Cape May Music

For those who believe that music is best served alongside a tasty meal, the Washington Inn will graciously host a Bach’s Lunch at 12:30 p.m. on May 31, June 7, and again on June 21. Enjoy classical music performed by members of the Bay Atlantic Symphony, while sharing a memorable meal at one of the topranked Cape May restaurants. Admission is $50 for adults, $45 for Cape May

The 34th Cape May Music Festival, which brings together musicians across genres, kicks off on Thursday, May 25 and will continue with live events until June 22. We’re thrilled to be partnering again with Jed Gaylin, the music director of the Bay Atlantic Symphony, and Eliot Bailen, artistic director of the New York Chamber Ensemble. All performances will be held at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

The festival begins on May 25 with a performer new to the festival, OkCello, an Atlanta-based cellist and songwriter whose work draws from themes and expressions of the African Diaspora. OKCello will perform at the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Admission is $35 for adults, $30 for Cape May MAC members, and $25 for students.

Memorial Day Weekend celebrations continue May 28 with the award-winning Atlantic Brass Band, playing a series of patriotic tunes at the Rotary Park Band stand (rain location: Cape May Convention Hall). Admission to this concert is free.

On May 30, singer and saxophonist Erich Cawalla, another new addition to the festival, will perform at Cape May Convention Hall. Cawalla is known for his signature blend of jazz with contemporary R&B—and for this performance, Cawalla has assembled a stellar band to perform favorite hits from world-class artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Smokey Robinson, Nat King Cole and many more. Admission is $35 for adults, $30 for Cape May MAC members and $25 for students.

MAC members.

On June 4, the food and music pairings continue with a Jazz Brunch, hosted by the newly renovated Inn of Cape May at 10 a.m. Enjoy selections from the Great American Songbook over brunch with jazz performers Mary Lou Newnam on saxophone, clarinet and flute, and Ray Malach on piano. Admission is $50.

Friends of the Cape May Music Festival will be hosting their annual fundraiser, titled “Midday Music and More,” at the Washington Inn on June 14 at 12:30 p.m. Following this luncheon, attendees are invited to stay for a performance by two members of the New York Chamber Ensemble—Eliot Bailen on cello and Susan Rotholz on flute—along with Jed Gaylin from the

Atlantic Brass Band

Bay Atlantic Symphony. Admission is $50 inclusive per person. Proceeds help support classical music performances in Cape May.

Cape May

MAC has always been honored to feature classical chamber music as a staple of the Cape May Music Festival, and that tradition contin- ues this year with visits from the New York Chamber Ensemble, the Bay Atlantic Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players. Each will perform at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, with admission available at $30 for adults, $25 for members, and $20 for students. On June 1, Eliot Bailen and the New York Chamber Ensemble will perform a series of grandiose Baroque pieces, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Triple Concerto. For their second performance on June 6, the theme is “The Heavenly Harp with Flute and Strings” with suites that highlight—you guessed it—the harp, played by musician Stacey Shames. Finally, “A Schumann Masterpiece” will take place on June 15, with Margaret Kampmeier on piano, featuring Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet, Op. 47 alongside other works. Jed Gaylin and