Susan Mark, Executive Director
David Ying and Elinor Freer, Artistic Directors

Board of Directors
Dave Birchenough, President
Doug Sutherland, Vice President
George Bain, Treasurer
Madonna Meyer, Secretary

Patti Carey
Susan Dailey
Colleen Fisher
Steve Frackenpohl
Koko Fuller
Dane Gist
Jean Graham
Holly Karker
Daniel Labeille
Sharon Magee
Fred Marty
Dan McCann
Margaret Murray
Louise Robinson
Linda Roche
Carol Stokes-Cawley
Jack Varney
Karen Veverka
Doug Whitehouse
Kate Youle

Advisory Council
John Angyal
Thomas Bersani
Helen Boatwright
Beth Boudreau
Paul Cowley
William Davis
John DeFrancisco
Michael P. Falcone
Lindsay Groves
Claire Howard
Andy Latchem
Linda Kenan
David Robinson (1924-2006)
Joseph Strodel, Jr.

Administrative Staff
Mary Bradly, Bookkeeper
Steve Frackenpohl, Stage Manager

Beth Boudreau
David Birnbaum
Dan Fisher
Bill Havens
Colleen Fisher
Andrea Latchem
Judy Bryant
Claire Howard
Joan Christy
Joseph Strodel, Jr.
Suzanne Connelly
Lynn Cleary
Barb Connor
Dave Birchenough

1980
The first season features two weeks of concerts. Lindsay Groves is the music director. The first night, Aug. 16 in Skaneateles Library Hall, includes Mozart's Quartet for Flute and Strings, K. 285, with Eleanor Robinson, flute; Ravel's Chansons Madecasses with soprano Donna Miller; and Brahms' Piano Quartet in G Minor with Mary Boyd, piano; Judy Clare, violin; Marilyn Smith, viola; and Lindsay Groves, cello. Brian Israel, pianist, performs Harris Lindenfeld's "From the Grotte des Cambarelles" and Beethoven's Archduke Trio with Steven Stalker, cello, and Janet Brady, violin. The first concert at Brook Farm is Aug. 23. It includes Mozart's Quintet in C Minor, K. 516, and Brahms' String Sextet No. 2 in G Major and Edwin Gindon conducts Bach's Cantata No. 82, "Ich habe genung," with David Robinson, baritone.

1981
The season expands to three weeks of concerts at Library Hall. Pianist/violist Paul Hersh is the artist in residence. His debut is in Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. He performs with his son Stefan Hersh on violin in Brahms' Sonata No. 1 in G Minor and plays piano in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 at Brook Farm. Frank Weinstock is the pianist in Schubert's Trout Quintet for piano and strings: Michael Levin, violin; Marilyn Smith, viola; Lindsay Groves, cello; and Edward Castilano, bass.

1981 - Skaneateles Library "Trout Quintet": Mike Levin, violin; Marilyn Smith, viola; Lindsay Groves, cello; Ed Castilano, bass; Frank Weinstock, piano.

1982
Three weeks of concerts continue at Library Hall, and Paul Hersh again is the artist in residence. Soprano Christine Klemperer performs in Schubert's "The Shepherd on the Rock," Hersh in Beethoven's Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111, and violinist Joseph Genualdi makes his debut Sept. 2 in Schubert's Octet, Op. 166 and performs Vivaldi's The Four Seasons with orchestra. This is also the first year of New York State Council on the Arts support.

1983
This is the first season of four weeks. Performances move to St. James Episcopal Church. One Saturday concert is scheduled at St. Mary's of the Lake Church. Paul Hersh and Joseph Genualdi are artists in residence. Guitarist Eliot Fisk makes his Festival debut Aug. 18 in Bach’s Sonata in G Minor, originally for violin, and performs Paganini's Cantabile for Violin and Guitar with Mark Kaplan. Mark Kaplan is the soloist in Haydn's Concerto in C Major for Violin. Larry Combs is featured in Mozart's Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581. Gail Williams, horn, appears in Schubert's "Auf dem Strom" and Brahms' Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano. Brian Israel's Trio for Flute, Cello and Harpsichord has its world premiere performed by Eleanor Robinson, Lindsay Groves and Claire Howard. In the final concert, James Caraher conducts Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" with soprano Julie Newell and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola with Joseph Genualdi and Paul Hersh. This is the first year of recorded broadcasts on WCNY-FM.

1983 - Brook Farm: Marcia Heller, oboe; Pat Sharpe, oboe; Gail Williams, horn; Greg Quick, bassoon; Martha Martin, bassoon; Larry Combes, clarinet; Gerry Zampino, clarinet

1984
Violinist Andres Cardenes makes his Festival debut Aug. 9 in Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor and Dvorak's Quartet No. 1 in D Major. The Syracuse Vocal Ensemble, conducted by G. Burton Harbison, performs Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass. Guitarist Eliot Fisk performs eight pieces in three nights. Jonathan McPhee conducts the final concert with Larry Combs in the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A Major, Steven Doane in the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major, Joseph Genualdi in Viotti's Concerto in A Minor and soprano Julie Newell in Mozart's "Exsultate, Jubilate!"

1984 - Brook Farm: Joe Genualdi, violin; Jonathan McPhee, conductor; Lindsay Groves, cello

1985
Tenor Marcus Haddock sings Vaughan Williams' "On Wenlock Edge" and a Bach aria from "My Soul Glorifies and Praises." Eliot Fisk plays Boccherini's Quintet for Guitar and Strings with Joseph Genualdi on violin and Paul Hersh on viola. Andres Cardenes plays in Brahms' Sextet for Strings, Beethoven's The Ghost Trio, Op. 70, and solos in Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2. Pianist Jeffrey Kahane debuts in Mozart's Piano Trio, K. 548. David Zinman makes his first conducting appearance, in the final concert, with Steven Doane in Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2, Joseph Genualdi in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and soprano Julie Newell in Handel's "Care Selve" and "Let the Bright Seraphim."

