• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

  • Home
  • Advertise
    • Advertise in One or All of our Magazines
    • Advertising Payment Form
  • Digital Subscription
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Login
  • Print Subscription
  • Contact Us

Caramoor

Caramoor – A Beautiful Oasis for Music and Art

August 16, 2024 by Ella Ilan

(L-R): Caramoor’s Marc Lowenstein, Adina Williams, Edward J. Lewis, III, Jessa Krick, and Olivia Ottinger
Photos by CAROLYN SIMPSON

Sitting on 80 scenic acres in Katonah, New York, is Caramoor, a historic estate, generously gifted to the public by its founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen. Caramoor is known for its music concert series, but many people do not know there is a historic site that is part of the venue as well. If you have not yet visited this haven for music and the arts, you should plan to attend a concert or take a tour. Even if you have already visited, the staff at Caramoor is consistently expanding Caramoor’s offerings, so there is always something new to experience.

Caramoor History

Walter Rosen, a successful lawyer and banker, and his wife Lucie Bigelow Rosen, were great lovers of art and music. The Rosens regularly hosted friends and family for intimate musical performances and lavish parties at Caramoor, their country estate.

World War II took a toll on the family. The couple was devastated when their son, Walter, a pilot for Royal Canadian Air Force, died in a wartime plane crash in 1944. Ten months prior, Walter Sr.’s sister Jeanne, who lived in France, was sent to Auschwitz and murdered. Wrestling with their grief, they chose to turn their tragic loss into something positive. In 1946, they graciously opened their house to the public, beginning what became Caramoor’s year-round music program.

Armonk Outdoor Art Show
ADVERTISEMENT

Welcoming A Broader Audience

Historically known for its classical music performances, Caramoor has now expanded to include many other genres, such as latin, jazz, roots, and global music. In recent years, Caramoor’s board and staff have focused their mission on growing their audience by both serving the desires of the community and by better reflecting the nature of the community through their programming.

Edward J. Lewis, III, President and CEO of Caramoor, joined in May 2021 with the charge “to make Caramoor more open and accessible to a broader and more diverse community that’s reflective of the county in which we sit.” Lewis, a Chappaqua resident, brings to the table his expertise gained from a remarkable career as a professional classical musician, an arts educator, administrator, and two decades of non-profit management and fundraising. “From these experiences and my lifelong passion for the arts, I bring this ability to help institutions find that essence of themselves and inspire a broader constituency to engage with it.”

“Over the past several years we have broadened our music programming to include more jazz, roots and global music while maintaining our core classical programming.” Lewis explained. “We also try to include a broad range of lived experiences in all the artists and genres we present to help ensure that our expanding and increasingly diverse audiences can hear themselves in the music and see themselves reflected back from the stage.”

World Class Performances

Marc Lowenstein, Director of Marketing and Communications, was brought on two years ago to assist in that mission. A common message that he has heard is “I’ve heard about Caramoor, but I’ve never been,” or “I don’t think they have the music that I’m interested in.” “In some ways it’s a challenge but it’s also a huge opportunity for the marketing department here knowing there’s this population that for whatever reason has not availed themselves of Caramoor.”

“The thing that makes it so special, other than the music and the art, which is certainly world-class on any level, is just the experience of being at this beautiful place is unrivaled by any performing arts center in the area. People ask me what show they should come see and I say, just pick a nice night when the weather is good, you may not know the artist…but I promise you, come early, bring a picnic, make a night of it, enjoy the music, and you will have a positive experience,” says Lowenstein.

Adina Williams, Director of School Programs and Community Engagement, was also recruited a few years ago to execute the new mission, redesign Caramoor’s educational offerings, and embark on their first intentional community engagement work. Williams channels her background as a former New York City public school teacher and her impressive career in arts administration and music management into her role at Caramoor.

“Caramoor advocates inclusive arts and education exploration,” says Williams. “We believe in an intercultural arts practice that actively involves artists and communities from a range of national and international ethnic and cultural groups, a breadth of physical and mental abilities, languages, social classes and gender identifications so that the voices and stories of the multiple publics that we serve are heard, expressed, and celebrated.

Our educational vision is bringing to life Caramoor’s extraordinary artistic heritage and future to as broad a spectrum of people, young and old alike, ages 0 to 100 plus.”

