Schedule:

Friday August 16,2024

Handel Extravaganza: Arcadia to the Academy

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Discounts available for

youth, college, & military

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

The 2024 Summer Festival opens with a rousing all-Handel celebration. Vocal soloists and chorus join the period-instrument SMF Baroque Orchestra for music from Dixit Dominus, Ode for Queen Anne, Alexander’s Feast, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, and Water Music, all capped off with the familiar “Hallelujah” chorus from Messiah.

Nightcap 1: Marie’s Crisis Piano Bar

Silver Line Theatre Exchange

211 N Lewis St, Staunton

Doors open 9:45 Program ends 11:00

After the evening’s Handel celebration, head three blocks to Silver Line Theatre for a rousing Nightcap. Enjoy a Broadway sing-along atmosphere evoking Marie’s Crisis Café, a well-known piano bar in the heart of New York’s West Village. Includes complimentary beer and wine.

Saturday August 17,2024

Baroque the Bank

National Valley Bank

12 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 2:15 Concert ends 4:00

Sales Will Begin JULY 1 at 10:00 am.

Historic National Valley Bank is an iconic building in downtown Staunton. With cathedral-like acoustics & massive stained-glass skylight, it makes an ideal setting for a midday concert of concertos by Telemann, Biber, Vivaldi and others.

Telemann Concerto for Three Violins in F Major

Handel "Va tacito e nascosto," from Giulio Cesare

Biber Sonata I from the Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes (for 2 Trumpets, Strings, and Continuo)

Telemann Concerto for Recorder, Horn, and Continuo

Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor

Tales of the Night

12:00 pm

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15 Concert ends 1:00

The qualities of night - darkness, mystery, romance - when our ears pick up where our eyes can no longer serve, all have served to make powerful themes for music, art, and poetry. This noon concert, despite the sunlight streaming in from inside, explores night through four diverse works, composed over a period of 200 years.

Beethoven Sonata in C-Sharp Minor ("Moonlight"), for fortepiano

Caplet Conte fantastique, for harp and strings

Sierra  Piano Sonata No. 14 (“Moonlight”)

Mancini/Wadsworth Moon River," arr. for voice and chamber ensemble

Poets and Puppets

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

Haydn Overture to Il Ritorno di Tobia, for orchestra

Poulenc Three Apollinaire Chansons, for chorus

Guinivan Jiya Learns to Dance, for chamber ensemble

Philippe d Vitry Two Motets

Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, for voice, string quartet and piano

Stravinsky, arr. Smith/White Petrushka, for two pianos and percussion (world premiere)

Sunday August 18,2024

Summer Sounds

Blackfriars Playhouse

10 S Market St, Staunton

Doors open 10:00 Concert ends 11:30

This one hour program in Blackfriars Playhouse spans nearly 800 years, from a famous 13th-century song to recent music by composer-in-residence Roberto Sierra. In between two delightful chamber works by Vincent D'Indy and Louis Spohr, including the latter's first Double String Quartet (i.e., String Octet) change the mood.

D’Indy Suite dans le style ancien, for two flutes, trumpet, and strings

Anonymous Sumer is icumen in, for voices

Sierra Octeto en cuatro tiempos, for clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet

Spohr Double String Quartet No.1

Meet the New Graf!

4:00 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 3:00 Preconcert talk 3:15

After a successful fundraising campaign, SMF unveils the newest member of the family - a stunning replica of Conrad Graf's 1830 Viennese fortepiano made by Rod Regier. This instrument is the ideal vehicle for historically-informed performance of music from middle Beethoven (circa 1805) through the birth of Brahms. Beethoven's beloved Choral Fantasy caps a program of solo, vocal, and chamber works.

Schubert March Militaire in D major, D733, for piano four hands

Hensel Serenade: "June," from Das Jahr, for piano solo

Mendelssohn Menuetto and Allegro Vivace, from Piano Sextet in D, Op. 110

Schumann Liederkreis Op. 39, for voices and piano (staged by Timothy Nelson)

Beethoven, arr. Hummel  Allegro ma non troppo, from Symphony No. 6, for flute, violin, cello, and piano

Beethoven Choral Fantasy, Op. 80, for piano, chorus and orchestra

Monday August 19,2024

Grumpy Hedgehog, Happy Oboe

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15 Concert ends 1:00

Czech master Leoš Janá?ek wrote his Concertino in 1925, originally as a traditional piano concerto but quickly changing guise. He later noted that the themes he imagined all connect to animals, including the first movement's "grumpy hedgehog." This work is paired with a Baroque masterpiece by Jan Zelenka (the Trio Sonata No. 5), as well as a work for solo oboe and harp.

