Here’s the recipe for a great summer music festival: world class artists, a beautiful location, and a friendly community. The Staunton Music Festival, now in its 28th year, has all the ingredients of a thoroughly memorable musical escape. Staunton, Virginia, is one of the country’s most beautiful and historic small towns, only about 2 ½ hours from DC. Carsten Schmidt is the festival artistic director and kindly shared some of this year’s highlights.
Carsten told me that his main approach to programming is "mixing it all up," often even within concerts. For example, the festival opens with a program called Bacchanalia, with Bach’s Magnificat as the centerpiece, surrounded by Bach-inspired music by Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla.
Another innovative program is Brave Gay New World, on Saturday, the 15th featuring music by American gay or lesbian composers from Copland to Bernstein to the present day.
Wednesday, the 19th offers a concert called, “In C” because all the pieces are in the key of C. They range from Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony to Stravinsky’s Symphony in C, and a few shorter pieces to add to the “mix.”
Opera lovers will enjoy a concert performance of Britten’s Turn of the Screw on Saturday the 22nd and on the festival grand finale, Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
If you’re fond of Baroque music, celebrate “the Glory of England” on Friday the 21st, with music by Tallis, Purcell and Handel.
The Staunton Summer Music Festival began 28 years ago with 3 concerts, 5 players and practically no budget. Now there is a banquet of concerts to sample and 100 musicians performing. There are cooking classes, informal “Night Cap” concerts, a cabaret evening, even a Finnish Tango group, and many chances to get to know the artists.
If you enjoy a charming atmosphere, a friendly community, and the opportunity to discover music that can be, to quote Carsten Schmidt, “a little bit extravagant, unusual and sometimes a little bit challenging,” expand your horizons and partake of the festival’s rich musical menu. You can even take that cooking class!
For more information about the Staunton Summer Music Festival, visit their website at Stauntonmusicfestival.org.
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