Williams designed the innovative Caramoor Kids program for elementary and middle school classes where students take a field trip to Caramoor and a Caramoor teaching artist visits their school based on an interdisciplinary curriculum. The immersive curriculum is available in both English and Spanish and can be tailored to meet a school’s specific educational goals.

As part of Caramoor’s community outreach initiative, Williams has organized roundtables with teachers, parents, conservatories, and community members, such as Neighbors Link, that help inform the programming. “Our mission is to have a deeper understanding of the value proposition of Caramoor to our many communities and how we can be a very rich resource for them, especially historically underserved communities in the region.”

This summer, Caramoor welcomed the community for a successful Juneteenth event, celebrating African American freedom and achievement. The free event featuring Charles Turner & Uptown Swing brought in about 1500 people for a fun-filled day with hands-on activities.

Caramoor also brings jazz performances to those incarcerated at nearby correctional facilities. “We want to be a conduit in which all of our community can live an art-filled life,” says Lewis.

“It’s all about equal access and not your life narrative, whether tragic or happy…and hopefully providing life changing experiences through arts and culture,” adds Williams.

Inspired by the Rosens, Caramoor’s leadership is clear-eyed in their mission. “We need to balance the reverence for and relevance of Caramoor,” says Lewis. “We have this rich storied history and if we remain true to the vision of our founders, this is a place where visitors can be refreshed and renewed by that convergence of exceptional music performances, the beauty of the art-filled historic home, and the gorgeous gardens and grounds. The Rosens left this legacy for us all to enjoy and I believe that together with our board, staff, artists, and volunteers, we all partner together as stewards of their legacy, and we revere its past. Our job, as I see it, is to assure that Caramoor continues to resonate with audiences and visitors of today and tomorrow.”

The Rosen House

Visitors can enjoy the Rosen House by taking a tour, booking an Afternoon Tea, or attending a concert in the Music Room or Spanish Courtyard. The Rosens were great hosts and the Caramoor staff continue in that great tradition.

Jessa Krick, Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Archives for the Rosen House, is also a recent addition to the Caramoor team, just having passed her second anniversary. Krick is responsible for the vast art collection and a trove of archival documents related to the family’s history. Krick is doing her utmost to make sure the collection is better known, and people realize they need to visit the Rosen House when they come for a concert.

Re-energizing the tours this year, Krick spearheaded the 2024 Focus Tour, highlighting works in the collection by women artists that previously never received much attention during their regular tours. “It has been fantastic fun to do the research for this and our docents have appreciated the chance to add new material to their tours. It has been so rewarding over the last year discovering the stories of these women artists. They existed in the archives, but surfacing their stories through our focus tour has been so exciting. I love it when people say, “I never knew that” – those are the comments we really love to hear.”

Dedicated Staff & Supporters

The consensus among the people that make this hidden gem run is that Caramoor is a great place to work. Box Office Manager Olivia Ottinger, who is also a talented opera singer, began her relationship with Caramoor after Caramoor musicians visited her high school for a master class and she thereafter joined their esteemed mentorship program. She says one of the most special things about Caramoor is the staff. “I have been lucky enough to end up with some of my best friends here. Two of us were just bridesmaids at the marketing manager’s wedding.”

“It’s a lot of hard work but there are always one or two shows a season where we get to stand in the back and watch everything we created come together. It’s nice to step back and experience it and think, ‘cool we did this,’” reflects Ottinger.

“It’s fun to be part of someone’s vision that was such an impressive human being [Lucie] and also to progress with the times and do it well,” says Events Operations Manager Aarti Gilmore. Gilmore manages much of the logistics and scheduling of volunteers, security and emergency personnel. “I make sure we deliver on what we promised, and everybody is comfortable and feels safe. My mission is to make people love Caramoor as much as I do and to ensure their experience is as worry-free as possible from the second someone engages to buy a ticket at the box office or online.”

“Our volunteers, ranging from high school age to retirees, are great ambassadors for us. They’re available throughout the property to answer any questions, including where their favorite spots are and where is the best place to take a photo.” One of Gilmore’s favorite spots is the peaceful Cedar Walk, a well-maintained pathway which holds the t(ch)ime sound art installation.

Caramoor is a nonprofit organization. The programming and the beautiful facilities offered are supported by concert attendance, individual donations, a dedicated board of trustees, and generous sponsors.

