Photo above: Chamber Orchestra playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto Op. 61 (Rechtman arrangement)

Featuring Nigel Armstrong, violin, on Sunday, July 2, 2023.

Juneteenth Recognition Concert June 19, 2024 *

 “New Orleans meets Harlem”

Featuring the Marcus Roberts Trio

The Festival Chamber Orchestra will join the Marcus Roberts Trio during the second half of the program to perform Rhapsody in Blue on the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's famous composition.

The Juneteenth Concert will take place at Flagler College Lewis Auditorium

14 Grenada St., St. Augustine.

Juneteenth will be a ticketed event and more information will be provided at a later date.

*2024 is the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. This concert will be one of many events in St. Augustine during the year highlighting this historic legislation and highlighting the extensive history of Civil Rights in St. Augustine.

Marcus Roberts, piano

Rodney Jordan, bass

Jason Marsalis, drums

The Marcus Roberts Trio – a long-term musical partnership between pianist, Marcus Roberts, the phenomenal drummer Jason Marsalis, and gifted bassist Rodney Jordan

​The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style and entirely new approach to jazz trio performance. While most jazz trios have the piano front and center, all members of the Marcus Roberts Trio share equally in shaping the direction of the music by changing its tempo, mood, texture, or form at any time. And they do this with lightning quick musical reflexes and creative imagination. The trio is known for having almost telepathic communication on the stage. And more than a few concert goers have been heard to say that it sounds like a lot more than three people up there on the stage!



The Marcus Roberts Trio believes in ‘letting the music take over’ and the result is a powerfully rhythmic and melodic sound that is filled with rhythmic, harmonic, and dynamic contrast. One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching this trio perform is that it is so evident that these three musicians are really having fun playing together and listening to each other.

“One way Roberts individualizes his sound is by utilizing orchestral devices initially borrowed from the Ahmad Jamal Trio. In the course of a single piece, he constantly modulates grooves, tempos and keys, plays separate time signatures with the right hand and the left, and, as he puts it, “flips around the roles of the piano, bass and drums by giving everyone an equal opportunity to develop the concepts and themes, to change the form, to get us where we’re getting ready to go.” Ted Panken, Jazziz Magazine

Added to the logic and balanced trio style of Ahmad Jamal, is the swing and virtuosity of the Oscar Peterson Trio, combined with the buoyant joyous sound of Erroll Garner. These influences provide a rich foundation for the ever evolving and expanding sound of the Marcus Roberts Trio. The musical cues combine with musical inspiration from all over the world, which guarantees that audiences never know where this trio is heading; influences from Africa, Europe, and South America are combined with American traditions to give this group an infinite palate of styles, timbres and colors to draw from.



With an acknowledgement to the Northwest Symphony website for the above information.

Six Free Performances at the Cathedral Basilica

on the Plaza de la Constitución

Doors open at 7:00 PM for 7:30 PM Concerts

 Donations are Requested.            

FIRST WEEK

Chamber Music, Friday, June 21, 2024 “Evolution”

Telemann Sinfonia Spirituosa in D major

Bach double featuring Nigel Armstrong and Gabriella Peña

Ginastera Concerto for Strings

Encore: Astor Piazzolla - Tres Minutos con la Realidad

Chamber Music, Saturday, June 22 “Mystic Latin”

H. Villa-Lobos: Sexteto Místico - Mystic Sextet

Flute, Oboe, Alto-Sax, Guitar, Harp, Celesta.

Gabriela Lena Frank - Quijotadas for String Quartet

Georg Philipp Telemann, Don Quixote Suite (St. Continuo)

Manuel De Falla: “'El Amor Brujo” for Piano Sextet (1926)

Encore: Piazzolla Oblivion

Chamber Orchestra, Sunday, June 23 “Mozart and Americana”

William Grant Still: Enganga for Harp, Strings Quintet and Piano

Arthur Foote: Suite in E major for String Orchestra ”

Mozart: Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in C major, K 299

SECOND WEEK

 Chamber Music, Friday, June 28 “War & Romance”

Stravinsky Soldier's Tale for Violin, Clarinet and Piano

Shostakovich: Quartet No.8

WOLF FERRARI, Sinfonia da camara (1.1.1.1-1000) String Quintet, Piano, Flute) 

