Caramoor Announces Summer Season Including Bill Barclay’s The Chevalier, Stephanie Blythe, J’Nai Bridges, Marc-André Hamelin, Angélique Kidjo, Yo-Yo Ma, Matthew Whitaker, Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, Molly Tuttle, and Much More (June 18–Aug 19)
Updated 3/31/22
Building on its long history of presenting adventurous music from across the genre spectrum, Caramoor’s 2022 summer season celebrates music’s power to unite people, heal divisions, and inspire discovery. With performers and composers representing a vast array of backgrounds and lived experiences, the summer spotlights many whom systemic forces have historically suppressed, and focuses on music as a collective cultural heritage for the entire world(June 18–Aug 19). After a rousing opening with The Knights and Yo-Yo Ma, the abundance of world-class music filling the season includes pianist Lara Downes’s American Tapestry program; a recital by mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges; The Chevalier, a concert theater work by Bill Barclay about Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges; the world premiere of Michael Gordon’s site-specific Field of Vision for 40 percussionists; the Silkroad Ensemble and its new Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens’s Phoenix Rising program, including fournew commissions; Dawn Upshaw’s “Dido Reimagined” with the Brentano String Quartet; an evening with composer/performers Caroline Shaw, Angélica Negrón, and Raquel Acevedo Klein; A Night at the Opera with Stephanie Blythe and Laquita Mitchell; Handel’s Theodora featuring Marie-Eve Munger, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and The Trinity Baroque Orchestra; and a Beethoven season finale with Orchestra of St. Luke’s joined by soloist Marc-André Hamelin. The annual Jazz Festivalis headlined by Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Quartet; theAmerican Roots Music Festivalfeatures headlinerMolly Tuttle & Golden Highway;and the Sonic Innovations sound art installation features two new pieces by Mendi + Keith Obadike. Several concerts feature pre-concert conversations with the artists, and radio personality Helga Davis hosts a series of post-concert talkbacks on selected Thursdays. All concerts are held safely outdoors on the cultural arts destination’s idyllic 80-acre Westchester campus in accordance with local and federal COVID-19 protocols.
In the words of Edward J. Lewis III, Caramoor’s President and Chief Executive Officer:
“This summer is one of the most dynamic in our history! Our incredible lineup of artists and repertoire includes voices from an array of backgrounds, eras, and lived experiences, reflecting a broad diversity of audiences from our stages. We’re thrilled to present a season of such powerful world-class music experiences in our picturesque outdoor venues."
Kathy Schuman, Caramoor’s Artistic Director, elaborates:
“Over the years Caramoor’s programming has expanded beyond classical music to include jazz, American roots, world music, and more, so we’ve already been presenting a diverse slate of musicians. This summer I’m particularly excited to be highlighting many underrepresented artists in the classical realm who so deserve greater recognition. I hope that their amplified voices and music will be as great a discovery to audiences as they have been to me.”
With a stunning variety of music in its celebrated outdoor venues, a breathtaking setting of newly renovated and landscaped Italianate gardens, tours of the historic Rosen House, and sound art installations throughout the grounds, Caramoor is the perfect destination for a leisurely day of relaxing in the open air, and remains “a year-round powerhouse of cultural activity” (BBC Music Magazine).
Expanding the Canon: Lara Downes, J’Nai Bridges, Imani Winds, The Chevalier,the Thalea String Quartet, and Talkbacks with Helga Davis
Vocalist, performance artist, writer, composer, and host of “Helga: The Armory Conversations” on New York’s WNYC, Helga Davis will be on hand throughout the summer to host a series of talkbacks after Thursday night performances, providing insight into lesser-known repertoire and giving audiences intimate access to featured performers and composers.
Pianist Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation. A trailblazer dedicated to expanding the resonance and relevance of American music for all audiences, she draws inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory to explore her own mixed-race heritage as an interpreter of diverse American traditions. The Log Journal calls her “an explorer whose imagination is fired by bringing notice to the underrepresented and forgotten.” She makes her Caramoor debut with a program combining early twentieth-century music by Black composers with pieces influenced by them. Included are four iconic works by Scott Joplin, as heard on Downes’s new album, Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered. The pianist will participate in a talkback hosted by Helga Davis right after the performance (June 30).
