(March 2023)— Caramoor – long a byword for the transformative power of live music coupled with spectacular open-air venues, intimate indoor spaces, and world-renowned artists – officially opens its 2023 summer season (June 17–Aug 16) with a very special concert featuring stellar vocalist Audra McDonald, with Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) led by Andy Einhorn. Among the highlights of Caramoor’s thoughtful and adventurous programming across many genres are the Boston Early Music Festival production of Francesca Caccini’s Alcina (June 25); OSL concerts featuring pianist Hélène Grimaud (July 16) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (Aug 6); Sandbox Percussion performing Andy Akiho’s Seven Pillars (June 30); the New York premiere of Ted Hearne’s FARMING performed by The Crossing (July 9); Grammy Award-winning Malian vocalist Oumou Sangaré (July 15); The Knights and Pekka Kuusisto giving the New York premiere of Nico Muhly’s violin concerto Shrink (July 28); Handel’s Acis and Galatea with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (July 23); cutting-edge string quartet Brooklyn Rider giving the NY premiere of Andreia Pinto Correia’s Aere senza stele (June 23); bass-baritone Davóne Tines with pianist John Bitoy (July 13); and pianist Conrad Tao in a duo program with tap dancer Caleb Teicher (July 20). Other highlights include the world premiere of a string quartet by Derrick Skye, commissioned by Caramoor for theIvalas Quartet (June 29); Baroque supergroup Ruckus (July 7); and pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing an all-Chopin program (July 30). Ted Sperling hosts an evening of Harold Arlen sung by Broadway starsJulie Benko, Aisha de Haas, Mikaela Bennett, and Nicholas Ward (July 8); the annualJazz Festivalis headlined by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant (July 22); theAmerican Roots Music Festivalfeatures country singer/songwriter Brandy Clark as headliner (June 24); Mary Chapin Carpenter performs along with her full band (Aug 5); and the Sonic Innovations sound art installation features the debut of Liz Phillips’s Dyning in the Dovecote, along with eight returning pieces.
Caramoor has long been the exemplar of the transformative power of live music performed by world-renowned artists in a wide variety of genres, from classical music performances that seek to expand the canon by spotlighting pieces from living and/or under-represented composers, to American Roots, jazz, opera, global and site-specific sound art installations. With a stunning variety of music performed in its verdant open-air venues, Caramoor’s curated concert season presents performers representing a vast array of backgrounds and lived experiences. Edward J. Lewis III, Caramoor’s President and Chief Executive Officer, elaborates:
“True to the vision of our founders, Caramoor is the place where you can be transformed by the convergence of an exciting and diverse mix of remarkable live music performances, stunning gardens and grounds, and the beauty of an art-filled historic home. The Caramoor experience leaves both the artist and audience refreshed and renewed and compels all to return again and again.”
Caramoor offers five venues for performances. Large-scale concerts are presented beneath the open-sided tent of the Venetian Theater surrounded by woods (cap: 1,220); casual concerts on Friends Field offer a more relaxed vibe, where guests bring their own blankets, chairs, and picnics (or buy food on-site) and witness stunning sunsets while the music goes into the evening (cap: 1,000). More intimate settings include the outdoor Spanish Courtyard (cap: 388) – replete with a fountain in the center and surrounded by the Italianate architecture of the Rosen House, with its lit-up stained glass windows. The Sunken Garden is the venue for Caramoor’s Music & Meditation series, classical guitar performances, and more. And new this summer, guests can attend intimate classical recitals in the Music Room, which was once the living room of Caramoor’s founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen, and is the venue for Caramoor’s fall-spring concerts (cap: 192). The grounds are also open to explore for free from Thursday-Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm.
In the words of Kathy Schuman, Caramoor’s Artistic Director:
“Each summer, we try to curate an extremely broad variety of music, and one of the most fun parts of my job is choosing, from among our many beautiful venues, the perfect setting for each performance, whether it be orchestras and opera in the dramatic Venetian Theater, chamber music in the intimate Spanish Courtyard, Saturday morning deep listening in the Sunken Garden, casual global, jazz, or American Roots concerts on Friends Field and, of course, our all-day, multiple stage festivals and annual free site-specific event (Ted Hearne’s Farming with The Crossing this year). There are so many different ways to enjoy music at Caramoor; I truly believe experiencing a performance here is unlike anywhere else in the greater New York area.”
Caramoor is dedicated to presenting music as a collective cultural heritage, and it’s the perfect destination for gathering outdoors with friends and family to celebrate and be renewed by the dynamic power of music and the arts. As BBC Music Magazine has said, it’s “a year-round powerhouse of cultural activity.”
For press inquiries, please contact Glenn Petry and Barb Prisament.
