Mike Seeger, the folklorist, singer and multi-instrumentalist, died of cancer on Aug. 7, eight days shy of his 76th birthday. Stepbrother of Pete Seeger and a founder of the New Lost City Ramblers, one of the most influential groups in the folk revival of the 1950s and ’60s, Seeger in recent decades had lived in Lexington in the Virginia highlands.
His obituary in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/arts/music/10seeger.html?hpw
Rocco Landesman, the theatrical producer now taking over as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, opts out of the defensive strategy of recent NEA chiefs. In an interview with Robin Pogrebin in The New York Times, 
In a comment that should ring some bells in Virginia cities, Landesman cites "the critical role of art in urban revitalization."
He also remarks that right-wing attacks on the NEA and public subsidy of the arts exploit perceptions that art is "elitist, left wing, maybe even a little gay":
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/arts/08rocco.html?_r=1
I haven't surveyed the right-wing blogosphere for reaction (I'm not paid for this gig, and I'm not a masochist); but the right's culture warriors are sure to have Landesman in their sights. This target, though, shoots back.
British radio listeners are increasingly attracted to the "soothing properties of classical music" as they try to cope with the economic downturn and other troubles, Ian Burrell reports in The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/stressedout-listeners-turn-to-classical-1768510.html
Meanwhile, in the hereafter, Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev are laughing uncontrollably at the notion of their music being soothing.
Alex Ross, in The New Yorker, surveys the "near-infinity" of music, live and recorded, audio and video, archival and recent, accessible on the web and storable on one's computer. Ross wonders whether this burgeoning wealth of music on demand "too easily generates anxiety in place of fulfillment, an addictive cycle of craving and malaise. No sooner has one experience begun than the thought of what else is out there intrudes":
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/08/10/090810crmu_music_ross?currentPage=1
The Greater Richmond Children's Choir, directed by Hope Armstrong Erb, will hold auditions for the 2009-10 season on Aug. 10 at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 8 N. Laurel St., next to Richmond's Landmark Theater.
The choir, which has ensembles at several skill levels, is open to boys and girls ages 8-18.
To make an appointment for an audition, call (804) 201-1894. For more information on the choir, visit www.grcchoir.org
Aug. 2, Bon Air Presbyterian Church
Music of Felix Mendelssohn, whose bicentennial is being celebrated this year, runs through this year’s Interlude concerts by the Richmond Chamber Players. Mendelssohn, however, was the 19th-century outlier of the series’ opening program, otherwise devoted to 20th-century works by Central European Jewish composers.
Two of those represented, the Czech-German Erwin Schulhoff and the Dutchman Leo Smit, were victims of the Holocaust. A third, the Hungarian György Ligeti, endured forced labor under the pro-Nazi Hungarian regime during World War II and lost most of his family in the death camps; fleeing his country after the communists crushed the Hungarian revolt of 1956, he became one of the leading voices of the mid-century European avant-garde.
Ligeti’s “Six Bagatelles” (1953) for wind quintet only hints at the direction his later works would take, in a few bits of chromatic harmony that might be likened to clouds of tone. Otherwise, this set of contrasting short pieces are characteristic of the neoclassical style that prevailed at the time. The performers – flutist Mary Boodell, oboist Sandra Lisicky, clarinetist David Niethamer, bassoonist Jonathan Friedman and French horn player Paul LaFollette – delivered an animated, nicely balanced account that peaked in the frenetic opening and closing pieces and a lyrical Rubato lamentoso.
Schulhoff’s Concertino (1925) for the uncommon ensemble of flute alternating with piccolo (Boodell), viola (Molly Sharp) and double-bass (Fred Dole) is often cited as an example of the composer’s jazz-influenced work; but in fact its heart beats to the rhythms of Czech folk melody and dance. The ensemble played up that lineage, most explicitly in the rustic Furiant movement.
Smit’s “Sextour” (1928) for wind quintet with piano (played by John Walter, the group’s artistic director) is, as its title suggests, an example of the urbane modernist style developed by French composers between the world wars, with a central slow movement whose main theme echoes the Gershwin of “An American in Paris.” This performance was more American than Parisian, though, with assertive wind-playing that at its loudest made Smit’s sound textures sound congested.