Sphinx Medal of Excellence-winning mezzo-sopranoJ’Nai Bridges, known for her “plush voice” (New York Times) and “commanding stage presence” (New Yorker), was recently seen at the Metropolitan Opera as Nefertiti in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten.She, too, is making her Caramoor debut, accompanied by pianist Bradley Moore in a solo recital made up of diverse voices. Songs by Ravel, Schubert, Brahms, Albert Hay Malotte, and Margaret Bonds will be heard alongside Prayer by Carlos Simon, also a Sphinx Medal of Excellence winner; Oh Glory by Shawn Okpebholo, whose music has been called “devastatingly beautiful” by the Washington Post; and Cantata, the only published work of twentieth-century African-American pianist and composer John Carter, first performed by Leontyne Price. Helga Davis will again host a talkback with Bridges following the performance (July 7).
Grammy-nominated ensemble Imani Winds leads the evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing and adventurous programming, striving to push the classical repertory forward into inclusivity. Their Caramoor debut on July 14, titled “A Woman’s Perspective,” focuses on three contemporary female composers: Valerie Coleman, the founder and former flutist of the ensemble; Nathalie Joachim; and Reena Esmail. As Gramophone explains about the group: “Musicians have felt an increasing urgency over the past year to become engaged with issues of social justice. Imani Winds were already there well before most, having devoted themselves to giving a platform to marginalized voices since they started out in 1997.” A talkback hosted by Helga Davis will follow the concert.
On July 10, Caramoor presents The Chevalier, a concert theater work about Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a prolific eighteenth-century composer, virtuoso violinist, the finest fencer in Europe, general of Europe’s first Black regiment, and a crusader for equality. Written and directed by Bill Barclay and featuring RJ Foster in the title role, The Chevalier is being developed into a full-length play, excerpts of which will be heard at this performance. Violinist Brendon Elliott joins four actors, including Barclay, and the Harlem Chamber Players for this exploration of Bologne’s friendships with Mozart and Marie Antoinette, and his unknown contribution to the abolishment of slavery. Leading up to the performance is a pre-concert talk with creator Bill Barclay.
Praised for “vibrant performance” and “sincere expressivity” (San Francisco Classical Voice), theThalea String Quartet served as Caramoor’s 2019-20 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, and was slated to culminate its residency with a summer concert before being thwarted by COVID closures. The quartet returns to Caramoor on July 28 with Legacies, a program exploring the American traditions of rap, rock, and bluegrass to tell stories of the Black experience. On the program is music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, Gabriella Smith, and Alex Vittal, alongside Dvořák’s “American” Quartet. A talkback hosted by Helga Davis will follow the performance.
On June 24, Caramoor’s Chamber Feastpresents alumni of the Evnin Rising Stars mentoring program – joined by New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill – performing works by Dvořák and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an English composer born in 1875 to an English mother and a Sierra Leonean father, who achieved international fame in his time but remains unfamiliar to today’s audiences. McGill, a champion of the clarinet quintet that Coleridge-Taylor composed in his early 20s, explains:
“Not only is [Coleridge-Taylor’s music] luscious – it has that romantic feel – it has sounds I can relate to as well. It sounds like the experience of someone I can identify with, someone who’s a Black man. Those melodies are singing to you directly, whoever you are.”
Experiential, Site-Specific Work: Field of Vision
On July 24, the Sunken Garden and surrounding field will be the venue for the free world premiere of Bang on a Can co-founder and co-artistic director Michael Gordon’s new large-scale, site-specific work, Field of Vision. Gordon has produced a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging from major orchestral commissions to site-specific works in the wilderness to surround-sound experiences like Decasia and Timber. Transcending categorization, his music tells stories about place and memory. Field of Vision features 40 percussionists from the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble and guests from the Sō Percussion Summer Institute: 20 in a spatial chain of moving sound in dialogue with 20 who come in and out of view. The percussionists perform on newly created instruments made from recycled metals and wood. Produced in collaboration with Bang on a Can, the piece is directed by Doug Perkins, who led 2018’s large-scale outdoor percussion piece, Inuksuit,at Caramoor. Before the performance is a pre-concert talk with Michael Gordon. This immersive outdoor concert experience is free and suitable for all ages.
