Andrei Gorbatenko, Music Director of the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, has just been appointed Inaugural Artistic Director of a new classical music festival this coming July in the heart of California's historic gold country. The Sutter Creek Summer Music Festival will take place over a two-week period, from July 11-25, in the picturesque gold rush town of Sutter Creek, California. Sutter Creek with its surrounding region is a nationally ranked visitor destination known for its premium wineries, scenic foothill landscapes, shops, restaurants, and historical sites.The music festival will give dedicated musicians, college-age and older, the opportunity to work closely with a faculty of world- renowned professionals in the preparation and presentation of public concerts in both chamber and orchestral music.
Faculty recruited for the festival include members of several of the world's leading orchestras, including violinist Dan Carlson and cellist David Goldblatt of the San Francisco Symphony, violinist David Brubaker of the Minnesota Orchestra, violinist Eric Lee of the National Opera, violist Joy Fellows of the San Francisco Opera, and bassist Walter McTigert of the Swedish Radio Orchestra. Also joining the faculty is Gerald Robbins, international concert pianist and professor at the Manhattan School of Music.
Enrolled instrumentalists will play in the Festival Orchestra with the faculty serving as section leaders. Participants will also perfect selections from the chamber music repertoire to perform in public concerts. Small-group classes for advanced training in orchestral skills and in solo performance in a master-class format are also planned.
The public is invited to attend up to ten concerts of chamber and orchestral music throughout the two-week festival. Highlights include faculty chamber music concerts on Friday evenings, July 16 and 23 at the historic Sutter Creek Theatre, and orchestra performances with world-class soloists under the direction of Andrei Gorbatenko on Saturday evenings, July 17 and 24.
The Festival is currently seeking applications from advanced string players and pianists to serve as festival musicians. University and conservatory music majors, members of city and regional orchestras, and advanced amateur players are invited to apply. Deadline for applications is May 1. For further information about enrolling in the Sutter Creek Summer Music Festival and for the latest updates in the calendar of events, please visit the Festival's web site at: www.scsmf.org