Chamber Music, Saturday, June 29 “Musical Saga”

Brahms Horn Trio

Sibelius, “En Saga” Septet Brass Quintet, Flute and Clarinet arr. Gregory Barrett

Chamber Orchestra, Sunday, June 30 “A Reflective Journey”

Shostakovich Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings

Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor “Farewell”

In 2007, the St. Augustine Music Festival (SAMF) was conceived as a free chamber music concert series to celebrate the rich artistic and cultural traditions of St. Augustine. The SAMF Chamber Orchestra concerts are presented at the historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, a beautiful, convenient, and accessible location with exceptional acoustics. This uplifting and welcoming setting provides SAMF attendees the opportunity to deepen their appreciation for this genre of music, connect with the community, and participate in a memorable and fulfilling experience.

Celebrating almost two decades of world-class concerts, the SAMF Chamber Orchestra attracts internationally accomplished performers and young rising stars to its series roster each year. The annual festival has since become a highlight of St. Augustine’s summer season and continues to be the nation’s largest free chamber music festival.

The Mission of the St. Augustine Music Festival is to produce, perform, and promote a world-class experience of traditional and contemporary classical/chamber music to a diverse audience in an accessible, welcoming, and uplifting environment to enhance the quality of life within the community through the inspiring power of music.

You may ask, "How is the St Augustine Music Festival able to offer six chamber music concerts free to the public each year?"

As with many non-profit organizations in the community, we rely on cultural grants and the generous contributions from our many donors, individuals and corporate sponsors to pay our musicians and other ongoing expenses. Recovering from the COVID years, we were able to produce the 2023 Festival on a limited budget. Moving forward, it is necessary for SAMF to increase our budget in order to continue to attract quality musicians for future concerts.

Can we count on you?

Please consider making a donation to SAMF towards our 2024 concert season. This is an opportune time to make your donation! Not only is Tuesday, November 28 National Giving Tuesday, but you may want to consider making this donation in order to have a tax deduction on your 2023 taxes.

Or, if you have a retirement account that encourages you to spend a certain amount of money each year, you can make a contribution to the St. Augustine Music Festival as well as gain tax benefits.

Concert Sponsorships

A minimum donation of $5,000 will support one evening concert sponsorship during the first five of the Festival concerts. For the final concert on June 30, the minimum donation requested is $7,500.

New Sponsorship Opportunities at $1,000 each.

Would you like to be a sponsor of your favorite instrument? Violin, Viola, Cello, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Piano, French Horn, Bass, etc.

Or perhaps you might prefer to be a sponsor of one of our Artistic Directors - Jorge Peña or Jin Kim-Peña?

If you would like to discuss one of these sponsorships, please contact SAMF Executive Director Bill Boxer, billboxer@samfestival.org or 904-982-0146 or Chair Nell Toensmann, nelltoensmann@gmail.com or 904-484-4960.

Please note: If making a contribution to SAMF from an outside financial organization, such as Fidelity or Morgan Guarantee, please advise us of your donation and/or request that their institution issuing check provides the name of the donor. We want to ensure that all of our donors are recognized.

Addition Donor and Sponsorship information is included below.

The St. Augustine Music Festival is a non-for-profit corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code and can provide you with a copy of our tax exempt status upon request. We greatly appreciate all donations and acknowledge our donors in the festival program and on our website.

Sundays with SAMF concerts are offered to the public during the year and between the historic St. Augustine Music Festival Concerts in June

We hope you will able to join us for this special Black History Month concert and son of local St. Johns County parents.

February 11, 2024 Concert Program

The St. Augustine Music Festival is thrilled

to welcome pianist Kyle Walker

for a concert at the Waterworks

on Sunday, February 11 at 3:00 PM

during Black History Month.

We hope you will be able to join us.

Kyle Walker

Kyle P. Walker is a critically acclaimed pianist and the 2021 recipient of the Chamber Music America “Ensemble Forward” career grant. He recently made waves in the music industry when he performed at the 2023 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, marking the debut of classical piano music at the festival. Walker invites all to join him on his musical journey, “Where every note resonates with a purpose, and every listener finds their place in this harmonious world of music.”

