Season's Highlights
27 CONCERTS
Friday (6 PM) & Sunday (5 PM) concerts are at the Highlands Performing Arts Center
Saturday and Monday concerts (both 5 PM) are at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers
- Grand Opening Receptions
- 48 internationally acclaimed musicians
- Solo works to large chamber ensembles
- Feasts of the Festival
- Open rehearsals
- Final Gala Concert and Dinner
WELCOME to our 31st Festival Season!
Ideas, programs, and plans for our 2012 Festival have started to take final shape, and I couldn't be more excited! Once again we will feature the most incredible music ever written performed by internationally-known musicians in exciting, imaginative programs that have something for everyone.
If you have never been to The Farm at Old Edwards, mark your calendar NOW to hear "Jazz Classics" on June 13th - the Gary Motley Trio with Veronica Tate, vocalist, will perform some of the most beloved jazz standards along with new jazz written by award-winning Gary Motley. The Farm is one of the most stunningly beautiful locations in the area - and along with the music, enjoy delicious heavy appetizers and wine. This special program will help us raise funds to put on our Festival. On June 27th, we will host our popular annual, free "Picnic Concert @ the Zachary-Tolbert House" in Cashiers with the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet.
The season proper begins on Friday, July 6th - and since we are just two days removed from Independence Day, we will appropriately begin with "Musical Fireworks" - a dazzling display of virtuoso pyrotechnics of Kreisler, Liszt, Saint-Saens and more with violin wizard William Preucil - and yours truly, on piano. We welcome back two of the three brilliant and beautiful Albers Sisters along with Benjamin and Margaret Karp, and Kate and William Ransom, in an all-new "All in the Family" program. One of our most fun and unusual programs this summer will be "The Eroica Trio - A La Carte", at which you, the audience, will get to choose the pieces performed from a musical menu ; you will also have a chance after the concerts to dine intimately with the Eroica at special Feasts.
An all-Russian program, "From Russia with Love" will feature ultra-romantic Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, with Festival favorites the Vega Quartet, Chris Rex, and pianist Victor Asuncion; pianist Bertrand Giraud will again join us from Paris for "The French Connection" featuring music of Debussy, Franck and Francaix. Our international roster also includes the return of Italian guitarist Edoardo Catemario playing a rarity - a Fantasy for guitar and piano by Castlenuovo-Tedesco.
I rarely repeat repertoire from season to season, but whenever we are able to present the Festival Chamber Orchestra, the concerts are always a major highlight of the season - and so our final Gala Concert (and wonderful Dinner after!) on Sunday, August 12th will feature the Orchestra in our first-ever performance of Bach's great Brandenburg Concerto #2. This calls for an almost impossibly high trumpet part, and we are delighted to welcome back Chris Martin, principal trumpet of the famed Chicago Symphony, as well as a new guest, principal oboe from the CSO, Eugene Izotov. The core of the orchestra will be the brilliant young string quartets, the Linden and the Attacca - and their violinists will each take a turn as soloist on one of the beloved Vivaldi Four Seasons. Don't miss this one!
These are only some of the highlights of our 31st season - the entire detailed schedule will be out soon in our ticket brochure and online at h-cmusicfestival.org; make your plans NOW to join us in Highlands and Cashiers this summer for another unforgettable Festival!
William Ransom, Artistic Director
Phone: 828-526-9060
Email: hccmf@frontier.com
Fax: 828-526-4893
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William Ransom Artistic Director |
Nancy Gould-Aaron Executive Director |
Lucas Drew Artistic Director Emeritus |