1986
In memory of Brian Israel (1951-1986), Barbara Rabin, clarinet, and Patricia DeAngelis, piano, perform his "Trois Grotesques." Eliot Fisk is featured in Boccherini's Guitar Quintet. Joseph Genualdi solos in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4. Howard Boatwright plays the violin in his Serenade for Two Winds and Two Strings with Larry Combs, Gail Williams and Lindsay Groves. Andres Cardenes plays Paganini's Caprices for Violin No. 1 and appears in Beethoven's Septet in E-flat Major, in Prokofiev's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in D Major and in Shostakovich's Quintet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, the latter two with Barbara Lister-Sink on piano. Pianist Robert Weirich makes his Festival debut Aug. 29, substituting for Paul Hersh in Saint-Saens' Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs, joining Eleanor Robinson, flute; Larry Combs, clarinet; and Laura Ahlbeck, oboe. David Zinman conducts the final concert with soprano Julie Newell in Berlioz' "Les Nuits d'ete." The Festival Educational Outreach Program begins, and WCNY-FM will air fall broadcasts of concerts.

1986 - First Kids Outreach: Claire Howard, harpsichord; Lindsay Groves, cello; Eleanor Wilcox, flute

1987
This is Robert Weirich's first full season as a performer. He appears all four weeks and in the first week plays in Dvorak's Piano Quintet, Op. 81 with Adrzej Grabiec and Kathleen Tesar, violins; Michelle LaCourse, viola; and Lindsay Groves, cello; and solos in Schumann's Kinderscenen, Op. 15. Joseph Genualdi and Paul Hersh perform Grieg's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C Minor. Violinist Ida Levin appears in Dvorak's String Sextet in A Major and Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major and solos in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, Yakov Kreizberg conducting. Tenor Marcus Haddock and Robert Weirich, piano, perform Turina's "poema en forma de canciones." Richard Sherman, flute, and Barbara Lister-Sink, piano, play the world premiere of Andrew Waggoner's "Claene." Jonathan McPhee conducts the orchestra in his "Music for a Summer's Day." This is the first year of support for artists' fees from the National Endowment for the Arts.

1988
The Festival Educational Outreach Program presents Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" to 900 schoolchildren at Allyn Arena in June. Thomas Benjamin's "Nocturne/Aubade/Danse" has its world premiere, with Andrea Bonsignore-Berry, oboe; Alan Ross, violin; Michelle LaCourse, viola; and Lindsay Groves, cello. Robert Weirich gives his first lecture-recital, on Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata. Cellist Yuli Turovsky plays in Schubert's Quintet for Strings D. 956 and Tchaikovsky's sextet "Souvenir of Florence," solos in Boccherini's Concerto for Cello and Strings and conducts Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Robert Weirich plays the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 in the final concert, David Zinman conducting.

1989
Pianist Ruth Laredo and violinist Kurt Nikkanen perform in Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Dvorak's Dumky Trio and the Schumann Quintet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major. Kurt Nikkanen plays the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3, Jonathan McPhee conducting. Pianist Ian Hobson plays in the Mendelssohn Piano Quartet in B Minor and in Beethoven's Archduke Trio and conducts a concert of two pieces by Delius and Dvorak. Eric Ruske, horn, performs in Schubert's "Auf dem Strom," Harbison's Twilight Music for Horn, Violin and Piano, and is the soloist in Dukas' Villanelle for Horn and Orchestra, Emily Freeman Brown conducting. Andres Cardenes and Deborah Hoffman perform the world premiere of Ricardo Lopez' "Jaromiluna for Violin and Harp," commissioned by Cardenes. In the final concert, Andres Cardenes solos in the Barber Violin Concerto, David Zinman conducting.

1990
In February, the Festival and WCNY-FM win the Lucien Wulsin Award from National Public Radio's "Performance Today" for the Aug. 19, 1989, recording of Delius' "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring," Ian Hobson conducting. Joseph Genualdi is the violin soloist in Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. The Peabody Trio performs Dvorak's Piano Trio in F Minor. Aug. 16 is the American premiere of Joseph Thalken's "Introduction and Jazz Waltz" for violin, soprano, saxophone and piano, Thalken on the piano. Paul Hersh, piano; Andres Cardenes, violin; and Anne Williams, cello, play Brahms' Piano Trio in C Minor. In the final concert, Kenneth Kiesler conducts Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Andres Cardenes, violin; Anne Williams, cello; and Robert Weirich, piano.

1991
In Robert Weirich's first year as music director, he begins a three-year programming cycle with the Year of the Composer, honoring one each week. George Rochberg, Curtis Curtis-Smith and Otto Luening are in attendance, but John Adams is not. Yizhak Schotten, viola, and Katherine Collier, piano, make their debut with Deborah Chodacki in Bruch's "Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Piano and Viola." Curtis Curtis-Smith, piano, and Reneta Knific, violin, perform his "Fantasy Pieces for Violin and Piano." Commemorating the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death, four chamber pieces are performed, along with the oboe concerto with Thomas Gallant, the clarinet concerto with Larry Combs, and the Symphonies No. 35 and 39. In the final concert, Peter Bay makes his conducting debut, leading Beethoven's Symphony No. 8.

Brook Farm Children's Fair: David Robinson, narrator; Bob Weirich, piano

1992
"Music from the Skaneateles Festival" is released, a CD with benefit concert performances of 1987 and 1990. In January, the Festival wins the ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music at CMA's annual meeting. The season is the Year of the Performer. On Aug. 20, violinist Hilary Hahn, age 12, and pianist Awadagin Pratt make their debuts. She plays Tartini's Sonata in G Minor, "The Devil's Trill," with Robert Weirich, piano, and he plays in Schumann's Piano Quintet, with Hahn and Joseph Genualdi on violin. Hilary Hahn solos in Bach's Concerto No. 2 in E Major with Joseph Genualdi, violin, and Awadagin Pratt, harpsichord, as leaders of the orchestra. Paul Hersh, viola, and Robert Weirich, piano, perform Brahms' Sonata in E-flat. In the final concert, David Zinman conducts and Andres Cardenes is the soloist in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

Hilary Hahn, 1992

1993
The season is the Year of the Listener. Robert Weirich conducts two Saturday orchestra concerts, one a program of symphonic jazz with Jean Kopperud the soloist in Bernstein's "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for Clarinet and Jazz Ensemble." Julie Newell, soprano, and Patrick Mason, baritone, sing Bernstein's "Arias and Barcarolles" with Kwang-Wu Kim and Robert Weirich, piano four-hands. George Rochberg introduces his Sonata-Aria and Piano Trio No. 3. In his 13th appearance in 14 years, Paul Hersh plays piano in Dvorak's Piano Quartet in E-flat and Mozart's Piano Trio in E-flat, K. 498, and viola in Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence." Chester Biscardi's Tango for clarinet, horn, violin, cello, piano and percussion receives its first performance. Hilary Hahn plays a Schubert Sonata with pianist Dana Burnett; Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A Major, Deborah Chodacki, clarinet; and Spohr's Violin Concerto No. 8, David Zinman conducting.