Zelenka Trio Sonata No. 5 in F Major

Janá?ek Concertino for piano and chamber ensemble

Pasculli Omaggio a Bellini

Tuesday August 20,2024

Serenades at Noon

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15 oncert ends 1:00

R. Strauss Two songs for voice & piano

F. Darmanin The Sudden Lightness for piano quartet 

Comtessa de Dia Troubadour song: A chantar

Korngold Suite for Left-Hand Piano & Strings

US premiere presented in conjunction with the 2023 Vladimir Mendelssohn Composition Competition.

Early Keyboard Extravaganza

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

The new 1830 Regier-Graf is just one of many stunning historical keyboards in use at Staunton Music Festival. The Early Keyboard Extravaganza program allows audiences to hear multiple harpsichords, organs, and pianos in repertoire ideally suited to their individual tonal and expressive capacities. Works by Rameau, Buxtehude, and Bach form a familiar core, balanced by rarer delights: music by Elisabeth de la Guerre, Louise Farrenc, and composer-in-residence Roberto Sierra.

Rameau La Lapoplinière" and "Tambourin" from Pièces de Concert

De la Guerre Two Airs, for voices and ensemble

Frescobaldi  Canzon post il commune, for organ solo

Sierra Concierto Nocturnal, for harpsichord and ensemble

Farrenc Allegro from Piano Quintet No. 1

Buxtehude Ciacona in E Minor, BuxWV 160, for organ

J. S. Bach Concerto in C Major, BWV 1061, for two harpsichords and strings

Nightcap 2: A Mighty Wind

10:00 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 9:45 Program ends 11:00

SMF’s wind musicians enjoy a chance to unwind with fun and rarely-heard works at a new space, MBU @ the Wharf. Tickets include complimentary beer and wine.

C.P.E. Bach  March of the Ark

Poulenc Sonata for Two Clarinets

Dorati Work for solo oboe

TBA Harmoniemusik

Wednesday August 21,2024

Bel Canto

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunto

Doors open 11:15 Concert ends 1:00

Vocal music takes center stage in this one-hour noon concert, featuring works by Mozart, madrigals by Barbara Strozzi, and "Marvelous Pursuits" by Virginia composer Judith Shatin.

Strozzi Two Madrigals, from Opus 1

Shatin Marvelous Pursuits, for vocal quartet and piano four-hands

Mozart Ch’io mi scordi di te? for soprano, fortepiano & orchestra

Meet the Composer: Roberto Sierra

3:00 pm

Central United Methodist Church

14 N Lewis St, Staunton

Doors open 2:30 Program ends 4:00

For more than four decades, the works of Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy winner Roberto Sierra have been part of the repertoire of many of the leading orchestras, ensembles and festivals in the USA and Europe. From the Proms in London and Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich to the halls of America’s leading orchestras (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and more), Sierra’s music has reached the entire world. A winner of the "Latin Grammy", Roberto Sierra was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico and studied composition both in Puerto Rico and Europe, where one of his teachers was György Ligeti.

Sierra will speak about his musical experiences, influences, and compositional style. Event will include performance of Sierra's "Mambo 7/16" for string quartet and selections from "Flower Pieces" for flute and harp.

Beethoven Meets the Mambo

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30  Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 shares the stage with chamber works by Debussy, DeFalla, and composer-in-residence Roberto Sierra.

Sierra Mambo Metálico, for brass, percussion and piano

Debussy Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane, for harp and strings

Sierra  Mano a Mano, for two percussionists

DeFalla/Wadsworth Seven Spanish Folksongs, arr. for voices and chamber ensemble

Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36. for orchestra

Thursday, Aug 22, 2024 

Mendelssohn’s Magic

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15  Concert ends 1:00

A delightful selection of works by early 19th-century composer Felix Mendelssohn, touching on chamber, vocal and solo repertoire.

Mendelssohn Two "Songs without Words," arr. for solo harp

Mendelssohn From Folksongs Op. 48 and Op. 50, for chorus

Mendelssohn String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18

Plucked Heart-Strings

3:00 pm

National Valley Bank

12 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 2:15 Concert ends 4:00

Sales Will Begin JULY 1 at 10:00 am.

Enjoy a one-hour recital of music for solo harp, lute and voice, and guitar within the spectacular interior of the original 1903 bank, capped with a massive stained-glass skylight.

Program TBD

Shakespearean Fantasies

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

So much of Western culture has been influenced by Shakespeare, and music is certainly no exception. This evening program celebrates works inspired by the Bard's poems and plays.

