The New Hampshire Music Festival will open its 70th summer of bringing classical music to the Granite State on July 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Plymouth Congregational Church with its first chamber concert of the season. Its Classics series begins July 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hanaway Theatre at the Silver Center for the Arts at Plymouth State University with “Return to Loon Lake” featuring Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, and American composer Alan Hovhaness’s, Loon Lake Symphony.
The New Hampshire Music Festival’s 70th Anniversary season will continue throughout July with a diverse program of classical concerts, chamber concerts, special events for children and unique performances, including the return of its annual Squam Lake Water Music Concert on July 13. This performance by the festival brass ensemble aboard a pontoon boat on Squam Lake harkens back to the Festival’s roots in the 1940s when professional musicians and advanced students performed at the summer retreat of esteemed pianist and teacher Hedy Spielter and her husband, actor Jules Epailly, on Melody Island on Lake Winnipesaukee. Concertgoers would travel to Melody Island by boat or canoe to enjoy the beautiful music emanating from the island’s band shell as they floated on the lake.
“After two years of virtual programming and scaled-back in-person performances, the entire festival orchestra, staff, and board members are thrilled to be back in full force this year,” said Lucinda Williams, New Hampshire Music Festival Executive Director. “We have planned exciting programs that include works commissioned throughout our history as well as contemporary works and a new world premiere commission. The festival musicians are truly looking forward to reuniting with our patrons to share glorious musical moments!”
Each summer since its official formation in 1952, the New Hampshire Music Festival has drawn many of the country’s most accomplished musicians to New Hampshire to perform well-known classics and contemporary works. The festival has been in residence at Plymouth State University for more than 40 years; in addition to hosting performances, many festival musicians and their families live on campus during the season. Most performances and events take place in Plymouth and Holderness, while the children’s series is held at The Curious George Cottage of the Rey Cultural Center in Waterville Valley.
“Throughout its 70-year musical history, the festival has always had a commitment to serve the broadest spectrum of its community,” said Phil Boulter, chairman of the New Hampshire Music Festival Board of Trustees. “With our main series classical, chamber and outreach concerts, to one-on-one educational opportunities for young people, our goal is to continue to bring the country’s finest musicians to the Granite State to perform. We are especially proud of our newly-added Squam Lakes Water Music Concert, which brings the evolution of the festival full circle from its beginnings on Melody Island.”
From its early days on Melody Island, the festival has grown organically and purposefully to a 75-plus member, fully-professional orchestra that offers Granite State residents and summer visitors world-class performances of symphonic, choral and chamber music. Continuing its tradition of education, strong collaborations with community partners enable the Festival to bring transformative music experiences and educational programs to students of all ages.
The full schedule for the New Hampshire Summer Music Festival 70th Anniversary season is as follows:
All performances at the Silver Center for the Arts at PSU
■Return to Loon Lake: July 7, 7:30 p.m. and July 8, 7:30 p.m.
■Water Music and a Premiere: July 15, 7:30 p.m.
■American Creations and a Tchaikovsky Masterpiece: July 22, 7:30 p.m.
■Carmina Burana: July 28, 7:30 p.m. and July 29, 7:30 p.m.
All performances at Plymouth Congregational Church unless otherwise noted
■Week 1: July 5, 7:30 p.m.
Suite for Two Cellos, 1973, Gian Carlo Menotti (1911–2007)
Kleine Kammermusik, op. 24, no. 2, 1922, Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)
Three Preludes, 1926, George Gershwin (1898–1937), arr. Brandon Ridenour
Quartet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, op. 25, 1856–61, Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
■Week 2: July 12, 7:30 p.m.
Sextet, 1998, 13, Guillaume Connesson (1970–)
Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54, 1714, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
String Quartet no. 9 in C Major, op. 59, no. 3, 1805–6, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
■ Week 3: July 19, 7:30 p.m.
Sonatine for trumpet and piano, 1950, Jean Françaix (1912–1997)
Alone. Together. Covid 2019., 2022, Sandra Flesher (1938–)
Suite for Two Violins and Piano, op. 71, 1903, Moritz Moszkowski (1854–1925)
Souvenir de Florence, op. 70, 1890, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
■Week 3: July 23, 4 p.m., Rey Center, 13 Noon Peak Road, Waterville Valley
Alone. Together. Covid 2019, 2022, Sandra Flesher (1938–)
■Week 4: July 26, 7:30 p.m
Légende, 1906, George Enescu (1881–1955)
String Quartet no. 3 in F Major, op. 73, 1946, Dimitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Piano Trio no. 3 in F Minor, op. 65, 1883, Antonín Dvoak (1841–1904)
For information about the New Hampshire Music Festival 70th Anniversary season, including schedules, ticket information and more, visit nhmf.org.