A concert featuring the music of Broadway and Hollywood, Saturday night concerts that start at 6:30 and a Requiem performed as part of a summer music festival are just a few of the “Firsts” for this year’s Peninsula Music Festival!
The 59th season of the Peninsula Music Festival (PMF) opens. Tuesday, August 2, with the return of cellist Wendy Warner for her fourth appearance and Maestro Victor Yampolsky on the podium for his twenty-sixth season. Wendy last appeared in 1996 performing the Barber Cello Concerto. Pianist Winston Choi who was last heard at the Festival in 2004 performing the Ravel Piano Concerto in G and violinist Felicia Moye making her PMF debut will join her. The program begins with Verdi’s Nabucco Overture chosen by PMF patrons in the “Program the Season” vote. Beethoven’s Triple Concerto was first performed at the PMF in 1957 and most recently in 1994. The program closes with Mendelssohn’s Symphony #3 (Scottish), first performed at the PMF in 1967 and most recently in 1994. Bibs, Marge and Sarah sponsor the opening night concert.
On Thursday evening, August 4, at 8 pm, Cellist Wendy Warner returns to perform the Saint Saens Cello Concerto #1. Music Director and Conductor Victor Yampolsky will lead the program that opens with the PMF premiere of Berlioz’s Rokoczy March from La damnation de Faust. A PMF first performance of Liszt’s rarely heard A Faust Symphony closes the program. Join Maestro Yampolsky and Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop for a pre concert discussion of the music. Admission to the talk is $5, with a start time of 6:30. Billie Kress is the concert sponsor.
Saturday, August 6, at 6:30 pm PMF features music from Broadway and Hollywood. Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop has programmed a first half that features music from Great Love Stories. Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story will open the concert followed by Selections from My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof. The first half of the concert will close with Puccini’s beautiful Fantasie from La Boheme. The second half of the concert is the music of Heroes and Villains. The eternally popular William Tell Overture will be followed by Selections from Oklahoma and Schindler’s List. The concert will close with selections from Star Wars. Every piece on this concert will be a PMF first performance! Emil and Gail Fischer sponsor this concert. Saturday, August 6 is the first of the three Saturday concerts that will have a 6:30 start time. Tuesday and Thursday concerts will begin at 8 pm.
Jason Vieaux, Guitar
Week two of the Festival will open with the annual Baroque and Classics Concert on Tuesday, August 9, at 8 pm. Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop will again take the podium. Jason Vieaux returns to the Festival for his second PMF appearance having first performed in 2007. Violinist Igor Yuzefovich is making his PMF debut. The program begins with the Bach Harpsichord Concerto #4 last heard at the Festival in 1996. Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto was first performed at PMF in 1988 and most recently in 2004 with Maria Bachmann. Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s First Guitar Concerto is receiving its PMF premiere. Christopher Parkening performed his Second Guitar Concerto at the Festival in 1968. The concert closes with Schubert’s
Fifth Symphony, first heard at the Festival in the opening season in 1953 and most recently in 1979. The Ralph and Genevieve B. Horween Foundation sponsor this concert
Thursday, August 11, at 8 pm PMF will feature members of the Festival Orchestra and Maestro Yampolsky returns to the podium for the remainder of the PMF Season. The concert begins with the second PMF performance of Liszt’s popular tone poem Les Preludes first heard here in 1996. Soloists Tracy and Kristin Figard perform the PMF premiere of Bruch’s Concerto for Violin and Viola. The concert concludes with the second PMF performance of Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, first heard here in 2005. Join Maestro Yampolsky and Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop for a pre concert discussion of the music. Admission to the talk is $5, with a start time of 6:30. OC and Pat Boldt are concert sponsors.
Verdi’s Messa de Requiem will have its PMF debut on Saturday, August 13, at 6:30 pm. The Apollo Chorus returns to the Festival and joins with the PMF Chorus to perform one of the greatest works ever created.
Johannes Brahms said of this piece, “Only a genius could have written such a work.”
Soloists for the Requiem are Kimberly McCord, soprano; Tracy Watson, mezzo-soprano; Hoss Brock, tenor; and Jacob Lassetter, baritone. This is a huge work in the orchestral repertoire and promises to be an amazing night at the Peninsula Music Festival. Doug Peterson and Joan E. Mills are the concert sponsors. Join Maestro Yampolsky and Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop for a pre concert discussion of the music. Admission to the talk is $5.00, with a start time of 5:00. A boxed dinner may be pre ordered for just $10 for those attending the talk.
Caroline Goulding, violin
The final week of the 59th season of the Peninsula Music Festival begins on Tuesday, August 16 at 8 pm. Eighteen year old, 2011 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, Caroline Goulding will make her PMF debut in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Prior to receiving the Career Grant, Caroline won the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. That same year, Caroline was awarded a Grammy nomination for her debut recording on the Telarc record label. Ms. Goulding replaces Ilya Kaler who was originally scheduled to perform. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was first performed at the Festival in 1965 wtih Charles Treger and most recently in 2002 with James Ehnes. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, previously performed by the PMF in 2000. This all Tchaikovsky program will be a highlight of the Festival’s 59th Season. Tony and Prilla Beadell are the concert sponsors.
Thursday, August 18, 8 pm will bring another new face to the Festival stage. Pianist Inna Faliks performs the Liszt First Piano Concerto in her Festival debut. The Liszt First Piano Concerto was first performed at the PMF in 1984 with Panayis Lyras, piano and Anshel Brusilow conducting and most recently in 1997 with Leon Bates, piano and Stephen Alltop conducting. The concert begins with the Liszt symphonic poem Orpheus, previously performed at the PMF in 1995. The program concludes with Berlioz’s orchestra tour de force, Symphonie Fantastique, last heard here in 2003. Concerts sponsors are the Egan Family and the Egan Foundation.
All too soon, the Peninsula Music Festival comes to a close with the final concert on Saturday, August 20. The 6:30 pm concert welcomes pianist Norman Krieger who performs the Brahms Second Piano Concerto in his PMF debut. This great concerto was performed at the Festival in 1983 and 1998 by John Browning and most recently in 2004 by Boris Berman. Siegfried’s Rhine Journey by Richard Wagner is performed for the first time at the PMF. The
59th season of the Festival closes with the second PMF performance of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite, first heard here in 2002. Jerome and June Maeder are the concert sponsors.
The 59th Peninsula Music Festival runs Tuesday, August 2 through Saturday, August 20 with concerts each Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm and each Saturday at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available for all concerts and start at just $30. Students and children are $10 for any concert. All concerts are held at the Door Community Auditorium with reserved seating and air conditioning. Attire is vacation casual. The Peninsula Music Festival administrative/box office is located in Ephraim at 3045 Cedar Street in the same building as the Ephraim Post Office. Tickets may be ordered by calling the Festival box office at 920.854.4060 or on the Website www.musicfestival.com. The Festival office is open Monday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm. The Festival opens the box office at the Door Community Auditorium at 5 pm each concert night.
