Chamber Music on the Mountain Festival Offers Lineup, Tickets, Emerging Artist Opportunities

Come enjoy chamber music throughout Northwest Arkansas at the third annual Chamber Music on the Mountain Residency and Festival. The Chamber Music on the Mountain is celebrating Mount Sequoyah Center's 100th year of programming with 11 concerts and events happening all over Northwest Arkansas between July 17 and 29.

This year's festival theme is Past, Present, and Future! Beyond hearing a wide variety of music, there will also be opportunities for emerging artists to learn and share. The highlight of the 2023 festival will be the premiere of the commissioned piece from U of A composition faculty Jeremy Allen on Saturday, July 29. Tickets and festival passes go on sale today. You can learn more about the festival and find the ticket link at www.chambermusiconthemountain.org.

Chamber Music on the Mountain continues to make classical music more accessible for the community in several ways. There are six free events, and others are being offered at affordable ticket prices. Chamber Music on the Mountain events take place in friendly and comfortable venues that bring the audience and musicians closer together, with some concerts even featuring food and beverages.

Audience members of all ages are welcome at every event, but the concerts at the Fayetteville Public Library and the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks are both free and especially family friendly. These will be great concerts to introduce children to classical music and to learn about the social dances that were popular in the 1800s from the Northwest Arkansas Historical Dance Group, a program of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Other community partners this summer include the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA Beyond), Chamber Music of the Ozarks and CACHE (Creative Arkansas Community Hub and Exchange). By partnering with other organizations, CMM creates bridges to other art forms and reaches people who may not have enjoyed chamber music before.

The festival kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, with a newly created program, Musical Chairs, a chamber music jam session in Mount Sequoyah Center's Millar Lodge — the home base for CMM. This event is a unique opportunity for NWA musicians of all skill levels, background and ages to gather and enjoy the best part of chamber music: the community.

Another popular event, the Spotlight Concert, also provides Northwest Arkansas musicians the opportunity to perform their favorite chamber music for a friendly audience. Sign-up forms will be available in early July on the CMM website for those who would like to play their instruments in these community participation events. Community members are welcome to simply show up to meet and support other chamber music lovers.

The musical selections for the concerts were carefully chosen to highlight the festival theme, Past, Present, and Future. Audience members can expect to enjoy chamber music that was influenced by folk traditions, such as Zoltan Kodaly's Serenade and Alberto Ginastera's Impresiones de la Puna. Music composed in the 1920s, including works by Paul Hindemith, Gabiel Fauré and Florence Price, brings focus to the years around Mount Sequoyah Center's founding. Apple Blossom Concert on Thursday, July 27, at The Medium in Springdale features works by living Arkansas composers Jeremy Crosmer, Paul Dickinson, Robert Mueller, Katherine Murdock, Amos Cochran and current U of A composition student Yoshio Yamashita.

The final concert of the 2023 CMM Summer Festival is Saturday, July 29, and it will be a show that will remain in many people's hearts for years to come. Titled Musical Celebration of Community, the program is a true sampling of chamber music repertoire today. Valerie Coleman's Umoja (Anthem of Unity), which was inspired by Swahili drumming tradition, is followed by Paul Hindemith's popular piece for woodwind quintet, Kleine Kammermusik. Native American flute player Gaby Nagel returns to CMM to share her enchanting melodies. The newly commissioned chamber music commemorating the centennial of Mount Sequoyah for flute, clarinet, cello and piano by U of A composition faculty Jeremy Allen will be premiered. A U of A viola student will join CMM featured artists to perform Anton Dvořák's String Quintet, providing her an invaluable experience. Finally, the season will close with Musical Moments, composed by Taiwanese composer Yen-Po Chu, allowing all musicians to perform together. This is a concert not to be missed!

Festival passes, which provide entry to all five ticketed events for the price of four, go on sale today. The lineup is listed below:

• Monday, July 17 — Musical Chairs, a chamber music jam session in Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, 6:30 p.m. 
• Tuesday, July 18 — Chamber Music of the Ozarks and SoNA Beyond Presents Picturesque Chamber Music at Steinway Piano Gallery NWA, 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 19 — Folk Traditions & Chamber Music with the Northwest Arkansas Historical Dance Group at Fayetteville Public Library 6 p.m.
• Friday, July 21 — Friday Night on the Mountain: Folk Traditions in Chamber Music at Ozark Mountain Smokehouse, 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 22 — Chamber Music at Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, A Century Apart: Bach 1723, Kuhlau 1823 and Faure 1923, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, July 23 — Spotlight Concert featuring NWA Musicians at Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 25 — Terrific Tuesday Nights: Chamber Music in the Garden with Arkansas Historical Dance Group at Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 26 — Composition Conversations, open discussion with NWA composers, at Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, 6 p.m.
• Thursday, July 27 — Apple Blossom Concert, music by Arkansas composers at The Medium, 6:30 pm
• Friday, July 28 — Friday Night on the Mountain featuring composer Amos Cochran at Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, 6:30 p.m.  
• Saturday, July 29 — Chamber Music at Mount Sequoyah's Millar Lodge, Musical Celebration of Community, 7 p.m.; premiere work by Jeremy Allen.

For more information on the festival lineup, tickets and artists, visit www.chambermusiconthemountain.org.