Opera: Stephanie Blythe and Laquita Mitchell, Handel’s Theodora
In the words of the New York Times:“Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe … can do anything.”In collaboration with On Site Opera, Caramoor presents Blythe and soprano Laquita Mitchell – praised by Opera News for “a lovely tonal sheen, and soaring high notes” – for an evening of operatic comedy and tragedy onJuly 22. Lesson Plan, newly adapted for live performance after its recent premiere online,starsBlythe as an acclaimed opera diva who finds herself teaching a master class to a group of liberal arts students at a community college. Based on Telemann’s Der Schulmeister, the opera is adapted and expanded by composer and librettist Rachel J. Peters. In the second half of the program, Blythe reprises her acclaimed tenor debut in the role of Don José in excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen, joined by Mitchell and mezzo Maya Lahyani for arias and duets arranged for two-piano accompaniment. A pre-concert talk features Peters and director Eric Einhorn.
OnJuly 31, Trinity Baroque Orchestra and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, led by Avi Stein, present Handel’s Theodora, a dramatic oratorio that was his penultimate major work. This story of the eponymous Christian martyr facing persecution at the hands of the Romans also features a stellar cast of soloists, including Anthony Roth Costanzo, Daniela Mack, Tyler Duncan, and Alek Shrader, with Marie-Eve Munger in the title role. There will be a pre-concert talk with MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris.
Orchestras: The Knights with Yo-Yo Ma, Silkroad Ensemble, Orchestra of St. Luke’s & more
Caramoor’s 2022 summer season kicks off on June 18 with an Opening Night Gala featuring incomparable cellist Yo-Yo Maand his frequent collaborators The Knights, the trailblazing, Grammy-nominated orchestral collective that has developed “a strong reputation for polished performances and imaginative programming” (New York Times), conducted by Eric Jacobsen. Marking the cellist’s first return to Caramoor since 2016, the concert will showcase Ma in Brahms’s Concerto for Violin and Cello, along with Colin Jacobsen as the violin soloist. Also on the program is the music of Bernstein, Kodály, and Joplin, as well as an arrangement of the big band-era classic The Big Noise From Winnetka.
MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and Grammy Award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens returns to Caramoor on July 16 in her new role as Artistic Director of the Silkroad Ensemble. Their Phoenix Rising program combines a modern re-imagining of Silkroad’s award-winning compositions and arrangements with collaborative new works arising from Giddens’s unique worldview and the Ensemble’s collective experience during the pandemic. Included are new commissions by Shawn Conley, Sandeep Das, Maeve Gilchrist, and Kaoru Watanabe, as well as new arrangements by Giddens, Colin Jacobsen, Edward Pérez, and Mazz Swift.
Orchestra of St. Luke’s – “one of the most versatile and galvanic ensembles in the U.S.” (WQXR) – returns to Caramoor for two Sunday afternoon concerts this summer. The first program, on July 17, marks the Caramoor debut of New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New – “one of the brightest rising stars in the conducting firmament” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). On the program are Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony, and Brahms’s Violin Concerto with soloist Karen Gomyo, an alumna of Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars program lauded by the Chicago Tribune as a “first-rate artist of real musical command, vitality, brilliance, and intensity.” The conductor will be on hand for a pre-concert talk at 3:00pm. OSL returns for the Summer Season Finale on August 7, an all-Beethoven program led by Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie. Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin, renowned for his unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique, performs the “Emperor” Concerto, and Labadie leads the orchestra in the Symphony No. 2 in D. The conductor will also give a pre-concert talk at 3:00pm.
Chamber music and recitals: Kronos Quartet, Inon Barnatan & more
The Philadelphia Inquirer raves that pianistInon Barnatan possesses “a breathtaking charisma that comes from gorgeously turned-out technique, a masterly sense of color, and an expressiveness that can question, weep, or shout joy from the rooftops,” and the New York Times declares him to be “one of the most admired pianists of his generation.” The pianist brings his Time Traveler’s Suiteprogram to Caramoor onJune 26 after releasing it last November as an album on the Pentatone label. Long known as a thoughtful and compelling curator, Barnatan conceived the program as a journey through time and space that redefines the Baroque suite by combining movements of Bach, Handel, Rameau, and Couperin with more recent works by Ravel, Barber, Adès, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, before culminating with Brahms’s ingenious Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. Caramoor’s annual “Pride and Prosecco” reception to celebrate Pride Month precedes the concert at 3:00pm.
OnJuly 8 the Kronos Quartet – renowned for its fearless exploration and praised by the New York Times for having “broken the boundaries of what string quartets do” – presents a program of works drawn from its 50 for the Future project, of which Caramoor is a commissioning partner. Over five years, the group commissioned works from 50 composers from diverse backgrounds to provide a younger generation of string players with an accessible library of new works, helping them to master the techniques needed to perform 21st-century repertoire. Evenly split between male and female composers, all 50 works are available for free on the quartet’s website, and ten will be performed on the Caramoor program, by composers Peni Candra Rini, Jlin, Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, inti figgis-vizueta, Terry Riley, Tanya Tagaq, Angélique Kidjo, Missy Mazzoli, Nicole Lizée, and Aruna Narayan.
