July 28 – August 10, 2024
Venues: Lounsbury House, Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, MoCA CT, Hagman Hall at Visual & Performing Arts Center, Ives Concert Hall
For more information on Charles Yang, click HERE.
For more information on Peter Dugan, click HERE.
For more information on the CIMF Artists, click HERE.
___
Sunday, February 11, 2024 – 4:00 PM
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center
Seven time Grammy winning double bassist Edgar Meyer and CIMF Artists George Meyer, Chelsea Starbuck Smith, Leah Ferguson and Mitch Lyon perform a program featuring duo selections by Edgar and George Meyer, including the Meyer duo’s composition Duo for Violin and Bass, Rhapsody by Paul Frucht, Trio for Two Violins and Viola by George Meyer and String Quintet by Edgar Meyer.
For more information on Edgar Meyer, click HERE.
For more information on the CIMF Artists, click HERE.
___
July 30 – August 12, 2023
Venues: Lounsbury House, Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, MoCA CT, Hagman Hall at Visual & Performing Arts Center, Ives Concert Hall, Ridgefield Playhouse,
For more information on Ranaan Meyer, click HERE.
For more information on the CIMF Artists, click HERE.
___
Featuring Molly Carr, viola & Anna Petrova, piano
Sunday, April 2, 2023 – 4:00 PM
Lund Hall at First Congregation Church of Ridgefield
Internationally acclaimed violist Molly Carr and renowned pianist Anna Petrova perform a powerful program comprised entirely of works by female composers. “HERS” vibrantly celebrates the vision, strength, resilience, and vital contributions of the female sex throughout history. Through music and storytelling, the Carr-Petrova Duo will lead its audience through the inspirations, battles, and incredible accomplishments of eight fearless women – from the 12th century’s Hildegard Von Bingen to today’s Beyoncé – inviting the audience to share in the centuries of heartbreak, struggles, and triumphs that comprise the female experience.
For more information on the artists, click HERE.
___
Featuring Julian Schwarz, cello & Marika Bournaki, piano
Sunday, October 23, 2022 – 4:30 PM
Lund Hall at First Congregation Church of Ridgefield
The award winning duo of Julian Schwarz, cello, and Marika Bournaki, piano, perform a marvelous program of traditional and contemporary pieces, including works by Rachmaninov, Korngold, Jonathan Newman, Philip Lasser and a work specially written for them by Paul Frucht.
For more information on the artists, click HERE.
___
August 1 – August 12, 2023
Venues: Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, Private Home, First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, Jesse Lee Church, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield Playhouse
CIMF Summer 2022 explored multiple musical and non-musical themes that are essential to the music of Charles Ives and to his legacy: use of folk music, personal dedications in music, polystylism, grappling with spirituality, and a pioneering leap toward an optimistic future. As always, CIMF presented a tapestry of nearly all American works – primarily those of living composers – to delve into these ideas, bring them to life, and tell the story of American music through the many diverse voices that wrote music and write music in the United States.
For more information on the artists, click HERE.
___
June 17, 2022 – 7:30 PM
Keeler Tavern Museum Garden House
‘An Evening in Celebration of the Charles Ives Music Festival at the WCYO’ featuring a special performance by Emily Levin, Principal Harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
For more information on Emily Levin, click HERE.
___
Featuring violinist Chelsea Starbuck Smith and pianist Adam Rothenberg
April 3, 2022 – 4:00 PM
Lounsbury House
Featuring cellist Mitch Lyon and pianist Mika Sasaki
February 6, 2022 – 4:00 PM
Jesse Lee Church
___
SUMMER 2021
CIMF’s Summer 2021 Artist Concert Series, called “The Promise of Living,” was a homage to the movement of the same title from Aaron Copland’s opera, The Tender Land. “The opera takes place on a Great Depression-era farm in the midwest and is about a multi-generational family searching for hope and meaning amidst challenging circumstances. Today, this story feels as timeless and relevant as ever. Over the last year, one largely without live music as we have known it, many have searched for hope and meaning amidst their own challenging circumstances. Ideally, art challenges people to think more deeply about themselves and the world around them, to help them find meaning in life, and perhaps hope. The act of coming together to collectively experience the same art, but experience one’s own individual reaction, can be cathartic and meaningful. CIMF marks the return of live performance with a series of concerts about various aspects of life that make it worth living, or in other words, that fulfill the ‘promise’ alluded to in ‘The Tender Land.’”
