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New Monadnock Music artistic director Gil Rose brings rising stars and renowned artists in debut season; makes MM conducting debut

Highlights include a season-long examination of the works of Virgil Thomson; the return of opera; Sanford Sylvan, and Appalachian Spring

(Peterborough, NH – May 7, 2012) As it closes in on a half century of presenting exceptional classical music to New England, the Monadnock Music Festival is already beginning a new era with the announcement of its 2012 season. “We’ve been energized by the appointment of our new artistic director Gil Rose, who comes to us with a stellar resume as artistic director of Modern Orchestra Project and Opera Boston,” said William Chapman, executive director of Monadnock Music. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Rose is reinvigorating the festival’s programming in harmony with the vision of the festival’s founder James Bolle.

“I am thrilled to begin my inaugural season as Monadnock Music’s artistic director following in the great tradition of the last 46 years,” said Rose. “I am looking forward to a fabulous season with great repertory, incredibly gifted artists, and unforgettable performances. We have a wonderful artistic legacy here in New Hampshire, and an exciting future.”

“What has always made Monadnock Music special is the intimacy of our venues and the quality and range of offerings across a spectrum of periods, styles, and genres,” said Chapman.

Highlights of the 2012 season include the Monadnock Music conducting debut of artistic director Rose at the opening event of the festival season on July 6 at the Peterborough Town House. Rose will lead the Monadnock Sinfonietta in a program of music commissioned by Martha Graham for her dance company, including Aaron Copland’s masterpiece, Appalachian Spring . Opera will return to Monadnock Music with two one-act chamber operas The Boor and A Water Bird Talk by American composer Dominick Argento on July 29 at the Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire. Grammy and Emmy award-winning baritone Sanford Sylvan will appear in Schubert’s beloved Winterreise on Aug. 4 at the Peterborough Town House. The Lorelei Ensemble , rising stars in the classical music scene, will make its first appearance with Monadnock Music, performing new and early music for women’s voices in the historic stone ambiance of Peterborough’s All Saints’ Church on Friday, Aug. 10. "This season, and in coming seasons, we intend to focus on the chamber music repertory of important American composers, with a featured composer each season,” said Rose. “This year we are thrilled to present a comprehensive look at often-overlooked chamber works of American icon Virgil Thomson ."

This year the festival will also debut the Monadnock Quartet , comprised of renowned and highly-accomplished Monadnock Music regulars: cellist Raphael Popper-Keizer, violinist Gabriela Diaz, violinist Charles Dimmick and violist Wenting Kang . The season will also feature distinguished artists and ensembles such as acclaimed Romanian violinist Irina Muresanu , the Claremont Trio , baritones and Aaron Engebreth , tenor Frank Kelley, and soprano Heather Buck . Internationally acclaimed pianist (and former Monadnock Music Artistic Director) Alan Feinberg will return to the Peterborough Town House in a recital that ranges from Scarlatti to Kagel. Building on the contribution to music of the neighboring MacDowell Colony , Monadnock Music will also feature works composed by current MacDowell colonists such as Stewart Wallace, Sebastian Currier and others.

As it has for nearly half a century, Monadnock Music will continue to present its free Village Concert series of chamber music in the historic meeting houses of the Monadnock region throughout the summer.

Performances take place in various venues in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. Sunday concerts begin at 3 p.m., and all others at 7:30 p.m. Concerts at the Peterborough Town House and Colonial Theatre are ticketed, and go on sale May 20. All other performances are FREE Village Concerts. For a complete schedule of Monadnock Music Festival’s 2012 season, go to www.monadnockmusic.org. Subject to change.

Friday, July 6 – Peterborough Town House OPENING NIGHT Monadnock Sinfonietta performs music commissioned by Martha Graham

Norman Dello Joio - Diversion of Angels Paul Hindemith - Herodiade Huang Ro - Chamber Concerto No. 4 "Confluence" *MacDowell Colony Fellow Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring (complete original ballet)

Sunday, July 8 – Harrisville Community Church Monadnock Players

Virgil Thomson - Portraits for Violin Alone Virgil Thomson - In a Bird Cage for Solo Cello Reza Vali - Persian Folk Songs Set #9 Virgil Thomson - Sonata for Flute Alone Max Reger - String Trio No. 2 in d minor, Op141b Virgil Thomson - Sonata for Flute & Violin Dan Welcher - Zephyrus *MacDowell Colony Fellow