1994
Robert Weirich solos in Mozart's Piano Concerto in G Major, K. 453. Awadagin Pratt and David Kim perform Brahms' Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 108, and Pratt is the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Ian Hobson conducting. Jeffrey Kahane conducts Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme," Steven Doane, cellist. The Brentano Quartet performs Mozart's String Quartet in D Major, K. 499, and Beethoven's String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3. Julie Newell is the soprano in Robert Weirich's composition for the Festival's 15th Anniversary season, "Tea at the Cuddeback Place," text by Peggy Manring. In the final concert, Hilary Hahn is the soloist in Saint-Saens' Havanaise, Op. 83 and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, Robert Weirich conducting.

1994 - St. James Church, "Tea at the Cuddeback Place" premiere: Julie Newell, soprano; James Swisher, piano; Lindsay Groves, cello; Debbie Chodacki, clarinet

Yizhak Schotten, David Zinman, and Andres Cardenes

1995
Peggy Pearson, oboist, makes her debut in John Steinmetz' "Mixed Blessing" and is the soloist in the Strauss Oboe Concerto, Robert Weirich conducting. Barry Snyder, piano, and Curtis Macomber, violin, perform Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Snyder and Steven Doane perform Chopin's Sonata for Piano and Cello. Peter Bay conducts an all-Mozart concert with the Symphonies No. 10 and 38 and the Piano Concerto No. 21, Deborah Lee soloist. In the final concert, David Zinman conducts Andres Cardenes and Kathleen Winkler in Bruch's Concerto in D Minor for two violins, Hilary Hahn in the Beethoven Violin Concerto and Haydn's Symphony No. 104.

1996
The Peabody Trio performs piano trios by Haydn in E minor and Ravel. Robert Weirich's "A Flurry of Fanfares" for brass has its first performance. William Cowdery, fortepiano, and Robert Weirich, harpsichord, solo in an orchestra concert with Bach's Clavier Concerto in E-flat Major and Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 414, Robert Kapilow conducting. Kapilow discusses Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" in a "What Makes It Great?" program. Curtis Curtis-Smith appears in Meet the Music, and Robert Weirich, piano; Renata Knific, violin; and Pamela Frame, cello, perform his Piano Trio No. 2. Janet Brown, soprano, and Robert Weirich, piano, give the first performance of Wes York's "Songs from the Lakota." Ellen Koskoff directs the Gamelan Angklung. The final concert is all Beethoven, Robert Weirich conducting: the Coriolan Overture, the Piano Concerto No. 4 with Awadagin Pratt soloist and the Symphony No. 7.

1996 - Anklung Gamelan performance at Brook Farm

1997
The Cassatt Quartet performs Mozart's Quartet in D Major, K. 575, Sculthorpe's From Ubirr with Simon 7 on didjeridoo and Brahms' String Quintet in D Major, joined by Kazi Pitelka, violist. Paul Hersh talks on Schubert the pianist in Meet the Music. The Chicago String Quartet performs quartets by Haydn in D Major and Dvorak in C Major and Brahms' Piano Quintet with Paul Hersh, piano. Tenor Marcus Haddock performs Vaughan Williams' "On Wenlock Edge" and five arias. The Mozart Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581 features Larry Combs on clarinet, violinists Andres Cardenas and Hilary Hahn, violist Melissa Micciche and cellist Anne Martindale Williams. Robert Weirich, piano, and Rebecca Karpoff, soprano, give the first performance of Weirich's "Going Home," based on texts by Peggy Manring. In the final concert, Hilary Hahn solos in the Barber Violin Concerto, Victor Yampalsky conducting.

1998
Chamber Music America presents its Distinguished Service Award to David and Louise Robinson. Robert Weirich conducts an all-Mozart opening concert and solos in the Piano Concerto No. 27. Pianist Andrew Russo makes his debut with the Arcadian Trio in an evening that includes Mendelssohn's Trio No. 1. Joseph Thalken conducts his own compositions commissioned by the Festival, two pieces for narrator and chamber orchestra, "Fritz the Magic Fiddler" and "The Magic Bonbons." Two compositions by Robert Weirich are performed, Melissa Micciche, viola, in "The Visitant" and Weirich, piano, and William Ver Meulen, horn, in "Steamboat Stomp." Hilary Hahn's performances include the Bach Partita No. 1; Milstein's Paganinium for solo violin; Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, Peter Bay conducting; Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik;" Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata No. 9 with Robert Weirich, piano; and Dvorak's String Quintet in E flat.

Awadagin Pratt at Brook Farm

1999
The Festival performs its first opera, Britten's "Noye's Fludde," Grant Cooper conducting. The Magellan String Quartet with various accompanists performs Ravel's Introduction and Allegro, Schoenberg's "Transfigured Night" and Strauss' Sextet from Capriccio. Awadagin Pratt, piano, joins the Miro String Quartet in Dvorak's Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. The Miro String Quartet plays string quartets by Haydn, in D Major, Op. 76, and Bartok, No. 3. Awadagin Pratt solos in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Violinist Hilary Hahn plays in Beethoven's Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1 with David Northington, piano, and Lindsay Groves, cello; in Brahms' String Sextet in G Major; and in Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 2 with Robert Weirich, piano. In the final concert, Jeffrey Kahane conducts Hilary Hahn in Edgar Meyer's Violin Concerto, commissioned by Sony for Hahn, with Meyer in attendance. It is the piece's second performance; Hahn records it later in the fall.

1999 - Co-production of "Noye's Fludde" with Syracuse Opera

2000
In Diane Walsh's first year as artistic director, she debuts in the opening night concert playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Grant Cooper conducting. In her first night of chamber music, she performs in Haydn's Trio in E Major, Harbison's Variation for Clarinet, Violin and Piano, and Strauss' Piano Quartet. Violinist Ilya Kaler performs four pieces in one evening, Dvorak's Five Bagatelles; Martinu's Three Madrigals; Janacek's Sonata, with Diane Walsh; and in Smetana's Piano Trio in A Minor. Yehudi Wyner's Quartet for Oboe and String Trio receives a premiere performance, Peggy Pearson on oboe. Violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Garrick Ohlsson present a recital of sonatas by Brahms, Bach and Haydn. Baritone Sanford Sylvan performs songs by Brahms with Diane Walsh on piano and in the final concert three arias by Mozart, Peter Bay conducting. Diane Walsh performs with Broadway's Comic Genius, Bill Irwin.