Opening Night Gala: Audra McDonald
Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award–winning singer and actor Audra McDonald opens Caramoor’s 2023 summer season with an Opening Night Gala featuring classics from the Great American Songbook, led by her longtime musical director Andy Einhorn conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL). The Los Angeles Times says of McDonald: “Talent this manifold is too miraculous to deconstruct, but there is at the heart of McDonald’s art a moral radiance, a desire to align beauty with truth and justice” (June 17).
Orchestra of St. Luke’s with Grimaud and Weilerstein
OSL – “one of the most versatile and galvanic ensembles in the U.S.” (WQXR) – returns twice during the summer, first with passionate pianist Hélène Grimaud and conductor Lina González-Granados – praised for her “rich, heartfelt orchestral sound” (Chicago Sun-Times) – for a program of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Brahms’s Second Symphony (July 16). In August, MacArthur “genius grant”-winning cellist Alisa Weilerstein, along with conductor Roderick Cox, joins OSL for Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. Also on the program are Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings (Aug 6). There will be pre-concert talks with the artists before both performances.
Baroque Music: Caccini’s Alcina, Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Ruckus
Caramoor welcomes the Boston Early Music Festival production of Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina, the first known opera by a female composer, to the Venetian Theater. Co-music directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and director Gilbert Blin lead a stellar cast of Baroque soloists including mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, tenor Colin Balzer, and mezzo-soprano Virginia Warnken Kelsey. There will also be a 3:00pm pre-concert talk with Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs (June 25).
Another Baroque opera graces the Venetian Theater stage a month later: the original 1718 version of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, one of the composer’s most popular dramatic works. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra – recognized by the New York Times as “America’s leading historically informed ensemble” – is led by Richard Egarr. Director Aria Umezawa – whose recent Adler Fellowship with San Francisco Opera marked the first time in fifteen years a stage director was awarded the fellowship – leads tenor Nicholas Mulroy and soprano Hera Hyesang Park in the title roles, along with tenor Isaiah Bell and bass-baritone Dashon Burton. There will be a pre-concert lecture with MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris (July 23).
The Boston Musical Intelligencer raved about the Baroque supergroup Ruckus, saying that they “brought continuo playing to not simply a new level, but a revelatory new dimension of dynamism altogether ... wit, panache, and the jubilant, virtuosic verve of a bebop-Baroque jam session.” With soloists Rachell Ellen Wong – the only early music artist ever to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant – on violin and Emi Ferguson on flute, the group’s “Arcadian Visions” program features trio sonatas by Handel and Thomas Arne, country dances from Ignatius Sancho, instrumental hymns from William Billings and Daniel Read, and a new work from Celeste Oram. (July 7).
New Music: Sandbox/Andy Akiho, The Crossing/Ted Hearne, The Knights + Kuusisto /Muhly, Brooklyn Rider, Sound Art, and more
Hailed by The New York Times as “a lush, brooding celebration of noise,” Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated Seven Pillars is his most ambitious project to date. Performed by SandboxPercussion – described as “exhilarating” (The New York Times), and “virtuosic and utterly mesmerizing” (The Guardian) – the evening-length work is the largest-scale chamber music work that Akiho has written and that Sandbox has commissioned, and their ongoing collaboration on the piece has spanned the past eight years. The work is structured as a large-scale palindrome and consists of seven ensemble movements and one solo movement for each member of Sandbox. Michael McQuilken’s lighting scheme reinforces the work's form throughout the theatrical live performance. There will be a 7:00pm pre-concert talk with members of the ensemble (June 30).
TheNew York Times declares that “America’s most astonishing choir … The Crossing, led by Donald Nally, combines an embrace of the new, a social conscience, and fearless technique.” Performing the New York premiere of Ted Hearne’s FARMING, a stirring new oratorio written for the choir that grapples with the current impact of the U.S.’s agricultural history and asks what it would take to reconnect with the people who produce its food. Scored for 24 vocalists with guitars, keyboards, and percussion, the performance will be set near Caramoor’s pastoral Sunken Garden, allowing the audience to listen to this explosive work as it unfolds in nature. There will also be a pre-concert talk with Ted Hearne, conductor Donald Nally, and director Ashley Tata. This event is FREE (July 9).
Finnish “one-of-a-kind” (Globe and Mail)violinist Pekka Kuusisto and celebrated American composer and pianist Nico Muhly collaborate on an intimate evening of unexpected musical connections, in which works by Muhly rub shoulders with Glass, Pärt, and other contemporary composers (July 27). They reunite in a different format the following night, when The Knights perform the New York premiere of Muhly’s violin concerto titled Shrink, with Kuusisto as soloist. The Guardian calls Shrink “a glittering, jittery, mischievous violin concerto written for Kuusisto … The work reflects its title, contracting and intensifying as it progresses, a perfect mirror of the word “shrink” and a platform for Kuusisto in hyperactive, virtuosic mode.” Led by Eric Jacobsen and described by the New York Times as “an adventurous young orchestra that has established a strong reputation for polished performances and imaginative programming,” The Knights are dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audience and music. Their program also includes Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 10 in B minor, Copland’s Appalachian Spring, and A Shadow Under Every Light by The Knights co-Artistic Director Colin Jacobsen. There will also be a pre-concert talk with Eric Jacobsen, Pekka Kuusisto, and Nico Muhly (July 28).