Upcoming Events

Although summer is Caramoor’s busiest season, there is plenty to look forward to this fall. Here are just some of the upcoming events. Caramoor’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, a free event, featuring the artist People of Earth, will be on September 29th. The annual cabaret show featuring Julie Benko and Jason Yeager will be on October 25th. Jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim will perform on November 8th. The annual fall benefit on December 7th will feature American folk band Bonny Light Horseman. December will offer the immensely popular holiday tea musicales. Caramoor’s first-ever Hannukah show, featuring Nefesh Mountain Band, will take place on December 12th. For the full schedule, tickets and additional information, go to caramoor.org.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Caramoor, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Caramoor Fall Activities, Katonah, Music Venues, Outdoor Concerts, Westchester Music

Caramoor Marks Official Opening of Grounds & Sonic Innovations Sound Art Exhibition with Free “Soundscapes” June 9 Event

May 21, 2024 by Inside Press

Caramoor’s idyllic grounds officially open for the 2024 summer season on June 9 at 12pm with “Soundscapes,” a free afternoon of events that features live performances along with this season’s Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition. Composer Majel Connery and cellist Felix Fan perform Connery’s The Rivers are our Brothers, an electronic song cycle on ecological responsibility told from the point of view of the land. Also on the schedule is Darian Donovan Thomas’s Safe Space installation, as well as a live set featuring the genre-bending composer and multi-instrumentalist along with trombonist Kalia Vandever and guitarist Mike Haldeman. Sound artists Senem Pirler, Stephan Moore, Liz Phillips, Taylor Deupree, Annea Lockwood, Bob Bielecki and Ranjit Bhatnagar will all be on hand interacting with audience members, who can also try their hand at the theremin during workshops with the New York Theremin Society. Thereminist Rob Schwimmer will perform on the world’s oldest electronic instrument, in recognition of Caramoor co-founder Lucie Bigelow Rosen, an important patron and one of the earliest practitioners of the theremin, while Dorit Chrysler will give a talk titled “When Lucie Rosen Met Theremin: Discovering Caramoor’s Archives.”

Conceived and curated by Chicago-based sound artist Stephan Moore, Sonic Innovations expands Caramoor’s programming with an annual exhibition of sound art from artists working with sonic materials outside the traditions of concert music. Sound art allows each artist to draw inspiration from their chosen location and its unique characteristics – acoustic, historic, architectural, or natural – and has been an integral part of Caramoor’s world-class programming since the groundbreaking exhibition In the Garden of Sonic Delights in 2014, which won Arts Westchester’s Innovation Award. Two new installations debut this summer: interdisciplinary artist Senem Pirler’s Seismic Grief, which incorporates seismic data from the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria; and Moore’s own Promenade, an interactive sound piece installed in a covered walkway with sounds evoking Caramoor’s past, present, and future. Returning works are Dyning in the Dovecote by Liz Phillips, an interactive sound installation stirred into subtle action by the presence and activity of its audience, as well as sunlight and wind; In“C”, a site-specific sound-sculpture commissioned from MacArthur Grant recipient Trimpin; Walter Kitundu’s Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (“Your Place is Green”); Taylor Deupree’s t(ch)ime; Ranjit Bhatnagar’s Stone Song; Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki’s Wild Energy, which takes visitors on a fantastical tour of sounds occurring outside the range of human hearing; and Annea Lockwood’s Piano Garden.

