VIDEO PODCAST: Come and meet Eric Fraad of Heresy Records, Kenneth Woods, musical director of Colorado MahlerFest and the English Symphony Orchestra and others.
DISCUSSION: John Dante Prevedini leads a discussion about Improvisation in the classical world and beyond, including contributions from David Arditti, James Lewitzke, James Ross and Steve Vasta.
Performances, talks and masterclasses - events are free and open to the public at the fifteenth annual Berkshire High Peaks Festival, to be held this year, 20-31 July 2024 at a new venue: Bard College, Simon's Rock, 84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, USA.
At the core of the festival are over forty international students who, as they prepare for their professional lives, gather for intensive study, are coached as part of performing ensembles and enjoy discussions with and workshops by various composers, teachers and other figures in the music world.
To date, over six-hundred-and-fifty young musicians have been inspired by the High Peaks programme, many on full or partial scholarships.
For audiences and listeners, High Peaks offers wall-to-wall performances as participants - string players, pianists, vocalists and wind players - showcase their talent at the Kellogg Music Center, often alongside their mentors.
The ten-day festival, directed by Israeli-American cellist Yehuda Hanani, will continue to make its offerings of 'Moonlight Sonatas' concerts, lectures and masterclasses open to the public. Highlights include a faculty concert on Thursday 25 July and a farewell concert on 30 July 2024.
Yehuda Hanani comments:
We are committed to bringing the very best artists and leading pedagogues to continue this musical tradition, here in the breathtaking environment that inspired generations of writers, artists and musicians.
This July, in addition to the concerts that are scheduled at the Simon's Rock Kellogg Music Center, performances take place at Chesterwood in Stockbridge and in Tannersville.
Further information: cewm.org
Posted 27 June 2024 by Keith Bramich