In 2023 we are celebrating ‘Home and Belonging’. Music Mountain has been home to riveting chamber music performances since 1930, and jazz since 1987. This summer we are celebrating many of the stories that turned Music Mountain into such a magical place and, in doing so, we invite you to reflect on the concept of Home and Belonging, the theme of our 94th season, through chamber music and jazz concerts, family concerts, and pre-concert talks, taking place on 16 consecutive weekends, from June 4 through September 17, 2023.

Schedule of Events:

2023 Chamber Music Concerts: Celebrating ‘Home and Belonging’

16 Consecutive Sundays at 3 PM Starting June 4

JUNE 4, 2023

94TH SEASON OPENING BENEFIT CONCERT & RECEPTION

Mozart & Bach Concerti with Benjamin Hochman, Piano & Friends
Benjamin Hochman, Piano; Nancy Wu, Kobi Malkin, Violins
Jessica Thompson, Viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, Cello
Leigh Mesh, Double Bass

BACH Keyboard Concerto in F Minor, BWV 1056
BACH Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053
BACH (arr. Mozart) Two Fugues for string quartet from the Well-Tempered Clavier
MOZART Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, K. 546
MOZART Piano Concerto #14 in E Flat Major, K. 449

Please join us at the free reception with the artists immediately following the concert, on the Great Lawn, in front of Gordon Hall

*Underwritten by the Smart Family Foundation of New York, A. Douglas Stone and Barbara Bechtolsheim

JUNE 11, 2023

Eleora Piano Quartet

J Freivogel, Violin; Che-Hung Chen, Viola; Rachel Henderson Freivogel, Cello; Natalie Zhu, Piano

L. van BEETHOVEN Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 16
Fanny MENDELSSOHN HENSEL Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 11
Tina DAVIDSON Tremble for Piano Trio    
C. SAINT-SAËNS Piano Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 41

Underwritten in part by Michelle Duffy and Robert Connell

JUNE 18, 2023

Misha Dichter, Piano
Oskar Espina Ruiz, Clarinet
DEBUSSY Suite bergamasque
BRAHMS Clarinet Sonata in F Minor, Op. 120
BRAHMS Clarinet Sonata in E Flat Major, Op. 120
LISZT Funèrailles, La lugubre gondola No. 2, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A Minor, “Rákóczi March”

JUNE 25, 2023

FAMILY CONCERT AT 2 PM: SCHUBERT’S “TROUT” QUINTET FOR MUSIC LOVERS OF ALL AGES

Horszowski Trio
Jessica Thompson, Viola
Gregg August, Double Bass  

B. SMETANA Trio in G Minor, Op. 15
Paul CHIHARA Fantasy "Red Dragonfly" - Homage to R. Schumann (2022)
F. SCHUBERT Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 114, D. 667, “The Trout”

Underwritten in part by Thomas and Sarah Morrison

JULY 2, 2023

Arianna String Quartet

Judith Gordon, Piano
A. DVORAK String Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 51, “Slavonic”
Gabriela LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout
R. SCHUMANN Piano Quintet in E Flat Major, Op. 44

JULY 9, 2023

Ariel Quartet

WOLF Italian Serenade
HAYDN String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 20 #5
SCHUBERT String Quartet in G Major, Op. 161, D. 887

JULY 16, 2023

PRE-CONCERT TALK AND FILM AT 2 PM: THE ODYSSEY OF A PIANO PRODIGY FROM HOLOCAUST TO MUSIC MOUNTAIN

Penderecki String Quartet

Anya Alexeyev, Piano
J. BRAHMS String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 #1
Erwin SCHULHOFF Five Pieces
B. BARTOK Piano Quintet in C Major, Sz. 23

Underwritten by Mike Abram and Vivian Garfein Abram

JULY 23, 2023

PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2 PM: DISCOVER THE MUSIC OF HUGO KAUDER

Euclid Quartet

F. J. HAYDN String Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 76 #4, “Sunrise”
Hugo KAUDER String Quartet #2
G. PUCCINI I Crisantemi
L. van BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, #4

Underwritten by the Hugo Kauder Society

JULY 30, 2023

American String Quartet

F. SCHUBERT String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 29, D. 804, “Rosamunde”
Vivian FUNG Pizzicato
Caroline SHAW Blueprint
L. van BEETHOVEN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135

AUGUST 6, 2023

PRE-CONCERT SPECIAL EVENT AT 2 PM: TRADITIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN STORYTELLING BY DARLENE KASCAK OF THE SCHAGHTICOKE TRIBAL NATION

Ulysses Quartet

Oskar Espina Ruiz, Clarinet
Seth GROSSHANDLER Suite for Clarinet Quintet
L. van BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 #3
Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Clarinet Quintet in F Sharp Minor, Op. 10

Underwritten in part by an Anonymous Donor

AUGUST 13, 2023

PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2 PM: ELEANOR ALBERGA AND THE MUSIC OF THE JAMAICAN NIGHTS

Lydian String Quartet

Victoria Schwartzman, Piano
Eleanor ALBERGA String Quartet #2
W. A. MOZART String Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 10 #3, K. 428, "Haydn"
J. BRAHMS Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34

AUGUST 20, 2023

Balourdet Quartet

Simone Dinnerstein, Piano
F. MENDELSSOHN String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44 #2
Karim AL-ZAND Strange Machines
L. van BEETHOVEN Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
J-P. RAMEAU Gavotte and Six Doubles
J. S. BACH Keyboard Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052

Underwritten by Ann McKinney

AUGUST 27, 2023

PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2 PM: A CONVERSATION WITH LEON BOTSTEIN

