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Festival Stories: Emerson String Quartet’s Farewell
Our second Festival Story for the 2023 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival features the world-renowned Emerson String Quartet. Watch us peel back the curtain on the iconic ensemble’s preparation for their three GLCMF concerts, which doubled as their final concerts in Michigan.
“Phil, Larry and I have been doing this together for 46 years and you come to a certain point where you take stock of what you’ve done and what may still be left to do. There’s a natural arc in all associations, all career paths. We didn’t invent the march of time. That’s something that every human being has to deal with in one way or another.”
– Eugene Drucker, Violinist & Founding Member of Emerson String Quartet
Festival Stories: Carlos Simon “Lickety Split”
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. Taking listeners beyond their seats in the audience, cinematographer Zac Nicholson chronicles the 2023 Festival, its performers and their unique experiences both on and off stage.
This episode highlights Carlos Simon, the 2023 Festival’s Stone Composer-In-Residence, as he prepares for the performance of his original work, “Lickety Split.” Regarding the background of how this particular phrase from his grandfather inspired this remarkable piece, Simon said: “I wanted to write a piece about my grandfather. The piece is really about him and his grandeur and his personality, and his jovial nature. […] he’d always say, this line, “lickety-split.” He was the only person that said it. So that was the defining element of the piece that I wanted to use, rhythmically speaking, and it’s built into the DNA, the rhythm of the figure lickety-split appears throughout the entire piece.”
Festival Stories: Schubert Cello Quintet
Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. For our 2023 Festival, director Zac Nicholson returned to film three of these special features.
This first story of our 2023 Festival features the performance of Schubert’s “String Quintet in C Major,” more commonly known as the “Cello Quintet” because of its abnormal featuring of two cellos. Specifically, the story looks at the preparations made by the five musicians behind-the-scenes, primarily focusing on the two cellists, Peter Wiley and Festival Artistic Director Paul Watkins. Violinist Tessa Lark, Violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and Violinist Philip Setzer fill out the rest of the star-studded quintet.
Festival Stories: Winterreise
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. This video showcases the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s presentation of Schubert’s Winterreise at Detroit Institute of Arts. Festival Artistic Director and cellist Paul Watkins, lyrical tenor Nicholas Phan and choreographer Peter Sparling come together for this remarkable tale of a winter journey.
Festival Stories: Birding By Ear
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. This episode features the 2022 world premiere of Birding By Ear, a collaboration between composer Perry Goldstein and author Richard Powers.
Festival Stories: Quartet for the End of Time
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. This episode features brilliant commentary about Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” from musicians David Shifrin, Gloria Chien, Soovin Kim, and Paul Watkins. The episode concludes with the group’s performance of the piece at the opening of the 2022 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
Festival Stories: Tessa Lark
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. Taking listeners beyond their seats in the audience, cinematographer Zac Nicholson chronicles the 2022 Festival, its performers and their unique experiences both on and off stage. Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. Follow her “Festival Story” as she prepares for her performance of The Lark Ascending.
Festival Stories: Tai Murray
Every summer, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brings together the world’s finest musicians to offer extraordinary musical performances and experiences. Our “Festival Stories” are short videos which celebrate and preserve the intimate musical dialogue that is unique to chamber music. Taking listeners beyond their seats in the audience, cinematographer Zac Nicholson chronicles the 2022 Festival, its performers and their unique experiences both on and off stage. Described as “superb” by The New York Times, violinist Tai Murray has established herself a musical voice of a generation. Her “Festival Story” showcases her mentorship of emerging artists participating in the Shouse Institute at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
2021 Virtual Festival
On the heels of a sold-out in-person Festival in June, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival premiered its second-ever virtual festival in July. The Virtual Festival offers a new perspective on the live June Festival, with recordings of the five concerts, as well as exclusive interviews with the artists and three additional concerts by Festival musicians. Access to all eight concerts in the Virtual Festival is now complimentary.
Virtual Vignette with Nick Photinos and Yasuko Oura
Virtual Vignette with Nick Photinos and Yasuko Oura
Wednesday, March 24 | 5:30 p.m. EST
Artists | Nick Photinos, cello; Yasuko Oura, piano
This concert is generously sponsored by Gwen & S. Evan Weiner
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Virtual Vignette with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung
Virtual Vignette with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung
Wednesday, February 17 | 5:30 p.m. EST
Artists | Alessio Bax, piano; Lucille Chung, piano
This concert is generously sponsored by Gwen & S. Evan Weiner
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Virtual Vignette with Gilles Vonsattel and Sarah Crocker Vonsattel
Virtual Vignette with Gilles Vonsattel and Sarah Crocker Vonsattel
Wednesday, January 13 | 5:30 p.m. EDT
Artists | Gilles Vonsattel, piano with Sarah Crocker, violin
This concert is generously sponsored by Franziska Schoenfeld
We gratefully acknowledge our Virtual Vignette Series sponsors: Linda & Maurice Binkow and Corliss & Jerry Rosenberg
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Virtual Vignette with Nicholas Phan
Virtual Vignette with Nicholas Phan Wednesday, November 11 | 5:30 p.m. EDT
Artists | Nicholas Phan, tenor with Robert Mollicone, piano
This concert is generously sponsored by Linda & Maurice Binkow
We gratefully acknowledge our Virtual Vignette Series sponsors: Linda & Maurice Binkow and Corliss & Jerry Rosenberg
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Virtual Vignette with Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu
In October, violinist Cindy Wu joined the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival for its fifth Virtual Vignette, performing pieces by Bach, Smetana and Mozart with pianist Reiko Uchida.
