Cape May Music Festival Set May 28 -June 14

CAPE MAY- For the Cape May Music Festival’s 23rd season, the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), with funding by PNC Arts Alive, is proud to present two-and-a-half weeks of world-class orchestral and chamber music performances and a world traditions series with performances by major Irish and American folk musicians, as well as Bach’s Lunches at the Carriage House Café &
Tearoom. Since 1990, the Cape May Music Festival has been MAC’s flagship arts program, attracting
high quality musicians to Cape May each year. The 23rd annual Cape May Music Festival, from
Monday, May 28 through Thursday, June 14, will delight audiences and again bring sweet sounds to the
nation’s first seaside resort.
The ever-popular Atlantic Brass Band will kick off the 23rd Annual Cape May Music Festival as
well as the Cape May summer season on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 with a rousing free outdoor
concert. Bring your own lawn chair to the Rotary Bandstand, at Lafayette St. and Lyle Lane, at 7 p.m. to
enjoy this concert of American music perfectly suited to a Memorial Day celebration. The 35-piece
Atlantic Brass Band is an authentic British-style brass band based out of Rowan University in
Glassboro, N.J. that has made a name for itself throughout the Delaware Valley and is also a longtime
Cape May favorite.
The New York Chamber Ensemble under the artistic direction of Alan R. Kay returns to the Cape
May Music Festival on Tue., May 29 at 8 p.m. to present “Music By the Numbers” at the Episcopal
Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. The New York Chamber Ensemble has been
acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for its innovative programming and virtuoso performances. One
of the many beautiful attributes of chamber music is its very flexibility. Watch the New York Chamber
Ensemble “grow” through the evening, starting with an unaccompanied work, then a duo, trio, quartet, and ending with a spectacular quintet version of Haydn’s famous “Surprise” Symphony. The concert is
comprised of performances of C.P.E. Bach’s Sonata in A Minor, Solo Flute, Gliere’s Duos for Two
Violins, String Trio by Francaix, Gershwin’s Lullaby, I Got Rhythm, and Someone to Watch Over Me,
and Haydn’s Symphony 94, “Surprise.” General admission is $20, with seniors $15 and students $5.
The Masters of the Celtic Harp perform at the new Cape May Convention Hall as a special opening
week gift to the community from the City of Cape May and the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts &
Humanities (MAC). The Masters of the Celtic Harp perform their free concert on Thursday, May 31 at 8
p.m. at Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton. Gráinne Hambly and William Jackson
comprise Masters of the Celtic Harp and are considered two of the foremost harpers of Ireland and
Scotland. Both have demanding solo careers that frequently have them performing on different
continents. Together, The Masters of the Celtic Harp perform all over the country, dazzling audiences
with their artistry and their extraordinary talent on harp as well as concertina, tinwhistle and bouzouki.
Opening for The Masters of the Celtic Harp is McDermott’s Handy, with strong vocals backed by Celtic
harp, fiddle, guitar, flute, whistle, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin, bodhran and bass.
Cape May’s favorite jazz pianist and Grammy nominee, George Mesterhazy, returns with his
friends to the 23rd Annual Cape May Music Festival for another program from the pages of the Great
American songbook. Joining Mesterhazy are trio mates Tim Lekan and Bob Shomo and vocalist Paula
Johns, with special guest Babatunde Lea. George Mesterhazy & Friends perform for this year’s festival
on Sun., June 3, at 8 p.m. at the new Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton.
Mesterhazy performed nationally and abroad with jazz legend Shirley Horn until her death in 2005. His
performing and arranging credits include the two Grammy-nominated Shirley Horn recordings Loving
You and May the Music Never End. Babatunde Lea is a distinguished drummer/percussionist whose
music is steeped in the rhythms of the African diaspora. Lea’s tremendous showmanship behind the trap
drum kit that he plays simultaneously with a surrounding arsenal of congas and percussion — an
innovative setup which he calls a “Traponga” — thrills audiences and inspires standing ovations at his
live shows. General admission is $25, seniors are $20, and students are $10. To order tickets through the
Convention Hall box office, go online to www.capemayconventionhall.org or call 609-884-9565.
