Caramoor Summer Music Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caramoor Summer Music Festival |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Classical music |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Inc. Katonah, New York |
| Inaugurated | 1945 |
The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a yearly music event that started in 1945. It takes place on a beautiful 90-acre estate called the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. This estate has a lovely Mediterranean-style house and is located about 50 miles north of New York City in Katonah, New York.
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A Special Place for Music
The Caramoor estate became a center for arts and music after its owners, Walter and Lucie Rosen, lost their son during World War II. To honor his memory, they gave the property to be used for the arts. Soon after, it became a popular summer festival.
Where the Music Happens
Concerts at Caramoor are held in a few special places:
- The Spanish Courtyard, which is part of the main house.
- The 1,700-seat Venetian Theater, which is a large tented area on the grounds.
- The Music Room inside the house, which is used for concerts all year round.
Bel Canto Opera at Caramoor
For the past twenty years, a big part of the festival has been Bel Canto at Caramoor. Bel canto is an Italian term that means "beautiful singing." It's a style of opera that focuses on smooth, flowing melodies and showing off the singer's voice.
Bringing Old Operas to Life
Under the direction of conductor Will Crutchfield, the festival explores many bel canto operas. Some of these are rarely performed in the New York area, like Rossini's Otello and Donizetti's Elisabetta. The manuscript for Elisabetta was even found and put back together by Crutchfield!
Other exciting projects have included:
- A 2005 show of La sonnambula where the tenor (a male singer) sang his part in the original, very high keys.
- A performance of La traviata where most of the parts that are usually cut were put back in. This allowed the audience to hear the opera as it was originally written.
More Music to Enjoy
The Caramoor Summer Music Festival offers a wide variety of music beyond bel canto opera.
Different Kinds of Performances
You can enjoy many types of concerts, including:
- Performances by the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
- Concerts by string quartets (groups of four string instruments).
- Shows by various solo artists.
- A day-long jazz and roots music festival.
Composers and Conductors
Caramoor also features a "composer in residence" each year. This means a special composer works with the festival, sharing their music. Past composers have included John Musto (in 2006) and Paquito D'Rivera (in 2007).
The Orchestra of St. Luke's is the main orchestra at the festival. They perform under the direction of conductor Donald Runnicles from the San Francisco Opera. Famous music directors who have worked with Caramoor in the past include Julius Rudel, André Previn, and Michael Barrett.