Brooklyn Rider performs its “Four Elements” program at Caramoor, exploring the elements (earth, air, water, and fire) as a metaphor for the complex inner world of the string quartet and the current health of planet Earth. Featuring the NY premiere of Portuguese composer Andreia Pinto Correia’s Aere senza stelle, commissioned by the 2022 Vail Dance Festival, the program also includes works by Shostakovich, Osvaldo Golijov, and a Suite of American Folk Songs, collected/transcribed by Ruth Crawford Seeger, arranged by Brooklyn Rider violinist Colin Jacobsen (June 23).
Caramoor’s 2022-23 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence (ESSQIR), the Ivalas Quartet – with a mission to champion diverse voices and spotlight Black and indigenous composers – completes its yearlong residency of community engagement and concerts with a performance that includes the world premiere of a Caramoor commission by Derrick Skye, a composer with Ghanian, Nigerian, Native American, and British/Irish ancestry who believes music is a doorway into the understanding of other cultures. Also on the program are works by Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Eleanor Alberga (June 29).
The rotating annual Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition, spread throughout Caramoor’s idyllic grounds, is curated by Chicago-based sound artist and Northwestern University professor Stephan Moore. New this summer is Dyning in the Dovecote by Liz Phillips, an interactive sound installation stirred into subtle action by the presence and activity of its audience, as well as sunlight and wind. The sounds of water, insects, dove calls and bird wings flicker and fly around the dovecote in Caramoor’s sense circle, while underwater sound transducers create ripple patterns on the surface of the fountain. Four lace-like metal forms hang from the dovecote's roof, cast from local tree barks, and shaped as the impression of a face from different angles. These are wired to radiate capacitance fields, or etherwaves, like a theremin – recalling Caramoor and Lucie Rosen's place in the history of music technology.
Eight returning sound artworks are In“C”, a site-specific sound-sculpture commissioned from MacArthur Fellow Trimpin; Mendi + Keith Obadike’s Timbre and Frequency, sculptures using text and sound that were inspired by African-American writers Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison and “function together like the A-side and B-side of a record”; Walter Kitundu’s Nafasi Yako ni ya Kijani (“Your Place is Green”), Taylor Deupree’s t(ch)ime, Ranjit Bhatnagar’s Stone Song, Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki’s Wild Energy, which takes visitors on a fantastical tour of sounds occurring outside the range of human hearing; and Annea Lockwood’s Piano Garden.
The official opening of Sonic Innovations and the Caramoor grounds will take place at “Soundscapes” on June 4. The annual event includes performances by pianist Conor Hanick of John Cage’s complete Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano; percussionist Jonny Allen – a member of Sandbox Percussion – performing Iannis Xenakis’s multi-percussion piece Rebonds, as well as excerpts from Tom Johnson’s Nine Bells; theremin workshops with the New York Theremin Society, as well as performances on the instrument by Dorit Chrysler. The sound artists will be present to interact with the public. This event is FREE.
Chamber music and recitals: Conrad Tao/Caleb Teicher, Garrick Ohlsson, Miró and Dover Quartets, Davóne Tines & more
Pianist-composer Conrad Tao, “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music” (New York Magazine), gives a collaborative performance this summer with choreographer-dancer Caleb Teicher, who performed at Caramoor’s season-opening “Soundscapes” event last season and whom the New Yorker describes as: “mixing super-charged energy with tossed-off charm.” Their “Counterpoint” program is a dynamic interplay of piano and tap dance that includes works by J.S. Bach, Brahms, Mozart, Gershwin, Ravel, Schoenberg, and more (July 20).
Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, who 53 years later remains the only American to have ever won the Chopin International Piano Competition, commands an enormous repertoire spanning the entire piano literature from Classical to contemporary, including more than 80 concertos. At the same time, he retains a special relationship to the intimate salon music of Frédéric Chopin, and, as the Seattle Times observes, has “incredible technique with razor-sharp accuracy, producing a sound so lush it almost glistens.” He performs an all-Chopin recital in the Venetian Theater, including the F-sharp major Impromptu, C-sharp minor Scherzo, and B minor Sonata (July 30).
Austin-based, internationally celebrated Miró Quartet, formed in 1995 and one of Caramoor’s earliest quartets-in-residence, pairs staples of the repertoire from Brahms and Schumann with contemporary works by Pulitzer Prize-winners Caroline Shaw and George Walker. Shaw’s Microfictions is a set of six miniatures inspired by the surrealist paintings of quartet namesake Joan Miró, and Walker’s Lyric for Strings is an elegy to the composer’s grandmother, who suffered and escaped slavery.