The program opened with Mendelssohn’s Sonata in F major for violin and piano, a piece from 1838-39 that went unperformed until Yehudi Menuhin unearthed it in the early 1950s. The sonata’s late-classical structure and tunefulness are clearly Mendelssohnian, as is the skittish energy of its finale; but its real attraction is the way it seamlessly blends echoes of Beethoven and pre-echoes of Brahms. Violinist Susy Yim and pianist Walter gave it a straightforward, rather lean-sounding reading.
The Richmond Chamber Players’ Interlude series continues with concerts at 3 p.m. Aug. 9, 16 and 23 at Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road. Tickets: $16. Details: (804) 340-1405 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts event desk); http://www.vmfa.museum/concerts.html
Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student, group and other discounts may be offered.
SCOUTING REPORT
* In Richmond: The Richmond Chamber Players’ Interlude 2009 series features music marking the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn’s birth in programs on Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at Bon Air Presbyterian Church, with former Richmond Symphony music director George Manahan joining the ensemble’s artistic director, John Walter, in Bartók’s Sonata for two pianos and percussion, in the series’ finale. . . . Grant Hellmers marks his retirement after more than 30 years as organist-choirmaster of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with a concert and reception on Aug. 9.
* New and/or different: At the Garth Newel Music Center near Hot Springs, Los Angeles-based composer Gernot Wolfgang surveys his chamber works on Aug. 1, and members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet and friends play "Catch" by the British composer Thomas Adès on Aug. 2. . . . The Richmond Chamber Players perform pieces by György Ligeti, Erwin Schulhoff and Leo Smit on Aug. 2 and Frank Ezra Levy on Aug. 9. . . . The Staunton Music Festival features two of the arrangements made by Arnold Schoenberg for the Society for Private Musical Performance, of Johann Strauss’ "Roses from the South" on Aug. 21, and of Mahler’s "Songs of a Wayfarer" on Aug. 26, both at Trinity Episcopal Church. . . . The Staunton festival also features showcases of music by contemporary composers Allan Blank, Chester Biscardi, Judith Shatin, George Wilson and John Yannelli, Aug. 25 at Mary Baldwin College, and a sampler of opera arias and choruses by Handel and Purcell, Aug. 29 at Blackfriar’s Playhouse.
* My picks: The Richmond Chamber Players with George Manahan, Aug. 23 at Bon Air Presbyterian Church in Richmond. . . . Staunton Music Festival programs of Mozart, Britten, Handel, Berio and Mahler-via-Schoenberg, Aug. 26 at Trinity Episcopal Church, and of Handel and Purcell, Aug. 29 at Blackfriar’s Playhouse.
Aug. 1 (8 p.m.)
Aug. 7 (8 p.m.)
The Paramount, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Ash Lawn Opera
James Lowe conducting
Mozart: "The Marriage of Figaro"
Cast TBA
Cecelia Schieve, stage direction
in English
$30-$35
(434) 979-1333 (The Paramount)
www.ashlawnopera.org
Aug. 1 (5 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Gernot Wolfgang, composer & piano
Kathryn Votapek, violin
Heidi Hoffman, cello
Rick Faria, clarinet
Judith Farmer, bassoon
Wolfgang: "Common Ground" for bassoon and cello
Wolfgang: "Thin Air" for violin, viola and cello
Wolfgang: "Metamorphoses" for piano quartet
Martinů: “La Revue de Cuisine”
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 1 (8 p.m.)
The Barns at Wolf Trap, Trap Road, Vienna
Wolf Trap Opera Company members
Steven Blier, piano
Songs by Massenet, Fauré, Brahms, Granados, Sondheim
$38
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org
Aug. 1 (8:15 p.m.)
