Festival artistic director Linda Chesis saw Cooperstown as an ideal location for a music festival, with its picturesque lake setting, small town charm, restaurants and attractions, including the Glimmerglass Festival, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Farmers’ Museum, and the Fenimore Art Museum.

She started the Festival with three events in 1999, and since then the Festival has offered the region nearly 100 concerts, from classical to contemporary, jazz to bluegrass, cabaret to kids’ concerts. In 2011, the Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival became the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival to better reflect the range of music it offers.

The Festival has featured: Midori, Hank Jones, the Tokyo String Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Tim Fain, Bill Charlap, Hilary Kole, Simone Dinnerstein, and Mark O’Connor.

Festival concerts have been featured on Performance Today, America’s most popular classical music radio program, with more than 1.3 million weekly listeners on more than 260 stations around the country.

2013 marks the 12th year celebrated graphic designer Milton Glaser has created a poster for the Festival. Learn more about Milton Glaser Festival posters here…

The Festival, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is a member of Chamber Music America, the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism, and the Council of Community Services of New York State, Inc.

Board of Directors

John Guiton, President
Linda Chesis, Vice President
Melinda Hardin
Bruce Harris
John I. Howell
Patricia Smith
Henry F.C. Weil

Staff

Artistic Director and Founder: Linda Chesis
Marketing Manager: Peg Odell

Festival Artists 1999-2013

Ensembles
American String Quartet (2011)
Amphion String Quartet (2013)
Anderson & Roe (2010)
Ariel Winds (2002)
Avalon String Quartet (2002)
Borromeo String Quartet (2010)
Brasil Guitar Duo (2008)
Brubeck Brothers Quartet (2008)
Chiara String Quartet (2004, 2007)
Daedalus Quartet (2008-2009)
East Coast Chamber Orchestra (2011, 2013)
Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano (2010)
Ensō String Quartet (2005)
Gryphon Trio (2002)
Hank Jones Trio (2004)
Horszowski Trio (2012)
Igudesman & Joo (2009)
Juilliard String Quartet (2012)
Jupiter String Quartet (2012)
Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz (2007)
Meridian Arts Ensemble (2007)
Music from Copland House (2010-2011)
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem All Stars (2011)
New York Summer Music Festival International Flute Institute (2009-2013)
Parker String Quartet (2008)
Prism Brass Quintet (2003)
Rebel (2013)
Rossetti String Quartet (2003)
St. Lawrence String Quartet (2005-2006)
Stefon Harris Quartet (2003)
Tierney Sutton Band (2012)
Tokyo String Quartet (2002-2004)
Trio da Paz (2007)
Trio Solisti (2003-2006, 2008)
Walden Chamber Players (2013)

Individual Artists
Linda Chesis, artistic director, flute (1999-2013)
Charles Abramovic, piano (2007)
Edward Arron, cello (2007)
David Avshalomov, viola (2011-2)
Maria Bachmann, violin (1999-2006)
Bradley Brookshire, harpsichord (2005-2006, 2008-10)
Amy Burton, lyric soprano (2005-2007)
Laurie Carney, violin (2011-2)
Bill Charlap, piano (2006)
Catherine Cho, violin (2009)
Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor (2009)
Amanda Crider, mezzo soprano (2008)
Sarah Cunningham, viola da gamba (2004, 2006)
Sara Cutler, harp (2002, 2007)
Owen Dalby (2010)
Simone Dinnerstein, piano (2007)
Peter Donovan, double bass (2002)
Kurt Elling, jazz vocalist (2011)
Timothy Fain, violin (2002, 2005, 2008, 2011)
Felix Fan, cello (2002)
Tony Falanga, bass (2005)
Yevgeny Faniuk, flute (2008)
David Geber, cello (2008-2010, 2013)
Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello (2002-2006)
Stephen Gosling, piano (2003)
William Grubb, cello (2012)
Marianne Gythfeldt, clarinet (2005, 2013)
Eric Han, cello (2012)
Guo-Liang Han, flute (2012)
Joélle Harvey, soprano (2010)
Benjamin Hochman, piano (2009)
Shirley Irek, piano (2008-2010, 2012, 2013)
Randall Hodgkinson, piano (2004)
Heather Holden, flute (2006)
Robert Ingliss, oboe (2005)
Judith Ingolfsson, violin (2004-2007)
Gil Kalish, piano (2003)
John Kehayas, bassoon (2002)
Nadir Khashimov, violin (2012)
Richard Kilmer, oboe (2003)
Jon Klibonoff, piano (1999-2006)
Hilary Kole, jazz vocalist (2009, 2013)
Peter Kolkay, bassoon (2003, 2005)
Jean Kopperud, clarinet (2002-2004)
Mark Kosower, cello (2005-2006)
David Krakauer, clarinet (2005)
Yoon Kwon, violin (2003)
Patrick Jee, cello (2003)
Daniel Lee, viola (2012)
David Leisner, guitar (2005)
Walker Lewis, actor (2006-2007)
Dan Lippel, guitar (2003)
Kathryn Lockwood, viola (2004-2008)
Jon Manasse, clarinet (2003)
Brian Manker, cello (2008-2009)
Jeremy McCoy, double bass (2008)
Anthony McGill, clarinet (2009)
Midori, violin (2007)
Adrian Morejon, bassoon (2013)
Gil Morgenstern, violin (2004-2008)
John Musto, piano (2005)
Pedja Muzijevic, piano (2013)
Richard O’Neill, viola (2003)
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello (2010)
Soo-Kyung Park, flute (2006)
Peggy Pearson (2008)
Patrick Pridemore, horn (2003)
Harumi Rhodes, violin (2006)
James Roe, oboe (2013)
Stewart Rose, horn (2003, 2005)
Lisa Saffer, soprano (2008)
Dov Scheindlin, viola (2006)
Zohar Schondorf, French horn (2013)
Inbal Segev, cello (2004, 2007, 2009-2011)
David Shifrin, clarinet (2008)
Hopkinson Smith, lute (2005, 2007-2009)
Wilhelmina Smith, cello (2008)
Marcus Thomson, viola (2011)
Gwendolyn Toth, harpsichord (2004)
Rami Vamos, guitar (2007)
Alexander Velinzon, violin (2011)
Jason Vieaux, guitar (2012)
Jonathan Vinocour, viola (2006)
Roger Wagner, double bass (2009)
Keisuke Wakao, oboe (2011)
Vita Wallace, violin (2004)
Mingzhe Wang, clarinet (2013)
Henrik Wiese, flute (2012)
William Wolfram, piano (2010)
Sarah Wolfson, soprano (2008)
Asmira Woodward-Page, violin (2003)
Phillip Ying, viola (1999-2003)

2013 Festival Artists