Another ESSQIR alum, the Dover Quartet, returns with classical saxophonist, composer, and 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Steven Banks, performing Banks’s recent quintet Cries, Sighs and Dreams. The program also includes string quartets by Haydn, Dvořák, and William Grant Still. Banks, declared by Seen and Heard International to have “the potential to be one of the transformational artists of the 21st century,” will give a 7:00pm pre-concert talk (July 21).
A quietly beloved tradition at Caramoor is that of solo guitar performances in the ideal setting of the Sunken Garden, where a succession of the world’s most celebrated players have been presented. This summer, Tengyue Zhang – who received First Prize in the 2017 Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Concert Artists Competition, known as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world – plays music by J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Albéniz, Rameau, and more (Aug 3).
A new series debuting this summer, Recitals in the Music Room comprises hour-long programs on Saturdays in the late afternoon, is designed with avid chamber music devotees in mind. Cellist Alexander Hersh is joined by pianist Christopher Goodpasture for the first concert, which includes works by Debussy, Paul Wiancko, Webern, Mendelssohn, and Sollima (July 8). Chinese pianist Zhu Wang, winner of the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, has been praised by the New York Times as “a thoughtful, sensitive performer” who balances “lyrical warmth and crisp clarity.” He performs the music of Schumann, Beethoven, Stravinsky, William Grant Still, and Zhang Zhao (Aug 5). Both Hersh and Wang are alumni of Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars mentoring program.
Heralded as a “singer of immense power and fervor” and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times), Davóne Tines brings to the intimate Spanish Courtyard a program of spiritual and intellectual exploration titled Recital No 1: Mass, with pianist Adam Nielsen. Featuring works by Caroline Shaw, J.S. Bach, Tyshawn Sorey, Margaret Bonds, and Julius Eastman, and using the framework of the Catholic Mass, Tines interweaves his own lived experience to explore themes of spirituality, justice, and identity. As the New Yorker says: “Davóne Tines is changing what it means to be a classical singer.” There will also be a post-concert talkback with Davóne Tines (July 13).
Jazz Festival and Events
Caramoor’s annual Jazz Festival returns on July 22, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center and headlined by peerless six-time Grammy-winning vocalist and MacArthur Grant recipient Cécile McLorin Salvant. As Downbeat raved about her 2022 album, Ghost Song: “The beauty of McLorin Salvant and her musical world comes from her curiosity, her depth, and the artists she brings into that world. The musicianship throughout is impeccable, sometimes challenging, sometimes soothing, always true to the depth of each song.” Daytime artists in the festival include the Anthony Hervey Quintet; Jazz at Lincoln Center's Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands with special guests; New Jazz Underground (Abdias Armenteros, Sebastian Rios, and TJ Reddick); Christie Dashiell; and more to be announced soon.
Caramoor’s second Hot Jazz Age Frolic, featuring the 17-piece Eyal Vilner Big Band, takes place in the Friends Field tent on June 18. A lesson on the dance floor precedes the performance, instructed by dancers Nathan Bugh and Gaby Cook, and the band is joined by guest vocalist Imani Rouselle.
With her newly released Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile, 23-year-old and two-time Grammy winner Samara Joy joins the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable label. In 2019, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and she’s since performed with legends like Christian McBride and Bill Charlap. Arriving at Caramoor armed with a program of classic standards several times older than she is, she makes the case not only for the timelessness of jazz but also her own precocious and intuitive understanding of the form, Gen-Z though she may be (Aug 4).
Broadway/Pops: Over the Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen
Stage, jazz, and television artist Aisha de Haas (Disney’s Newsies, Rent, Law and Order), celebrated vocalist Mikaela Bennett (Maria in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s West Side Story), and Broadway actors and singers Nicholas Ward (The Piano Man, The Lion King, Frozen) and Julie Benko (Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof) join multi-faceted, Tony Award-winning orchestrator and musical director Ted Sperling for “Over the Rainbow,” an all-Harold Arlen evening in the Venetian Theater. Composer of over 500 songs, Arlen collaborated with some of the 20th century’s most notable lyricists, including Yip Harburg and Johnny Mercer. His contributions to the Great American Songbook are legion, an astonishing number of his songs having stood the test of time, including “Over the Rainbow,” “Stormy Weather,” “Get Happy,” “The Man That Got Away,” “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic,” and “Come Rain or Come Shine” (July 8).
To celebrate Independence Day, Curt Ebersole and the Westchester Symphonic Winds return to Caramoor for their annual Pops & Patriots concert. Two guest vocalists – soprano Nicoletta Berry and tenor Terrence Chin-Loy, both alumni of Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program, will perform patriotic tunes, and more (July 2).
