Summerfest Announces Summer 2008 Season of Chamber Music Concerts

KANSAS CITY, MO (April 8, 2008) —Summerfest Concerts announces the summer 2008 season bringing Kansas City works by, Dan Locklair, J. Mark Scearce, Michael Kurek, Summerfest musician Michael Kimber, and featuring a Summerfest premiere by Kristin Kuster. Find sanctuary from the summer heat as the musicians of Summerfest Concerts perform their 18th season of chamber music concerts from July 12 through August 3. Each concert is followed by a Meet the Musicians wine and cheese reception.

The July 12 and 13 Summerfest program begins its celebration of great art with the haunting imagery of J. Mark Scearce’s Magritte Variations for baritone, clarinet, viola, and piano, followed by the vibrant, exotic hues of Michael Kurek’s Matisse Impressions for piano and woodwind quintet.  The concert also features Johannes Brahms’s lovely and profound Trio for clarinet, cello, and piano and Cantilena and Scherzo for harp and string quartet by Gian Carlo Menotti.

The July 19 and 20 program features Michael Kimber’s evocative Four Sketches for string quartet that vividly captures best-known paintings, from Van Gogh’s sparkling Starry Night to Grant Wood’s homespun American Gothic.  The darkly romantic Octet for winds and strings by British composer Howard Ferguson exudes bittersweet nostalgia. This program will include Sonata da camera for flute, oboe, cello, and harpsichord by Ilja Hurník, Cavatina for alto flute and harp by Henk Badings, and Konzertstück No. 1 in F minor for clarinet, bassoon, and piano by Felix Mendelssohn.

Concerts for the weekend of July 26 and 27 will highlight Reynolda Reflections for flute, cello, and piano by Dan Locklair. This work treats five American paintings from the gracious Reynolda House with music that suggests the sensuous flowers of O’Keefe as well as the jazz-age world of Benton’s Bootleggers.  Francis Poulenc’s witty Sonata for clarinet and bassoon has all the urbane charm of its Parisian origins.  The program will also include Two Hornéd Demons for viola and violin by Susan Kander, Tres cantos bereberes for flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano by Carlos Surinach, and Sonata in A major, Op. 3 No. 12 for two violins and continuo by Arcangelo Corelli.

In the final weekend of programs, August 2 and 3, Summerfest premiers a brand new work for woodwinds and string quartet by the gifted young composer Kristin Kuster.  This work is inspired by Kansas City’s own artistic masterpiece, Pax Mundi, a sculpture by Brent Collins which is on display at the new H&R Block building downtown.  Also on the program is Aaron Copland's Quiet City for trumpet, English horn, and strings and Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Septet. Trumpet calls meet classical elegance in this dazzling work for winds, strings, and piano.

Summerfest musicians include Nancy Beckmann and Mary Grant, violin; Michael Kimber and Jessica Nance, viola; Alexander East and Mark Gibbs, cello; Larry Rice, double bass; Shannon Finney, flute; Susan Brashier, oboe; Jane Carl, clarinet; Joshua Hood, bassoon; Tod Bowermaster, horn; Brian Rood, trumpet, Melissa Rose and Mia Hynes, piano, Rebecca Bell and Marie Rubis Bauer, harpsichord; Deborah Wells Clark, harp; and Raymond Feener, baritone.

Summerfest will perform its 18th season of chamber music concerts in July and the first weekend of August on Saturdays in White Hall, 4949 Cherry, on the UMKC Campus, and Sundays at historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 13th and Holmes, in downtown Kansas City.  Performances will be at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 19, 26, and August 2, and repeated at 5:00 p.m., Sunday, July 13, 20, 27, and August 3.

Season tickets are $75 for a four-concert package and $55 for a three-concert package.  Patrons can choose all Saturdays, all Sundays or any combination thereof for their package purchases.  Single tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. $10 Student tickets are available with a valid student ID.  Youth 18 and under are admitted free of charge.  Tickets can be ordered by calling the Central Ticket Office, 816-235-6222, or stopping by the office located in the Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry, on the UMKC campus.  For more information or to order tickets online, please visit www.summerfestkc.org.

Summerfest Concerts, founded in 1991, is a professional chamber music ensemble that enriches the cultural life of Kansas City by providing fine performances of chamber music in the summer. Summerfest programming offers variety in instrumentation and musical styles and emphasizes the performance of lesser-known pieces from all eras, as well as the works, input, and appearances of living composers. The centerpiece of Summerfest’s activities is its series of concerts on Saturdays and Sundays in July. Educational outreach and “out-of-season” concerts allow Summerfest to serve the community and stay in touch with their audience throughout the year.

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