A Burst 
of Music – The Current

Classical artists converge on the Highlands 

Beacon and Cold Spring become classical chamber music hubs during the first two weeks of September, albeit with a schedule that presents fans with tough choices. 

On Sept. 5 at 7 p.m., fans can choose between the Doansburg Chamber Ensemble, with Garrison-based Joy Plaisted on harp, performing at St. Mary’s Church in Cold Spring or the kickoff of Boscobel’s Chamber Music Festival with a program featuring composers active during the Roaring Twenties.

It may be a stretch to try and take in a 2 p.m. Boscobel show on Sept. 7 and a performance two hours later at The Chapel Restoration in Cold Spring, or to rush from Boscobel’s final concert at 2 p.m. on Sept. 14 to the opening of this year’s Howland Chamber Music Circle season at 4 p.m. 

Those who choose Doansburg will get to see the ensemble commemorate 30 years of playing at St. Mary’s Church. The group dates back four decades and is named for the Putnam County community where they began before it got “swallowed up by Brewster,” says founder and artistic director Christine Smith.

Smith plays the flute, and because all the ensemble’s shows incorporate the instrument, she scours the globe to find appropriate scores for its performances at St. Mary’s and its other venue, Trinity Lutheran Church in Brewster. The anchor of the St. Mary’s program on Sept. 5 will be Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro, written for flute, harp, clarinet and string quartet.
“He forged this combination and a lot of other composers started writing for it,” says Smith. 

The ensemble will also present works by Victor Herbert, John Rutter and other composers. Smith almost never repeats a piece: “One year, we had flute, harp and bagpipe, so there’s plenty of works to last a lifetime.”

Four years ago, Boscobel introduced a classical music series after board member Arnold Moss attended a performance at the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach in Florida. This year, the program features four concerts and a lecture with several firsts. 

Arnaud Sussmann, the artistic director for the Palm Beach society and for Boscobel, says he began the Chamber Music Festival a week later than usual to fill the gap between the close of summer events and the launch of fall schedules.

And the festival’s first-ever matinee on Sept. 7 debuts the Rising Artists program at Boscobel. Four musicians chosen from 130 applicants will perform string quartets by John Corigliano and Robert Schumann, and also play an octet by Felix Mendelssohn alongside professional musicians.

“It’s a program I introduced in Palm Beach and modeled after one at Caramoor, which I participated in 20 years ago with my idols,” says Sussmann. “In school, you learn to play for people, but by putting young musicians together in a chamber group with seasoned musicians, they learn to play with people.”

The Trio Raconteur concert at The Chapel Restoration on Sept. 7 includes pianist Yalin Chi, who books soloists and small combos for the venue’s Sunday Music Series. Amy Schroeder on violin and cellist Felix Umansky round out the group. 

The Howland Chamber Music Circle brings top talent to Beacon through May. In addition to two-time Grammy Award winner the Attacca Quartet (with Trio Raconteur violinist Schroeder), atypical combinations include the Galvin Cello Quartet, the Verona string quartet paired with a saxophone, and a mezzo-soprano appearing with the Parker Quartet. 

The series also features a four-part Piano Festival, but the highlight is a performance by one of the biggest names in the classical music field. Stay tuned.

For performance and ticket information, visit the websites for Boscobel (boscobel.org), Chapel Restoration (chapelrestoration.org), Doansburg (doansburgchamberensemble.org) and the Howland Cultural Center (howlandmusic.org).