Parker Quartet

Orion Weiss, Piano
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 18 #6
VAUGHAM WILLIAMS: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor
MOZART Piano Concerto #12 in A Major, K. 414

Underwritten in part by William Gillers

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

Borromeo String Quartet

Henry Kramer, Piano
Eleanor ALBERGA Remember
L. van BEETHOVEN String Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 127
A. DVORAK Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81

Underwritten by Harold and Deko Klebanoff

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

FAMILY CONCERT AT 2 PM: MIGUEL DEL AGUILA’S “CLOCKS” PIANO QUINTET FOR MUSIC LOVERS OF ALL AGES

Dali Quartet

Vanessa Perez, Piano
J. C. ARRIAGA String Quartet #3 in E Flat Major
A. PIAZZOLLA Tango Ballet
Clarice ASSAD Sonic Landscapes for Piano Quintet
Simón DIAZ Becerrito for Piano Quintet
Willie COLON La Murga de Panamá for Piano Quintet
Miguel DEL AGUILA Clocks for Piano Quintet, Op. 58

Underwritten by Thomas C. Ragan

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

Cassatt String Quartet

Ursula Oppens, Piano
Fanny MENDELSSOHN HENSEL String Quartet in E Flat Major, H. 277
W. A. MOZART String Quartet in F Major, K. 590, “Prussian”
D. SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Underwritten in part by an Anonymous Donor

2023 Jazz at Music Mountain:

11 Consecutive Saturdays at 7 PM Starting June 24

JUNE 24, 2023

Paul Winter: Jazz at Music Mountain Opening Concert
This Glorious Earth

JULY 1, 2023

New Black Eagle Jazz Band
The very best in New Orleans style Jazz, Gospel & Blues.
A world touring band since 1971.

JULY 8, 2023

The Wanda Houston Project

JULY 15, 2023

Maucha Adnet with The Brazilian Trio “Bossa Always Nova”

*Underwritten by Julie & Steve Brandfield and Roxann & Warren Whitaker

JULY 22, 2023

Barbara Fasano Trio
Featuring Eric Comstock, piano/voice
With Boots Maleson, Bass

JULY 29, 2023

Swingtime Big Band

AUGUST 5, 2023

Bill Charlap Trio

AUGUST 12, 2023

Kellin Hanas Quintet
*Underwritten by Rick and Rachel Robbins

AUGUST 19, 2023

The Curtis Brothers

AUGUST 26, 2023

NYGSP: H.M.S. Pinafore in One Act, with an Evening of G&S Favorites
*Underwritten by an Anonymous Donor

SEPTEMBER 2, 2023

Galvanized Jazz Band

2023 Pre-Concert Talks Celebrate ‘Home and Belonging’
All Pre-Concert Talks take place on Sundays at 2:00 PM, Free Admission

JULY 16, 2023

On July 16, Greg and Candy Dawson will tell the story of Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson, who escaped Nazis in her native Ukraine and made her way to America, the Juilliard School and Music Mountain where David Dawson, then violist in residence, proposed marriage. The talk will be preceded by a short film made in Ukraine in 2006 to trace Zhanna’s journey, which includes many of the cities destroyed during the ongoing war.

JULY 23, 2023

On July 23, Helen Kauder, granddaughter of Hugo Kauder, members of the Hugo Kauder Society, and the Euclid Quartet will do a presentation on the music of Hugo Kauder (1888-1972), whose nineteen string quartets were championed by the Gordon String Quartet, Music Mountain’s founding quartet. The Euclid Quartet will perform excerpts from Kauder’s String Quartet #2.

AUGUST 6, 2023

On August 6, Darlene Kascak, Education Director for The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum and Research Center in Washington, Connecticut, will facilitate through storytelling a new understanding of the Schaghticoke, descendants of the indigenous peoples who lived and worked since time immemorial on the land now called Music Mountain.

AUGUST 13, 2023

On August 13, composer Eleanor Alberga will talk about Home and Belonging in her music, in preparation for the performance of her String Quartet No. 2. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Alberga is a highly-regarded British composer with commissions from the BBC Proms and The Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

AUGUST 27, 2023

On August 27, the last pre-concert talk of the season features Leon Botstein, eminent conductor, music historian, and leader in education reform, serving as the President of Bard College since 1975, home to the Bard Music Festival, Bard SummerScape, Bard College Conservatory of Music, The Orchestra Now, and numerous other prestigious programs. He is music director of the American Symphony Orchestra and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. “When it comes to ambitious, fearless orchestral programming there is Leon Botstein . . . and then there is everyone else,” wrote Steve Smith for The New York Times. Leon Botstein will talk about how composers bring a sense of Home and Belonging into their music.

2023 Family Concerts:

All Family Concerts take place on Sundays at 2:00 PM, Free Admission

JUNE 25, 2023

On June 25, the Horszowski Trio, Jessica Thompson, Viola, and Gregg August, Double Bass, will introduce Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet to music lovers of all ages.

AUGUST 6, 2023

On August 6, the Traditional Native American Storytelling by Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation will give children and adults the opportunity to have a new understanding of Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples lives both in the past and in the present.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

On September 10, the Dali Quartet and Vanessa Perez, Piano will introduce Miguel Del Aguila's Clocks for Piano Quintet to music lovers of all ages. The work is a suite in six movements portraying an imaginary visit to a clock museum. The final movement takes place after the museum closes and the clocks come to life in an exuberant jam session. The program will include engaging music from Latin America.

Fest Date: June 4 through September 17, 2023

Location: Gordon Hall, Music Mountain, 225 Music Mountain Road, Falls Village, Connecticut 06031

Click here for more information.