Promoting mindful listening, the “Music & Meditation in the Garden” series on three Saturday mornings in July and August in the Sunken Garden will feature a led meditation and a performance. The first event features cellist Coleman Itzkoff, an alumnus of Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars program praised by the New Yorker for his “flawless technique and keen musicality,” and a member of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) (July 9). Next, flutist Emi Ferguson – who gave a livestreamed performance with the Ruckus ensemble in Caramoor’s Music Room last spring and has been hailed by critics for her “stellar” performances (New York Classical Review) – is joined by the “soulful” and “eloquent” playing (Musical America) of harpist Ashley Jackson (July 16). The series concludes with a performance by Boyd Meets Girl, a guitar-cello duo comprising Australian guitarist Rupert Boyd and American cellist Laura Metcalf about whom Gramophone raved: “They play like one, with a harmony of purpose as sure as their intonation” (Aug 6).
Vocal music: Dawn Upshaw, VOCES8, Les Arts Florissants & more
The Brentano String Quartet and soprano Dawn Upshaw– who “has the kind of power, clarity, and pure beauty that can transfix a listener” (Pioneer Press) – join forces at Caramoor this summer for “Dido Reimagined” (July 15). The first half of the performance, comprising early English works by Dowland, Byrd, and others, plus “Dido’s Lament” from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, sets the stage for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Melinda Wagner and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann’s monodrama, Dido Reimagined, an exploration of the character’s psyche, vulnerability and strength. A pre-concert talk at 7:00pm features Brentano violinist Mark Steinberg along with Wagner.
On July 21, composers Raquel Acevedo Klein (voice, electronics), Caroline Shaw (voice, viola, electronics) and Angélica Negrón (voice, accordion, electronics), gather for an evening of new music created in real-time, tapping into the inherent power of natural moments, gestures, sounds, and silences. This collaboration was originally conceived for Little Island in 2021 but was canceled due to weather. This performance is unique to Caramoor. A talkback hosted by Helga Davis will follow the performance.
The eight-voice British vocal ensemble VOCES8 presents a wide-ranging program called “Stardust” that connects natural and spiritual regeneration and takes its title from a new commission for the group by American composer Taylor Scott Davis (Aug 4). Repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day comes from England, Scandinavia, Italy, Iceland, Russia, and the U.S., with arrangements of jazz standards rounding out the program. Gramophone raves: “The singing of VOCES8 is impeccable in its quality of tone and balance. They bring a new dimension to the word ‘ensemble’ with meticulous timing and tuning.”
Founded in 1979 by harpsichordist William Christie, French period instrument ensemble Les Arts Florissants is one of the best-known Baroque ensembles in the world. For a special chamber performance onAugust 5, Christie will be joined by two young Baroque stars, French-Italian mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre, about whom the New York Times declared that she “brought life and beauty to everything she touched,” and French lutenist Thomas Dunford, praised by Gramophone for playing that is “beautiful and refreshing.” On the all-French program are vocal works by Charpentier, R. Hahn, Lambert, Offenbach, Barbara, M. Legrand, and others.
Jazz and Broadway: Jazz Festival, Brian Stokes Mitchell & more
Caramoor’s annual Jazz Festival returns on July 30, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center and headlined by composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet performing “Burt Bacharach Reimagined.” After an appearance by Thurman at the Lake George Jazz Fest, Downbeat raved that her “clear articulation, natural vibrato, soulful inflection, and remarkable Fitzgerald-esque scat prowess … instantly marked her as the discovery of the festival.” Daytime artists in the festival include the Summer Camargo Quintet, George Coleman Quartet, Chick Corea Afro-Caribbean Experience with Elio Villafranca and Friends, Candice Hoyes & Damien Sneed presenting Duke Ellington’s “On a Turquoise Cloud,” Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands with special guests, and much more.
Two additional jazz events are also presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Grammy- and Latin Grammy-nominated percussionist Pedrito Martinez, whose“fierce combination of deep Afro-Cuban folklore fused with the jazz, hip-hop, and funk elements have molded him into a unique talent with international appeal” (Univision), performs with his band July 1. On August 19, young piano and organ phenomenon Matthew Whitaker brings his quintetto Caramoor.Starting out as a child prodigy, Whitaker – also an award-winning composer and an acclaimed bandleader – has since shared the stage with some of the biggest and brightest stars in jazz. WBGO says of him: “Beyond his innate musical abilities is a sheer joy and passion to create music.”
