PRESS RELEASE:

North Eastham, Massachusetts, March 14, 2012—  The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival will sponsor an early-spring prelude to its 33^rd summer season: a return performance by the Futura String Quartet at the Wellfleet Congregational Church, to benefit the Mustard Seed Kitchen. The concert will be held on Saturday, March 24^th, at 4 p.m., at the Wellfleet Congregational Church.

“We are delighted to sponsor the second such benefit concert by this quartet,” said Elaine Lipton, the Festival’s executive director. “Mustard Seed is a fine organization with a critical mission, and Futura is an excellent young ensemble with a promising future. We are looking forward to an exciting event.”

Founded at the New England Conservatory in September of 2010, the Futura String Quartet was recognized early on as a promising young ensemble. Since its inception, the group has performed in NEC’s Jordan Hall multiple times— as part of its Chamber Music Gala series, the Conservatory’s 2011 Commencement Concert, and NEC Faculty member John Heiss’s Contemporary Ensemble series. In February 2011, they performed their first Festival-sponsored Wellfleet concert to benefit the Mustard Seed Kitchen. They were also participants of the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2011 McGill String Quartet Academy in Montreal, Quebec. Notably, two of its members – Audrey Wright and Alexandra Nelson – are Cape Cod natives with strong ties to the Festival, having performed in its student concerts and served as interns. 

The concert will feature two celebrated string quartets, from the 19^th and 20^th centuries, respectively: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 12 in E major, op. 127, and Bartok’s String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102, BB 110. 

 “We have chosen a program that explores some of the richest and most complex writing of the standard string quartet repertoire,” violinist Audrey Wright said.  “Each of these quartets demands immense flexibility, creativity, and stamina of the players— and each has pushed the boundaries of our quartet in a very rewarding way. The awesome power of a string quartet’s unique sound is exemplified in the very first chords of both works, and to begin each piece on the program in this way is as thrilling for us up on stage as we hope it will be for those in the audience.” 

About The Mustard Seed Kitchen 

The Mustard Seed Kitchen has been serving the needs of the Outer Cape since 1997. Founded by Sharyn Lindsay and Ellen Webb, the organization has provided an effective way to involve local teens in supporting their community by preparing meals for people in crisis.  Housed in the kitchen at the First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, the Mustard Seed Kitchen is managed today by Pat Synoradzki and 20 volunteers, who serve 5000 meals over the course of the year to people in Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham. 

About the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival

Hailed by the New York Times as “A Triumph of Quality”, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival has been offering exceptional chamber music concerts in August and throughout the year on Cape Cod for 33 years.  As a prominent presenter of chamber music, the Festival has been a major contributor to the Cape’s cultural life, musical education, and social well-being since its inception.  

Admission to the concert is $20, and free for attendees 18 and under. For tickets and/or information, please call 508/247-9400, or visit www.capecodchambermusic.org.

On August 4, 2011 The Quartet San Francisco held a string and tango workshop in Sandwich at the Riverview School. The Riverview School serves adolescents and young adults with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities. A group of these students spent four weeks prior to the workshop learning to dance tangos. They worked with their movement teacher and with two professional tango dancers. Their class culminated with a talk by Jeremy Cohen, first violinist of the Quartet San Francisco, about the history of tango followed by an opportunity to practice their tango dancing to live music performed by the quartet.  Also in attendance was the entire school population as well as a  number of local string players interested in the techniques used when playing tangos, particularly on violin. The event was both fun enriching for everyone involved. This workshop was supported by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank.

Read a kind and fitting tribute to our friend, the late Bernard Greenhouse, in the Cape Cod Times.

Bernard Greenhouse was a man for all seasons.

Wellfleet’s “first citizen” – so named on his 95th birthday last January – was the founder of the Beaux Arts Trio, concertizing for many years all around the world.

After his retirement from the Trio, Bernie continued his world-wide travels until just last year, giving master classes and anything else?– speaking, writing, selective performances, etc.? In addition, a particular delight for him, he continued coaching students at his home in Wellfleet; a myriad of cellists, in every corner of the globe, gratefully call him “teacher.”

Bernie was more than generous with his time and expertise, coaching and playing with many chamber music groups all over the Cape. For many years, he played at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival’s annual concert in his honor – or he cheered the group from the front of the hall in the audience. That annual concert will continue; this summer the Borromeo String Quartet will be playing in Wellfleet on August 12, with special guest, cellist Laurence Lesser.

We loved his wife “ Rory” (Aurora) almost as much as he did and, after her death seven years ago, Festival supporters joined many other folks with Cape connections at the annual concert in her honor to benefit the Outer Cape Health Services.

We will miss him, but his memory will never be forgotten– and his distinctive musical legacy will be readily accessible through his extensive recordings.

The New York Times lists the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in its exclusive directory of summer classical music throughout the US.

See the entire list at the New York Times

Visit Outer Cape Health Services to purchase tickets.