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| Conductor Richard Rosenberg is Artistic Director of the National Music Festival. |
CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College campus is alive with classical
music as the National Music Festival,
co-founded and directed by WC alumna Caitlin Patton ’05, begins its two-week
run in Chestertown, June 3-16. In venues throughout Kent County, including the Gibson
Center for the Arts, the Festival is offering some 30 classical music concerts
and a constant schedule of rehearsals open to the public.
Founded two years ago by Patton and her husband, conductor and
composer Richard Rosenberg, the National Music Festival (NMF) mentors gifted
musicians who are just starting their professional careers by providing them
with performance experience and master classes with seasoned musicians. Last year, the inaugural NMF was held in
Floyd, Va., and drew 90 apprentice musicians and 23 mentors. This year’s
festival expects some 110 apprentices and 25 mentors.
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| Caitlin Patton '05 is NMF's executive director. |
Patton grew up in Chestertown and hopes to make Kent County
a permanent home for the festival, which she serves as executive director.
Musicians are being housed in local homes, and the performance venues range
from the College’s Decker Theatre to area churches. While most of the concerts
are ticketed events, a series of free concerts will include two performances during
the Saturday morning Farmers’ Markets in Fountain Park, June 9 and 16, and
several events at Emmanuel Church.
The eight performances being hosted by Washington College
include a June 4 Master Class in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, beginning at 7:30 p.m,
where horn mentor Lowell Greer will lead apprentices and the full festival
orchestra in Mozart’s Concerto for Horn No. 4 in E-flat. The Festival Chamber players will perform in
Tawes Theater on Thursday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., and in Hotchkiss Recital Hall
Friday, June 8.
The Chester River Chorale will join the Festival Symphony
Orchestra in Decker Theatre on Saturday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. for a program
that includes The Star Spangled Banner Suite, and compositions by Glass and
Brahms.
Another special offering: On Monday, June 11, former NPR
journalist and host Liane Hansen, who hosted Weekend Edition Sunday until her retirement last spring, will
narrate Ogden Nash’s verses to Saint-Saens’
Carnival of the Animals as part of Piano-Mania! That event will begin at
7:30 p.m. in Decker Theatre and will be led by piano mentor Uriel Tsachor.
Many performances require tickets, which are available for
suggested donations of $10 (for chamber concerts) and $15 (for full orchestra
performances). A $160 Festival Pass provides entry to all performances and
includes some special receptions and guaranteed seating. Tickets and passes are
available through the website or by phone at 410-778-2064.
Click
here for a full schedule of all concerts and open rehearsals, or visit the
festival website at http://www.nationalmusic.us.