Kazi Pitelka, Bob Bush, and Peggy Pearson

2000 - Yizhak Schotten, Diane Walsh, Katherine Collier, Sanford Sylvan, Steven Doane, Ida Levin

2001
A CD is released, "Chamber Music by the Lake, Volume I," highlights of the 2000 season. The Chip Jackson Jazz Quartet performs opening night. Eugene Drucker, violinist, performs in Mozart's Piano Trio in E Major, K. 542, Faure's Sonata No. 1 and Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 2, all with Diane Walsh on piano. Pianists Andrew Russo and Diane Walsh present Crumb's "Celestial Mechanics" and Schubert's Allegro, "Lebenssturme." Ilya Kaler is the soloist in Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2, David Amado conducting. Baritone Sanford Sylvan and pianist Diane Walsh perform Schumann's Liederkreis, and Sylvan sings Barber's "Dover Beach" with a string quartet of violinists Todd Phillips and Catherine Cho, violist Maria Lambros and cellist Marcy Rosen. Hilary Hahn and Peggy Pearson are the soloists in Bach's Concerto in C Minor for violin and oboe. In the final concert, Hilary Hahn is the soloist in Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor, and she and David Brickman are soloists in Bach's Concerto in D Minor for two violins, Peter Bay conducting.

2002
A second CD is released, "Chamber Music by the Lake, Volume II," highlights of the 2001 season.
Eugene Drucker and Diane Walsh perform Bartok's Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano. Clarinetist David Krakauer's program, "Beyond Crossover," ranges from Brahms to Messiaen to Reich to klezmer. Diane Walsh accompanies baritone Sanford Sylvan in Faure's "Mirages" and Ravel's "Don Quichotte a Dulcinee." Eliot Fisk performs his guitar transcriptions of Bach's Suite No. 6 for Cello and Paganini's 24 Caprices for Violin. Marco Parisotto conducts the Festival Orchestra in Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony. Robert Weirich joins Hilary Hahn for Bloch's Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano and soprano Janet Brown for six songs of Strauss. Hilary Hahn solos in the final concert in Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2, Peter Bay conducting.

2003
Eugene Drucker and Diane Walsh perform a sonata by Strauss and Bartok's "First Portrait." The lights go out across the Northeast Aug. 14, but the blackout doesn't prevent a full evening of candlelight music. A Hindemith sonata for viola and piano is dropped from the evening's program but the audience's cheers bring Kazi Pitelka and Andrew Russo out to perform it as an encore. An evening of Bach concertos features Andrew Russo in Concerto No. 4 and Concerto No. 5 for clavier. Members of La Fenice play a premiere performance of Fred Lerdahl's Quartet for Oboe and Strings, with the composer present. Diane Walsh is the piano soloist in Mozart's Concerto No. 21, Guillermo Figueroa conducting. Diane Walsh and violinist Hilary Hahn play Mozart's Sonatas K. 301 and K.526. Hilary Hahn performs Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the final concert, Peter Bay conducting.

A third CD is released, "Chamber Music by the Lake, Volume III," highlights of the 2002 season.

2004
The 25th Anniversary Season includes a fifth week of performances and welcomes back many friends from the early years. Eugene Drucker on violin, Roberta Cooper on cello and Paul Hersh on piano play Beethoven's "Archduke Trio." Hersh is the pianist in Schubert's "Trout" Quintet with David Brickman violin, Melissa Matson viola, Lindsay Groves cello, and Ed Castilano bass (3 of the same musicians that performed this piece in 1981). Guitarist Eliot Fisk performs music by Bach, Barrios, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Paganini. David Brickman violin, Michael Kannen cello, and Jon Nakamatsu piano play Mendelssohn's Trio No. 1 and Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio. David Wroe conducts Eliot Fisk in a Castelnuovo-Tedesco concerto and Copland's "Appalachian Spring." Members of La Fenice present the world premiere of Three Chorale Preludes for Oboe and String Trio by Peter Child, John Heiss, and John Harbison. Andres Cardenes is the soloist in Vieuxtemps's Concerto No.5 for Violin with Marco Parisotto conducting. Soovin Kim violin, Yizhak Schotten viola and Michelle Djokic cello perform a Dohnanyi serenade. David Zinman returns to conduct Schubert's Symphony No. 4 and Diane Walsh is the soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24. Hilary Hahn and Natalie Zhu, pianist, perform an evening of Mozart sonatas. Hilary Hahn performs Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the final concert, Peter Bay conducting.

2005
This is the first season for new artistic directors, the husband and wife team of cellist David Ying and pianist Elinor Freer. Opening night features the Ying Quartet in Debussy's String Quartet in G minor and, with Freer, the Bloch Quintet for Piano and Strings. Lindsay Groves, cello, and Melissa Matson, viola, join the Ying Quartet for Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence. Soovin Kim and Tai Murray, violins, Brian Chen and Melissa Matson, violas, and Thomas Wiebe, cello, perform Dvorak's American Quintet. The Turtle Island String Quartet presents a free community concert and joins the Ying Quartet for an evening of "4 + Four." The Pacifica Quartet plays Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 1 and Janacek's String Quartet No. 2. Mark Davis Scatterday conducts an evening of wind music, including Mozart's Gran Partita and Dvorak's Serenade in D minor. Judy Loman plays the harp in Debussy's Danses Sacrees et Profanes with Steven Copes and Maria Schleuning, violin, Lesley Robertson, viola, and David Ying, cello. Hilary Hahn and Natalie Zhu perform sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven and Enescu. Brahms' Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor features Copes, Schleuning, Robertson, Ying and Freer. The season concludes with Hilary Hahn as soloist in the Sibelius Violin Concerto and Dvorak's Czech Suite, Peter Bay conducting.

2006
The season is dedicated to the memory of Dr. David Robinson, a Festival co-founder and owner of Brook Farm, who died July 9.

