Past Concerts
Borromeo String Quartet with Linda Chesis, flute
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
The Farmers' Museum (map)
Hailed by the Boston Globe as “simply the best,” the Borromeo String Quartet returns to CSMF to perform Beethoven’s op. 127 as well as works by Amy Beach and Eleanor Alberga.
All-Bach
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Christ Episcopal Church (map)
CSMF Artistic Director Linda Chesis combines forces with festival favorites Joseph Lin, violin, Michael Katz, cello, and the inimitable Bradley Brookshire on harpsichord, for a celebration of the pure beauty and undeniable genius of the music of J. S. Bach. In addition to performing a selection of Bach’s instrumental sonatas -- masterful compositions that reveal new meaning with each encounter -- they will be joined by Glimmerglass Festival Young Artists Emilie Kealani, soprano, and Kyle Tingzon, countertenor, for performances of Bach’s beloved arias.
Caroga Arts Ensemble: A String Serenade
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
The hometown heroes of the Caroga Arts Ensemble return to CSMF for a summer string extravaganza, showcasing works spanning a variety of sounds and emotions from around the globe.
Nuevo Tango: JP Jofre, bandoneon and Tommy Mesa, cello
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Argentinian bandoneon master JP Jofre joins highly-acclaimed Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa for a program exploring the fusion of classical music and tango. Performing beloved works by Astor Piazzolla alongside original works by the Grammy-nominated Jofre, the duo will show you the future of tango in an evening of music unlike anything you have ever experienced.
Jofre offers “…a striking demonstration of the bandoneon’s varied moods, from eerie croons to spiky jollity” -The New Yorker
Harry Allen's All Star New York Saxophone Band
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Jazz saxophone legend Harry Allen joins forces with Ken Peplowski and Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone, Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone, James Chirillo on guitar, Mike Karn on bass and Aaron Kimmel on drums for an evening of small group jazz with a big band feel.
Ying Quartet: American Made
Sunday, May 7, 2023
4:00 PM 5:30 PM
Christ Episcopal Church (map)
The tradition of American string quartet writing is full of magnificent music. Samuel Barber’s only quartet (from 1936) has, as its centerpiece, the Adagio, one of the most iconic pieces of American music ever written. Although it is most often heard in arrangements for massed strings, the profound simplicity of the original quartet version is tender, moving and powerful. Newer works by Jennifer Higdon and Billy Childs are even more personal to us, as the Ying Quartet commissioned and worked closely with both composers. Southern Harmony depicts Jennifer’s musical youth in Tennessee and Georgia, and features fiddling techniques found in Appalachian roots music. Billy’s Agitato magically melds Bartok and bebop. In the 1890s, Antonin Dvorak spent significant time in the US helping to inspire American composers to find their own distinctive voices. He wrote his Op. 106 quartet after leaving New York and returning to his native Bohemia.
We have all of these wonderful composers to thank for contributing to the vibrant American music scene that we enjoy today!
-David Ying
American String Quartet with Philippe Muller, cello and Linda Chesis, flute
Sunday, October 2, 2022
4:00 PM
Christ Episcopal Church
Praised by the New York Times for its "luxurious, beautifully sculptured performances", the American String Quartet is internationally recognized as one of the world’s foremost quartets. The quartet returns to CSMF along with acclaimed French cellist Philippe Muller and Festival Artistic Director, flutist Linda Chesis for a program of works by Joseph Haydn and Aaron Jay Kernis, as well as Schubert's sublime String Quintet.
Brazilian Jazz Legends: Trio da Paz
Monday, August 29, 2022
7:00 PM
The Farmers’ Museum
Enjoy the infectious spirit and intoxicating rhythms of of this iconic Grammy-nominated trio, comprised of Brazil’s most in-demand musicians: Romero Lubambo, guitar; Nilson Matta, bass; and Duduka da Fonseca, drums. Called a “Brazilian jazz supergroup” by DownBeat magazine, Trio da Paz’s return to Cooperstown will leave the community with an evening they won’t soon forget.
Danbi Um, violin and JIJI, guitar
Monday, August 22, 2022
7:00 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel
Celebrated young virtuosos, Danbi Um and JIJI, will join forces for a genre-spanning program, including works by Corelli, Paganini, Piazzolla and Ella Fitzgerald.
Musical Kaleidoscope: The Caroga Arts Ensemble
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
7:00 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel
Caroga Arts Ensemble, directed by cellist Kyle Price, is comprised of top professional musicians from around the country who have performed at the Caroga Lake Music Festival. Performers include top competition prizewinners, School of Music faculty and members of America’s leading orchestras and chamber groups. In the 2018-2019 season, Caroga Arts Ensemble made its debut at Ravinia Festival (Highland Park, IL), presented a weeklong educational residency at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Springs, NY) , and performed at Chicago’s Symphony Center, Maverick Concert Series (Woodstock, NY) and TED-x Oaklawn (Oaklawn, TX). Other past appearances include Maverick Concert Series, L.L. Bean’s Summer in the Park Series, and Proctors Theater.
