The 2010 Sitka Summer Music Festival Program is now available!

The Sitka Summer Music Festival presents its 39th Anniversary Summer Series, June 4-25, 2010.

Sitka is situated on remote Baranof Island in the Southeastern portion of the state.

Ninteen extraordinary musicians from Europe, Asia and across the United States will visit Sitka to perform beautiful music in a magnificent setting during the three-week chamber music festival.

The concerts are held in Harrigan Centennial Hall, which boasts a breathtaking backdrop with views of soaring bald eagles, gliding fishing boats and majestic, snow-capped mountains.

On the program are selections for strings and piano by Beethoven, Brahms, Taneyev, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Mozart, Dohnanyi and other composers.

Eight evening concerts and a number of special events are on the 2010 festival calendar. The concerts are held Friday and Tuesday evenings, with one special performance on Saturday, June 19. Special events include the popular BP Family Concert and SeaMart ice cream social, A Boat Part Concert, and the Alaska Cruise Association All-You-Can Eat Crab Feast.

The 2010 Sitka Summer Music Festival will be a String Celebration!

Friday, June 4

Artists
Jerome Lowenthal (panio)
Ursula Oppens (piano)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Frederieke Eugenie Saeijs (violin)
Pamela Goldsmith (viola)
Marcus Thompson (viola)
Zuill Bailey (cello)
Armen Ksajikian (cello)
Eugene Osadchy (cello)

Taneyev String Trio in D Major, Op. 21
Beethoven Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 16
Brahms Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99

Tuesday, June 8

Artists
Jerome Lowenthal (panio)
Ursula Oppens (piano)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Frederieke Eugenie Saeijs (violin)
Pamela Goldsmith (viola)
Marcus Thompson (viola)
Zuill Bailey (cello)
Armen Ksajikian (cello)
Eugene Osadchy (cello)

Schickele Three Cellos
Ysaye Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3 “Ballade”
Borodin String Sextet in D Minor, Op. Post.
Mendelssohn Andante and Variations for Piano Four Hands, Op. 83a
Poulenc Sonata for Piano Four Hands


Friday, June 11

Artists
Jerome Lowenthal (panio)
Ursula Oppens (piano)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Frederieke Eugenie Saeijs (violin)
Pamela Goldsmith (viola)
Marcus Thompson (viola)
Armen Ksajikian (cello)
Eugene Osadchy (cello)

Arensky String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 35
Chopin Two Nocturnes, Op. 27
Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 35
Schumann Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 47

Tuesday, June 15

Artists
Sungmi Im (piano)
Doris Stevenson (piano)
Ik-Hwan Bae (violin)
Agnes Gottschewski (violin)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Jennifer Stumm (viola)
Zuill Bailey (cello)
Evan Drachman (cello)
Jeffery Solow (cello)

Schubert Rondo Brillant in B Minor, Op. 70
Gade Capriccio in A Minor
Popper Requiem for Three Cellos and Piano, Op. 66
Mozart String Quartet in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonant”

Friday, June 18

Artists
Sungmi Im (piano)
Doris Stevenson (piano)
Ik-Hwan Bae (violin)
Agnes Gottschewski (violin)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Jennifer Stumm (viola)
Evan Drachman (cello)
Jeffery Solow (cello)

Granados Piano Quintet in G Minor
Bloch Suite for Viola and Piano (1919)
Schumann Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63

Saturday, June 19

Artists
Sungmi Im (piano)
Doris Stevenson (piano)
Ik-Hwan Bae (violin)
Agnes Gottschewski (violin)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Jennifer Stumm (viola)
Evan Drachman (cello)
Jeffery Solow (cello)

Beethoven String Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6 “La Malinconia”
Barber Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 6
Dohnanyi Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 1

Tuesday, June 22

Artists
Jee Won Oh (piano)
William Preucil (violin)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
Agnes Gottschewski (viola)
David Harding (viola)
Mark Kosower (cello)

Faure Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 117
Mozart String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516