Upcoming 2024 Caramoor Summer Season

Highlights of Caramoor’s 2024 summer season of live performances include a gala performance by longtime Caramoor friend Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (June 22). Two large-scale movement-centered events are featured this season: a new street-dance infused production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen from Les Arts Florissants led by William Christie and choreographed by Mourad Merzouki (July 20), and the Caramoor debut of the Mark Morris Dance Group (Aug 1). The Knights and Aaron Diehl give their first complete live performance of Mary Lou Williams’s Zodiac Suite following their recent lauded recording (June 30); two concerts with Orchestra of St. Luke’s feature guitarist Miloš (July 14) and pianist Jeremy Denk (Aug 4); and Cleveland period ensemble Apollo’s Fire performs a program of Vivaldi and Handel led by Jeannette Sorrell (July 28). The Sphinx Virtuosi present music by a vital group of contemporary Black and Latinx composers, much of it written for them (July 7); “Our Song, Our Story: The New Generation of Black Voices” with music director Damien Sneed honors the legacies of Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman (July 25); and the free world premiere of Douglas J. Cuomo’s community project THE JUMP UP! features Sandbox Percussion and collaborating volunteer percussionists (July 21). The Concerts on the Lawn series features Grammy winners Roomful of Teeth (June 28) and Time For Three (July 26), Cuban cuatro sensation Kiki Valera (July 6), and Zimbabwean Afro-fusion band Mokoomba (Aug 16); chamber performances include the Calidore String Quartet and harpist Bridget Kibbey (July 5), the Abeo Quartet (June 27), and Owls (July 11), plus solo recitals from violinist Kevin Zhu (July 13) and pianists Richard Goode (Aug 2), Joyce Yang (July 19), and Clayton Stephenson (Aug 3). The annual Jazz Festival features the already storied young pianist and bandleader Matthew Whitaker (July 27); and the American Roots Music Festival is headlined by Grammy winner Madison Cunningham (June 29). Roots events later in the summer showcase the Lost Bayou Ramblers (July 12) and Rhiannon Giddens (Aug 3); Broadway star Sutton Foster gives a solo performance (July 13); and special events celebrate Pride with drag artist Jasmine Rice LaBeija (June 13) and Juneteenth with Charles Turner & Uptown Swing (June 16).

Sonic Innovations 2024

Senem Pirler: Seismic Grief (2024)

Seismic Grief is a sound installation that incorporates sonic inflatable sculptures that are designed and shaped using seismic data that was captured during the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023 from two different sites in Turkey and the United States. Borrowing the term “material witness” from Susan Schuppli and accompanied by Sara Ahmed’s work “The Cultural Politics of Emotion,” this installation positions itself as a study of sound as a material witness to grief.  

Senem Pirler is an artist, sonic improviser, and educator based in Brooklyn and Troy, New York. Pirler’s interdisciplinary work crosses over into sound engineering, sound art, performance, video art, movement, and installation. Born in Turkey, Pirler studied classical piano at Hacettepe State Conservatory and sound engineering and design at Istanbul Technical University/MIAM. Pirler earned her M.M. in Music Technology – the Stephen F. Temmer Tonmeister Honors Track – from NYU Steinhardt, and her Ph.D. in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Pirler has been awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in the category of Music/Sound in 2022 and the Malcolm Morse Award in 2018, which honors the work of Pauline Oliveros and Deep Listening.

 

Stephan Moore: Promenade (2024)

Promenade comprises three stations perched along the covered walkway. As visitors walk by, their presence stirs up sounds evoking Caramoor’s past, present and future – ghostly voices and instruments, the natural sounds, and concerts both remembered and imagined, all remixed and orchestrated anew at each interaction. If a visitor approaches and lingers at a station, possibly raising their hand to touch it, they find themselves able to further activate these sonic memories, drawing forth a stream of sounds as if playing an instrument.

Chicago-based sound artist Stephan Moore is currently the curator of sound art at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts in New York. As a performer, organizer, and maker, he has been working at the forefront of the experimental audio world for the past 20 years. He has designed over 20 dance and theater productions in New York City, including the “Bessie” award-winning Dark Horse/Black Forest, and the “Bessie” nominated The People to Come, both with the performance collective A Canary Torsi. Evidence, the band he formed with Scott Smallwood in 2001, has performed extensively across five continents and has released a dozen recordings. Stephan Moore received his MFA in 2003 from the Integrated Electronic Arts program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he studied with Pauline Oliveros and Curtis Bahn. From 2004 to 2010 he was the touring sound engineer and music supervisor for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

 

Liz Phillips: Dyning in the Dovecote (2023)

Dyning in the Dovecote is an interactive sound installation stirred into subtle action by the presence and activity of its audience, as well as sunlight and wind. The sounds of water, insects, dove calls and bird wings flicker and fly around the dovecote in Caramoor’s sense circle, while underwater sound transducers create ripple patterns on the surface of the fountain. Four lace-like metal forms hang from the dovecote’s roof, cast from local tree barks, and shaped as the impression of a face from different angles. These are wired to radiate capacitance fields, or ether waves, like a theremin – recalling Caramoor and Lucie Rosen’s place in the history of music technology.

Liz Phillips is a pioneering figure in the development of interactive and sound installation art. She creates responsive environments sensing wind, plants, fish, audience, dance, water, and food. Audio and visual art forms combine with new technologies to create elastic time-space constructs. Sound is often the primary descriptive material.