On July 23is a performance byRachael & Vilray,comprising Lake Street Dive singer-songwriter Rachael Price and composer, singer, and guitarist Vilray. With a shared love for the jazz music of the 1930s and 40s, the two met at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2003, later reuniting as a performing duo and releasing their debut, self-titled album, which the New York Times praised for music “as cozy as it is sophisticated.” This concert is presented in collaboration with City Winery.
OnJuly 9, Brian Stokes Mitchell makes his Caramoor debut. Dubbed “the last leading man” by the New York Times, the Tony Award-winner has put his inimitable stamp on productions of Kiss Me, Kate; Man of La Mancha; Ragtime, and many others, including a star turn as Don Pedro in the Public Theater’s 2014 production of Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare in the Park. His Caramoor performance includes a wide range of songs from contemporary works to favorites from the American Songbook.
To celebrate Independence Day, Curt Ebersole and the Westchester Symphonic Winds return to Caramoor for their annualPops & Patriotsconcert. Two guest vocalists – soprano Christine Taylor Price and baritone Thomas West,both alumni of Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program – will perform a medley of Sondheim songs. The program also includes patriotic tunesand more (July 2).
American Roots and World music: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Angélique Kidjo, Shemekia Copeland & more
Caramoor’s American Roots Music Festival, an all-day celebration of the best in Americana, blues, folk, and bluegrass, returns on June 25, presented for the second time in collaboration with City Winery. Headlining the festival this summer is multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Molly Tuttle with her band Golden Highway. Tuttle is known for her insightful songwriting and a stunning guitar technique that led to her being named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2019, the first woman ever to be so recognized. Rolling Stone Country writes: “Between her expressive, crystalline voice and astounding flat-picking guitar skills, Tuttle has made history.” Daytime artists for the American Roots Festival include Kittel & Co.,Kevin Burt, and Black Opry Revue, a showcase for country, blues, folk, and Americana music performed by Black artists, whose work in these genres has often been overlooked and disregarded by fans and music executives.
On August 6, Angélique Kidjo– “Africa’s premier diva” (TIME Magazine) and a four-time Grammy winner – returns to the Caramoor stage with her band to perform music from her childhood home of Benin mixed with elements of R&B, funk, and jazz. As the New Yorker proclaimed: “With a nearly four-decade career, Angélique Kidjo is a towering figure of cross-cultural music. Her work, which extends from Afrobeat and jazz to Afro-pop and world fusion, grows only more inclusive and curious with time.” A genre- and border-crossing artist and activist fluent across multiple languages and cultures, Kidjo is a recipient of both the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum and the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award.
Three roots and world music events will be presented this summer in the more casual format of Caramoor’s “Concerts on the Lawn” series on Friends Field. Performed on a new stage that was completed in June 2021, the concerts are BYOS (bring-your-own-seats), with picnics and dancing encouraged. Fusing spoken word and folk music with traditional Afro-Mexican music and dance, the Chicano band Las Cafeteras from East L.A. performs on June 23. Shemekia Copeland, whose latest album, Uncivil War, blends blues, R&B, and Americana to build on the musically and lyrically adventurous territory she’s been exploring for over a decade, is described by Rolling Stone as “a powerhouse, a superstar … She can do no wrong.” In collaboration with City Winery, she is presented with a full band on July 29. And on August 12,LADAMA’s music stretches across cultures, styles, and languages, combining traditional roots with pop for their propulsively rhythmic original compositions sung in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
Free Community Events: Soundscapes, Juneteenth
The official opening of Caramoor’s grounds and renowned sound art exhibition is celebrated in a free pre-season event, Soundscapes, on June 5. Performers include percussive dancing duo Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss;beatboxer, vocal percussionist, and breath artist Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero, who appeared at Caramoor last season as a guest artist with Sō Percussion; and thereminist Dorit Chrysler, who will also give workshops on the instrument. Also featured is an installation byvocalist and composer Raquel Acevedo Klein. In addition, guided tours of the Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition will be offered, with the artists present on site.