Friday, June 25

Artists
Jee Won Oh (piano)
William Preucil (violin)
Paul Rosenthal (violin)
David Harding (viola)
Zuill Bailey (cello)
Mark Kosower (cello)

Beethoven String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 “Serioso”
R Strauss Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Flat Major, Op. 18
Schubert String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163

The Festival Welcomes Melissa Marconi Wentzel

We had several wonderful applicants for our new Operations Manager position. And, before you hear it from anywhere else, I want you to know that we hired Melissa Marconi Wentzel for the position. Melissa has 10 years professional experience in the non-profit sector and close to 10 years of experience in communications and PR. Most recently, she has been working with Sitka's Raven Radio (KCAW) as their program director. In this position, she oversaw approx. 100 volunteers and did a lot of their community outreach (i.e. planning their on-air marathon, maintaining their website/social media presence, etc). We could not be more thrilled about the opportunity to have her on-board.

If you would like to volunteer for the Festival please email us here and she will make sure to contact you.

The Festival is hiring at Operations Manager -- Spread the Word!

Sitka Summer Music Festival

TITLE: Part-Time Operations Manger – Sitka

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

SUMMARY: The Operations Manager must reside in Sitka. S/he will provide administrative and staff support to the general organizational operations. Working under the direct supervision of the Executive Director this position provides Sitka-based organizational support and is responsible for a variety of other tasks.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain inventory for office & summer event supplies (Sitka office)
Assist in coordinating the summer series, as well as other events and concerts based in Sitka
Work with the Executive Director and Artistic Director(s) to improve community outreach in Sitka (and SE AK)
Booking travel and hotel arrangements as needed (Summer series)
Coordinate materials for meetings and training sessions and other activities of the organization
Maintain and update database (Salesforce.com) as needed
Receive and distribute all incoming mail and coordinates outgoing mail
Assist in preparation of materials for the board of directors
Provide support of mailings or coordinating bulk mailing processes
Provide meeting support as needed (e.g., scheduling conference rooms, logistics)
Assist in the updating of the website and social media
Staff liaison for ongoing tenant/landlord matters (Sitka office)
Responding to staff requests for administrative support as needed
Perform other duties and responsibilities as requested with a sense of humor and team spirit

QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience in the following areas

Event Management
Volunteer management
Fundraising
Community outreach & general communications
Marketing & PR
Website and social media experience
Excellent organizational skills (oral and written) and the ability to excel at details, multi-tasking and working under pressure.
Must have some experience and skilled in the use of software programs such as MS Word, ACCESS, PowerPoint, and Excel.

COMPENSATION:

Salary commensurate with experience. Flexible schedule. Hours will average out to about 1/2 time over the course of a year. However, some months will be much more demanding than others. Obviously, May and June will be more than full-time while July and October will be much less demanding. If you are interested in the position, I would be happy to talk to you more about the "flow" of the work.

Sitka Summer Music Festival is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the belief that each individual is entitled to equal employment opportunity.

Please note: This position will most likely be temporary (1.5 years) & is the direct result of Rasmuson Foundation funding. If you are unable to commit the position for 1.5 years, please do not apply.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume and cover letter before March 22 by email to Bobi Rinehart at director@sitkamusicfestival.org (no paper applications will be accepted). If you have questions, please submit them by email as well.

The Sitka Festival is coming to Anchorage in Feb -- Check out the Program here

The Alaska Airlines Autumn Classics will be held Feb 5-7 at APU’s Grant Hall in Anchorage.

To buy tickets, please go to www.centertix.net/907-263-ARTS or for season tickets, please call 907-277-4852.

The Artists who will be joining you:

Lorna McGhee, flute

David Harding, viola

Paul Rosenthal, violin

Armen Ksajikian, cello

Judith Cohen, piano

Friday, February 5

Mozart Quartet for Flute and Strings in F Major, K. 370

Faure Sonata for Flute and Piano in A Major, Op. 13

Taneyev Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20

Saturday, February 6

Taneyev String Trio in E Flat Major, Op. 31

Shostakovich Romance from “Gadfly”

Prokofiev/Piatigorsky Waltz from “Children’s Album”

Khachaturian Lezginka from “Gayaneh”

Dvorak Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 87

Sunday, February 7

Beethoven Six Bagatelles for Piano Solo, Op. 126

Bartok/Arma Suite Paysanne Hongroise for Flute and Piano

Saint-Saens Piano Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 41

Check out the program for the Jan 30 concert in Sitka!

