$45
Guest Quartet Sponsorship by Beatrice Français We open the season with one of today’s most vibrant and exciting young ensembles. Fresh Avery Fisher Career grantees, the Calidore String Quartet have prepared a program that combines characterful classics with a centerpiece by Caroline Shaw. Shaw, whom the Washington Post recently called the most ‘idiomatic composer’ for string quartet since Bartók, composed Three Essays specially for the Calidore Quartet last year. Violist Masumi Per Rostad joins them for Mozart’s last major chamber music work,…
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Jun
24
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
With your support, we can continue to teach gifted young musicians and present superb classical music. Student scholarships provide critical support for gifted young musicians as they prepare for meaningful careers in music. The Bowdoin International Music Festival offers a new generation of artists a renowned program of music study and performance. Invest in the future of classical music by making a contribution to the Festival’s Scholarship Fund. Tuesday, June 25 6:00 PM Moulton Union, Bowdoin College Reception & Dinner Prepared…
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Jun
25
6:00 pm -
8:30 pm
Moulton Union,
Bowdoin College,
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
Wednesday evenings offer eclectic programs spanning the range of the chamber music repertoire and featuring artists from across the Festival. After opening with Beethoven’s middle-period cello sonata, the program departs for Eastern Europe: first, to Brno, where a mature Janáček composed his only violin sonata at the outbreak of World War One; then, onward to Moscow, where Arensky commemorated the life of Tchaikovsky with this string quartet – remarkable for the deep sonorities brought about by its unusual instrumentation for…
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Jun
26
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
Free
An opportunity to learn about and experience the creative process of a living composer. These distinguished artists will discuss aspects of their music and inspirations and then accept questions from the audience. The Festival's composer-in-residence Derek Bermel is also the Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. His awards include the Alpert Award in the Arts, the Rome Prize, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, and the American Music Center’s Trailblazer Award. Described by the Toronto Star as…
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Jun
27
9:30 am -
11:00 am
Studzinski Rehearsal Room,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
FRANK MARTIN Ballade for Flute and Piano Yi Xiang,* flute • Minji Nam,* piano EUGÈNE YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, “Ballade” Tong Chen,* violin CARL NIELSEN Wind Quintet Op. 43 I. Allegro ben moderato Adam Wilson Sadberry,* flute • Shawn Hutchison,* oboe • Ning Zhang,* clarinet • Cort Roberts,* horn • Steven Palacio,* bassoon FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (arr. Nathan Milstein) Nocturne Skye Park, violin • Feng Niu, piano JOHANNES BRAHMS Sonatensatz Skye Park, violin • Minjung Seo, piano…
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Jun
27
7:00 pm -
8:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
The season’s first Friday evening opens with Saint-Saëns’s luminous postcard from the Mediterranean coast, where he composed his Fantaisie at the young age of seventy. Kronos Quartet alumnus Jeffrey Zeigler interprets the work of Gambian-American composer Foday Musa Suso, who drew inspiration from the achievements of nineteenth-century botanist and inventor, George Washington Carver, for his 2018 work, Salumba. The second half takes a dramatic turn with Dvořák’s mature trio. CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Fantaisie for Violin and Harp, Op. 124 Ani Schnarch, violin…
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Jun
28
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
PRIVATE EVENT
We are pleased to invite you to a special brunch for students and their sponsors. Please confirm your attendance below. This is a private event — learn more about sponsoring a student.
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Jun
29
10:30 am -
12:00 pm
The Daniel,
10 Water St.
Brunswick,
ME
04011
This special evening features works written within 48 hours prior to the concert start time. Exactly two days before, student composers randomly draw performer names and instruments out of a hat. Using the resulting instrumentation, composers are tasked with immediately writing a new piece of music for “guinea pig” musicians. Audience members will be treated to fresh and experimental music created specifically for this event.