American Roots: Brandy Clark, Mary Chapin Carpenter & more
Caramoor’s American Roots Music Festival, an all-day celebration of the best in Americana, blues, folk, and bluegrass, returns on June 24, presented in collaboration with City Winery. Headlining the festival this summer is acclaimed singer/songwriter and ten-time Grammy nomineeBrandy Clark, about whom American Songwriter declares: “Even as her world expands, and her style shifts along with it, Brandy Clark keeps her feet grounded in the here and now. Her songwriting is only getting better.” Clark’s songs have been recorded by the likes of George Strait, Carly Pearce with Patty Loveless, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, and many others, and she co-wrote the score for the new Broadway musical Shucked. Daytime artists for the American Roots Music Festival include Sunny War, Miko Marks, and the Mike Block Trio, with more artists to be announced soon.
Winner of five Grammy Awards and two CMA Awards, and with over 15 million albums sold, Mary Chapin Carpenter needs little introduction. One of only 15 women inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, her most recent album, The Dirt and the Stars, marks her 15th studio album to date. She brings her full band for an evening at Caramoor’s Venetian Theater, presented in collaboration with City Winery (Aug 5).
Six Roots and world music concerts this summer are held in the casual format of “Concerts on the Lawn,” a BYOS (bring-your-own-seats) series on Friends Field with picnics and dancing encouraged. The series opens with a nod to Juneteenth featuring the Harlem Gospel Travelers. Amidst socio-political unrest and lingering pandemic unease, they sing about hope and resiliency in a style that draws on the gospel quartet tradition of the ‘50s and ‘60s, a reminder of the continued relevance of that music in times of hardship and uncertainty (June 22).
Closing out the Caramoor season and Concerts on the Lawn is Chicago-based singer/songwriter Neal Francis, whose new album In Plain Sight is a “must hear” according to Rolling Stone, which continues: “Neal Francis is making piano rock cool again” (Aug 18).
Global Music: Oumou Sangaré, Arooj Aftab, DakhaBrakha & more
Grammy Award-winnerOumou Sangaré – the Malian “songbird of Wassoulou” – is renowned worldwide for a unique style of music mixing traditional African percussion, distinctive vocals, and progressive social criticism. Returning to the Venetian Theater at Caramoor after 12 years, she will perform a program that ranges from traditional Wassoulou music to contemporary African sounds, as well as songs from her recent critically acclaimed album, Timbuktu. As the New Yorker describes her: “Percussive, danceable, and haunting, the singer’s visionary mix is the primary reason that her voice has come to carry as much respect as Aretha Franklin’s” (July 15).
Brooklyn-based singer and composer Arooj Aftab, the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy, brings her new project “Love in Exile” to Friends Field with two of her most trusted collaborators, pianist Vijay Iyer and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. Their largely improvised performances are anchored by Aftab’s mesmerizing vocals, of which the New York Times observed: “Her voice is contemplative, breathy and relaxed, with the intimacy of indie-pop and jazz though she occasionally uses the microtonal embellishments of classical South Asian singing” (July 29).
With roots in Ukrainian folklore and music filtered through punk, cabaret, rock, and hip-hop, DakhaBrakha is an award-winning quartet from Kyiv. They combine powerful vocals with an array of traditional instruments from multiple countries for a unique evening of theatricality, “ethnic chaos” and national pride (July 14).
Masters of the traditional Puerto Rican plena and bomba styles, multi-Grammy–nominatedPlena Libre fuses well-loved traditions with modern Afro-Caribbean influences, featuring hand drumming, raucous horns, and soaring three-part vocal harmonies (July 1).
Brooklyn-based electronic indie band Balún fuses Caribbean rhythms, Dembow (aka old school reggaeton), intelligent dance music (IDM), and dreamy dance pop tunes with the traditional sounds of their Puerto Rican homeland. Balún’s lead singer is cutting-edge composer Angélica Negrón, who describes their sound as “music that you can sleep to while dancing” (Aug 11).
Composer, bandleader, and bassist Michael Olatuja’s most recent album, Lagos Pepper Soup, blends the sounds of Lagos, Nigeria (his hometown), London (his birthplace), and New York (his current home) into what he describes as “cinematic Afrobeat” and NPR describes as “a sonic experience of epic proportions” (Aug 16).
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Promoting mindful listening, the “Music & Meditation in the Garden” series on three Saturday mornings in July in the Sunken Garden comprises a meditation led by Jennifer Llewelyn followed by a performance. The unique experience combines deep listening to beautiful music with the surrounding sounds of nature. The first event features the duo of violinist and ERS alum Tessa Lark – known for both superlative classical technique and equal facility with Appalachian and bluegrass music – and bassist Michael Thurber, an eclectic musician, composer, producer, and member of Stephen Colbert’s house band (July 1). Next up is Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, whose music has been described by the Irish Times as “buoyant, sprightly, and utterly beguiling” performing with guitarist Kyle Sanna (July 15). The series concludes with a string quartet performance from the Harlem Chamber Players, an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable, and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond (July 29). This summer Caramoor is also partnering with the Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA) to offer a combined add-on experience that includes an explorative hike on the private BRLA trails that surround Caramoor followed by a Music and Meditation in the Garden program (July 1 & 15).