Wednesday, July 11 – Deering Community Church Guest Artists: Irina Muresanu (violin), Rob Auler (piano)

Johannes Brahms - Scherzo Virgil Thomson - Waltz Virgil Thomson - Five Ladies Ludwig van Beethoven - “Kreutzer” Sonata Franz Liszt - Mephisto-Waltz Virgil Thomson - Sonata William Bolcom - Graceful Ghost Grigoras Dinicu – Skylark

Friday, July 13 – Peterborough Town House Guest Artist: Claremont Trio

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Trio in C Major, K. 548 Daniel Crockett - Night Scenes Johannes Brahms - Trio in B Major, Op. 8

Sunday, July 15 – Wilton Center Unitarian Church Monadnock Players

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata in F Major for Horn and Piano Op. 17 Arnold Bax - Clarinet Sonata in Bb Major George Antheil - Sonata for Trumpet and Piano Stjepan Sulek - Sonata for Trombone and Piano Johannes Brahms - Sonata for Viola and Piano in F Minor Virgil Thomson - Sonata da Chiesa for Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone & Viola

Wednesday, July 18 - Keene Ahavas Achim Synagogue Guest Artists: Evan Hirsch, Sally Pinkas (pianos), Jonathan Hess, Robert Schulz (percussion)

Johannes Brahms - Variation on a Theme by Haydn for Two Pianos Bela Bartok - Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion John Bergamo - Piru Bowle Stewart Wallace - Gorilla In a Cage *MacDowell Colony Fellow

Friday, July 20– Peterborough Town House Guest artist: Alan Feinberg (piano)

Domenico Scarlatti - 4 Sonatas Frederic Chopin - Andante Spinato and Grande Polonaise, 3 Etudes Franz Schubert - Impromptu Op. 90 #3 Mauricio Kagel - An Tasten Franz Schubert - Wanderer Fantasy

Sunday, July 22 – Francestown Old Meeting House Monadnock Players

Michael Gandolfi - Preludes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Five Divertimenti for Winds in Bb Major Samuel Barber - Summer Music Gunther Schuller - Suite for Woodwind Quintet Heitor Villa-Lobos - Quinteto em forma de chôros - Wind Quintet

Wednesday, July 25 – Temple Community Church Guest artists - Terry Everson (trumpet), Scott Jarett (organ)

Johann Sebastian Bach - "Zurücke, zurücke, geflügelten Winde" from Cantata 205 Georg Frideric Handel - Suite in D major Georg Phillip Telemann - Concerto in D major David MacDonald - Voices * MacDowell Colony Fellow Petr Eben - Okna Franz Josef Haydn - Concerto in Eb Major

Thursday, July 26 – Sullivan Congregational Church Guest Artists, F. A. E. Duo: Nicholas DiEugenio (violin), Chi-Chen Wu (fortepiano)

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for Piano and Violin in D major, op. 12, no. 1 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata in E-flat major, K. 282 Franz Schubert - Sonata for Violin and Piano in D major D. 384 Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for Piano and Violin op. 30, no. 2

Sunday July 29 – Keene Colonial Theatre Guest Artists: Heather Buck (soprano), James Maddalena (baritone), Frank Kelley (tenor), Aaron Engebreth (baritone); directed and conducted by Gil Rose

Dominick Argento - A Water Bird Talk Dominick Argento - The Boor

Wednesday, Aug. 1 – Hancock Community Church Monadnock Players with Krista River

Kate Moore - Red Flame, Blue Flame *MacDowell Colony Fellow Virgil Thomson - Four Songs to the Poems of Thomas Campion Luciano Berio - Chamber Music Paul Ben-Haim - Chamber Music Arthur Berger - Words for Music, Perhaps : Three Poems of Yeats Frank Martin - Quatre Sonnets a Cassandre Claude Debussy - Trio for Flute, Viola & Harp

Thursday, Aug. 2 – Washington Congregational Church Monadnock Players

Ben Hjertmann - Bhyxe *MacDowell Colony Fellow Franz Danzi - Trio in E Minor Ingolf Dahl - Concerto a Tre Zoltan Kodaly- Duo for Violin & Cello

