Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival Coming to Chandler

Members of the Central Vermont Chamber Musical Festival arrive in Randolph Sunday, Aug. 10 for their 16^th annual residency at Chandler Music Hall.

This two-week festival brings new and veteran musicians to several stages in the area, and festival founder and artistic director, cellist Peter Sanders, has planned another concert series of familiar and unusual works.

The first concert takes place at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier Friday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. and the program will be repeated at Chandler Music Hall the following evening, Saturday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. On the program will be the Beethoven Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola in D major, Opus 25; the Sonata for piano and cello in d minor, Opus 40 of Dmitri Shostakovich; and American composer Arthur Foote’s Piano Quartet in C major, Opus 23.

The artists performing in this first week of concerts are Montpelier’s own flutist, Karen Kevra; violinist Artur Delmoni, violist Leslie Tomkins, cellist Peter Sanders, and pianist Christopher Oldfather.

The second week of concerts is programmed for music for strings. The Saturday evening concert at Chandler Music Hall August 23 at 8 p.m. will be encored at the Woodstock Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 4 p.m. The program includes an early work by Anton Webern, "Langsamer Satz" for string quartet; the Anton Arensky String Quartet #2 in a minor, Opus 35; and the Brahms String Sextet #1 in B-flat Major, Opus 18.

The performers for this second week of concerts are Basia Danilow and Adela Pena, violin; Arturo Delmoni, violin and viola; David Cerutti, viola, and Peter Sanders and Adam Grabois, cello.

Meet the Musicians

Each of these musicians has a busy career in the New York metropolitan area, performing with such organizations as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York Chamber Soloists, among others. They come together as an ensemble only in Randolph in August, where they prepare as colleagues for the several weekend performances.

Tickets for the Chandler Music Hall concerts are available by calling the box office at 728-6464 between 3-6 p.m. or by emailing tickets@chandler-arts.org. Complimentary tickets are available to students through a special grant. Inquire at the box office.

Tickets for the Montpelier concert are available only at the door. Tickets for the Woodstock concert, presented by Pentangle Council on the Arts, are available by 802-457-3981.

As has been the tradition for 16 years, there will be a Sunday lunchtime concert of lighter fare at the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph August 17 at 12:30 p.m. Back by popular demand are Paul Woodiel on violin and hurdy gurdy, and Jeremiah McLane on accordian and keyboard, joined this season by Steve Gibb on guitar and oud. They will present a program "Cryto-Judaica: Mysteries of the Sephardim." Admission is free and concertgoers are welcome to bring picnic lunches. Food and drink are also available at the inn. For more information, call 728-5575.

Youth Concert

A special mission of the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival is to bring appreciation and understanding of good music to youngsters, and each year they perform a special concert for them. The annual children’s concert will take place at Chandler Friday, Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. and will celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the popular American composer, Leroy Anderson. Tickets for this performance are available only at the door.

For sneak previews of the festival there are two open rehearsals at Chandler Thursday evenings, Aug. 14 and 21, beginning at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to stop by. Radio features can be heard on WCVT’s "Vermont Notes" August 10 at 11 a.m.; live with Walter Parker on VPR Classical August 15 at 11 a.m.; and on Peter Fox Smith’s "Interlude" on VPR Classical Saturday, Aug. 16 at 12:20 p.m.

The Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival is presented in partnership with the Chandler Center for the Arts. Chandler Music Hall is handicapped accessible.

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