Children’s Programming
One of Caramoor’s new ventures this summer is devoted to its youngest demographic: children ages 2–6 (and their caregivers). Taking place Friday mornings at 11:00am in Caramoor’s Education Center, “Concerts for Little Ones” features world-class artists who will invite children to sing and dance to diverse styles of music. On July 7, the Musiquita program is presented by husband-and-wife team Blanca Cecilia González and Jesse Elder, who playfully explore Spanish and English music and song. Next up, bassoonist Alexander Davis, one of Caramoor’s teaching artists, brings along some friends on July 14 to give a guided tour of his colorful and unique woodwind instrument. Finally, on July 21 two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Alphonso Horne brings the series to a close with the irresistible rhythms and energy of New Orleans jazz.
Preceding the Hot Jazz Age Frolic is a family concert with the Eyal Vilner Swing Band called “Gotta Swing!” which explores the history of the style with dancers Nathan Bugh, Gaby Cook, Jennifer Jones, and Ray Davis (June 18).
Getting to Caramoor
Getting to Caramoor is simple by car or public transportation. All parking is free and close to the performance areas. Handicapped parking is also free and readily available. By car from New York City, take the Henry Hudson Parkway north to the Saw Mill River Parkway north to I-684 north to Exit 6. Go east on Route 35 to the traffic light (0.3 miles). Turn right onto Route 22 south, and travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road where there is a green Caramoor sign. At the junction, veer left and make a quick right onto Girdle Ridge Road. Continue on Girdle Ridge Road 0.5 miles to the Caramoor gates on the right. Approximate drive time is one hour. Bytrain from Grand Central Station, take the Harlem Division Line of the Metro-North Railroad heading to Southeast, and exit at Katonah. Caramoor is a 3.5-mile drive from the Katonah station.
A FREE shuttle from Metro North's Katonah station to and from Caramoor runs before and after every afternoon and evening concert.
About Caramoor
Caramoor is a cultural arts destination located on a unique 80-plus-acre estate with Italianate architecture and gardens in Northern Westchester County, NY. Its beautiful grounds include the historic Rosen House, a stunning mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Besides enriching the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality, Caramoor mentors young professional musicians and provides music-centered educational programs for young children.
Click here to download high-resolution photos, and here to download Caramoor’s summer brochure.
Caramoor 2023 Summer Season
All artists and dates are subject to change.
Sun, June 4 at 1:00pm
Caramoor Grounds
Soundscapes
Jonny Allen, percussion
Dorit Chrysler, theremin
Conor Hanick, piano
Iannis XENAKIS: Rebonds
John CAGE: Sonatas and Interludes (complete)
Tom JOHNSON: Nine Bells (excerpts)
Sound art installations:
Liz Phillips: Dyning in the Dovecote
Trimpin: In“C”
Mendi + Keith Obadike: Timbre and Frequency
Walter Kitundu: Nafasi Yako ni ya Kijani (“Your Place is Green”)
Taylor Deupree: t(ch)time
Ranjit Bhatnagar: Stone Song
Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki: Wild Energy
Annea Lockwood: Piano Garden
Sat, June 17 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
Opening Night: Audra McDonald
Andy Einhorn, conductor; Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Sun, Jun 18 at 1:30pm
Gala Tent
Family Concert: Gotta Swing!
