Aloysia Friedmann likes to keep things creative.
As the artistic director of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, she is charged with bringing world-class performers to the island for three weeks of classical music. One of this year’s big draws is baritone Philip Cutlip.
“It’s so fantastic having him on Orcas this year,” Friedmann said. “One of the things that inspired me to have him come is hearing him perform in Houston earlier this year at the Houston Grand Opera, performing ‘Dead Man Walking.’ Philip’s voice was so magnificent … in the past I have had different instruments featured in the festival, but I thought it would be great to feature his voice this year.”
The 14th season of the festival will be from Aug. 12 to Aug. 27 at Orcas Center. Friedmann and artistic advisor Jon Kimura Parker are welcoming back violinists Chee-Yun, Martin Chalifour and Martin Friedmann as well as cellist Desmond Hoebig and clarinetist Owen Kotler. The viola-piano duo of Yizhak Schotten and Katherine Collier, international performers who have directed music festivals from Maui to Colorado, will make their festival debut.
Poetry will also play an important role in the concerts this year. Poems are the inspiration for musical works by Robert Schumann, Carl Loewe, Samuel Barber and Hugo Wolf. There will be a “Music and Poetry Lovers Seminar” on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church to discuss how poems served as inspiration to these composers.
Cutlip, internationally known on opera stages of the world, will perform one of the most famous song cycles by Schumann called “Dichterliebe” on Aug. 12 and 13.
“It’s gorgeous music,” Aloysia said. “It’s one of the highlights of the festival.”
Cutlip will also be appearing in “The Archduke” concerts Aug. 16 and 17 and “Multiple Destinations” on Aug. 19 and 20. He performed with Parker, a pianist, during a spring “thank you” concert for Orcas patrons, and his style left the audience with chills, tears and goose bumps.
Established on both concert and opera stages, Cutlip has performed with a distinguished list of conductors that includes Nicholas McGegan, Yves Abel, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Gerard Schwarz, and Donald Runnicles. In the 2010-11 season, he sings Joseph de Rocher in Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking” with Houston Grand Opera, and returns to Seattle Opera to sing both Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and Papageno in “Die Zauberflöte.”
“No one in my family was a real opera fan. It was at university that I began singing in operas,” Cutlip said. “It’s a thrill to sing really beautiful, well composed music that is also a drama. I get to play a role, which is another challenge. I get to work with really talented people and you get to build something together that is really unique and special every time.”
The Gryphon Trio, comprised of violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, cellist Roman Borys and pianist James Parker (the brother of Jon Kimura Parker), are the “Trio-in-Residence” during the festival, performing in most concerts.
“Many on Orcas will be familiar with them from the Canadian Broadcasting Channel,” Aloysia said. “They recently won the Juno Award (the equivalent of a Grammy) for their recording of Beethoven’s music.”
Aloysia is pairing The Gryphon Trio with clarinetist Kotler for a special performance of Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet For The End Of Time.”
“It was written by Messiaen while he was in a prison camp during WWII,” she said. “He used musicians who were in the camp with him, and he wrote this piece for that combination of instruments.”
Canadian artist Stephen Hutchings was so inspired by the eight-movement work that he created a landscape painting for each section. The art will be projected behind the musicians during the performance.
“It is extremely powerful and moving work,” Aloysia said.
The festival also features music from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” work by Gershwin, a touch of tango, two powerful works by Brahms, and other timeless chamber music.
In addition to the music, patrons can enjoy post-concert receptions with food, wine and a chance to mingle with the artists.
Aloysia, a Juilliard-trained violinist who had been playing informal concerts with her family on Orcas for years, launched the first festival in 1997 with just three performances. Since then it has grown to 15 days of music and seminars from some of the nation’s most celebrated musicians.
The festival is now run by a full-time executive director, Victoria Parker, and encompasses “Musician in Residence” events throughout the year with local schools.
For the full concert schedule
For the complete listing of this year’s concerts and to order tickets, go to www.oicmf.org and click on the “Season Program Concert Listing” page. Call the OICMF office at 376-6636 or email joyce@oicmf.org.
