grounds, take a tour of the House Museum, visit our gift shop, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in a relaxed setting," advises Paul Rosenblum, Caramoor's Managing Director. 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

Art and Gardens
Concerts take place in two outdoor theaters - the large, acoustically superb Venetian Theater, and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard.  Caramoor is more than just music - there is beauty at every turn.  The House Museum, the former summer home of Caramoor's founders, Lucie and Walter Rosen, contains a vast collection of Renaissance, 18th-century, and Eastern art objects - furniture, tapestries, sculpture, paintings, textiles, porcelain and jade. 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 into its collection, twenty of which are open to the public.  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. Nine unique perennial gardens - including a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, a Butterfly Garden, a Medieval Mount, and two gardens whose special characteristics are enjoyed primarily at night may be seen on a guided tour or on one?s own.

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

Getting to Caramoor

Caramoor is easy to get to by car, mass transportation, or the Caramoor Caravan.

From Manhattan, take the Caramoor Caravan and ride comfortably in a luxurious, air-conditioned coach.  Round trip service is $21 and is available for all Saturday and Sunday performances during the Festival, as well as the July 20 performance of Il Trovatore and the August 3 performance featuring pianist Mitsuko Uchida.  The Caravan departs from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Upper West Side and East Side locations. Call the Box Office (914-232-1252) for further information and reservations.

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 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).

Funding Credits

Opening Night is being sponsored in part through the generous support of U.S. Trust and Verdura.

Sonidos Latinos is made possible by generous support from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 

Wachovia Wealth Management is a generous sponsor of the July 14 performance of Il Trovatore, in celebration of Bel Canto at Caramoor's 10th anniversary.

TICKETS

Tickets may be ordered by calling the Box Office at 914-232-1252 or online at www.caramoor.org.  (For opening night gala tickets, including cocktail reception, dinner, concert, and post-concert dessert and dancing, email events@caramoor.org or call 914-232-1492.)

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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Press Tickets:
Katie Barna
917.339.7189
kbarna@cohndutcher.com