Walker discovered his love for music at the age of three, sitting at church with his parents. As he watched the church pianist play hymns each week, his lifelong passion for understanding the magic of music and its profound impact was born. His college experiences with broadcast journalism and local news reporting unveiled a disheartening lack of awareness about global and community issues, making him realize how crucial communication is in bridging gaps and fostering understanding.

Walker now has a passion for addressing social issues through music. He is on a mission to unite traditional Western repertoire and the work of neglected composers from around the world.

As an advocate of social justice Walker is a founding member and chamber musician of The Dream Unfinished, an activism-centered orchestra which uses concerts and presentations to support NYC-based civil rights and community organizations. As a teaching artist and educator, Walker has co-presented at the Human Rights Center, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and the Brooklyn Public Library. Walker is also one half of Dara + Kyle, an innovative piano/cello duo committed to bringing excellence and respect to all under-represented composers in the canon. He also performs with The Harlem Chamber Players, a diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable and accessible, live classical music to the people of Harlem and beyond.

For more information about Pianist Kyle Walker, visit his website.

• • SAMF at Jacksonville Symphony in 60 • • 

The St Augustine Music Festival will once again have a presence at the Jacksonville "Symphony in 60" concert on Thursday, January 18. The doors open at 5:30 PM and the concert begins at 6:30 PM. If you plan to attend, please be sure to stop by our table and say hello.

The SAMF Table was displayed at the Jacksonville Symphony in 60 and during the Marc Dickman Quartet Concert..

SAMF Chair Nell Toensmann and Board Member Katheryn Hancock were talking to a visitor to the SAMF table prior to the October 26 concert.

Visit the Jacksonville Symphony Website for information on their upcoming concerts which include: A Journey from Bach to Beethoven, Mid-Century Modern Combo Jazz Series, Mozart, Vivaldi & Handel, or any of the other concerts offered by the orchestra.

Visit the following websites for more information about

upcoming Cultural and Musical Events in St. Augustine

• • Become a SAMF Donor or Continuing Donor • • 

Donors are vital to the success of SAMF performances as each donor's contribution furthers the sense of connection and positive impact within the community as we offer FREE concerts at the Cathedral Basilica.

As you consider your donation, think about the cost of attending a comparable concert... would it be $25, $40, or perhaps much more? Are you planning to attend two or three, or perhaps all six concerts? If so, then consider making a donation to SAMF that you can consider as the cost of your tickets. Sponsor levels of $5,000 or more entitles the donor/organization to be the sponsor of an evening's concert and $7,500 to be the sponsor of the final June 30 concert.

We Have 8 Sponsor Donor Levels:

*Regular Entry and Recognized Donor in the Program

**Early Entry and Reserved Seating. Recognized Donor on Website and in the Program

*** Early Entry and Prime Seating. Recognized Donor on Website, in the Program and invitation to a Champaign Reception

****Possible Concert Sponsor with Early Entry, Prime Seating, Recognized Donor Logo on Website and invitation to a Champaign Reception

*****Possible Final Concert Sponsor with Early Entry, Prime Seating, Recognized Donor Logo on Website and invitation to a Champaign Reception

Or Use our SAMF QR Code

Personal and business checks can be made payable to the

St. Augustine Music Festival and mailed to:

Saint Augustine Music Festival

PO Box 833

St. Augustine, FL 32085-0833

Each and every level of donation is important.

Please consider the level you wish to contribute.

The St. Augustine Music Festival is a non-for-profit corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code and can provide you with a copy of our tax exempt status upon request. We greatly appreciate all donations and acknowledge our donors in the festival program and on our website.

Jorge Peña and Jin Kim-Peña

Artistic Directors

Bill Boxer

Executive Director

On behalf of the SAMF Board of Directors, we thank you!

Bill Boxer, Executive Director

Nell Seymour Toensmann, Board Chair

Jorge Peña & Jin Kim-Peña, Artistic Directors

St. Augustine Music Festival (SAMF)

billboxer@SAMFestival.org

Mobile: 904 982-0146

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

St. Augustine Music Festival

P.O. Box 833

St. Augustine, FL 32085-0833

904-484-4960

www.SAMFestival.org