The Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival showcases some of the country’s finest performers playing music by renowned classical composers as well as exhilarating less-familiar works.
Offers four diverse concerts, plus several free recitals
Music lovers have the opportunity to experience breathtaking chamber music performed by some of the country’s top musicians at four concerts over the next two weeks, starting on Thursday (June 15).
The Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival is featuring music by the renowned composers of classical music including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy and Felix Mendelssohn. Concert-goers will hear also vibrant music by less-familiar composers that will challenge people’s conception of contemporary music.
Festival Artistic Director Kevin Krentz is known for his inspired programming that combines masterworks with music by less-familiar composers that forms an instant connection with audiences. “I got so many comments on the lesser-known composers and works I programmed last year. They were everyone’s favorites, and I’ll be dipping into some of those same wells again,” Krentz said.
The music festival is designed to be accessible to broad audiences in many ways. This year’s concerts will be right in Twisp, at the Methow Valley Community Center, where the gym will be transformed with illuminated trees and special effects to create an ambience that matches the room’s outstanding acoustics.
There is also outreach to young music lovers and to people who may be curious about a new type of music. Every person who buys an adult ticket can bring a guest age 17 or younger for free. Free tickets are also available through Room One for people who can’t afford the admission price.
There are also opportunities to hear the musicians in an informal atmosphere at free concerts at the Mazama Public House and in the Sun Mountain Lodge lobby. The public is also invited to get a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into how the music comes together at free open rehearsals at the community center.
Unique programs
The program at each of the four concerts is unique, and each week highlights different musicians.
Opening night (Thursday) features a Mozart string quartet and a contemporary composition for violin, cello and piano by Giovani Sollima, a virtuoso cellist known for his commitment to blending classical, rock and jazz, and ethnic music.
Audiences can also experience the lyrical and rhythmic variety in the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, a 20th-century Argentinian composer known for weaving together classical music, tango and jazz.
Piazzolla’s movements capture the mood of each season, with a fugue for spring, outdoor music and street sounds for summer, hustle and bustle for autumn, and quiet contemplation for winter. The piece will feature first-time festival violinist Sami Merdinian, a specialist in tango.
The first Saturday concert (June 17) includes a piano quartet by Johannes Brahms and a composition for four cellos by Paul Wiancko that explores the versatility of the instrument. Although Wiancko won’t be at the festival this year — he recently joined the acclaimed Kronos Quartet — he has been featured many times on the festival stage in the Methow.
Highlights in the second week (June 22 and 24) include an exhilarating piano trio by Franz Schubert; arrangements of traditional Scandinavian folk tunes by the Danish String Quartet; and a partita for solo violin by Reena Esmail, an Indian-American composer who blends musical traditions of India and the West.
Returning audience members will recognize the lyrical playing of violinists Rachel Lee Priday, Mikhail Shmidt, and Siwoo Kim. Several dynamic musicians are making their debut on the Methow stage, including virtuoso cellist Brook Speltz and versatile violinist Suliman Tekalli.
While the festival musicians have performed on stages around the world and been honored with international awards, many of them embrace a wide range of artistic genres and are passionate about making chamber music accessible to wide audiences.
Merdinian and cellist Laura Andrade are members of the ensemble Sybarite5, which takes a different approach to new music and searches for original sounds.
Other musicians include David Fung and Zhenni Li-Cohen on piano; violist Matthew Cohen, who is known for bringing attention to the richness of viola repertoire; and the charismatic cellist John-Henry Crawford. Krentz and his wife, Haeyoon Shin Krentz, are also featured on cello.
Festival staff and volunteers will bedeck the community center with 40 illuminated aspens and a chandelier created by valley artist Betsy Kieckhaefer from curly willow twigs and aspens, all under a ceiling lit to resemble a star-studded night sky.
Wine from the Lost River Winery, beer from Old Schoolhouse Brewery, cider from the Methow Valley Ciderhouse, and sweet and savory items from the Little Dipper will be available for purchase. Each night will include pre-concert recital or a discussion with the musicians and an art exhibit.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Concerts
• Dates: Thursday, June 15; Saturday, June 17; Thursday, June 22; Saturday, June 24
• Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
• Pre-concert lecture or recital, 6:30 p.m.
• Concert begins,7:30 p.m.
• Tickets are $40 and available at methowmusicfestival.org.
Free recitals
• Wednesday, June 14, Mazama Public House, 4 p.m.
• Friday, June 16, Sun Mountain Lodge lobby, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 21, Mazama Public House, 4 p.m.
• Friday, June 23, Sun Mountain Lodge lobby, 4 p.m.
Free open rehearsals, Methow Valley Community Center
• Tuesday, June 20; Thursday, June 15 and 22; 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Saturday, June 17 and 24, 10 a.m.
• Rehearsal times are approximate.
