Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Presents ‘Winds Of Change’

Music for wind instruments and music by women are the through-lines that combine in “Winds of Change,” the theme for Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival 2019. This is the 36th season for the festival which will present 12 concerts, most of them at the historic Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, from July 21 through August 18 representing a wide range of music performed by some of the best musicians in the country.

“I’m particularly thrilled to present this summer’s season,” said BCMF founder and artistic director Marya Martin. “In this uneasy moment in history, we have focused our energies on creating a dynamic summer of programming that reminds us both of the capacity for artists to create works of incredible beauty, and also how music and beliefs change over time. We express this through a focus on the evolution of wind music, with a snapshot of Mozart’s gorgeous chamber works for wind instruments, and by highlighting the contributions of women composers.”

The works by women composers on the festival schedule range from Louise Farrenc’s “Sextet for Wind Quintet and Piano” (1851-2), Amy Beach’s “Dreaming for solo piano” (1892), and two works by Lili Boulanger for flute and piano written in 1911 and 1918, to music written since the turn of this century, including Missy Mazzoli’s “Death Valley Junction” (2010) for string quartet, Victoria Kelly’s “Good Night Kiwi” (2004) for solo piano, and Reena Esmail’s “Saans” (Breath) (2010) for piano trio.

Also on the festival schedule are Sofia Gubaidulina’s “Sounds of the Forest” for flute and piano (1978); Anna Clyne’s “Rest These Hands” for solo violin (2009), and works by Elizabeth Brown, Vivian Fung, Helen Grime, Jennifer Higdon, and Clare Shore. The BCMF’s annual concert at the Parrish Art Museum this year is inspired by a concurrent exhibition devoted to painter Helen Frankenthaler and features a program of music by six women.

The “winds” theme is kicked off at the festival’s annual free outdoor concert on Wednesday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. on the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church Grounds with a program by the Project Fusion Saxophone Quartet.

Another highlight will be the festival’s annual “Composer Portrait” concert, “Dvorák in the New World” on Sunday, July 21, with author and East End resident Roger Rosenblatt narrating the program, weaving in the story of Dvorák’s sojourn in America.

For a full schedule and tickets visit bcmf.org or call 212-741-9403.