Filene Center, Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna
National Symphony Orchestra
Randall Craig Fleischer conducting
Christiane Noll, Capathia Jenkins, Hugh Panaro & Rob Evan, vocalists
Glenn Donnellan, electric violin
City Choir of Washington
"Broadway ROCKS!" excerpts from "Hairspray," "Jekyll & Hyde," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Phantom of the Opera," "Lion King," "Wicked," "Tommy," others
$20-$48
(877) 965-3872 (Tickets.com)
www.wolftrap.org
Aug. 2 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2009:
Richmond Chamber Players
John Walter, piano & director
Catherine Cary & Susy Yim, violins
Stephen Schmidt, viola
Neal Cary, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
David Niethamer, clarinet
Jonathan Friedman, bassoon
Mendelssohn: Sonata in F minor, Op. 4, for violin and piano
Ligeti: "Six Bagatelles" for wind quintet
Erwin Schulhoff: Concertino for flute, viola and double-bass
Leo Smit: Sextet for winds and piano
$16
(804) 340-1405 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts event desk)
http://www.vmfa.museum/concerts.html
Aug. 2 (3 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Rick Faria, clarinet
Judith Farmer, bassoon
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Schumann: "Fairy Tales," Op. 132, for clarinet, viola and piano
Thomas Adès: "Catch," op. 4, for clarinet, violin and cello
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 7 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Youth Orchestra of the Americas
Benjamin Zander conducting
Bernstein: "Candide" Overture
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Gabriela Montero, piano
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
$15-$45
(877) 376-1444
www.strathmore.org
Aug. 8 (8 p.m.)
Aug. 9 (2 p.m.)
The Paramount, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Ash Lawn Opera
Braden Toan conducting
Lerner & Loewe: "Camelot"
Cast TBA
Patrick Hansen, stage direction
$30-$35
(434) 979-1333 (The Paramount)
www.ashlawnopera.org
Aug. 8 (5 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Other performers TBA
Handel: Concerto grosso in B minor
Haydn: Piano Trio in E flat major, Hob. XV:29
Mendelssohn: Octet
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 9 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2009:
Richmond Chamber Players
John Walter, piano & director
Catherine Cary & Susy Yim, violins
Stephen Schmidt, viola
Neal Cary, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
David Niethamer, clarinet
Jonathan Friedman, bassoon
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11
Frank Ezra Levy: Trio No. 2 for flute, clarinet and piano
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49
$16
(804) 340-1405 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts event desk)
http://www.vmfa.museum/concerts.html
Aug. 9 (4 p.m.)
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Ninth and Grace streets, Richmond
Grant Hellmers, organ
Program TBA
Reception follows
Donations accepted
(804) 643-3589
www.stpauls-episcopal.org
Aug. 9 (3 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Fellowship students’ concert
Program TBA
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 15 (5 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Fry Street Quartet
Beethoven: Quartet in D major, Op. 18, No. 3
Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1
Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 16 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2009:
Richmond Chamber Players
John Walter, piano & director
Catherine Cary & Susy Yim, violins
Stephen Schmidt, viola
Neal Cary, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
David Niethamer, clarinet
Jonathan Friedman, bassoon
Lisa Edwards-Burrs, soprano
Schubert: "Shepherd on the Rock"
Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5
Brahms: Viola Quintet in G major, Op. 111
$16
(804) 340-1405 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts event desk)
http://www.vmfa.museum/concerts.html
Aug. 16 (3 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Fry Street Quartet
Beethoven: Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
Beethoven: Quartet in A major, Op. 18, No. 5
Beethoven: Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 21 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord & director
David Schrader, organ
Gabriel Dobner, piano
Michael Haag, bass
Erin Keefe & Diane Pascal, violins
Vladimir Mendelssohn, viola
James Wilson, cello
Johann Strauss II-Schoenberg: "Roses from the South"
Debussy: Violin Sonata
Bach: Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
Dvořák: “Six Biblical Songs”
Dohnányi: Piano Quintet in C major, Op. 1
Pre-concert talk at 6 p.m.
$18
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 22 (noon)
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 300 W. Frederick St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Mira Vocal Ensemble
"Britten and English Medieval Music"
Program TBA
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 22 (7 p.m.)