 

Trimpin: in“C” (2021)

MacArthur Fellow Trimpin’s in“C” is a site-specific sound-sculpture created for Caramoor’s 75th anniversary and inspired by its acoustical environment: the birds singing, the wind in the trees, and the blissful absence of street noise. It takes the form of a 16-foot-high double-letter C located in the entry plaza, welcoming guests as they arrive and inviting them to interact through both a motion sensor and push-buttons. The push-buttons activate the structure’s chimes to play pre-composed short pieces, each one to two minutes long; in addition to Trimpin’s own music, these include works by Caramoor-commissioned composers Christopher Cerrone, Anna Clyne, Missy Mazzoli, and Nico Muhly, and as Caramoor continues to work with composers the library of pieces will grow. When in“C” is in its education mode, a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard enables visitors to make their own chime music, as the chimes respond to the strikes on the keyboard.

Trimpin is an internationally acclaimed composer, musician, visual artist, and inventor, engaged in commissions and exhibitions at venues around the world. “My work is an ongoing exploration of the concepts of sound, vision, and movement,” he says, “experimenting with combinations that will introduce our senses of perception to a totally new experience.” A MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award recipient and a Guggenheim Fellow, Trimpin has been commissioned by Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Exploratorium, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Seattle Symphony, among others.

 

Annea Lockwood & Bob Bielecki: Wild Energy (2014)

Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki’s Wild Energy takes visitors on a fantastical tour of sounds that normally occur outside the range of human hearing, beginning with solar oscillations recorded by the SOHO spacecraft, sped up 42,000 times, and ending with ultrasound recorded from the interior of a Scots pine tree, slowed down ten times. As the creators describe the piece:=

“Wild Energy gives access to the inaudible – vibrations in the ultra and infra ranges emanating from sources which affect us fundamentally, but which are beyond our audio perception, many of which are creating our planet’s environment: the sun, the troposphere and ionosphere, the earth’s crust and core, the oxygen-generating trees. … A generating image for the piece is of Caramoor’s trees funneling these energies into the oxygen we breathe as we walk near them or lie under them.”

Born in New Zealand in 1939 and living in the US since 1973, Annea Lockwood is known for her explorations of the rich world of natural acoustic sounds and environments, in works ranging from sound art and installations, through text-sound and performance art, to concert music (see also under Piano Garden below). Bob Bielecki has worked in the media arts field for more than forty years, creating unique instruments and sound designs for installation and performance. He is known for his innovative use of technology to develop distinctive electronic effects and environments and is engaged in ongoing research in psychoacoustics, sound localization, and 3-D audio.

 

Ranjit Bhatnagar: Stone Song (2014)

Stone Song, a meditation on time and change that was originally hosted by the Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College, SUNY, and moved to Caramoor in 2015, was designed in collaboration with Hilary Martin, Akira Inman and Evan Oxland. Bhatnagar says:

“When I look at an old stone wall, I think about how the seemingly solid form has shifted and settled over time, through weathering and the erosion and compression of the soil. In order to explore this process through sound, Stone Song is laced with pressure sensors and strain gauges, and sensors for humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure. All this information feeds into a drone synthesizer, whose fundamental tones shift slowly over the months as the stones settle. Daily weather and seasonal changes will produce smaller, shorter-term changes in the stones’ song, as will the weight of visitors who stop to sit on it and listen.”

Ranjit Bhatnagar discovered sound art around age 14, listening to weird late-night programs on KPFA. He now works with interactive and sound installations, with scanner photography, and with internet-based collaborative art. Recent works have been exhibited at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, the Parc d’aventures scientifiques in Belgium, Flux Factory in Queens, in the Artbots series at Eyebeam Atelier and the Pratt Institute in New York, and the Mermaid Show at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn. 

Taylor Deupree: t(ch)ime (2017)

t(ch)ime is a site-specific sound installation on a quiet path under the trees on Caramoor’s grounds, an otherworldly addition to a familiar environment. The sole sound source of the piece is a collection of bell chimes that have been manipulated through increasing layers of digital processing, so that the sound evolves as one walks down the path. Thus, the human element – that is to say, the physical experience of hearing chimes activated by wind in natural surroundings – is combined with a gentle digital manipulation that calls attention to the acoustic properties of the materials from which the chimes are made. The effect is a small temporal oasis of fragile and reflective sound, in which hearing becomes the listener’s most heightened sense.

