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07/29/2024 11:00 AMLooking for a major holiday in August? No Labor Day, no Memorial Day, no Independence Day.
Even so, that doesn’t mean the month is bereft of celebration. What about National Homemade Pie Day (Aug. 1), National Middle Child Day (Aug. 12), and National Cherry Popsicle Day (Aug. 26)?
And every Friday in August is time to celebrate the Chestnut Hill Concerts, the annual chamber music series at The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook. This year, concerts will take place on Aug. 2, 9, 16, and 23, all at 7:30 p.m.
The first concert, on Aug. 2, features three B’s, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartok, with performers including pianist Mihae Lee, a Deep River resident who is the artistic director of the series.
Lee recently took over as artistic director from cellist Ronald Thomas, who had led the series for many years but suffered a severe stroke several years ago. Still, she herself has been associated with the series for so long that David Rackey, chair of the series board of trustees, described her taking over the top position as “almost a non-event” and praised the vigor she brings to the job.
“She’s just a bundle of creative energy,” he said.
Beethoven will again be on the program on Aug. 16, with the String Trio in G Major and Brahms on Aug. 23 with the Piano Quintet in F minor. Other programs will feature works by Ravel, Dvorak, and Fauré.
Rackey has a performance of his own to think about but it doesn’t have anything to do with instrumental music. He makes a short speech to welcome the audience at each of the four concerts. But he doesn’t give a repeat performance. He has a new speech for each concert.
Lee pointed out that his year, in addition to the roster of musicians who have become regulars at the concerts, there will be new performers, among them violinists Stephanie Zyzak and Martin Beaver, who was the first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet, violist Brian Hong, cellist Wendy Sutter and clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky.
Chamber music is performed by a small group of musicians with no conductor. It is up to each individual player to balance his or her part to the performance of the group. Playing that way, according to Lee, gives performers greater leeway to bring their own interpretations to the audience. And, she adds, “Most of us are great friends and colleagues for a long time, so there is a lot of trust and respect among the musicians.”
In 2010, the Chestnut Hill series moved from the First Congregational Church in Madison, which was unairconditioned, to the Kate in Old Saybrook.
Rackey, whose tenure with the series includes the time in Madison, recalled the problems of summer temperature were made even worse because the concert series could not use the ventilation system.
“It made so much noise we had to turn it off,” he said. “When we moved to the Kate, it was just a revelation, and the acoustics were so good.”
According to Rackey, ticket prices cover only 40% of the cost of the series.
“We want to keep the ticket prices down because we want to make the series available to as many people as possible,” he said.
The programs change for every concert, but one thing always remains the same: after every concert, there is a reception on the patio of The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center so the audience can meet the performers. And all can share something besides a love of music: cookies.
Chestnut Hill Concerts: Aug. 2, 9,1 6, 23 at 7:30 p.m.
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street, Old Saybrook, Old Saybrook
Tickets are available online at www.thekate.org, by phone at 860-510-0453, and in-person at The Kate's box office.