Artists | Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, violin and Reiko Uchida, piano
Sponsored by: Beverly Baker in honor of Dr. Edward Treisman’s 90th Birthday
Virtual Vignette series sponsors: Linda & Maurice Binkow; Corliss & Jerry Rosenberg
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Virtual Vignette with Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee
In August, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival hosted its third Virtual Vignette performance, featuring piano duo Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee as they performed pieces from Bach to Barber and joined us for insightful discussion.
Artists| Ran Dank, piano ; Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Sponsored by: James Tocco
Virtual Vignette series sponsors: Linda & Maurice Binkow; Corliss & Jerry Rosenberg
As host for the Virtual Vignettes, Paul Watkins is sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber’s Virtual Vignette for GLCMF
Earlier this month, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival brought together a few friends for an evening of performance and great conversation with violinist Tessa Lark and bassist Michael Thurber. Individually, they are both masters in their craft, but it is when they come together that they create a sound incredibly distinct to them. Watch their highly improvised performance, blending classical and bluegrass music, and stick to the end to hear them share details about projects they are working on, what makes them such a harmonious duo and how they have adjusted to working from home.
Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s first Virtual Vignette featuring Artistic Director Paul Watkins
The Festival gathered 50 of its friends for a night of music and discussion surrounding Paul Watkins. Alongside his wife, Jennifer, he discussed the theme for our 2021 festival “Visions and Revisions,” his process as an artist, as well as his choice in music and a behind-the-scenes look at creating this performance.
Eliza Watkins and Paul Watkins perform an excerpt from Haydn’s Violin Concerto
No. 2
Twelve-year-old violinist Eliza Watkins performs an excerpt from the first movement of Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 2. She is joined by her father, Festival Artistic Director Paul Watkins on piano. Having studied violin for five or six years, it is clear that great talent runs in the family.
~Nois performs “Night Music” by Emma O’Halloran at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival
Last year, ~Nois performed “Night Music” by Irish composer Emma O’Halloran at the Detroit Institute of Arts with the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. The saxophone quartet filled Rivera Court with many different sounds and styles, exemplifying the dynamic nature of the instruments and contemporary music.
Founded in 2016, ~Nois has received glowing praise for its “truly innovative musicianship” and “raw creativity” (Cacophony Magazine). ~Nois was the recipient of the Silver Medal at the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and has premiered over 30 pieces.
Nick Photinos performs a duet with his daughter, Emi.
The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival is thrilled to have cellist Nick Photinos share with us this exclusive piece his daughter, Emi, has been working on with him. Nick is a founding member and co-Artistic Director of the four-time Grammy Award-winning chamber music ensemble Eighth Blackbird. We look forward Nick’s next appearance at our Festival!
Tessa Lark performs Telemann’s Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major
Violinist Tessa Lark is scheduled to make a return to the 2020 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival! Recipient of a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition, Ms. Lark made her concert debut at 16 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A budding superstar in the classical realm, she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky. Here’s a fun personal message from Ms. Lark and a sneak peak of what will be an incredible performance of Telemann’s Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major.
Alessio Bax performs the Bach/Marcello Concerto in D Minor BWV 974
Alessio Bax is returning to Michigan for the 2020 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. He shares a warm message to the Festival family, along with a performance of the Bach/Marcello Concerto in D Minor BWV 974, 2nd movement.
Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee perform for GLCMF
Husband and wife duo Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee are set to perform at our upcoming Festival this summer! Together, they’ve presented the world premieres of Frederic Rzewski’s “Four Hands,” and Alexander Goehr’s “Seven Impromptus,” as well as established their concert series “Music by the Glass” held in a New York SoHo art gallery.
Nathan Monday performs the harpsichord
Nathan Mondry shares his impeccable improvisation skills on the harpsichord from quarantine, and looks forward to returning home to Michigan for the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
At a young age, Nathan quickly developed into a seasoned performer, becoming highly sought after for his improvisational skills. He is the recipient of the 2015 Mary McLaughlin Prize in Early Music at McGill University, as well as collecting numerous prizes from international music festivals, including a special prize from the first Partimento/Basso Competition in Katowice.
Peter Sparling for GLCMF
Peter Sparling is scheduled to premiere Winterreise at this year’s Festival. Winterreise (Winter Journey) is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert, a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. Sparling’s Winterreise features his own dancing, video editing and paintings to create a dramatic and visceral video narrative for screening alongside live musical performance by Nicholas Phan, tenor, and Paul Watkins, piano.
Phil Setzer discusses 2020 Shouse Institute
We interrupted Phil Setzer’s rehearsal to get you the latest information on our 2020 Shouse ensembles. Phil is one the founding members of the Emerson String Quartet and a long-time supporter of our Festival.