Caramoor celebratesJuneteenth– the celebration of African American freedom and achievement that has become known as the country’s second Independence Day – on June 19. Presented in collaboration with the Town of Bedford, this free performance by internationally recognized recording artist, vocal coach, and songwriter Jeremiah Abiah will be accompanied by family activities and will commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, honoring their families, heritage, and resilience.
The world premiere of Michael Gordon’s new large-scale, site-specific work, Field of Vision, presented on July 24in the Sunken Garden and surrounding field, will also be a free event, suitable for all ages (see under Experiential, Site-Specific Work above).
Sound Art exhibition
The rotating annual Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition, spread throughout Caramoor’s idyllic grounds, is curated by Chicago-based sound artist Stephan Moore. Six works will be on display this summer, all featuring artists working beyond the realm of concert music. New this summer are two pieces created by Mendi + Keith Obadike:Timbre and Frequency. Inspired by African-American writers Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison, the pieces “function together like the A-side and B-side of a record.” Each work is a sculpture using text and sound, created for a specific site on the Caramoor grounds, that hints at an alternate way of listening, an opportunity to perceive something beyond the surface. They are from a larger series of projects, using sound, text, and sculpture, that Mendi + Keith call tonotypes. Returning to the exhibition this summer are in“C”, a site-specific sound-sculpture commissioned from MacArthur Fellow Trimpin; Ranjit Bhatnagar’s Stone Song; Taylor Deupree’s t(ch)ime; 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 Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (Your Place is Green)from artist Walter Kitundu.
Caramoor has been committed topublic health and safety since the start of the pandemic, and the 2022 festival has been designed in accordance with all the latest state and federal guidelines.
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 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 Caramoor’s summer brochure.
facebook.com/caramoor
instagram.com/caramoor
twitter.com/Caramoor
pinterest.com/caramoor
youtube.com/caramoor
issuu.com/caramoor
Caramoor: 2022 summer season
All artists and dates are subject to change.
Sun, June 5 at 12pm
Caramoor Grounds
Soundscapes
Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss, dancers
Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero, breath artist
Dorit Chrysler, theremin
Raquel Acevedo KLEIN: Polyphonic Interlace
Sound artists: Trimpin, Mendi & Keith Obadike, Walter Kitundu, Taylor Deupree, Annea Lockwood & Bob Bielecki, Ranjit Bhatnagar
Sat, June 18
Gala Tent
OPENING NIGHT GALA BENEFIT
Sat, June 18 at 7pm
Venetian Theater
Opening Night Concert: Yo-Yo Ma & The Knights
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Leonard BERNSTEIN: Overture to Candide
Scott JOPLIN (arr. The Knights): Rags
Johannes BRAHMS: Hungarian Dance No. 1
Zoltan KODÁLY: Dances of Galánta
Johannes BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin and Cello
Bob HAGGART / Ray BAUDUC (arr. Conley): The Big Noise from Winnetka
Sun, June 19 at 4pm
Friends Field Tent
Celebrate Juneteenth: A Day to Energize and Recognize!
Presented in collaboration with the Town of Bedford
Jeremiah Abiah
Thurs, June 23 at 7pm
Friends Field
Las Cafeteras
Concert on the Lawn
Fri, June 24 at 8pm
Spanish Courtyard
Chamber Feast
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Janice Carissa, piano
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Rubén Rengel, violin
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Alexander Hersh, cello
Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Quintet in F-sharp minor for Clarinet and Strings, Op. 10
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 8
Sat, June 25 at 1pm
Caramoor Grounds
American Roots Music Festival
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Evening performance by Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Daytime performers include:
Black Opry Revue
Kevin Burt
Kittel & Co.
