On June 1, the Geneva Music Festival (GMF) will kick off its 2017 season, a three-week run of local concerts featuring music that appeals to a variety of ages and tastes. Here are just six of the reasons to look forward to this year’s music festival:
New artists and familiar faces.
GMF features world-renowned artists from the stages of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and concert halls around the world. GMF veteran and acclaimed violist Eric Wong will introduce audiences to the Cavani String Quartet. Critically acclaimed violinist Jinjoo Cho will join GMF artists-in-residence to present “Jinjoo Cho and Friends: America the Beautiful.” Cellist Clive Greensmith and violinist Ani Kavafian (both GMF favorites) return to perform with founding artists Geoffrey Herd, Hannah Collins and Eliot Heaton.
Music for everyone.
Artists will present their interpretations of a wide range of musical genres, including chamber, organ masterpieces and bluegrass. Among the classical composers whose work they’ll feature are Dvorak, Shostakovich, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Bach, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Reger and Vierne. Concerts will also feature works of contemporary artists, among them Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon.
Jazz concerts!
This season includes a two-concert celebration of jazz, starting with jazz trio La Voz De Tres. Chilean vocalist Natalia Bernal, keyboardist Mike Eckroth and seven-string guitarist Jason Ennis will present interpretations of the music from their recent album, “Sueños y Delirios” (“Dreams and Deliria”). Then, the Thomas Bergeron Quartet, joined by a string quartet of GMF artists-in-residence, will bring love and romance to the festival with a jazz-chamber fusion from Bergeron’s latest album. Multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless will be a special guest for each of the jazz concerts.
Beautiful music venues.
Concerts are held in venues as unique and diverse as the Finger Lakes region itself: historic churches in Skaneateles, Auburn, Geneva and Canandaigua; a lakeside inn with European gardens, Geneva on the Lake; and the new Gearan Center for Performing Arts at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. All venues are wheelchair accessible and air conditioned.
Free and Fabulous Father’s Day.
A special free Father’s Day concert will bring bluegrass to Ravines Winery, with violinist Heaton joining local artists for some high-octane fiddling. A Father’s Day BBQ with all the trimmings will be available for purchase the day of the event.
Multiple concert ticket options.
In addition to single concert tickets, GMF offers six-concert passes and season tickets. Passes and season tickets are available until the first concert on June 1 and may be purchased online prior to or in person at that concert.
The Geneva Music Festival will take place June 1-18. A full schedule, including concert details and locations, artist biographies and tickets, is available on the festival’s website, www.genevamusicfestival.com.