The Geneva Music Festival will return for its 16th season from May 19 through June 14, with concerts and events presented at venues throughout Geneva and the Finger Lakes region. Artistic Director Geoffrey Herd says this year’s festival has been expanded by an additional week and features one of the strongest lineups in the organization’s history.
“We added an additional week to the festival this year, which we’re really thrilled about,” Herd said. “We have both our usual artists-in-residence concerts featuring distinguished chamber musicians from around the country, and we also have a number of guest artists and ensembles visiting.”
Among the featured performers this season are pianist Jeremy Denk, jazz pianist Fred Hersch, the contemporary ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and the genre-crossing string quartet Invoke, which opens the festival. The season concludes with violinist Mark O'Connor and vocalist Maggie O'Connor performing at Geneva On The Lake.
Herd said the appearance by Eighth Blackbird will also include educational outreach with students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. “That’s not just a wonderful performance opportunity, but a great educational opportunity for students,” he said.
Herd will also perform in several concerts during the festival, including programs titled Inheritances, Sounds of Revolution, and The Pursuit of Happiness. Repertoire this season includes works by Johannes Brahms, Amy Beach, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonín Dvořák, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Caroline Shaw, and Robert Schumann.
“We have a small staff, but we have an amazing board and an amazing network of volunteers,” Herd said. “This is truly Geneva’s music festival. The whole community comes together to help us bring this event to life.”
Concerts will take place in a variety of venues, including Ravines Wine Cellars, the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, a local cocktail lounge for the festival’s “Musical Mixology” event, and Geneva On The Lake.
The Geneva Music Festival runs from May 19 through June 14 at venues throughout Geneva and the Finger Lakes region. More information and tickets are available at Geneva Music Festival.