This genre-spanning group will perform music ranging from Classical and Jazz to Pop and Bluegrass.
Verona Quartet
Monday, August 8, 2022
7:00 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel
Delicate craftsmanship, luminous sound and a dramatic poise are all hallmarks of the virtuosity that fuses together violinists Jonathan Ong, Dorothy Ro, violist Abigail Rojansky, and cellist Jonathan Dormand to create the Verona Quartet.
The group’s singular sense of purpose earned them Chamber Music America’s coveted Cleveland Quartet Award in 2020, and a reputation as an “outstanding ensemble...cohesive yet full of temperament” (The New York Times). This multi award-winning quartet will perform Puccini’s Crisantemi, Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 18/no. 1 and Dvorak's "American" Quartet.
Imani Winds
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
7:00 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel
Celebrating over two decades of music making, the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and as a 21st century group, Imani Winds is devoutly committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.
For the Birds
Sunday, October 6, 2019
4:00 PM 6:00 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
From cuckoos to blackbirds, nightingales to goldfinches, composers have been fascinated by birdsong dating back to the 14th century. For the Birds features composers whose works were inspired by avians, imitate specific birdsongs and include audio and visual recordings of birds in nature, such as Robert Sirota’s Birds of Paradise. This performance will also include the world premiere of a new arrangement by Sirota of The Beatles’ classic ‘Blackbird.’ Performers include Linda Chesis, flute, Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet, Chloé Kiffer, violin, and Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano.
Baroque Masterworks
Sunday, August 25, 2019
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Music of the Baroque period continues to captivate audiences more than 300 years later. Experience for yourself the vibrancy of this music by joining the CSMF Festival Chamber Orchestra for a jubilant exploration of some of the best-loved Baroque masterworks including Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2, Pachelbel’s Canon and Gigue, and a Corelli Concerto Grosso.
Slavic Serenade: Lysander Trio with Linda Chesis, flute
Sunday, August 18, 2019
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
LYSANDER PIANO TRIO
Itamar Zorman, violin
Michael Katz, cello
Liza Stepanova, piano
with Linda Chesis, flute
“…the ensemble’s unanimity of approach — vivid engagement carried by soaring, ripely Romantic playing — proved quite splendid.” - The Washington Post
The Lysander Trio, praised by the Strad for its “incredible ensemble… imaginative ideas and wide palette of colours” and joined by Festival Artistic Director Linda Chesis, flute, will bring their passionate playing and inventive artistry to the interpretation of gems of the Czech and Russian repertoire in a program featuring works by Rachmaninoff, Martinu, and Dvorak.
Program
Rachmaninoff - Trio Elegiac No. 1
Martinu - Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano
Dvorak - Piano Trio in F Minor, op. 65
This performance is sponsored by NBT Bank.
Rachel Barton Pine, violin: American Traditions
Sunday, August 11, 2019
4:00 PM 6:00 PM
The Farmers' Museum | Louis C. Jones Center (Indoors) (map)
American violinist Rachel Barton Pine is “an exciting, boundary-defying performer” - Washington Post
Rachel Barton Pine presents a classical program inspired by American roots music. Beginning with the European dance music of early immigrants – a Bach Partita and a traditional Scottish medley - the sound transforms into a uniquely American style thanks to the influence of African-American music-making.
Four of the featured composers are celebrated fiddlers: Mark O'Connor, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, and David Wallace. Each has composed infectious concert music blending classical and American traditional music, blurring the line between the violin and the fiddle.
Black composers from America and Europe are also front and center: Noel da Costa, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and Daniel Bernard Roumain. The program ends with a famous and thrilling set of Paganini-style virtuoso variations on the quintessentially American tune “Yankee Doodle.”
The performance is in conjunction with PERFECT HARMONY: THE MUSICAL ART & LIFE OF WILLIAM SIDNEY MOUNT at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown. www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/future-exhibitions/perfect-harmony
This performance is sponsored by WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
Bill Charlap Trio
Sunday, August 4, 2019
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel60 Lake StreetCooperstown, NY, 13326 (map)
“Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.” - TIME Magazine
Join us for an evening with one of the world’s premier jazz ensembles, led by one of the foremost interpreters of American popular song, pianist Bill Charlap. Joined by bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, this GRAMMY Award-nominated trio can often be found playing at top jazz clubs like Birdland, the Village Vanguard, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and now they are bringing their formidable artistry and infectious chemistry to CSMF.