Eyal Vilner Swing Band
Gaby Cook, Nathan Bugh, Jennifer Jones, Ray Davis, dancers
Sun, Jun 18 at 4:00pm
Gala Tent
Hot Jazz Age Frolic
Eyal Vilner Big Band
Imani Rouselle, guest vocalist
Nathan Bugh & Gaby Cook, dancers
Thu, Jun 22 at 7:00pm
Friends Field
Harlem Gospel Travelers
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Fri, Jun 23 at 8:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Brooklyn Rider
FOUR ELEMENTS
Suite of American Folk Songs, collected/transcribed by Ruth Crawford Seeger, arranged by Colin Jacobsen
Andreia PINTO CORREIA: Aere senza stelle (NY premiere)
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
Osvaldo GOLIJOV: Tenebrae
Sat, Jun 24 at 1:00pm
Various Venues
American Roots Music Festival
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
EVENING HEADLINER:
Brandy Clark
DAYTIME ARTISTS:
Sunny War
Miko Marks
Mike Block Trio
More artists TBA
Sun, Jun 25 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Francesca Caccini's Alcina
Boston Early Music Festival
Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, co-music directors
Gilbert Blin, director
Mireille Lebel, mezzo soprano: Alcina
Colin Balzer, tenor: Ruggerio
Virginia Warnken Kelsey, mezzo soprano: Melissa
Francesca CACCINI: La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina
Pre-concert talk with Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs
Thu, Jun 29 at 7:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Ivalas Quartet (ESSQIR)
Jessie MONTGOMERY: Strum
Carlos SIMON: Warmth from Other Suns
Eleanor ALBERGA: String Quartet No. 2
Derrick SKYE: New work (world premiere, Caramoor commission)
Fri, Jun 30 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
Sandbox Percussion
Andy AKIHO: Seven Pillars
Pre-concert talk with members of Sandbox Percussion
Sat, Jul 1 at 11:00am
Sunken Garden
Tessa Lark, violin (Evnin Rising Stars alumna)
Michael Thurber, double bass
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewelyn, meditation coach
Sat, Jul 1 at 8:00pm
Friends Field
Plena Libre
Sun, Jul 2 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Pops & Patriots
Westchester Symphonic Winds
Curt Ebersole, conductor
Nicoletta Berry, soprano: Terrence Chin-Loy, tenor
Thu, Jul 6 at 7:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Miró Quartet (ESSQIR alumni)
Robert SCHUMANN: Scherzo from String Quartet in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1
Caroline SHAW: Microfictions
George WALKER: Lyric for Strings (arrangement for string quartet)
Johannes BRAHMS: String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1
Fri, Jul 7 at 11:00am
Education Center
Concerts for Little Ones
Musiquita
Fri, Jul 7 at 8:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Ruckus
Featuring Rachell Ellen Wong, violin and Emi Ferguson, flute
ARCADIAN VISIONS
Celeste ORAM: I. A Tuning Tune
Ignatius SANCHO: Country Dance Set I
FOLK SONG: Garden Hymn (Southern Folk hymn)
William BILLINGS: I Am the Rose of Sharon
Thomas ARNE: Sonata No. 2 for Violin, Viola, Harpsichord
Ignatius SANCHO: Country Dance Set II
Celeste ORAM: Attuning Tune
Jeremiah INGALLS: Lovely Vine
TRADITIONAL: Captain Kidd (Arr. by W. Walker)
Ignatius SANCHO: Country Dance Set III
William BILLINGS: Cobham
Daniel READ: Sherburne
George Frideric HANDEL: Trio Sonata
Ignatius SANCHO: Country Dance Set IV
Sat, Jul 8 at 5:00pm
Rosen House Music Room
Alexander Hersh, cello (Evnin Rising Stars alumnus)
Christopher Goodpasture, piano
Claude DEBUSSY: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor
Paul WIANCKO: Microsuite for Solo Cello
Anton WEBERN: Two Pieces
Felix MENDELSSOHN: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D, Op. 58
Giovanni SOLLIMA: Lamentatio
Sat, Jul 8 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
Over the Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen
Ted Sperling, music director
Aisha de Haas, vocalist
Mikaela Bennett, vocalist
Nicholas Ward, vocalist
Julie Benko, vocalist
Sun, Jul 9 at 4:00pm
Sunken Garden
FARMING
The Crossing
Donald Nally, conductor
Ted HEARNE: Farming (NY premiere)
Pre-concert talk with Ted Hearne, Donald Nally, and Ashley Tata
Thu, Jul 13 at 7:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone
John Bitoy, piano
RECITAL NO. 1: MASS
Caroline SHAW: Kyrie
J. S. BACH: "Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen" from Cantata BWV 170
Caroline SHAW: Agnus Dei
Tyshawn SOREY: "Were You There?" from Songs of Death
Margaret BONDS: "To a Brown Girl Dead"
Tyshawn SOREY: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from Songs of Death
Caroline SHAW: Credo
J. S. BACH: "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" from St. Matthew Passion
Caroline SHAW: Gloria
TRAD: "Give Me Jesus" (arr. Moses Hogan)
Caroline SHAW: Sanctus
Julius EASTMAN: Prelude to The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc
Igée DIEUDONNÉ / Davóne TINES: Vigil
Post-Concert Talkback with Davóne Tines
Fri, Jul 14 at 11:00am
Education Center
Concerts for Little Ones
Alexander Davis, bassoon
Fri, Jul 14 at 8:00pm
Friends Field
DakhaBrakha
Sat, Jul 15 at 11:00am
Sunken Garden
Maeve Gilchrist, harp
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Sat, Jul 15 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
Oumou Sangaré, vocalist
Sun, Jul 16 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Lina Gonzalez-Granados, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Gabriela Lena FRANK: Elegía Andina