Taylor Deupree is an accomplished sound artist whose recordings, rich with abstract atmospherics, have appeared on numerous record labels, as well as in site-specific installations at such institutions as the ICC (Tokyo, Japan) and the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (Yamaguchi, Japan). His music today emphasizes a hybrid of natural sounds and technological mediation. It’s marked by a deep attention to stillness, to an almost desperate near-silence.

Walter Kitundu: Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (Your Place is Green) (2017)

Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (Your Place is Green) centers on a handmade white oak rocking chair that activates speakers suspended in nearby trees, with sounds that combine composed works, field recordings, birdsong, and conversation. The piece is a meditation on absence, specifically that of the artist’s late parents. Kitundu’s mother was an artist and deeply supportive of his creative endeavors, and the bird recordings all come from the region in Tanzania where his late father grew up. Many of the birdsongs are similar to Caramoor’s resident birds, and the juxtaposition is intentional: the piece celebrates both what is left behind and what is carried forward when loved ones are no longer present. Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (Your Place is Green) was originally commissioned by Montalvo Arts Center.

Walter Kitundu creates kinetic sculptures and sonic installations, develops public works, and builds (and performs on) extraordinary musical instruments, while studying and documenting the natural world. He is the inventor of a family of Phonoharps, multi-stringed instruments made from record players that rely on the turntable’s sensitivity to vibration. Kitundu has created hand-built record players driven by the wind and rain, fire and earthquakes, birds, light, and the force of ocean waves. In 2008 he received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of his work and creative potential.

Annea Lockwood: Piano Garden (1969-70; 2021)

Piano Garden is one of four installations in a series entitled Piano Transplants. In each piece in the series, Annea Lockwood positions a piano beyond repair in the natural world and invites the elements to consume it. Audiences are welcome and encouraged to play the piano until environmental forces make it dangerous or impossible to do so. The score for Piano Garden reads: “Dig a sloping trench and slip an upright piano in sideways so that it is half interred. A small grand piano may be set down amongst bushes etc. Plant fast-growing trees and creepers around the pianos. Do not protect against weather and leave the pianos there forever.” This installation of Piano Garden is presented in collaboration with ISSUE Project Room, which honored the artist in 2021 with a global staging of Piano Transplants.

Annea Lockwood is known for her explorations of the rich world of natural acoustic sounds and environments. Her sound installation A Sound Map of the Danube has been presented in Germany, Austria, and the U.S. Other recent projects include Ceci n’est pas un piano, for piano, video, and electronics, commissioned by Jennifer Hymer; Jitterbug, commissioned by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, a six-channel soundscape with two improvising musicians; and In Our Name, a collaboration with Thomas Buckner based on poems by prisoners in Guantánamo. Her music has been issued on CD and online on the Lovely Music, Ambitus, EM, XI, Rattle, Lorelt, and Pogus labels.

 

Getting to Caramoor

Getting to Caramoor is simple by car or public transportation. All parking is free and close to the performance areas. Handicapped parking is also free and readily available. By car from New York City, take the Henry Hudson Parkway north to the Saw Mill River Parkway north to I-684 north to Exit 6. Go east on Route 35 to the traffic light (0.3 miles). Turn right onto Route 22 south, and travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road where there is a green Caramoor sign. At the junction, veer left and make a quick right onto Girdle Ridge Road. Continue on Girdle Ridge Road 0.5 miles to the Caramoor gates on the right. Approximate drive time is one hour. By train from Grand Central Station, take the Harlem Division Line of the Metro-North Railroad heading to Southeast, and exit at Katonah. Caramoor is a 3.5-mile drive from the Katonah station.

A FREE shuttle from Metro North’s Katonah station to and from Caramoor runs before and after every afternoon and evening concert, beginning June 9 for the “Soundscapes” event.

