Music Mountain Summer Chamber Music Festival facts for kids
Music Mountain is a very special place in Falls Village, Connecticut. It's home to America's oldest summer festival for chamber music. This amazing festival started way back in 1930. It has been sharing beautiful music for over 90 years!
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What is Chamber Music?
Chamber music is a type of classical music played by a small group of instruments. It's usually performed in a smaller room or "chamber," not a huge concert hall. Music Mountain's main goal is to teach and perform music for the string quartet. A string quartet is a group of four string instruments: two violins, one viola, and one cello.
Music Mountain's Story: A Look Back
Music Mountain was created in 1930 by a famous violinist named Jacques Gordon. He wanted a permanent home for his own group, the Gordon String Quartet. His dream was to have a place where string quartet music could be taught and performed.
Over the years, Music Mountain became known for inviting world-famous musicians to play. It also offers many teaching programs for young musicians. Jacques Gordon's son, Nicholas Gordon, helped run Music Mountain for many years. Today, Oskar Espina-Ruiz is the Artistic Director. He helps choose the musicians and plan the concerts.
The Unique Concert Hall: Gordon Hall
Concerts at Music Mountain happen in a special building called Gordon Hall. This hall is designed to make music sound perfect! It's shaped like a violin, long and narrow. Even the ceiling beams look like parts of a violin, helping the sound travel beautifully.
The walls, floor, and ceiling of Gordon Hall are hollow. This means they can vibrate freely when music is played. It's like the whole building helps the music come alive! Gordon Hall can seat over 300 people.
The Instrument Houses
Besides Gordon Hall, Music Mountain has four houses on its property. Each house is named after an instrument in a string quartet. These houses were actually ordered from a catalog, Sears Roebuck, and built in 1930! The whole property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This is because of Gordon Hall's amazing design and the interesting mail-order houses.
Enjoying the Music: Concerts and Events
Music Mountain hosts many concerts and community events each season. They have a famous string quartet series, featuring groups from all over the world. Some famous groups that have played there include The Juilliard String Quartet and The Shanghai String Quartet.
They also have a "Twilight series" with different kinds of music. You might hear Jazz, Big Band music, Broadway tunes, or even Country and Folk music. You can often listen to past and current concerts online at www.musicmountain.org or InstantEncore.com.
