Festival artistic director Carsten Schmidt.


After mixing classical and jazz styles with Indian music last season, saxophonist David Pope returns to the Festival as composer during the concluding Irish Weekend.

The 2007 Summer Season of the Staunton Music Festival is generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Thursday, August 16 at 7 pm
Lenfest Center, Washington and Lee University
Directions to the Lenfest Center

SMF Sneak Preview Concert in Lexington
A one-hour concert offering advance highlights of our 2007 Staunton Music Festival season. Works by Vivaldi, F. Couperin, Debussy, Schubert and Dvorak. This is a general admission, Pay-What-You-Will event, and no tickets are required. The concert is preceded by a wine and cheese reception at 6.15 pm.

Balestrieri, Dobner, Haag, Holloway, Pascal, Salomon, Schmidt, Wilson

Friday, August 17 at 7 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church, Downtown Staunton

Festival Opening Concert
Dunstable: Three Motets
Thea Musgrave: Elegy, for viola and cello
Debussy: Four Songs
--intermission--
Dvorak: Piano Quintet in A Major, op. 81

Balestrieri, Dobner, Holloway, Pascal, Salomon, Wilson, Zephyrus Medieval Quartet

Saturday, August 18 at 7 pm
President's House, Mary Baldwin College in Staunton

Festival Gala: Schubertiade
A festive concert featuring chamber music and select songs, including "Erlkönig," "An den Frühling" and more, by Viennese master Franz Schubert. The program will also feature John Harbison’s piano quartet entitled “November 19, 1828,” an imaginative musical journey that envisions Schubert's afterlife.
      This event begins at 7 pm with a catered dinner and drinks, the music starts at approximately 8.30, and dessert follows to close the evening. The number of tickets for this special event is limited, so don’t delay!

Schubert: Five Songs
Harbison: "November 19, 1828"
-- intermission --
Schubert: Five Songs
Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 703

Balestrieri, Dobner, Donakowski, Haag, Holloway, Pascal, Salomon

Sunday, August 19 at 4 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Lamentatio
Buxtehude: Chorale Preludes and Ciacona in E Minor for organ
John Hilliard: Sonata for Cello and Piano (world premiere)
Wolff: Three Michelangelo Lieder
-- intermission --
Froberger: Tombeau sur la mort de M. Blancheroche
Shostakovich: Piano Trio in E Minor, op. 67

Dobner, Haag, Pascal, Schmidt, Schrader, Wilson

Tuesday, August 21 from 12:30 pm- 1:15 pm
Booker T. Washington Community Center, Staunton

Outreach Lunch Concert (free)
Choral selections performed by the Madison Singers, directed by Patrick Walders

Tuesday, August 21 from 2 pm- 5 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Young Artist Master Classes (free)
SMF performers guide our six Young Artists in nuances of performance and interpretation

Wednesday, August 22 at 7 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Collegium Vocale
Byrd: Mass for 4 Voices
Judith Shatin: Marvelous Pursuits, for vocal quartet and piano, four-hands
-- intermission --
Schumann: Frauenliebe und-leben, op. 42
Mozart: Exultate, jubilate, K. 165 for soprano, strings, and organ

Balestrieri, Childs, Clarke, Davids, Haag, Harrison, Lane, Lazar, Madison, Madison Singers, Piitz, Salomon, Schmidt, Walders, Wilson

Thursday, August 23 at 7 pm
Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, Harrisonburg

Young Artist Evening Recital (free)
An hour-long recital given by SMF Young Artists

Friday, August 24 at 7 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Baroque Inside/Out
Roaming madrigalists perform from 7 to 8 pm in the Parish Hall and Church Yard. A festive concert in the sanctuary at 8 pm will feature concertos, cantatas, arias and sonatas by Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, and Handel.  Wine and Beer cash bar opens in the Parish Hall at 6.30 pm.

Buxtehude: Cantata for chorus, strings and continuo, "Befiehl dem Engel, dass er komm," BuxWV 10
J. S. Bach: "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein," from St. Matthew Passion
Bach: Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings in D Minor, BWV 1052
-- intermission --
Handel: "Dal Fulgor," from Giulio Cesare
Vivaldi: Trio Sonata Op. 1 No. 8
Vivaldi: Cantata for soprano, strings and continuo, "Vengo a voi"

Clarke, Davids, Ellis Kampani, Haag, Madison Singers, Salomon, Schmidt, Schrader, Walders, Wilson

Saturday, August 25 at 12:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Young Artist Lunch Concert (free)
An hour-long recital featuring SMF Young Artists

Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26 at 7 pm
American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse
10 South Market Street in Downtown Staunton

Handel's Semele (1744)
Fully-staged production of Georg Frideric Handel’s fascinating opera – a comic and tragic tale that is as sexy as it is moving. Performed by an internationally acclaimed cast and the Staunton Music Festival Baroque Players, a superb period instrument ensemble.

Jennifer Lane, Stage Director

Carsten Schmidt, Conductor

Cast:

Mela Dailey, Semele

Kim Childs, Jupiter

Jennifer Lane, Juno/Ino

Jennifer Ellis Kampani, Iris

Michael Haag, Cadmus/Somnus

Chris Conley, Athamas

Madison Singers (Patrick Walders, Director)
SMF Baroque Player

Irish Weekend
These two concerts are generously underwritten by the James Madison University Office of International Programs.

Saturday, September 15 at 7 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Sunday, September 16 at 4 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church

Reflecting Ireland

Traditional Celtic Music	Long, McComiskey, Schrey
Sonata no. 2 for Cello and Piano	C. V. Stanford (1852-1924) Schmidt, Wilson
New Work (2007) (World Premiere)	David Pope
Irish Folksong Arrangements	Beethoven (1770-1827) Maddison, Huang, Schmidt, Wilson
Variations on The Greenwich Pensioner (c. 1795)	T. A. Geary (1773?-1801) Schmidt
-  intermission -
New Work (2007) (World Premiere)	Jason Haney Donakowski, Haney, Stevens
Two Nocturnes for Solo Piano   4. A Major, 15. C Major	John Field (1782-1837) Piitz
New Work (2007) (World Premiere)	Chuck Dotas