By Patricia Platt
The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from June 27 until Aug. 16, will present an exciting season of classical, innovative and international music that even includes a night of silent film comedies shown with improvised piano scores.

“This summer’s theme, ‘Dialogues,’ promises to explore the rich interplay of musical ideas,” said Melvin Chen, director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. “Some topics include celebrating America’s musical heritage, the influence of European composers on American music, music and Hollywood and a celebration of the profound artistry of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms.”

The Yale School of Music selects approximately 35 music students from around the world to come to Norfolk to be mentored by today’s top string quartets and esteemed pianists, as well as individual string, brass and woodwind musicians.

The Brentano Quartet of Yale University will be in residence for the first two weeks, performing on July 5 and July 12. The Miro Quartet, based in Austin, Tx., will arrive for the following two weeks, with performances on July 19 and July 25. The Shanghai Quartet, now located in Tianjin, China, will perform on Aug. 1.

“We think of ourselves as a teaching festival where the most talented students from around the world come to study chamber music and have opportunities to perform alongside the faculty,” explained Chen. The students, called Norfolk Fellows, will perform with the faculty at numerous weekday and weekend concerts.

A New Music workshop will be offered the week before the chamber music festival begins. Under the direction of composer Martin Bresnick, fellows will participate in a series of coaching sessions, masterclasses and rehearsals that culminate in a new music performance on June 27.
“Traditions and Innovations” is the theme for this season’s Musical Bridges program on July 26. “From Saint-Saens’ elegant homage to classical forms to Valerie Coleman’s innovative premiere and Ravel’s masterful fusion of tradition and modernity, this concert celebrates how traditions of the past can inspire exploration of the new,” commented Chen. “Musical Bridges is a multiyear project in which the festival commissions new works that place classical chamber music within a broader musical and cultural context.”

The theme of the festival gala on Aug. 2 will be “A Night at the Cinema.” Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Matan Porat will improvise soundtracks for three iconic silent era films, including “Daisy
Doodad’s Dial,” “Optical Poem” and Buster Keaton’s great “Sherlock Jr.” Tickets are available online for dinner and the concert or for the concert only.

The season finale on Aug. 16 will feature choral works spanning the Renaissance to the 21st century, performed by the Norfolk Festival Chamber Choir and Orchestra.

The festival offers a variety of free concerts and events. Pre-concert conversations, during which Chen chats informally with festival artists, take place at the Battell Recital Hall each Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. before concerts. Free chamber music concerts are performed at the Music Shed on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. from July 5 to Aug. 9. Master classes and open rehearsals welcome audiences on select Wednesdays from July 9 until Aug. 6; dates will be announced on the website.

The festival needs community volunteers to usher during each concert on Friday and Saturday nights, from 7 p.m. until the end of the concert and volunteers for a few post-concert receptions. In exchange, volunteers will receive free concert tickets. If you are interested, please contact Tom Hodgkin at hodgkin.tom@gmail.com.

More information on the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival can be found online at:
music.yale.edu/concerts-events-norfolk.