Celestial Sphere: Music for Marimba and Flute
Sunday, June 9, 2019
5:00 PM 7:00 PM
Christ Episcopal Church (map)
Described as a meteoric talent by Musical America, percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum joins forces with flutist Linda Chesis for a spellbinding program drawing on sounds inspired by the Balinese gamelan, a Japanese shakuhachi, a barking dog, tangos and the celestial sphere. Featuring works by Andy Akiho, Gareth Farr, David Crowell, and Paola Prestini, interspersed with much-loved pieces by Piazzolla and Bach.
Conversations: Music for Oboe, Flute and Strings
Saturday, May 18, 2019
5:00 PM 6:30 PM
Christ Episcopal Church (map)
Take a tour of chamber music masterworks from classical Vienna to 1920’s London and mid-century Buenos Aires. Festival Artist Director flutist Linda Chesis joins some of New York’s pre-eminent chamber musicians, including oboist extraordinaire James Austin Smith, Anna Elashvili, violin, Melissa Reardon, viola and Mihai Marica, cello for musical conversations in a program with works by Mozart, Sussmayr, Ginastera, Bliss and Schubert.
Program:
Mozart - Oboe Quartet, K.370
Schubert - Trio in Bb Major, D, 471
Bliss - Conversations for flute, oboe and string trio
Ginestera - Duo for flute and oboe
Sussmayr – Quintet for flute, oboe and strings
Bon Appétit! And Bolling Suite
Monday, August 20, 2018
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Join us for a deliciously out-of-the-ordinary concert experience. Explore the innovative blend of baroque idioms and swing-style jazz found in Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Trio. Watch as mezzo-soprano Samantha Malk literally whips up a chocolate cake on stage using real ingredients in Lee Hoiby's Bon Appétit!, a miniature one-woman opera based on Julia Child's beloved cooking show. Chocolate cake will be served!
Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano
Linda Chesis, flute, Warren Jones, piano, Ron Wasserman, bass, Jon Di Fiore, drums
Lee Hoiby's Bon Appétit!
Samantha Malk, mezzo soprano as Julia Childs; Warren Jones, piano; Linda Chesis, flute; Kemp Jernigan, oboe; Pascal Archer, clarinet;Mark Timmerman, bassoon; Karl Kramer-Johansen, horn.
Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Sunday, August 12, 2018
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Two incredible pianists – who also happen to be husband and wife—will present a program of works for solo piano and piano four-hands, including selections by Mozart, Debussy, Stravinsky, Granados and Barber. Technically dazzling and intellectually probing artistry exemplify Ran Dank’s pianism and musicality. Soyeon Kate Lee has been lauded by the New York Times as a pianist with“ a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style.” This performance is guaranteed to be a tour de force you will not want to miss!
Program:
Mozart: Sonata for four-hands in B-flat major, K. 358
Debussy: Petite Suite, L 65
Stravinsky/Agosti: Firebird Suite
Granados: Quejas o la Maja y el Ruiseñor El Pelele
Barber: Souvenirs Op. 28
John Pizzarelli Trio
Sunday, August 5, 2018
7:30 PM 9:30 PM
Otesaga Resort Hotel (map)
Come spend an evening with this world-renowned jazz trio lead by guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, who the Boston Globe credited with “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” Pizzarelli is “innately cool, sly and playful in the mode of his biggest influence, Nat ‘King’ Cole—a great comic storyteller and mimic whose verbal precision matches his dexterity as a high-speed finger-picker who scats in unison with his guitar solos.” - THE NEW YORK TIMES. This performance is sponsored by WAMC.
Visions And Miracles: Argus Quartet
Sunday, May 6, 2018
4:00 PM 6:00 PM
Christ Episcopal Church, Cooperstown (map)
Praised for playing with “supreme melodic control and total authority” and “decided dramatic impact” (CALGARY HERALD), the Argus Quartet has quickly emerged as one of today’s most dynamic and versatile young ensembles, winning First Prize at both the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and the $100,000 2017 M-Prize.
To celebrate the NY Landmark Conservancy's Sacred Spaces weekend, the Argus will offer a 75 minute program without intermission including works by Mendelssohn. Haydn, Josquin des Prez, Theofanides and Garth Knox. Click here for more information.
Death And The Maiden: American String Quartet With Linda Chesis, Flute
Sunday, April 15, 2018
4:00 PM 6:00 PM
Otesaga (map)
Internationally recognized as one of the world's finest quartets, the American String Quartet has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous. Works to be performed: Griffes’ Poem in a new arrangement for flute and string quartet, Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor and Schubert’s Quartet No. 14 (known as “Death and the Maiden”).