Purcell from The Fairy Queen, soloists, chorus, and orchestra

Saariaho from The Tempest Songbook, for soprano, baritone, and chamber ensemble

Wadsworth Describe Adonis, based on Shakespeare's sonnets (world premiere)

Tchaikovsky  Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, for orchestra

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 

Tabula Rasa

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15 Concert ends 1:00

Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, K. 452

Pärt Tabula Rasa, for two solo violins and strings

Tabula Rasa

Baroque Inside/Out: A Night at Versailles

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

The royal court at Versailles, cultivated by Louis XIV over his long reign, offers the pinnacle of French Baroque musical culture. Enjoy selections from Rameau’s Les Boréades, chamber music by Leclair, Marais, and Lambert, and the majestic Te Deum for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra by Jean-Baptiste Lully.

PLUS: join us in the churchyard during intermission for some non-Baroque musical surprises 

Rameau’s Selections from Les Boréades

Couperin Concert No. 4 in E Minor

Lambert Tout l'univers, for voices and continuo

Marais Prelude in C Minor for gamba

Forqueray Jupiter, for three harpsichords

Dieupart Prelude and Gigue from Suite in G major

Balbastre from Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major

D'ambruys Le doux silence, for voice and lute

Lully Te Deum for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra

Nightcap 3: Baroque Jam

10:00 pm

Trinity Church's McCracken Hall

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 9:45 Program ends 11:00

After the evening performance, SMF’s Baroque players retire to more intimate surroundings for a festive short concert of vocal & instrumental works. Admission Includes complimentary beer & wine.

Telemann Concerto for Four violins in D Major

Caccini Amarilli mia bella

Philidor Concert for two oboes

Monteverdi Zefiro torna, from Madrigals Book 6

Telemann Concerto in E minor for recorder, flute, and strings

Saturday, Aug 24, 2024 

Viola, Viola

First Presbyterian Church

100 E Frederick St, Staunton

Doors open 11:15 Concert ends 1:00

Fans of the viola take note! All three works feature two violas, including music by Dvo?ák, Fasch, and George Benjamin.

Fasch Concerto in G Major, for two oboe da caccia, two violas, two bassoons, strings and continuo

Benjamin Viola, Viola, for two violas

Dvo?ák String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97

Baroque Lovers' Afternoon

3:00 pm

Central United Methodist Church

14 N Lewis St, Staunton

Doors open 2:15 Concert ends 4:00

Listeners who enjoy Baroque music flock to this popular concert each season. The 2024 version presents music by Vivaldi, Castello, & others. Event sponsors offer a matching challenge for all donations received at the end of the concert.

Schütz Madrigals from Op. 1: "O dolcezze amarissime," "Fuggi o mio core"

Fasch Quartet in B-flat Major

Vivaldi Cantata 608: Nisi dominus for alto, strings, continuo

Historias de Cuba

7:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open 6:30 Preconcert talk 6:45

All seating is reserved.

The sounds of Cuba provide the inspiration for this eclectic program, offering music by Gershwin, Gottschalk, Tania León, and Hans Werner Henze.

Gershwin  Cuban Overture, for orchestra

Salas Cándido Corderito, for sopranos and strings

Gottschalk Souvenir de la Havane, for piano

Brouwer Two movements from Quintetto for Guitar and Strings

Trad/arr. Tania León El Manisero, for vocal ensemble

Henze from El Cimarrón, a music-drama for bass voice and chamber ensemble*

Based on the memoirs of an escaped slave, the text for El Cimarrón includes descriptions of enslaved individuals and may not be suitable for all ages.

Sunday, Aug 25, 2024 

J.S.B. at the Blackfriars

Blackfriars Playhouse

10 S Market St, Staunton

Doors open 10:00 Concert ends 11:30

A new work by Zachary Wadsworth is premiered, alongside two perennial favorites by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

Wadsworth Ground on C-F-F-E-E for winds and percussion (world premiere)

Bach Coffee" Cantata: Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211

Moses Memorial Lunch & Lecture

1:00 pm

BluPoint Seafood Co.

123 W Beverley St, Staunton

Lunch at 1:00, followed by the lecture

Special guest Dr. Tim Carter (emeritus from UNC-Chapel Hill) speaks in detail about the finale program, Bach's B-Minor Mass. Ticket includes catered meal and lecture. Held at the Music Room of BluPoint Seafood Co., just opposite Trinity Church.

A limited number of lecture-only tickets ($15) will be sold starting August 23rd.

Finale: Bach's Mass in B Minor

4:00 pm

Trinity Episcopal Church

214 W Beverley St, Staunton

Doors open at 3:00 All seating is reserved

Preconcert talk is the Moses Memorial Lecture (1:00 pm, tickets req'd).

The 2024 Summer Festival closes with Bach's majestic Mass in B Minor. Bach completed the work a year before his death. It stands as a rare complete setting of the mass by a Lutheran composer. Features vocal soloists, chorus, and period-instrument SMF Baroque Orchestra.

Date:August 16 - 25,2024

Location: Various Venue in Sataunton

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