Saturday, Aug. 4 – Peterborough Town House Guest Artists: Sanford Sylvan (baritone), David Breitman (fortepiano)

Franz Schubert - Winterreise

Sunday, Aug. 5 – Walpole Unitarian Church Monadnock Players

Luigi Boccherini - Trio in d minor, G. 117 Paul Hindemith - String trio #1 op. 34 Andrew Norman - A Companion Guide to Rome (2012 Pulitzer Prize Finalist) *MacDowell Colony Fellow

Wednesday Aug. 8 – Jaffrey Center Monadnock Quartet

Virgil Thomson - String Quartet #1 Sebastian Currier - Quiet Time *MacDowell Colony Fellow Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - String Quartet #3

Friday, Aug. 10 – Peterborough All Saints’ Church Guest Artists: Lorelei Ensemble

Kassiane - I en polles amarties ( The Fallen Woman , 9c. Greece) Sungji Hong - Kyrie, from Missa Lumen de Lumine Francisco Guerrero - "O Virgen" from Villanescas y Canciones Espirituales Cristóbal Morales - O Magnum Mysterium Robert Kyr - "Song of the Virgin to Her Son (upon his death and resurrection)" from From the Circling Wheel Sungji Hong - Agnus Dei from Missa Lumen de Lumine Heather Gilligan - Dona Nobis Pacem David Lang - "I lie" Mary Montgomery Koppel - "A la lune" Maggi Payne - Desertscapes I. Pyramid Lake II. Bryce Canyon III. Death Valley IV. Devil's Playground Carson Cooman - Golden Callings

Saturday, Aug. 11 – Dublin Emmanuel Church Monadnock Quartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Adagio & Fugue Arthur Shepherd - Triptych for High Voice and String Quartet Virgil Thomson - String Quartet #2 Virgil Thomson - Stabat Mater Maurice Ravel - String Quartet

Investing in the future Strengthening the position of Monadnock Music as a showcase for the finest classical music while maintaining a commitment of service to the community is a challenge in tight economic times, but one made easier by a number of recent grants and challenges. “We have received at $40,000 grant from an anonymous national foundation to fund a five year strategic plan that will take us through our 50th anniversary season in 2016,” said Chapman. “We’ve also been awarded a grant from the Virgil Thomson Foundation to perform and record the chamber music of American composer Virgil Thomson. We envision this recording project as the first of a series on our own record label for eventual commercial distribution.”

Monadnock Music also stands to benefit from challenge gifts. “We have been awarded a dollar-for-dollar challenge for $40,000 from an individual to be used for enhanced programming in 2012,” said Chapman. “We have until July 31 to meet the challenge and we’ll need to match it with new or increased gifts to receive the gift.” Generous donors have already contributed $15,000 to the challenge, including a $5,000 gift from the Merrill Family Charitable Foundation, Inc . “All of us at Monadnock Music are deeply grateful to the foundations and the individuals who are investing in our future by making the strategic plan and the enhanced programming possible,” said Chapman.

Monadnock Music president Michael Petrovick is equally upbeat. “The restructuring, the new artistic leadership, the greater diversity in our programs, the launching of a five–year strategic plan culminating in our 50 th anniversary in 2016 , and the challenge grants all testify to the vigor of Monadnock Music’s new direction and to the community’s support for it.”

ABOUT MONADNOCK MUSIC Founded in 1966 by James Bolle, Monadnock Music enriches lives and deepens a sense of community by means of diverse classical programming throughout the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. It annually mounts a summer festival situated in iconic and intimate New England settings less than two hours from Boston.

Among the many distinguished artists whose work Monadnock Music has presented or commissioned are Elliott Carter, John Adams, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland, Peter Sellars, James Maddalena, Lorraine Hunt, Richard Goode, Sanford Sylvan, Craig Smith, Ursula Oppens, and Russell Sherman.

In addition to its Peterborough Town House Series, Monadnock Music also presents a series of Village Concerts bringing distinguished artists to historic meeting houses throughout the region free of charge, making some of the greatest classical music accessible to all. During the school year, Monadnock Music provides vital music education support to the region’s elementary schools through its Lend an Ear! program. Since its establishment, LAE! has enriched the lives of over 25,000 children.

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