World-Class Music in Your Own Backyard Nineteenth Annual Buzzards Bay Musicfest

Buzzards Bay Musicfest returns for its nineteenth year with concerts July 8 – 12th at the Fireman Performing Arts Center at Tabor Academy, 235 Front Street in Marion, MA. Nationally and internationally prominent musicians will perform orchestral and chamber music, with selections from Mozart, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Bach and Beethoven, among others. Orchestral performances will be held Wednesday, July 8th at 8 PM and Sunday, July 12th at 2 PM. Chamber music performances will be held Thursday, July 9th and Friday, July 10th at 8 PM. Jazz performance by Sean Jones Quartet will be held Saturday, July 11th at 8 PM. An Open Rehearsal for Children (with accompanying adult) will be held on Wednesday, July 8th at 2:30 PM. The rehearsal is a unique occasion for young or aspiring musicians to experience watching and listening as artists perform orchestral pieces in preparation for the acclaimed concert series. After the rehearsal, children have the opportunity to chat with Maestro Andrés Cárdenes, Artistic Director Charles Stegeman and the musicians. All performances are free and open to the public.

There are many reasons why people flock to Marion each summer; sandy beaches, fine sailing and a quaint village atmosphere have made it a seasonal haven for over a century. For the last 18 years, though, Marion has attracted crowds each July for quite a different reason: its music. Since 1997, Marion has been home to the Buzzards Bay Musicfest, a multi-day concert series featuring some of the world’s finest and most accomplished musicians.

The Musicfest’s original concept was based on the remarkable success of the Sunflower Music Festival, as many of the nationally recognized artists involved in that Topeka, Kansas festival expressed interest in locating a similar event in the Cape Cod area. After identifying the outstanding location of Tabor Academy — with its excellent Performing Arts Center – as well as host families to house the artists, a steering committee from Marion and the surrounding area organized and incorporated the Buzzards Bay Musicfest, Inc. The articles of incorporation include three fundamental goals: to produce and present annual festivals of professional orchestra concerts & chamber music programs of the highest quality possible, to add to the cultural and educational life of the community and surrounding region through performances and educational activities, and to stimulate interest in and support for the arts and make outstanding presentations available for both residents and visitors to the Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod areas, as well as throughout the region.

By design, all concerts are free. It was the mission of the Musicfest’s founding members to provide an extraordinary opportunity for cultural enrichment to the public — without cost. Totally underwritten by its Founding Board members for the Musicfest’s initial seasons, the size and scope of the presentations have grown, and a number of generous supporters have enabled it to continue for the past decade. While the Buzzards Bay Musicfest Foundation provides a small percentage of the festival’s operating budget, the vast majority of funding comes from donations. In past years, a whopping 93% of the Musicfest’s funding came from individual donations and small grants. Staged at Tabor Academy’s Fireman Center, the series opens and closes with orchestral concerts, with two chamber music concerts and a jazz performance held in-between. A highlight of the festival is the Children’s Open Rehearsal, a unique opportunity for young and aspiring musicians. This event provides, for many children, their first classical music experience; it includes a post-rehearsal meet & greet session with the Musicfest’s Guest Maestro, Andrés Cárdenes, as well as its many distinguished performers and the Artistic Director, Charles Stegeman. These gifted musicians have presented almost 200 works in a variety of styles and ensembles, ranging from chamber music duos and trios to full orchestra. Each year brings new works from a variety of composers. This year’s selections will include works by Mozart, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Bach, and Beethoven, among others.

Last year, a performance by jazz sensation Sean Jones was added to the concert series, a complement to the classical variety of the Musicfest’s traditional offerings. As trumpeter, bandleader, educator, and composer, the multi-talented Jones boasts an impressive resume. Having spent six years as lead trumpeter of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jones also ventured into education at Duquesne University, becoming Associate Professor of Jazz. In 2012, he also became Professor of Trumpet at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and served as Artistic Director of both the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Jazz Orchestras. In 2014, Jones left Pittsburgh to become Chair of the Brass Department at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. Berklee President Roger H. Brown extolled, “Sean Jones brings an amazing portfolio to Berklee — performances at the highest level with the greatest musicians of his and prior generations, successful teaching experience, personal commitment and integrity as an artist, and a desire to help foster future great contemporary musicians.” Jones is sure to thrill audiences once again this summer, with his performance on Saturday, July 11th.