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Jun
29
10:00 pm -
11:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
WILLIAM GRANT STILL Summerland Adam Wilson Sadberry, flute • Tong Tong, piano Adam is sponsored by Margy Burroughs. JOHANNES BRAHMS Viola Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 120 No. 2 I. Allegro amabile Jacob van der Sloot, viola • Tong Tong, piano Jacob is a student of Hsin-Yun Huang and is sponsored by Sallie Smith Kise. HENRI VIEUXTEMPS Souvenir d’Amérique, Op. 17 BoYun Li, violin • Feng Niu, piano BoYun is a student of Kurt Sassmannshaus. SERGEI PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 6…
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Jun
30
2:00 pm -
4:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
Free
An opportunity to learn about and experience the creative process of a living composer. These distinguished artists will discuss aspects of their music and inspirations and then accept questions from the audience. Lee Young Ja (b. 1931) Born in Wonju, Korea, in 1931, Young Ja Lee is one of the most prominent Korean composers of her time. Lee’s music is performed worldwide and she is cited in “The Grove Dictionary of Women Composers” (1994) and the “New Grove Dictionary of…
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Jul
01
9:30 am -
11:00 am
Studzinski Rehearsal Room,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
Sparking inspiration from the medieval legend of El Cid, composer Zhou Tian writes, “I unconsciously married my musical roots as a Chinese-American with my newfound love of Spanish music” in his 2016 work, Viaje– a self-styled “nine-minute thrill ride.” Crossing the Pyrenees from Spain to France, the American String Quartet continue their grand tour via Maurice Ravel’s string quartet, alternately sumptuous and playful, before alighting in Vienna – where Beethoven wove a Russian theme into the third of his “Razumovsky” quartets.…
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Jul
01
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
Masterclasses give the audience a first-hand look into the teaching and learning process that goes into creating music. Honing technical craft, understanding the nuances of musical language, and finding personal meaning in music are all part of a great masterclass. FELIX MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80 Lena Segal, Natasha von Bartheld, violin • Claire Peyrebrune, viola Sophie van der Sloot, cello The group is coached by Janet Ying. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 6…
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Jul
02
10:00 am -
12:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
IGOR STRAVINSKY Suite Italienne VI. Minuetto e Finale Sabine Gross, violin • Tong Tong, piano Sabine is a student of David Bowlin. SERGEI PROKOFIEV Five Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 35bis I. Andante II. Lento, ma non troppo III. Animato, ma non allegro IV. Allegretto leggero e scherzando V. Andante non troppo Lena Segal, violin • Minjung Seo, piano Lena is a student of Itzhak Rashkovsky. SAMUEL BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14 I. Allegro moderato Gabrielle Sewell, violin •…
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Jul
02
7:00 pm -
9:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
Masterclasses give the audience a first-hand look into the teaching and learning process that goes into creating music. Honing technical craft, understanding the nuances of musical language, and finding personal meaning in music are all part of a great masterclass. FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1847) Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23 Sylvia Jiang, piano Sylvia is a student of Julian Martin. CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Cloches à travers les feuilles Helen Bryant, piano Helen is a student of Julian Martin. BÉLA…
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Jul
03
10:00 am -
12:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
Tonight, another take on Spain, with Manuel de Falla’s patriotic celebration of his home country, which showcases folksongs he collected and arranged, much to the tastes of early twentieth-century Parisian audiences under the spell of hispanisme. From Falla’s suite to Stravinsky’s, drawn from his darkly comic ballet composed during World War I. The second half features Franck’s Romantic masterpiece, stirring in its harmonic twists and turns and thrilling in its propulsive Finale. MANUEL DE FALLA Suite Populaire Espagnole Sergiu Schwartz,…
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Jul
03
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
Free
An opportunity to learn about and experience the creative process of a living composer. These distinguished artists will discuss aspects of their music and inspirations and then accept questions from the audience. Jonathan Bailey Holland (b. 1974, Flint, MI) was influenced early on by his grandfather’s baby grand piano and his father’s record collection, which contained everything from Miles Davis to Bootsy Collins, G. F. Handel, Sergio Mendes, Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers, and more. Holland draws inspiration from classical, jazz,…
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Jul
04
11:30 am -
1:00 pm
Gibson Hall 101,
Bowdoin College
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