Maurice RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G
Johannes BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73
Pre-Concert talk with Lina González-Granados
Thu Jul 20 at 7:00pm
Venetian Theater
Conrad Tao, piano / Caleb Teicher, dancer
COUNTERPOINT
J.S. BACH: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
Conrad TAO: Improvisation
Arnold SCHOENBERG: Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23: V. Waltzer
Ray NOBLE/Bud POWELL/Art TATUM: Cherokee
Honi COLES/Brenda BUFALINO: The Coles and Bufalino Soft Shoe
Johannes BRAHMS: Fantasias: Intermezzo in E, Op. 116, No. 4
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Song and Dance, based on Mozart’s Sonata in A, K.331: III. Allegretto “Alla Turca” (arr. by David Parker)
George GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue (arr. for solo piano)
Maurice RAVEL: Sonatine in F-sharp minor: Mouvement de menuet (ii)
Fri, Jul 21 at 11:00am
Education Center
Concerts for Little Ones
Alphonso Horne, trumpet
Fri, Jul 21 at 8:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Dover Quartet (ESSQIR alumni)
Steven Banks, alto saxophone
Joseph HAYDN: String Quartet in E-flat, H.III:38 ("The Joke")
William Grant STILL: Lyric String Quartette
Steven BANKS: Cries, Sighs, and Dreams
Antonin DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat, Op. 51
Pre-concert talk with Steven Banks
Sat, Jul 22 at 1:00pm
Various venues
Jazz Festival
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
EVENING HEADLINER
Cécile McLorin Salvant
DAYTIME ARTISTS
Anthony Hervey Quintet
Jazz at Lincoln Center's Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands with special guests
New Jazz Underground featuring Abdias Armenteros, Sebastian Rios, and TJ Reddick
Christie Dashiell
Sun, Jul 23 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Handel's Acis and Galatea
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Richard Egarr, conductor
Nicholas Mulroy, tenor: Acis
Hera Hyesang Park, sopr
Dashon Burton, bass- baritone: Polyphemus
Aria Umezawa, director
George Frideric HANDEL: Acis and Galatea (1718 version)
Pre-concert lecture with MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris
Thu, Jul 27 at 7:00pm
Spanish Courtyard
Pekka Kuusisto, violin / Nico Muhly, piano
Fri, Jul 28 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Felix MENDELSSOHN: Sinfonia No. 10 in B minor
Nico MUHLY: Violin Concerto, Shrink (NY Premiere)
Aaron COPLAND: Appalachian Spring
Colin JACOBSEN: A Shadow Under Every Light
Sat, Jul 29 at 11:00am
Sunken Garden
Harlem Chamber Players
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Sat, Jul 29 at 8:00pm
Friends Field
Arooj Aftab, vocalist; Vijay Iyer, piano; Shahzad Ismaily, bass
LOVE IN EXILE
Sun, Jul 30 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Frédéric CHOPIN:
Nocturne in F, Op. 15, No. 1
Nocturne in B, Op. 9, No. 3
Barcarolle in F-sharp, Op. 60
Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Impromptu in F-sharp, Op. 36
Piano Sonata in B minor, Op. 58
Thu, Aug 3 at 7:00pm
Sunken Garden
Tengyue Zhang, guitar
Fernando SOR: Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9
Agustín BARRIOS-MANGORÉ: Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios
J.S. BACH: Prelude from Lute Suite No. 2, BWV 997
J.S. BACH: Chaconne from Partita for Violin No. 2, BWV 1004 (arr. Sharon Isbin, TY Zhang)
Isaac ALBÉNIZ: Sevilla from Suite Española No. 3 (arr. William Kanengiser, TY Zhang)
Mario CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: No. 18, “El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos” from 24Caprichos de Goya
Jean-Philippe RAMEAU: Les Sauvages (arr. Michael Grizard, TY Zhang)
Domenico SCARLATTI: Keyboard Sonata K. 53 (arr. TY Zhang); Keyboard Sonata K. 141 (arr. Alex Park, TY Zhang)
Roland DYENS: “Clown Down” (“Gismonti au Cirque”) from Triaela
Fri, Aug 4 at 8:00pm
Friends Field
Samara Joy
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Sat, Aug 5 at 5:00pm
Rosen House - Music Room
Zhu Wang, piano (Evnin Rising Stars alumnus)
Robert SCHUMANN: Arabesque, Op.18
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata in G, Op. 31 No.1
Zhang ZHAO: Pi Huang (Moments from Beijing Opera)
William Grant STILL: “Summerland” from Three Visions
Frédéric CHOPIN: Polonaise Fantasy, Op. 61
Sat, Aug 5 at 8:00pm
Venetian Theater
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Sun, Aug 6 at 4:00pm
Venetian Theater
Summer Season Finale: Orchestra of St. Luke's
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Roderick Cox, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello (ERS alumna)
George WALKER: Lyric for Strings
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 107
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92
Pre-concert talk with Roderick Cox and Alisa Weilerstein
Fri, Aug 11 at 7:00pm
Friends Field
Balún
Wed, Aug 16 at 7:00pm
Friends Field
Michael Olatuja: Lagos Pepper Soup
Fri, Aug 18 at 7:00pm
Friends Field
Neal Francis
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
# # #
Caramoor is proud to be a grantee of ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by Westchester County government with the support of County Executive George Latimer.
The Summer Season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
© 21C Media Group, February 2023