This year, Grammy-nominated Andrés Cárdenes joins BBMF as Guest Maestro and, in addition to conducting, will perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor. Cárdenes is recognized worldwide as a musical phenomenon, and his participation in the 2015 Musicfest is testament to the event’s premier status. As a violinist, conductor, chamber musician, and pedagogue, the Grammy-nominated musician has parlayed his many talents into one of classical music’s most versatile and respected careers. The Cuban-born Cárdenes has garnered international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for his compelling performances. His concerto repertoire includes over 100 works, ranging from the Baroque era to the present. A three-time President of the Jury of the Stradivarius International Violin Competition, Cárdenes joined the Jury of the Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2011. A Cultural Ambassador for UNICEF from 1980-1991, he is an avid spokesperson for the arts and has received numerous awards for his teaching, performances, recordings, and humanitarian efforts.

With each season, the Musicfest continues to grow and expand its range. This year, for the first time, it will offer a one-week piano and violin seminar for students ages 14 and up. The Buzzards Bay Musicfest International Performance Institute is an intensive (by-audition) seminar designed to foster the musical development of aspiring young instrumentalists, allowing them an unparalleled opportunity to train with world-renowned musicians and expert instructors. The violin seminar will include daily technique classes taught by Charles Stegeman, as well as master classes featuring internationally-renowned master clinicians Ole Bohn, Edith Markman, Monique Mead, Eric Tanner, and Simon James. Master classes for pianists will be taught by David Allen Wehr, an international soloist and collaborative pianist who is in residence at the Musicfest. Mr. Wehr has established a reputation as one of the most thoughtful and powerful musicians on today’s musical scene, and has been heard in over thirty countries in Europe, North and South America, and the Far East. He holds the Jack W. Geltz Distinguished Piano Chair at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music.

The 2015 Buzzards Bay Musicfest begins with its Open Rehearsal for Children (with accompanying adult), to be held on Wednesday, July 8th at 2:30 PM. Orchestral performances will be held Wednesday, July 8th at 8 PM and Sunday, July 12th at 2 PM. Chamber music performances will be held Thursday, July 9th and Friday, July 10th at 8 PM. The jazz performance by the Sean Jones Quartet will be held Saturday, July 11th at 8 PM.

Wednesday, 7/8, 8 PM, Orchestra: Piano Concerto No.9 in E-flat Major, K.271 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op.11 (Johannes Brahms)

Thursday, 7/9, 8 PM, Chamber Music: Consolation No. 3 in D-flat Major, S. 17 (Franz Liszt); Navarra (Spanish Dance) for Two Violins and Piano, Op. 33 (Pablo de Sarasate); Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Winds, K. 452 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 17 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)

Friday, 7/10, 8 PM, Chamber Music: Piano Quintet No.1 in D major, Op. 22, W.B76 (Johann Christian Bach); Carnival of the Animals (Camille Saint-Saens); Piano Quintet in F minor (César Franck)

Saturday, 7/11, 8 PM: Sean Jones Quartet Jazz Concert

Sunday, 7/12, 2 PM, Orchestra: L’Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) Overture (Gioachino Rossini); Violin Concerto No. 1, Op.26 (Max Bruch); Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60 (Ludwig van Beethoven)

BUZZARDS BAY MUSICFEST OPEN REHEARSAL FOR CHILDREN

Fireman Performing Arts Center, Tabor Academy, 235 Front Street, Marion. Wheelchair accessible. Free. Charles Stegeman, Artistic Director. Andrés Cárdenes, Guest Conductor. Wednesday, July 8, 2:30 PM. Unique opportunity for young and aspiring musicians. Nationally and internationally prominent instrumentalists will perform orchestral pieces and Maestro Andrés Cárdenes, Charles Stegeman and the performers will chat with the children after rehearsal.

For information, visit www.buzzardsbaymusicfest.com or email info@buzzardsbaymusicfest.com.