Enjoy a note of summer in the heart of Winter!! Join us for our Sitka Winter concert will be held Saturday, January 30, 2010 (7:30pm) at Harrigan Centennial Hall. For tickets, please check back here after Jan 15.

The Artists who will be joining you:

David Harding, viola

Paul Rosenthal, violin

Armen Ksajikian, cello

Judith Cohen, piano

The Program:

Beethoven Six Bagatelles for Piano Solo, Op. 126

Shostakovich Romance from “Gadfly”

Prokofiev/Piatigorsky Waltz from “Children’s Album”

Khachaturian Lezginka from “Gayaneh”

Taneyev Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20

Check out the complete program for the 2009 Autumn Classics

You are not going to want to miss any of this year's Autumn Classics! You may order your season tickets now and single tickets will go on sale to the general public (via CenterTix in the middle of August -- approximately Aug 15). Please check out this year's full program:

Friday, September 18

Saint-Saens Piano Trio No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18

Taneyev String Quartet No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 11

Saturday, September 19

Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor, Op. 23

Schubert Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op 162

Taneyev String Quartet No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 4

Sunday, September 20

Beethoven Notturno for Viola and Piano, Op. 42 S

Bach Sonata No. 1 in G Major for Viola and Piano

Taneyev String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 5

Friday, September 25

Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K. 423

Taneyev String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 13

Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49

Saturday, September 26

Taneyev String Quartet No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 7

Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19

Tschaikowsky Valse sentimentale, Op. 51, No. 6

Tsintsadze Georgian Melodies for Cello and Piano

Sunday, September 27

Bach Partita No. 4 in D Major for Piano Solo

Brahms Intermezzi for Piano Solo, Op. 118

Taneyev String Quartet No. 6 in B Flat Major, Op. 19

All six String Quartets by Sergei Taneyev will be showcased in two incredible weekends!

On behalf of all the musicians playing in this year's Autumn Classics I welcome you to an extraordinary musical adventure!

The six String Quartets by Sergei Taneyev form one of the most remarkable groups of compostions I have ever encountered. So imaginative in conception are they, and so skillfully realized for the demanding idiom of the String Quartet, that I have not felt as though I had discovered such another fascinating and astonishing world since first making the acquaintance of the music of Beethoven's last period.

From the outset of the First Quartet, which is dedicated to Taneyev's teacher, Tschaikowsky, composed in 1890 when the older master was still alive, to the dizzying conclusion of the last Quartet, from 1905, Taneyev explores an enormous variety of ideas, motives and inventions, for which he creates forms and sonorities that challenge and please us in ways that we've seldom or never seen before.

All of the performerfs in this year's Autumn Classics series have had occasion to marvel at and delight in learning other wonderful music by Taneyev. The idea of coming to know the six canonic Quartets (there exist three others, youtthful compositions which Taneyev declined to publish in his lifetime) followed naturally from this admiration. After ten exhilarating Spring days together in Southern California devoted to the exploration of this music, we are now thrilled to have the opportunity to share our discoveries and our passsion with our Anchorage audiences.

I don't know when, if ever, these Quartets have been performed all together in one series of concerts. It would be interesting to know about that but, in any case, the works are virtually unknown in our concert halls and the chance to play them and to hear them is definitely a very rare experience and, I'm sure you will agree, a richly satisfying one.

The other music on the programs for this year's Autumn Classics is being presented in such a way that you may meet the performers on grounds of their choosing. This I arranged by the simple expedient of asking them: What would you enjoy playing? And since they will enjoy performing it, I am confident that you will enjoy listening to it.

Thank you for coming to share these very special weekends of music with us!

Paul Rosenthal