More to be announced
Sun, June 26 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Inon Barnatan, piano
TIME TRAVELER’S SUITE
Johann Sebastian BACH: Toccata in E minor, BWV 914
George Frideric HANDEL: Allemande from Suite for Harpsichord in E, HWV 430
Jean-Philippe RAMEAU: Courante from Suite in A minor
François COUPERIN: L’Atalante
Maurice RAVEL: Rigaudon from Le Tombeau de Couperin
Thomas ADÈS: Blanca Variations
Coleridge-Taylor PERKINSON: Toccata
Samuel BARBER: Fuga: Allegro con spirito from Piano Sonata in E-flat minor, Op. 26
Johannes BRAHMS: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24
3pm Pride and Prosecco reception
Thurs, June 30 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
Lara Downes, piano
AMERICAN TAPESTRY
Morton GOULD: American Caprice
Dana SUESSE: American Nocturne
Florence PRICE: Fantasie Nègre No. 1
Nathaniel DETT: The Place Where the Rainbow Ends from Magnolia Suite
Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Deep River
Margaret BONDS: Troubled Water
Scott JOPLIN: Weeping Willow; Peacherine Rag; Solace; Maple Leaf Rag
George GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue
Talkback with Helga Davis and Lara Downes immediately following the concert
Fri, July 1 at 8pm
Friends Field
Pedrito Martinez
Concert on the Lawn
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Sat, July 2 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Pops & Patriots
Westchester Symphonic Winds
Curt Ebersole, conductor
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Thomas West, baritone
John Stafford SMITH (arr. Green): The Star-Spangled Banner
Cole PORTER (arr. Green): Kiss Me, Kate selections
Omar THOMAS: Shenandoah
Morton GOULD (arr. Lang): American Salute
Edwin Franko GOLDMAN: On the Mall
Stephen SONDHEIM (arr. Podd): Medley
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture, Op. 49
John Philip SOUSA: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Thurs, July 7 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Bradley Moore, piano
Albert Hay MALOTTE: The Lord's Prayer
Maurice RAVEL: Shéhérazade
Franz SCHUBERT: An die Musik
Johannes BRAHMS: Die Mainacht, Von ewiger Liebe
Margaret BONDS: Minstrel Man
Carlos SIMON: Prayer
Shawn OKPEBHOLO: Oh Glory
John CARTER: Cantata
Talkback with Helga Davis and J’Nai Bridges immediately following the concert
Fri, July 8 at 8pm
Friends Field
Kronos Quartet
Concert on the Lawn
Peni Candra RINI (arr. Jacob Garchik): Maduswara
JLIN (arr. Jacob Garchik): Little Black Book
Hawa Kassé Mady DIABATÉ (arr. Jacob Garchik): Tegere Tulon: I. Funtukuru
inti FIGGIS-VIZUETA: branching patterns
Terry RILEY: Movement 3 from This Assortment Atoms — One Time Only!
Tanya TAGAQ (arr. Jacob Garchik): Excerpt from Sivunittinni
Angélique KIDJO (arr. Jacob Garchik): YanYanKliYan Senamido #2
Missy MAZZOLI: Enthusiasm Strategies
Nicole LIZÉE: Another Living Soul
Aruna NARAYAN (arr. Reena Esmail): Mishra Pilu
Sat, July 9 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Music & Meditation in the Garden
Sat, July 9 at 8pm
Venetian Theater
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Sun, July 10 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
The Chevalier
A Concert Theater Work About Joseph Bologne
Written and directed by Bill Barclay
Brendon Elliott, violin
Harlem Chamber Players
RJ Foster (Joseph Bologne)
Merritt Jansen (Marie Antoinette)
David Joseph (Mozart)
Bill Barclay (Pierre Choderlos de Laclos)
3pm conversation with Bill Barclay
Thurs, July 14 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
Imani Winds
A WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE
Mongo SANTAMARÍA (arr. V. Coleman): Afro Blue
Nathalie JOACHIM: Seen
Reena ESMAIL: The Light is the Same
Valerie COLEMAN: Afro-Cuban Concerto
Talkback with Helga Davis and Imani Winds immediately following the concert
Fri, July 15 at 8pm
Spanish Courtyard
Brentano String Quartet
Dawn Upshaw, soprano
DIDO REIMAGINED
Henry PURCELL: Oh, let me weep; Fantasias Nos. 5 and 7
Matthew LOCKE: Suite No. 2
John DOWLAND: Come again, sweet love doth now invite; Can she excuse my wrongs;Weep you no more, sad fountains
Thomas TOMKINS: Alman
William BYRD: Though Amaryllis Dance in Green
Robert JOHNSON: The Witty Wanton
Henry PURCELL: When I am laid in earth (Dido's lament)
Melinda WAGNER: Dido Reimagined
7pm conversation with Brentano violinist Mark Steinberg and composer Melinda Wagner
Sat, July 16 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Emi Ferguson, flute
Ashley Jackson, harp
Music & Meditation in the Garden
Sat, July 16 at 8pm
Venetian Theater
Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens
PHOENIX RISING
Featuring Silkroad artists:
Jeffrey Beecher, bass
Sandeep Das, tabla
Haruka Fujii, percussion
Rhiannon Giddens, banjo & voice
Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp
Mario Gotoh, viola
Joseph Gramley, percussion
Shaw Pong Liu, violin & erhu
Wu Man, pipa
Danny Mekonnen, tenor & soprano saxophones
Karen Ouzounian, cello
Michi Wiancko, violin
Kaoru Watanabe, Japanese flute & percussion
Reylon Yount, yangqin
Sun, July 17 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Gemma New, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
Jessie MONTGOMERY: Strum
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Symphony No. 35 in D, K. 385 ("Haffner")
Johannes BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
3pm conversation with Gemma New
Thurs, July 21 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
Caroline Shaw, Angélica Negrón, and Raquel Acevedo Klein
Talkback with Helga Davis, Caroline Shaw, Angélica Negrón, and Raquel Acevedo Klein immediately following the concert
Fri, July 22 at 8pm
Venetian Theater
A Night at the Opera with Stephanie Blythe & Laquita Mitchell
Produced in collaboration with On Site Opera
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano (Alice Tommasso/Don José)
Laquita Mitchell, soprano (Robinetta/Micaëla)
Maya Lahyani, mezzo-soprano (Carmen)
Candace Chien, piano
Eric Einhorn, director
Junghyun Georgia Lee, costume & prop designer
Rachel J. PETERS: Lesson Plan (based on Telemann’s Der Schulmeister)
Georges BIZET: Excerpts from Carmen
7pm conversation with Eric Einhorn and Rachel J. Peters
Sat, July 23 at 8pm
Friends Field
Rachael & Vilray
Concert on the Lawn
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Sun, July 24 at 4pm
Sunken Garden
Michael Gordon’s Field of Vision (world premiere)
University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble & Guests of the Sō Percussion Summer Institute
Doug Perkins, music director
3pm conversation with Michael Gordon
Thurs, July 28 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
Thalea String Quartet
LEGACIES
Daniel Bernard ROUMAIN: “I made up my mind not to move” and “Isorhythmiclationistic” from String Quartet No. 5 (“Rosa Parks”)
Gabriella SMITH: Carrot Revolution
Alex VITTAL: The B-Side
Antonín DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96, “American”
Talkback with Helga Davis and Thalea String Quartet immediately following the concert
Fri, July 29 at 8pm
Friends Field
Shemekia Copeland
Concert on the Lawn
Presented in collaboration with City Winery
Sat, July 30
Caramoor Grounds
Jazz Festival
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Evening performance by Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet: Burt Bacharach Reimagined
Daytime performers include:
Summer Camargo Quintet
George Coleman Quartet
Benny Benack III Quartet
The Chick Corea Afro-Caribbean Experience with Elio Villafranca and Friends
Candice Hoyes & Damien Sneed: Duke Ellington’s On a Turquoise Cloud
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands with Special Guests
More to be announced.
Sun, July 31 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Handel’s Theodora
Marie-Eve Munger, soprano (Theodora)
Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor (Didymus)
Daniela Mack, mezzo-soprano (Irene)
Alek Shrader, tenor (Septimius)
Tyler Duncan, baritone (Valens)
Trinity Baroque Orchestra
Choir of Trinity Wall Street
Avi Stein, conductor
3pm conversation with MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris
Thurs, Aug 4 at 7pm
Spanish Courtyard
VOCES8
STARDUST
Fri, Aug 5 at 8pm
Spanish Courtyard
Les Arts Florissants Trio
Lea Desandre, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Dunford, lute
William Christie, harpsichord
LES RECETTES DE L’AMOUR
Sat, Aug 6 at 11am
Sunken Garden
Boyd Meets Girl
Rupert Boyd, guitar
Laura Metcalf, cello
Music & Meditation in the Garden
Sat, Aug 6 at 8pm
Venetian Theater
Angélique Kidjo
Sun, Aug 7 at 4pm
Venetian Theater
Summer Season Finale: Beethoven with Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Bernard Labadie, Principal Conductor
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73, “Emperor”
3pm Conversation with Bernard Labadie
Fri, Aug 12 at 7pm
Friends Field
LADAMA
Concert on the Lawn
Wed, Aug 17 at 7pm
Friends Field
Upstate
Concert on the Lawn
Presented in Collaboration with City Winery
Fri, Aug 19 at 7pm
Friends Field
Matthew Whitaker Quintet
Concert on the Lawn
Presented in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
© 21C Media Group, March 2022
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.
Caramoor’s outdoor performance of Michael Gordon’s Field of Vision with Bang on a Can was supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Helen F. Whitaker Fund, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., New York State Council on the Arts.
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.