Around the World in a Day Come zip around the world along with the Bowdoin Festival’s fabulous faculty and young musicians. We’ll visit four continents, hearing Zhou Long’s dramatic Spirit of Chimes (China), the delicate strains of Young Ja Lee’s Autoportrait II (Korea), Keyla Orozco’s spunky Nengón Transformation 1 (Cuba), and Dutchman Jacob Ter Veldhuis’ Garden of Love (Netherlands). Our journey alights back in the U.S. just in time to celebrate America’s birthday with Boston-based composer Jonathan Holland’s His House is Not of This Land and Steve Reich’s iconic New York Counterpoint. ZHOU…
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Jul
04
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
We’re extending Bernstein’s centenary just a bit longer! The clarinet sonata, his first published composition was premiered here in New England in 1942 with the 23-year-old composer at the piano. In his 1996 sextet, Guillaume Connesson brings together an unusual collection of instruments for a work exuding “amusement and good humor” with flickers of American minimalism and Schubert’s “Trout” quintet. For good measure, the program finishes with Brahms, the undisputed father of the string sextet, whose two works in the…
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Jul
05
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849) Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 Catherine Ma, piano Catherine is a student of Julian Martin. DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 107 I. Allegretto Hayden Idson, cello • Tong Tong, piano Hayden is a student of Steven Doane. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70 No. 1, “Ghost” I. Allegro vivace e con brio Hannah Schoepe, violin • Abraham Josue Bonilla, cello • Paul Zeller,…
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Jul
06
2:00 pm -
4:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
Transformations Who better to spend Saturday evening with than the fellows, exploring the many ways that today’s composers transform their inspirations into sound? From the mathematical gymnastics of Gabriela Ortiz’ Puzzle-Tocas to Amy Williams’ meditative Abstracted Art; from Chris Theofanidis’ spiritual PeaceLoveLightYOUMEONE to the tension of live performer vs. electronics in Russell Pinkston’s Xylamander; from the ruminations of Ramon Lazkano’s Laiotz and Nathan Shields’ virtuosic Tenebrae to the hyper-exuberance of Eric Moe’s Superman, composers are challenging our preconceptions and illuminating our way of hearing the world around us. RUSSELL PINKSTON Zylamander Cort Roberts, horn…
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Jul
06
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
The Festival is thrilled to welcome Imani Winds for this wide-ranging program of American composers with roots in Argentina, Cuba, and New York City. Formed in 1997, Imani Winds have built an international reputation on a “concept of connectivity,” engaging with the public through innovative and relevant programming and commitment to inspiring through outreach. Over the course of their 20+ year career, Imani Winds has discovered what audiences value most from their concerts: a sense of connection – with the…
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Jul
07
2:00 pm -
4:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 I. Allegro amabile Tong Chen, violin • Yerim Rhee, piano Tong is a student of Ayano Ninomiya and is sponsored by Katharine J. Watson. Yerim is a student of Pei-Shan Lee and is sponsored by Bill & Sally Haggett. ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Drei Romanzen, Op. 28 I. Nicht Schnell II. Einfach, innig III. Nicht Schnell Steven Palacio, bassoon • Cynthia Chih-Yu Tseng, piano Steven is sponsored by Deborah &…
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Jul
07
7:00 pm -
10:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
Imani Winds will offer a public seminar designed to teach young student composers how to compose contemporary music for wind quintets.
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Jul
08
10:00 am -
12:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
$45
The Ying Quartet have crafted a deeply introspective journey for their first Monday concert of the season. We begin with Mozart, then turn to the quartet Janáček composed as a musical counterpart to his epistolary courtship of Kamila Stösslová. At last, Smetana’s poignant autobiography: after scoring his years of wistful youth and romance, the work concludes with an anguished representation of the deafness that he developed in his old age. YING QUARTET Robin Scott, Janet Ying, violin • Phillip Ying,…
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Jul
08
7:30 pm -
9:30 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
FREE
— 1:00 PM — IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Suite Italienne I. Introduzione II. Serenata III. Tarantella IV. Gavotta con due varizioni VI. Minuetto - Finale Joel Munday, violin • Charles Berofsky, piano The group is coached by Ani Schnarch. PABLO DE SARASATE (1844-1908) Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 Erica Nam, violin • Jiarong Li, piano Erica is a student of Kurt Sassmannshaus. Jiarong is a student of Pei-Shan Lee and is sponsored by the Richard & Maryan F. Chapin Scholarship Fund. MAURICE RAVEL…
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Jul
09
1:00 pm -
6:00 pm
Studzinski Recital Hall,
12 Campus Road S
Brunswick,
ME
04011