On Tue., June 5, at 8 p.m., hear The New York Chamber Ensemble perform a program entitled
“M&M,” featuring the music of two young geniuses, Mozart and Mendelssohn, at the Episcopal Church
of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. The New York Chamber Ensemble pays tribute to two
brilliant, youthful geniuses of the 18th and 19th centuries in this program consisting of Mozart’s Duo for
Violin and Viola No. 1 in G Major, Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285, Mendelssohn’s Two
Songs Without Words, and Mendelssohn’s Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44 #2. General admission is $20,
seniors are $15 and students are $5.
The Bay-Atlantic Symphony returns under the baton of Principal Conductor Jed Gaylin on
Thu., June 7 at 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, Hughes and Decatur Streets.
Since 1997, Gaylin has been music director of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, where he is credited with
forging a formidable ensemble. A dynamic conductor, he is praised for his keen ear, magnetic
interpretations, clear baton work and intense but friendly rehearsal technique. The Bay-Atlantic
Symphony has grown to become an impressive ensemble with national recognition and will perform a
program entitled, Vienna Dreams, consisting of Webern’s Langsamer Satz (slow movement); Haydn’s
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Jie Jin, cello; Liebeslieder Walzer (Love-song Waltzes), Arr.
Friendrich Hermann, by Brahms; and Schumann’s Träumerei (reveries) Arr. Arthur Luck. General
admission is $25, seniors are $20, and students are $10.
Performing for the first time in Cape May is versatile artist and vocalist Eilen Jewell, on Sun.,
June 10 at 8 p.m. at the new Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton. From fiddle driven
classic country to early R&B to Chicago blues to ‘60s UK garage rock, Eilen Jewell’s music covers a
wide range of traditional musical styles. Her most recent album, “Queen of the Minor Key,” has earned
her such accolades as a “Best Bet” from the Philadelphia Inquirer, to “Song of the Day” from NPR and a
spot on Tom Hanks’ play list of the “songs you play too loud in your car.” General admission is $25,
seniors are $20, students are $10. To order tickets through the Convention Hall box office, go online to
www.capemayconventionhall.org or call 609-884-9565.
On Tue., June 12, at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble performs a program entitled,
“Top of the 20th ,” with Ariadne Greif, soprano, and William Schimmel, accordion, at the Episcopal
Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. The ideas flowed freely at the turn of the 20th
century, as “serious” and popular music developed separately but also began to merge in surprising new
ways. American jazz entered the musical lexicon while the borders between opera and musical theater
became less and less clear. Join young soprano Ariadne Greif, making her Cape May Festival debut, and
accordionist William Schimmel, back by popular demand, as the New York Chamber Ensemble
explores this fascinating era in an entertaining evening of song and instrumental music featuring the
music of Cole Porter, Richard Strauss, Kurt Weill and more. General admission is $20, seniors are $15
and students are $5.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) Chamber Players return to the festival to present a
program of classic chamber repertoire with a concert on Tuesday, June 14 at 8 p.m. at the Episcopal
Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. The program includes Shostakovich—String
Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73, Foerster—Summer in Fort Tryon Park, and Beethoven—String
Quartet Op. 59, No. 3. Beginning modestly in 1922, the NJSO has grown into one of the premier
American orchestras comprised of some of the country’s finest musicians who play an extraordinary
collection of “Golden Age” string instruments. General admission $20, seniors are $15, and students are
$5.
In addition to the concert series, the Cape May Music Festival features Bach’s Lunches at the
Carriage House Café & Tearoom located on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington
St. Join members of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony for an intimate concert featuring favorites from the
classical repertoire. Before the concert, enjoy an elegant Tea Luncheon while overlooking the lovely
garden. Bach’s Lunches are offered on Wednesdays, May 30, June 6, and June 13 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets
are $30 and reservations are limited to 50 people.
The Cape May Music Festival is funded in part by PNC Arts Alive, The Horizon Foundation for
New Jersey and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. PNC Arts Alive is a
five-year, $5 million investment from The PNC Foundation that supports visual and performing arts
groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement. For more information on PNC Arts Alive
and the grant recipients visit www.PNCARTSALIVE.com. The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey
promotes health, well-being, and quality of life in New Jersey’s communities.
To order tickets for all concerts (except those on June 3 and June 10), call 609-884-5404 or 800-
275-4278 or online at www.capemaymac.org.
The 23rd annual Cape May Music Festival is presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts &
Humanities (MAC), 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.