Annual Cape May Music Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary

CAPE MAY – Come to Cape May and experience sweet sounds by the seaside during the 25th anniversary Cape May Music Festival, presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), from May 25 through June 14.
The Cape May Music Festival offers something for every musical taste. In addition to Irish and brass band music, classical music lovers will welcome the return of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, the New York Chamber Ensemble, and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Lovers of jazz will enjoy two new events this year, including Jazz at the Estate and A Night in New Orleans, in collaboration with Exit 0 International Jazz Festival, as well as the 3rd annual Geroge Mesterhazy Tribute concert..
Opening the 25th Annual Cape May Music Festival May 25 at 8 p.m. is the 35-piece Atlantic Brass Band, a long time Cape May favorite, under the baton of Salvatore Scarpa. The Atlantic Brass Band returns to present a rousing concert of American music perfect for a Memorial Day weekend celebration! Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a summer evening of traditional brass music by this award-winning ensemble. The concert is at Rotary Bandstand, Lafayette Street and Lyle Lane. Admission is free.
May 27 at 8 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, 612 Franklin St., enjoy the New York Chamber Ensemble performing a special program celebrating the festival and ensemble’s 25th year in collaboration, entitled, “NYCE Child.” The performance features children of ensemble members in performance: Daniel, David and Julia Bailen (bass, percussions and voice) and Noah Kay (oboe). In addition, the parents team up for Mozart’s Oboe Quartet and the Cape May premiere of composer Perry Goldstein’s varied and colorful Quintet for Clarinet and Strings. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
May 29, at 8 p.m., Join McDermott’s Handy at Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place, for Bound for Amerikay, the story of the Irish emigrant experience told in music and dance, song and story. The program showcases some of the brightest young, award-winning traditional Irish music performers and award-winning step dancers from the greater Philadelphia area in a very lively, toe-tapping and entertaining show. This concert is co-sponsored by MAC and the City of Cape May. Admission is free.
New in 2014! Join us May 31 for Jazz at the Estate, an open air event featuring live music all afternoon, food, beer, wine, spirits, crafts vendors and more, in collaboration with Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. Jazz at the Estate features the Gypsy Django violin of Daisy Castro, Grammy-winning Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the band from HBOs “Boardwalk Empire,” and the bubbling Brazilian backbeats, Appalachian melodies, and bluesy riffs of Matuto. General admission $20 Adults, $10 Children (ages 3-12).
New in 2014! Transport yourself to the Crescent City during A Night in New Orleans June 1, with two seatings, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Join this special celebration and help raise funds for future festivals as Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band take to the stage for an evening of Crescent City fun. Ruffins, a New Orleans-based trumpeter, bandleader, singer and songwriter, is an ever-inventive musician reminiscent of a modern day Louis Armstrong. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is known for its appetite for musicological adventure, a commitment to honor tradition while not being constrained by it, and a healthy sense of humor. Cash food and beverage service will be available. Co-presented by MAC and the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. All reserved seating. Table seating is $50. Riser seating is $25.
June 3, at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble performs Fandango! Music for Guitar and Strings featuring Oren Fader on guitar, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets, for a program of beautiful and alluring music for strings and guitar….and castanets! The program will feature Haydn’s Guitar Quartet; Dusan Bogdanovic’s Quatre pieces intimes for Cello and Guitar; Mozart’s String Quartet in E-flat Major; Miguel del Aguila’s Boliviana; and Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet, “Fandango.” General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
June 5 at 8 p.m., the Bay-Atlantic Symphony performs a program of music with organ accompaniment entitled, “Nocturnes, With All the Stops,” at the First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, 500 Hughes St., including Alexander Borodin’s Nocturne; Joseph Rheinberger’s Concerto No. 1 in F-major, The Romantic; Franz Josef Haydn’s Organ Concerto in F-major; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenata notturna. General admission is $25, seniors $20, and students $10.
June 8 at 8 p.m. come to Cape May Convention Hall to celebrate with friends and fans for the 3rd Annual George Mesterhazy Tribute concert “With Strings Attached.” The performance is an evening of selections from the Great American Songbook, under the direction of Barry Miles, with original orchestrations and arrangements performed by some of George’s favorite colleagues, featuring Joe Barrett, Paula Johns, Paul Jost, Tim Lekan, David O’Rourke, Al Rinaldi, Dean Schneider and Bob Shomo, with additional hand-picked orchestral musicians. General admission is $25, Seniors $20, Students $10. Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place.
June 10 at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble presents “Silver and Gold” 25 Years of the New York Chamber Ensemble in Cape May, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin Streets, demonstrating in a single program the multi-faceted-ness, virtuosity and spirit of the New York Chamber Ensemble’s accomplished, world-class musicians. The evening features Wonjung Kim, soprano, and Peggy Kampmeier, piano, with the ensemble in performances of Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock; Harbison’s Songs America Loves to Sing; Arnold Schoenberg’s Cabaret Songs, selections; Guillaume Connesson’s Techno Parade and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D Minor. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
June 12 at 8 p.m., New Jersey’s premiere chamber ensemble, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players, return to the festival with their “Golden Age” string instruments for another program from the classical repertoire, featuring Mozart’s Divertimento for String Trio in E-Flat Major, K. 563; Dohnanyi’s Serenade for String Trio in C Major, Op. 10; and Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105. Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
In addition to these evening concerts, come to the Carriage House Café & Tearoom located on the beautiful grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. for Bach’s Lunches, mini-concerts by members of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, where you can enjoy an elegant Tea Luncheon and intimate afternoon concert under the tent. Admission is $30 per person. Bach’s Lunches are Wednesdays, May 28, June 4 and June 11 at 12:30 p.m.
The Cape May Music Festival is presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) with funding by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For further information or to purchase tickets call 609-884-5404 or order online at www.capemaymac.org. To purchase tickets for Cape May Convention Hall concerts, call 609-884-9565 or go online at www.discovercapemaynj.com.
The Cape May Music Festival is winner of the 2012 People Choice Awards for “Favorite Music Festival,” administered by the Discover Jersey Arts program of ArtPride New Jersey. The People’s Choice Awards honor the work of arts organizations over the past year and the devotion of their fans.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. For information about restaurants, accommodations and shopping, call the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May at 609-884-5508. For information about historic accommodations, contact Cape May Historic Accommodations at www.capemaylodging.com.