The season opens with the Daedalus Quartet in a free community concert that concluded the Hyperscore program, in which the quartet performed new music composed by community residents using the Hyperscore software; the quartet had spent a week in May in residency in local schools. The Ying and Daedalus quartets play the Mendelssohn Octet. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein is the soloist in Tchaikovsy's Variations on a Rococo Theme, Hugh Keelan conducting. Organist David Higgs presents an of solo organ music on First Presbyterian Church's new Casavantes Freres organ. The 2006 Robinson Award winner, oboist Laura Britton of Westhill High School, performs Telemann and Saint-Saens sonatas with pianist Elinor Free and cellist David Ying. Zephyros Winds plays Ligeti's Six Bagatelles and Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Winds with Reiko Aizawa. Quartetto Gelato presents an evening of music for oboe, English horn, accordion, violin, mandolin, cello and tenor. Soprano Lauren Skuce sings Shostakovich's Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok with Steven Copes, violin, David Ying and Elinor Freer. Copes, Ying, Freer, and Edward Castilano, bass, perform Libby Larsen's Four on the Floor. Olga Kaler, violin, Masumi Per Rostad, viola, Rosemary Elliott, cello, and Seth Knopp, piano, play the Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor. The final concert includes Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Marina Piccinini as soloist in Mozart's Flute Concerto and violinist Ilya Kaler in Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

2007
Mike Seeger brings the sound of traditional southern mountain music to the first week, performing a selection of American music with the Ying Quartet. Baritone Timothy Jones sings songs by Berlin, Kern, and Gershwin in an evening of Reel Music. The New Lost City Ramblers play old-time porch music at Brook Farm. Composer Kevin Puts spends a week in residence, and five of his compositions are performed in three evenings, including Einstein on Mercer Street, with Timothy Jones, baritone, And Legions Will Rise, with Lisa Kim, violin, Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet, and Ayano Katakoa, marimba, and his Concerto for Oboe and Strings, Peggy Pearson soloist, Hugh Keelan conducting. A prelude concert features the winner of the Robinson Award, clarinetist Nina Elhassan of West Genesee High School, performing with David Ying, cello, and Elinor Freer, piano. Roger Tapping, viola, and Gilbert Kalish, piano, play the Brahms Sonata in F minor and each sits in with the Jupiter Quartet, who also perform quartets by Haydn and Mendelssohn. 12-year-old pianist Conrad Tao plays the Mozart Concerto No. 21, Hugh Keelan conducting. A week devoted to food in music includes Satie's Three Pieces of the Shape of a Pear, with Elinor Freer and John Novacek on piano, Paul Schoenfield's Café Music, with Mark Fewer, violin, David Ying, cello, and John Novacek, piano. Bruce Adolphe's The Bitter Salt Suite for Violin and Narrator features Mark Fewer and Robert Moss. Schubert's Trout Quintet features Curtis Macomber, violin, Melissa Matson, viola, Steven Doane, cello, James Vandermark, bass, and John Novacek, piano. Soloists in the season finale are Steve Doane in the Boccherini Cello Concerto in G major and Jon Manasse in the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major, Peter Bay conducting.

2008
Imani Winds draw a standing-room-only crowd for Music Is Fun! the season-opening FamilyFest event. The Turtle Island Quartet present an afternoon community concert in the Clift Park gazebo. Joel Fan, piano, joins Imani Winds in Poulenc's Sextet for Piano and Winds. Martinu's Sextet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, two Bassoons, and Piano features Valerie Coleman, flute, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe, Mariam Adam, clarinet, Monica Ellis and Gregory Quick, bassoons, and Joel Fan, piano. The Turtle Island Quartet presents A Love Supreme: The Music of John Coltrane at Brook Farm. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Sutphen, of Manlius Pebble Hill School, the 2008 Robinson Award winner, performs a prelude concert with Sar-Shalom Strong, piano, and David Ying, cello. The Miro Quartet plays Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet, Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16 in F major, and Schoenberg's Transfigured Night, with Marka Gustavsson, viola, David Ying, cello, and Joanna Manring, reader. Soprano Sari Gruber sings Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Robert Moody conducting the Festival Chamber Orchestra. David Higgs plays a turn-of-the-century Parisian organ recital. Baritone Randall Scarlata sings Cabaret Songs by Schoenberg with Melvin Chen, piano. Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor features Ittai Shapira and Tai Murray, violins, Phillip Ying, viola, Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello, and Melvin Chen, piano. Tai Murray is the soloist in Vaughn Williams's The Lark Ascending, Hugh Keelan conducting. Harumi Rhodes, violin, David Ying, cello, and Adam Nieman, piano, play Arensky's Piano Trio No. 1. Rachmaninoff's Sonata in G minor features Julie Albers on cello and Adam Nieman on piano. Peter Bay conducts the season finale, including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, with Joanna Bassett, flute, Harumi Rhodes, violin, and James E. Bobb, harpsichord, and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Mark Fewer on violin and Brian Chen on viola.

It's concerts on the lawn after a picnic
It's lying on a blanket under stars
It's lake crickets during a trumpet solo
It's going ahead and clapping between movements
Because it was that good!

It's Beethoven and Gershwin
It's world music
It's Bach and Crumb
It's jazz
It's musicians arriving from all over the globe, cases in hand
Talking about that little town on the lake where they get to play!

It's your daughter's inspiration
It's your brother's time to dream
It's the baby's soothing nap
It's where you can unwind
And get excited all over again
About the possibilities in your town
And in a summer night
And in yourself

It's a place for kids to come for free
It's stories exploded into life
It's time to talk with the woman behind the cello
Over iced tea and cookies after the concert

It's volunteers and surprising friends
It's taking your seat with anticipation
It's no commercials
It's no CDs or iPods
It's no computer screen
It's the real thing

It's the masters teaching the next generation
It's all generations listening

It's music by the lake
It's music in our homes
It's music in the morning
It's music in the evenings
It's music of our past
It's music of our future
It's music on our minds
It's music in our hearts

The idea for a Skaneateles Festival came together quickly in the spring of 1980 in discussions between musician Lindsay Groves and Skaneateles residents Beth Boudreau and Louise Robinson. The first season, two weeks, was presented that August in the village's Library Hall. Through the generosity of David and Louise Robinson, their home, Brook Farm, soon became the Festival's center. At Brook Farm, musicians live, eat, rehearse, relax, and perform, all because of the Robinsons' hospitality, the same that's been extended to the thousands of concertgoers who have sat under the stars and listened to music on Saturday evenings. So it has been for more then two decades. The phrase "spirit of the Festival" flows from the spirit of the Robinsons, as explained here by some musicians who agreed to share images of what happens backstage at Brook Farm.

Lindsay Groves

My first impressions of Dave and Louise were that they were, somehow, even before they met me, already dreaming of a festival. They had moved to their house, Brook Farm, in the late 1960s, taken its interior completely apart, with the help of daughters Peggy, Claire, Debbie and Eleanor and son Dana, and created a wonderful place to raise their family.