President’s house, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Gabriel Dobner & David Schrader, pianos
Michael Haag, bass
Erin Keefe & Diane Pascal, violins
Vladimir Mendelssohn, viola
James Wilson, cello
Festival gala
Schubert: three songs
Martinů: Madrigals for violin and viola
Richard Strauss: three songs
Dvořák: “Five Bagatelles,” Op. 47
$75
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 22 (5 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
String ensemble
Brahms: String Sextet in G major, Op. 36
Purcell: "The Fairy Queen" Suite
Martinů: String Sextet
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 23 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Interlude 2009:
Richmond Chamber Players
John Walter, piano & director
George Manahan, piano
Catherine Cary & Susy Yim, violins
Stephen Schmidt, viola
Neal Cary, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
David Niethamer, clarinet
Jonathan Friedman, bassoon
Beethoven: Serenade in D major for flute, violin and viola
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80
Bartók: Sonata for two pianos and percussion
$16
(804) 340-1405 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts event desk)
http://www.vmfa.museum/concerts.html
Aug. 23 (4 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Carsten Schmidt, piano & director
David Schrader, organ
Erin Keefe & Diane Pascal, violins
Vladimir Mendelssohn, viola
James Wilson, cello
Schrader: organ improvisation
Ives: Piano Trio
Brahms: Piano Quartet in A major, Op. 25
Pre-concert talk at 3 p.m.
$18
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 23 (3 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
String ensemble
Brahms: String Sextet in B flat major, Op. 18
Mendelssohn: Quartet in A major, Op. 18
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 25 (7 p.m.)
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
"Happy New Ear," new and recent works TBA by Allan Blank, Chester Biscardi, Judith Shatin, George Wilson and John Yannelli
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 26 (noon)
Central United Methodist Church, 14 N. Lewis St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
Couperin: "Sonade l’Imperiale"
Britten: "Six Metamorphoses," Op. 49
Zelenka: Trio Sonata No. 2
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 26 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
Mozart: "Ave verum corpus," K. 618
Britten: "Phantasy" Quartet, Op. 2
Handel: Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 4
Berio: "Sequenza III" for solo voice
Mahler-Schoenberg: "Songs of a Wayfarer"
$18
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 27 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Faculty and student performers TBA
"Brass Bash," program TBA
Free
(804) 828-6776
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html
Aug. 27 (noon)
Central United Methodist Church, 14 N. Lewis St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
Caldara: "Cantata Vicino a un Rivoletto"
D’Anglebert: Suite in D major
Biber: Passacaglia
Bach: "Mein Freund ist mein," BWV 140
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 27 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
Mendelssohn: "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" Overture (version for piano, four hands)
Mendelssohn: "Herr, warum hast Du mich verlassen?"
Mendelssohn: four songs
Mendelssohn: String Quintet in B flat major, Op. 87
$18
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 28 (noon)
First Presbyterian Church, 100 E. Frederick St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
"Ermerging Composers," new and recent works by Nicco Athens and Chiayu Hsu, with conversation moderated by Chester Biacardi
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 28 (7 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverly St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
"Baroque Inside/Out," works TBA by Pachelbel, Glettle and Bach
$18
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 29 (noon)
First Presbyterian Church, 100 E. Frederick St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Performers TBA
Britten: folk song arrangements
Free
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
Blackfriar’s Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton
Staunton Music Festival:
Katharine Dain, soprano
Ian Howell & Drew Minter, countertenors
Michael Haag, bass
Madison Singers
Staunton Music Festival Baroque Players
Carsten Schmidt directing
"Handel & Purcell Extravaganza"
Handel: "Orlando," "Riccardo Primo," Delirio amaroso," "Hercules," "Rinaldo," concertos (excerpts)
Purcell: "King Arthur," "The Fairy Queen" (excerpts)
$26
(540) 569-0267
www.stauntonmusicfestival.com
Aug. 29 (5 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Aaron Berofsky, violin
Carole Bean, flute
Elizabeth Blakeslee, harp
Debussy: Cello Sonata
Debussy: Sonata for flute, viola and harp
Debussy: Violin Sonata
Debussy: String Quartet
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
Aug. 30 (3 p.m.)
Garth Newel Music Center, Route 220 near Hot Springs
Garth Newel Music Festival:
Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Aaron Berofsky, violin
Carole Bean, flute
Elizabeth Blakeslee, harp
Saint-Saëns: Fantasie, Op. 124, for violin and harp
Cras: Quintet flute, harp and string trio
Fauré: Piano Quintet in D minor, Op. 89
$22
(877) 558-1689
www.garthnewel.org
