Now through July 30th, the Atlantic Music Festival community returns to the Colby College campus for its ninth consecutive season. Internationally recognized artists and rising stars from all over the world have congregated in Waterville, Maine to present beloved classical masterpieces alongside innovative new works and world premieres.
The Festival continues to offer all of its concerts completely free of charge as a gift to the community, and events will be in Colby College's beautiful Lorimer Chapel, unless otherwise labeled. Through its I Am Four Years Old campaign, the Festival sustains a public reaffirmation of its core values, cultivating awareness of musicians' place within the community and exploring musical responses to violence, social injustice, or illness. For more information about the campaign, please visit the I Am Four Years Old campaign page at https://atlanticmusicfestival.org/the-festival/i-am-four-years-old/.
Since its inception, Atlantic Music Festival has firmly established itself as a breeding ground for extraordinary new works. Over 300 world premiere performances took place within the first eight years, and we are set to present more than 40 this season. This record is not only unprecedented but it gives audiences a chance to be a part of history. On Saturday, July 8th, the Festival concert series opens with a New Music performance at 7:00 PM, presenting works composed and performed by AMF participants for mixed instrumental ensembles including strings, winds, brass, percussion, piano, and harp.
The renowned AMF Orchestra, gathering musicians from across the globe, will perform two eclectic programs on Saturdays at 7:00 PM. The July 15th concert includes Bürger als Edelmann (The Bourgeois Gentleman) by Richard Strauss; Leonore Overture by Beethoven; and Dance Suite by Bartók. The July 29th program features the overture to La gazza ladra by Rossini; AMF Artistic Director Solbong Kim's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, and Symphony No. 6by Schubert.
AMF's Chamber Music Series resumes on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:00 PM beginning July 12th. Piano Institute concerts begin July 15 at 1:00 PM in Given Auditorium, with the Piano Competition Winner’s Recital on July 24th at 7:00 PM in Lorimer Chapel. In addition, the Festival's Institute Programs (the Composition Program, Future Music Lab, Opera Workshop, and the Piano Institute and Seminar) have not-to-be-missed concerts highlighting some of the best and the brightest artists on the classical music scene. The schedule will continue to grow as the month unfolds, and is likely to include additional performances both within and outside the Colby College campus.
As a recent online reviewer observed, “This festival is all about collaboration.” For more information about AMF 2017, including the complete schedule of events, please visit www.atlanticmusicfestival.org, or call the Festival office at 1-888-704-1311.