When Beth Boudreau introduced me to them in 1980, their children were grown, and they seemed to be looking for fun; they had room in their lives to share their summers and house with a wider group of people. A family tradition of involvement with the classical music community in Central New York meant that they had many connections with potential audience, board of director members, hospitality providers, and performers.

I had just realized that I wanted to spend my only free month, August, in Central New York, getting to know the community that had been my home for eight years, and that I wanted to be playing chamber music, with people I knew and people I didn't know.

Miraculously, Dave and Louise had, among their family members, Dana, a graphic artist, who provided a logo and poster help; Eleanor, a fabulous flutist; Claire, a versatile, willing, and accomplished pianist, who could organize fund raising and budgets; Dave, a bass-baritone with a gorgeous, Hermann Prey-like voice, and a love for growing great vegetables; Peggy, who brought beautiful children who danced to, for instance, "Appalachian Spring" performances in the rain, wrote poems that eventually became lyrics for compositions by Bob Weirich, and provided incitement to tell jokes until outrageously late hours on the back porch; and Louise herself, the essential person who made sure everyone else remembered what they needed to do, had a place to sleep, great things to eat, and a chance to socialize.

Every new musician to arrive for the next 24 years felt taken care of somehow: medical emergencies, recreational adventures gone amok, attacks of true love, or desires for peace and quiet, were all dealt with gracefully. None of the lucky few who saw it begin and grow could imagine anyone, or any other family, giving the festival a more fertile, nurturing place to grow, or sharing their lives with more generosity.

(Lindsay Groves, a cellist, was one of the Festival's founders and its music director from its inception in 1980 until 1990).

Claire Robinson Howard

I almost can't remember when there wasn't a Skaneateles Festival. My family is a close one, and Mom and Dad have always made themselves amazingly available to their children and grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. In August things got even busier. We are welcome at Brook Farm, as always, but we are quickly set to work weeding flower gardens, picking beans, sweeping the front porch and back stairs, stirring up lemonade and cookies to serve a rehearsing orchestra, baby-sitting visiting musicians' children, unloading boxes of programs or music stands (or an occasional timpani or harpsichord) for the evening performance.

Brook Farm is a flurry of activity all month long, a flurry that varies only in its intensity as each succeeding week reaches climax after climax of inspired meals, rehearsals and concerts. Somehow my parents thrive on the chaos and excitement - they are oases of calm. They are devoted to nurturing this undertaking that began all those summers ago.

My mother is well known for her pre-concert dinners where she often serves 15 to 40 people. They are huge gourmet picnics (I can hear her in my head now: "Claire, tell them I have lots of help!) and there is some pressure to serve and clear on time so no one misses the concert.

Many memories of these evenings come bubbling up: like the time she fed 60 instead of the anticipated 40 ("how could I turn them away?!"), and the supper that was dropped on the kitchen floor at the last minute, and the supper that was cooked over the fireplace when a thunderstorm knocked the power out; and then there was the frantic first violinist of a visiting quartet for whom the shower water turned cold as she was preparing herself for the evening, and she was told, "I guess you'll have to go for a swim, dear."

My mother is a model of practicality and patience, and she never ceases to amaze me with her quiet capacity to care for those around her.

The general concert-going public is not aware of how fussy performers can be. They have their special chairs, their rugs, their cushions, lights, music stands and their positioning requests. My father gets great pleasure from setting the stage up correctly, and he accommodates these needs with ingenuity and patience.

On windy outdoor concert evenings one of us will be sent scurrying to the laundry room for clothespins to hold the music in place. In 1983 we gave an outdoor performance of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" at Brook Farm. The thermometer dipped into the low 50s that evening, and by intermission Dad had rounded up electric space heaters for the stage to keep the musicians' fingers warm. He said later he was praying that fuses wouldn't blow, and, come to think of it, why didn't they? Sometimes Brook Farm concerts get a little divine intervention. We call it Camelot.

(Claire Robinson Howard was general manager of the Festival for its first 10 years and performed as a pianist in concerts for 15 years.)

Paul Hersh

I have more warm and fond memories of Skaneateles, Brook Farm, and David and Louise and all the Robinsons than it would be possible to share in a brief note. From our days in Binghamton to the many summer weeks spent at the Festival, I have recollections of the warmest welcoming hospitality, the stimulating exchange of ideas, a continually fresh sense of humor, and countless cutthroat games of "Pit."

My immediate and my extended family as well as other musicians their partners, friends, children, relatives, even pets were made to feel at home and supplied with every possible necessity and comfort, from a late breakfast, to a sympathetic ear, to a hug and a Band-Aid for a child's skinned knee, to Louise's Sunday morning popovers with home-made preserves.

It was early on one of those warm Sunday mornings, that Louise and I, usually the early risers, retired to the back porch, I with a popover in hand, Louise with a broom, to gossip, while I ate and she swept. One of the musicians who was to be part of the next week's crew had just been delivered to the front door by relatives, who were obviously stunned by the beauty and majesty of the house and its setting. As they came around the corner toward us, we saw them nod in our direction and whisper, "Oh look, there are a couple of the servants!"

I hope untold others will have an opportunity to enjoy the Skaneateles Festival and a real Robinson welcome for many years to come. All who do will cherish the memory for a lifetime.

(Paul Hersh, formerly on the faculty at the State University of New York at Binghamton, teaches piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He performed with the Festival in 13 of its first 14 years and was artist in residence in 1981 and 1982.)

Gregory Quick

The association of Dave and Louise Robinson with the Skaneateles Festival is inseparable. Their constancy of generosity and kindness are the foundation of a wonderful musical and cultural experience for all of Central New York, and examples for this experienced in my many years of my involvement with the Festival are way too many to mention them all. Perhaps the most fundamental gift is the welcoming of everyone involved with the festival as a member of family. The good cooking and hospitality surrounding this atmosphere contribute to the creativity and generosity that is often displayed in the sounds of music that are at times seemingly magical, for both the musicians and audience alike.

At outdoor performances at Brook Farm the weather often will provide some anxiety, and, even worse, an occasional thunderstorm. I do recall one performance from the 1980s (Joe Genualdi was the soloist that night) where it appeared as if the second half might succumb to one thunderstorm that seemed to be headed directly at Brook Farm. During the first half of the performance, Louise was standing in the driveway watching and looking westward at the storm as it approached. Somehow this storm seemed to split apart just as it neared Brook Farm. Both Mandana and the village of Skaneateles got very wet, and the concert was enjoyed without a sprinkle. All of us performing and listening that evening smiled at Louise afterwards as we thanked her again for the hospitality. The food was good, too.

