The festival opens with a brilliant array of Baroque masterpieces. J. S. Bach’s beloved Concerto in C minor for Oboe and Violin prefaces French works by Couperin and Rameau, with renowned harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss making his festival debut. 

Two cities, both cultural powerhouses, anchor this richly varied concert of Classical, Romantic, and twentieth-century works. Lesser-heard gems by Françaix and Fauré preface Ravel’s iconic Piano Trio in A minor.

Rising stars of classical music, The Viano Quartet open this program with Barber’s arresting String Quartet in B minor. Glittering works for harp, strings, and woodwinds follow, featuring harpist Bridget Kibbey.  

Festive trumpet works balance a program of spectacular trios: Mozart's KegelstattTrio opens, followed by Chaminade’s Piano Trio no. 1, with a powerhouse roster of artists including violinists Benjamin Beilman and Lun Li, and cellist Sterling Elliott. 

The eminent French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet makes his mainstage debut alongside Van Cliburn prizewinner Anna Geniushene. Rachmaninov’s powerful Symphonic Dances contrast Fauré’s charming Dolly Suite, in a program of Russian and French Romance. 

Piano and string masters—including Orli Shaham and Paul Neubauer—take to the festival stage, along with Metropolitan Opera soprano Erika Baikoff, to present a suite of Russian, French, and Spanish instrumental and vocal treasures.

The final concert of the summer brings the festival full circle, drawing connections across three centuries of music, from Bach’s foundational The Art of Fugue to Crumb’s ground-breaking Black Angels and Messiaen’s mystical Quatuor pour la fin du temps.