July 31, 2021 – 6:00 PM
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum – Outdoors
Featuring an array of works that are reveling in their own ecstaticity. A new work by George Meyer, an arrangement by Chelsea Starbuck Smith, and Paul Wiancko’s American Haiku all draw influence from the jubilant tradition of Appalachian fiddling and in the case of Wiancko, he creates a fascinating fusion through the addition of Japanese folk music. Composer-in-Residence Kati Agocs’s Devotion, CIMF Artistic Director Paul Frucht’s Valor, and Florence Price’s Adoration all explore the gratification that comes with commitment, devotion, and audacity. Finally, Julia Wolfe’s Blue Dress and Matt Aucoin’s Dual bring levity and playfulness as the program closes with perhaps one of the most joyous works of concert music, Ravel’s famous Introduction and Allegro, which features CIMF Artist-Faculty and Dallas Symphony Orchestra Principal Harpist Emily Levin.
August 4, 2021 – 7:00 PM
Jesse Lee Church
Featuring CIMF Virtual Concerto Competition winner and youth participant, Emma Dawson, as well as works that explore aspiration and the nature of dreams. Artists will perform works by Kati Agocs, Timo Andres, Robert Beaser, Mel Bonis, Frances Poulenc, Shelley Washington, and will close with Christopher Rouse’s phenomenal Compline.
August 6, 2021 – 7:00 PM
Ridgefield High School Auditorium
Featuring the CIMF Piano Ensemble, led by Mika Sasaki, and CIMF Orchestra, led by Eric Mahl, which will perform works by Albert Lavignac, Jessie Montgomery, Sibelius, and Tchaikovsky, and will close with Aaron Copland’s, “The Promise of Living”. CIMF Artists will also perform works by youth participant composers.
August 7, 2021 – 7:00 PM
Jesse Lee Church
Featuring the acclaimed Ulysses Quartet in a concert titled “Adventure,” featuring the music by Paul Frucht, Rhiannon Giddens, Pavel Haas, David Ludwig, and Charlton Singleton that are inspired by high-stakes drama, energy, and journey.
August 11, 2021 – 7:00 PM
First Congregational Church
Featuring CIMF Artist-Faculty Marika Bournaki, George Meyer, and Julian Schwarz. The concert will feature works by Derek Bermel, Jon Cziner, Reena Esmail, Paul Frucht, and 2020 Call for Scores winner Harriet Steinke that address faith, religion, and spirituality. Additionally, CIMF Youth Participant Henry Idone will perform as a Virtual Competition Winner.
2019-2020 SEASON
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 – 6:30 PM
Lounsbury House – Outdoors
Featuring CIMF Artists Chelsea Starbuck Smith, violin; Julia Choi, violin: Molly Goldman, viola; and Mitchell Lyon, cello; performing works by Carlos Simon, Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, Caroline Shaw, Antonin Dvořák, and Paul Frucht.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Keeler Tavern Museum Garden Room
‘An Evening in Celebration of the Charles Ives Music Festival at the WCYO’ featuring a special performance by violinist Charles Yang and pianist Peter Dugan
Featuring pianist Peter Dugan
Sunday, December 8, 2019 – 4:00 PM
Congregation Shir Shalom
This concert was offered free of charge to the public thanks to the generosity of sponsors Orthopromt and Connecticut Family Orthopedics.
Featuring cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki
Saturday, November 2, 2019 – 7:30 PM
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church