(Gregory Quick was the first bassoonist to perform with the Festival, in 1981, and served on its board of directors. He's principal bassoon with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.)

Joe Genualdi

The story that comes to mind for me is the time that my wife Cydne was driving up to Skaneateles, and the car broke down, It was one in a long line of Volvos that we have owned, and the only bad one. It had a nasty habit of vapor locking, which it would only do if the weather was very hot and it had been running for several hours. Hence you just about be sure to be in the middle of nowhere.
This time we got a call from Cydne broke down near Wurtsboro. It was a Saturday and there was a concert at Brook Farm. There is a small airstrip in Wurtsboro. Back in those days Mick Dalton was around and a big supporter of the festival. Mickey was an airplane broker and pilot. He offered to fly me down and get Cydne, who was very, very unhappy being stuck in Wurtsboro and facing a lengthy stay while the car was being fixed. So we drove down to Cortland where Mickey had a twin-engine airplane, and we were above Wurtsboro in a jiffy.

As we circled the strip, the tow truck was driving up. Imagine when the tow truck guy asked Cydne where to drop her and she said the air... 'port'. We snatched her out of greater Wurtsboro and headed back to Cortland. Meanwhile quite a summer storm was brewing and we were forced to dodge enormous cumulonimbus cells that were clearly very active.

"Guess the concert will be at St. James," we were thinking. We landed in Cortland in wet conditions and drove through hard rain all the way back up until we passed Mandana, where we suddenly found a dry road and a beautiful sunset. "Louise has done it again," we all said. When we said it to Louise, she just smiled and shrugged. After all, no one can influence weather. Right?

Some of my fondest, finest, happy recollections go back to Brook Farm and the Robinson clan. Both musically and personally, Dave and Louise are so generous and selfless, not to mention just a lot of fun. They created magic.

(Joe Genualdi is artistic co-director of the Chicago Chamber Musicians and first violinist of the Chicago String Quartet. He first appeared at the Festival in 1982.)

Andres Cardenes

David and Louise Robinson are synonymous with the Skaneateles Festival. You can't think of one without the other. The incredible meals, the rehearsals in their warm home, the grandchildren growing up in front of us all, the jokes, the beach, the festival-ending bonfires with their kids, the woodpeckers waking us early each day, the bruising basketball games and the many bets I lost to their granddaughter Gabrielle (she almost needed a 1099 form, I lost so much.)! I always felt a part of their family, visiting them
occasionally during the Thanksgiving or Easter holidays. So it was that the Festival was always alive year-round for me, and the Robinsons nurtured this feeling, welcoming me into their home at the drop of a hat. And the music, always alive, always a given, always a part of their everyday life.

I have so many happy memories of their home and friendship. Being a "city boy" from the island of Cuba, I was always amused at Dave's management of the house and property.

My funniest recollection is during a heated basketball game in their driveway, breaking the bathroom window above the rim with the basketball and seeing Jim LaRonde (his tenant in the garage apartment) lean his head out the window and say sarcastically, "Nice going!"

But on a serious note, what greater people are there anywhere? They are the ultimate concertgoers, supporters of the arts, friends, parents and neighbors. You have inspired us to play beautifully, to be the best people we can be and have given to all who have come into your sphere your love. Thank you for enriching the lives of countless people, mine in particular.

(Violinist Andres Cardenes first appeared at the Festival in 1984. He is concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.)

Robert Weirich

Try as I might, it's difficult to come up with a couple of reminiscences that perfectly evoke the Robinsons. What occurs to me after 17 years of friendship is their steadfastness. Once they have made up their minds, nothing stands in the way. The Festival is only one example. Forty people for dinner? No problem. Nine hundred on the lawn for a concert? We can do that. Ten hours of rehearsals in the living room six days a week for a month? Great idea!

Their enthusiasm is contagious. Just ask the musicians, the volunteers, the board, anyone who has been in close touch with the Skaneateles Festival since its inception. It's very hard to say no to either of them, for the simple reason that they almost always say yes.

They have remained consistent in their devotion to the Festival for 24 years. She may be baking chocolate-chip cookies for a rehearsal break while he builds an extension onto the porch for an outdoor orchestra concert; or he may be rehearsing Ives songs for a performance Thursday while she calls around looking for a bed for an unexpected guest. They've done it all, without expectation of glory or even gratitude. They do it for the love of music and people, and we are all the richer for it.

(Pianist Robert Weirich made his Festival debut in 1986 and was artistic director from 1991 to 1999)

Ian Hobson

I had some wonderful times at the festival, and Louise and David and Brook Farm were always at the heart of them. The indefatigable good humor that they both displayed at all times was amazing. Louise cooking and baking for massed hordes with a completely unruffled air and David's ability to deal with any contingency from scheduling to weather were particularly memorable. I wish them all the very best for the continuing success of this unique enterprise. I would love to visit if I can and see it all in action again.

(Pianist and conductor Ian Hobson first appeared with the Festival in 1989. He teaches at the University of Illinois.)

Katherine Collier and Yizhak Schotten

The Robinsons and their incredible hospitality made our experiences of being at the Skaneateles Festival truly unforgettable. We have so many great memories of being at Brooks Farm, but one of our favorite recollections is Dr. Dave each year proudly giving us a tour of his garden soon after we arrived. When we saw all his plump, ripe vegetables we knew we would soon be having them in Louise's delicious dishes. Louise's
cooking is legendary, and no one can put together fantastic meals for so many hungry musicians easier than Louise. Dr. Dave should be given an honorary doctorate in stage management, as he is a marvel on concert days remembering every little detail. We love the Robinsons, and they have touched us and so many others with their endless generosity.

(Katherine Collier, pianist, and Yizhak Schotten, violist, first performed at the Festival in 1991. They are also directors of the Strings in the Mountains festival in Colorado Springs.)

Patricia Brown

What I remember from my days at the Skaneateles Festival spending time with David and Louise Robinson is not so much what they said (although David said a lot of funny things in those precious backstage moments). It's who they are that essentially defines the culture of the Skaneateles Festival. It's not something you can touch, it's something you can feel, it's comfortable, exciting and personally fulfilling. I think a big part of it is who they are in the world - continuously discovering life and sharing it with others, caring, nurturing, loving, weathering the bad days and celebrating the good ones. They lead by example. It's truly something you have to experience and it speaks for itself.

