Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Buzzards Bay Musicfest returned to Tabor Academy in Marion this past week, bringing with it sensational musical selections from Mozart to jazz standards. The five-day-long festival spanned from July 13-17 and featured two orchestra concerts, two chamber music performances, and a jazz concert.
This year Antony Walker, music director of the Pittsburgh Opera, returned as guest conductor, as well as Grammy-nominated jazz artist Orrin Evans.
Musicians selected by Artistic Director and Concertmaster Charles Stegeman travel from all over the world to participate in the festival and stay with their host families located in Marion.
“They come to us from teaching institutions, professional orchestras, and a variety of other musical venues across the globe, and we are grateful for the excitement and enrichment they provide for our community,” stated Chair Trudy Kingery with President Sally Conkright in the festival’s program booklet. And what an incredible sight it is to see all these musicians with diverse backgrounds come together on one stage to create these musical works of art.
The Musicfest itself actually has its roots in Kansas City. According to Kingery, one of the founding members, the festival started twenty years ago with a man named Russell Patterson, the music director of the Kansas City Lyric Opera who was retiring to the Cape. He and other founding member Margot Foster contacted Kingery about bringing a festival to the Buzzards Bay area.
“I was president of the arts center,” said Kingery. “And so [Margot Foster] came to me and said, ‘Can you do something with this?’ and I said, ‘Okay.’” Since then, the festival has expanded and evolved and is “an event which had grown each year in regional repose and national reputation,” according the Stegeman.
I, myself an oboist and a music major at Boston University, was able to attend the Friday night chamber music concert, as well as the closing orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon. Chamber music concerts, such as the Thursday and Friday concerts of the festival, feature one instrumentalist per part, and the groups range in number from a solo individual to an octet.
Friday’s concert featured a Beethoven Piano Quintet, a string sextet performing Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, and Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet – a standout of the evening.
Harp soloist Rita Costanzi swept the audience away with her brilliant technique and eloquent and celestial interpretation. With her performance, combined with the excellent blend from the woodwinds and the virtuosity of the strings, the piece was mesmerizing and truly lovely.
Sunday’s orchestra concert was equally impressive and engaging. The performance opened with Rossini’s vibrant Overture to “La Scala di Seta,” showcasing the technical prowess of the upper winds. The program also featured soloists Charles Stegeman on violin and Michael Strauss on viola in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, K.364 as well as a refined and thoughtful rendition of Bach’s Air on the G String. The five-day festival concluded with Haydn’s rousing Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drum Roll,” bringing the full house to their feet.
The Buzzards Bay Musicfest and its board are dedicated to bringing high quality classical performances to the South Coast free of charge.
“We work behind the scenes together all winter long to put this together in conjunction with our artistic director Charlie [Stegeman],” said Conkright. About 97 percent of the festival’s funding comes from individual donors who generously support bringing the arts into the community.
As stated on their website, “every contribution counts, and each monetary gift helps to provide a rich musical experience for so many.” The Buzzards Bay Musicfest is certainly one of the best festivals of its kind in the area, bringing to the community delightful and memorable performances for the past twenty years.
By Ashley Perry
