Manchester Music Festival announces 49th season

from Southern Vermont Summer Profiles 2023

Historic charm at The Colonel Williams Inn

Hey there, music lovers!

Manchester Music Festival (MMF) is excited to present an incredible lineup of outstanding musicians and rousing performances within the realm of classical music this summer. We understand the need to gather together to listen to the beautiful and uplifting sounds of live music, is a unique and powerful experience that we’re proud to provide to our community, and we hope that you can join us! Single tickets are on sale now, and subscription packages are still available to purchase. For more information, please visit our website at mmfvt.org or call us at 802 362-1956.

We are pleased to announce that Philip Setzer has been appointed as our new Artistic Director. Philip is a founding member of the worldrenowned Emerson String Quartet and serves as a Distinguished Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SUNY-Stony Brook. He is a Visiting Professor of Violin and Artistic Director of Strings Chamber Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Director of the Shouse Institute of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. Philip has also been a regular faculty member of the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshops at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. He will begin his tenure in October to plan for and program MMF’s 50th (!) season in the summer of 2024, sure to delight audiences with the very best the classical music world has to offer. Philip’s reputation is stellar, his approach to programming is creative, and his passions for education and community engagement are contagious.

We look forward to what the future holds for Manchester Music Festival and the greater community with him as part of our leadership team.

MMF’s 49th season kicks off on Thursday, June 29, where the Emerson String Quartet will perform in Arkell Pavilion at Southern Ver- mont Arts Center, the only Vermont stop on their worldwide farewell tour. This is a once-in-a-generation experience that you won’t want to miss! The quartet features Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker, violins; Lawrence Dutton, viola; and Paul Watkins, cello. The program includes works by Felix Mendelssohn, Maurice Ravel, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and George Walker.

World-class chamber music still reigns supreme at Manchester Music Festival, with four MainStage performances Thursday evenings in July, in the Arkell Pavilion, SVAC. Our distinguished roster of familiar faces and luminary artists making their Festival debuts will showcase a veritable treasure trove of iconic masterpieces. At the July 20th concert, we are delighted that Philip Setzer will perform violin duo selections composed by Béla Bartók onstage with his former student, acclaimed guest artist Emily Daggett Smith. On Sundays in July, we present our Young Artists Concerts featuring ten pre-professional musicians, ages 18-26, who hail from some of the most prestigious music institutions in the world and who spend the summer honing their craft under the tutelage of MMF guest faculty artists.

There are several special concert events throughout the season, beginning with a Spotlight Solo recital and reception featuring pianist Adam Neiman’s performance of Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Études, on Saturday, July 8, in the Hunter Room at the Manchester Community Library, part of MCL’s Summer Music Series. On Monday, July 10, in the Yester House Gallery, SVAC, visiting artist Alexander Hersh headlines a fundraising event with a bravura cello recital and mixand-mingle reception, with a wine bar and savory bites presented by curATE café. On Friday, July 28, a Musicale & Mixer recital will be held in Arkell Pavilion, featuring flutist Tara Helen O’Conner and pianist Ran Dan performing works by Liszt, Fauré, and Piazzola. A reception will follow, giving attendees a chance to socialize and get to know the artists up close and personal.

On Thursday, August 10, daring, virtuosic up-and-comer pianist Maxim Lando will perform works, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue; this Concert & Cocktails fundraiser takes place in the Music Tent in the Meadow at the Equinox Hotel.

On Tuesday, July 25, MMF partners with Green Mountain Academy of Lifelong Learning as GMALL presents IN CONVERSATION: The End of Classical Music is Vastly Overrated. Classical music has thrived for centuries and is one of the most powerful, moving, and enriching genres. But many say classical music is now facing its biggest challenges of all time. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on its place in history and in today’s world with Philip Setzer and the hosts of Vermont Public Classical, Helen Lyons, and James Stewart. We’ll also hear from the students of MMF’s renowned Young Artists Program. This informal panel discussion will be held at the Manchester Community Library; tickets and more information can be found at greenmtnacademy.org/events.

Manchester Music Festival’s season concludes on August 31 with An Orchestral Evening featuring The Knights, the trailblazing group of young musicians Yo-Yo Ma has called “a chamber music experience in orchestral form.” We can’t wait for you to experience this evening of vibrant and imaginative music. We hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable summer of music. See you soon!