(Patricia Brown was executive director of the Festival from 1995 to 1999.)

Diane Walsh

When I applied for the job of artistic director with what probably was an overabundance of zeal: a 26-page proposal. David Robinson met me at the airport when I arrived for my interview by the Festival's search committee. "I read your proposal last night," he said as we strolled along the corridor; then he paused, twinkled in my direction and added, "I was exhausted!" That's David, able put an anxious stranger at ease in an instant. That's Louise, too, who shares his remarkable ability for making everyone feel so welcome they think they've been hanging out on the Brook Farm porch for decades.

This is no small gift. I have played at festivals all over the world, and nowhere does the atmosphere match the combination of musical discipline and community warmth achieved each summer in Skaneateles. I have been reminded of this again and again by the enthusiasm performers show after playing at the Festival and by the growing number of musicians who have heard about the Robinsons and the magic of Brook Farm and are eager to play in Skaneateles for the first time.

David and Louise are not responsible for this achievement alone, as they would be the first to admit; but they have been prime movers. From the start above the library almost 25 years ago, it's been David the piano mover ("Back to the porch again?! OK, let's do it."); Louise the mistress of the wood-burning stove ("Eight more for dinner?!! OK, get out to the garden, Dave."); David the baritone, stage manager, and emergency psychiatrist; Louise the housing frau, hostess supreme, and back-up emergency psychiatrist.
More than one musician has confided to me that they think of David and Louise as an extra set of loving parents. It's a fantasy that I can easily understand: Louise with her remarkable posture, deep blue eyes, endless patience, musical discernment and sly wit; David with his calm, direct, no-nonsense seriousness - which immediately gets thrown over the side when there are children in sight, which is when his playfulness really comes to the fore, whether he's playing with his own grandkids or hamming it up for a Kidsfest audience.

I know that I'm a lucky woman to know them. And Skaneateles is a lucky town to have them.

(Pianist Diane Walsh was artistic director of the Festival from 1999 - 2004.)

By Lori Ruhlman

When a book is really good, you see images, places and faces - not the individual words the author used in order to get you there.

And so it is, for me, with music.

It is why, the morning after a Saturday night Skaneateles Festival concert at Brook Farm, I remember more how I felt than what I heard.

I know the music was beautiful; I remember each piece. But what stays with me is how I felt when the orchestra opened with a piece by Handel, and the wind was gently blowing scenes of pastel clouds across the rooftop of the grand white house. Swallows swooped just above the porch where the musicians played.

With the passing clouds and the changing sounds of Handel's concerto, I felt the bitter-sweet movement of time. I thought of the other summer nights when we laid on blankets in the same spot, with little children at our sides. Now they are all grown up.

As acclaimed classical guitarist Eliot Fisk completed the second of his brilliant encores to end the first half of the concert, I could see three stars in the darkening sky. (A favorite part of attending an outdoor concert is actually having/making the time to hold still long enough to see the day turn to night).

At intermission, I stood in line at the port-a-potties behind a young woman who had driven to Skaneateles from Hamilton with her husband and two young children to experience a first concert. She had chosen a place to sit away from the crowd, closer to the woods, and was still wondering if her children were too young. I smiled and remembered worrying about the too-loud sounds of a toddler trying to whisper during a concert.

A 20-something woman behind me in line had a question. "Do you know anything about this house?" she asked. "Yes," I said. But what could I tell her quickly, when I was next in line? "It is owned by one family," I said to her look of awe. And then I added, as I went to take my turn, "They share it with the musicians." I thought of all the things I knew about the house: things I could have told her.

I knew that owners David and Louise Robinson had just fed dinner to the musicians, several of whom were spending the week living inside the house. (Others were living in other homes in the village). I knew that granddaughter Caroline Manring had missed most of the first half of the concert because she was inside washing dishes, and that son-in-law John Manring had also showed up late because he had been directing traffic down the long, tree-lined driveway. I knew that the Robinson's youngest daughter was on stage playing the flute, while her husband and sons listened from the lawn. That is how much of a family affair this ever-popular festival still remains.

I knew that a pile of the Robinsons' children and grandchildren had blankets right next to mine, on the lawn, where they were soaking in the sounds of the music and enjoying a mini-reunion.

"It's a worm ranch," the Robinson's eldest daughter Peggy had said, laughing as three adult sisters and one brother had wiggled onto the blankets along with children (from little to adult), spouses and friends (packed like sardines  or worms - all generations in one). I knew that, for 25 years, these family members had welcomed crowds to join them on the lawn, in the water and at the dinner table, all for the sake of music - beautiful music.

By the time I got back to my blanket to hear Aaron Copland's "Suite from Appalachian Spring," the sky had exploded with stars. The three I could see before intermission had multiplied into too many to even count.

The sky punctuated the feeling I carried from the music: time goes by swiftly.

You wake up one morning, and the kids are grown. You close your eyes and - if you aren't careful - you miss the experience of the stars beginning to appear.

With the sky already full of stars above me, I did close my eyes then. And in a not-quite-asleep-but-relaxed-enough-to-have-heightened-senses state, I let the "folk ballet" of Copland (and the magical festival orchestra) take me on a journey of time, and of seasons, letting me feel them all at once.

Yes, time goes by, and it is meant to be embraced and tasted and cherished. Life gets its richness from the fact that nothing ever stays the same. As I stood after the concert, cheering with the crowd into the night air, I thought of how chamber music can condense decades of feelings and memories into a few moments. Music transcends individual instruments and specific moments in time, letting us feel what someone in 1750 or 1945 might have intended.

It isn't the individual notes (or individual days) but the beauty of the song itself. And when one song (or one year, decade or generation) has been played, it isn't really over - not if we savored the sound and still carry the feeling.

Mission

To bring the pleasure and excitement of high quality chamber music to a wide audience in an intimate setting.

Guiding Principles

1. Community: To create a community that brings together musicians, audience, and the Festival family. The Festival family includes our board, staff, volunteers, and donors.

2. Culture, location, ambience: Our base will be a summer festival in Skaneateles, within a welcoming social environment.

3. Education: We will bring performance-related education to our audience, established and new, and advanced education to young musicians. We will share the magic of the Festival with new audiences through outreach performances in central New York.

4. Growth and Scale: To grow the audience by 2% per year to a maximum of 6,000 attendees per year.

5. Finance: To cover operating expenses while maintaining a healthy capital balance.