 

About Caramoor

Caramoor is a cultural arts destination located on a unique 80-plus-acre estate with Italianate architecture and gardens in Northern Westchester County, NY. Its beautiful grounds include the historic Rosen House, a stunning mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Besides enriching the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality, Caramoor mentors young professional musicians and provides music-centered educational programs for young children.

facebook.com/caramoor

instagram.com/caramoor

twitter.com/Caramoor

pinterest.com/caramoor

youtube.com/caramoor

issuu.com/caramoor

caramoor.org

 

“Soundscapes” Schedule

 

Sunday, June 9

12:00–4:00pm

Caramoor Grounds

 

Artists:

Majel Connery, vocalist & keyboard with Felix Fan, cello

Darian Donovan Thomas, violin with Kalia Vandever, trombone, and Mike Haldeman, guitar

Rob Schwimmer, theremin

Dorit Chrysler, speaker

 

Schedule:

12:00–4:00pm

Tapestry Hedge

Safe Space installation by Darian Donovan Thomas

12:15pm

Friends Field

Welcome

 

12:20–12:45pm

Friends Field

Rob Schwimmer: Theremin demonstration & performance

 

12:30–4:00pm 

Audience invited to explore the 2024 Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition throughout the grounds. Artists may be encountered near their respective works during this time.

 

1:00–2:30pm

Sunken Garden

Majel Connery & Felix Fan performance

1:30–3:30pm

Spanish Courtyard

Theremin Workshop with the NY Theremin Society


2:45–3:30pm

Friends Field

Darian Donovan Thomas, Kalia Vandever, Mike Haldeman performance

3:30–4:15pm

Music Room

Lecture: When Lucie Rosen met Theremin: Discovering Caramoor’s Archives with Dorit Chrysler

 

News Courtesy of Caramoor

 

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Caramoor, Live Performances, Sonic Innovations, Soundscapes, Summer Concerts

Caramoor In Full Bloom This Season

April 17, 2024 by The Inside Press

PHOTO BY GABE PALACIO

Caramoor’s spectacular open-air venues, intimate indoor spaces, and world-renowned artists make it the perfect destination in Katonah for gathering outdoors with friends and family to celebrate and be renewed by the dynamic power of music and the arts. The 2024 summer season kicks off with a performance by longtime Caramoor friend Wynton Marsalis with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra followed by Caramoor’s annual gala (June 22). The season continues with the return of dance to Caramoor with two large-scale movement-centered events: a new street-dance infused production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen from Les Arts Florissants led by William Christie and choreographed by Mourad Merzouki on July 20th, and the Caramoor debut of the Mark Morris Dance Group on August 1st.

Other summer highlights include The Knights and Aaron Diehl giving their first complete live performance of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite following their recent lauded recording; two concerts with Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the first featuring guitarist Miloš and the second with pianist Jeremy Denk; and Cleveland period ensemble Apollo’s Fire performing a program of Vivaldi and Handel led by Jeannette Sorrell.

Caramoor is also excited to host the Sphinx Virtuosi for the first time on July 7th. Comprised of some of the nation’s top young Black and LatinX professional musicians, this self-conducted orchestra is the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization, the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. The Sphinx Virtuosi will present music by a vital group of contemporary Black and Latinx composers, much of it written for them. Later in the season, “Our Song, Our Story: The New Generation of Black Voices” with music director Damien Sneed, honors the legacies of Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman.

Chamber performances include the Calidore String Quartet with harpist Bridget Kibbey, the Abeo Quartet, and Owls, plus solo recitals from violinist Kevin Zhu, and pianists Richard Goode, Joyce Yang, and Clayton Stephenson.

In addition, Caramoor is bringing back the fireworks on July 4th along with an annual performance by the Westchester Symphonic Winds, and a Pride event in collaboration with the LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center on June 13th featuring Jasmine Rice LaBeija and a DJ-energized after-party.

Free events include Soundscapes (6/9), Juneteenth with Charles Turner and Uptown Swing (6/16), and THE JUMP UP! with Sandbox Percussion (7/21) including volunteer percussionists from the local community who can sign up on the Caramoor website.

Popular all-day and evening festivals are also back: the American Roots Music Festival with headliner Madison Cunningham (6/29) and the Jazz Festival with headliner Matthew Whitaker (7/27). Roots events later in the summer showcase the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Ollabelle, and Rhiannon Giddens. The casual Concerts on the Lawn series returns as well featuring Grammy winners Roomful of Teeth and Time for Three, Cuban cuatro sensation Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano, and Zimbabwean Afrofusion band Mokoomba. Bring a blanket or chair, purchase a picnic, or bring your own and relax (or get up and dance!).

You can also book one of the ever-popular Afternoon Teas, bring the kids to a family program, come for Music & Meditation on a Saturday morning, and much more. Don’t forget to enjoy Caramoor’s 80 acres of gardens and grounds and discover the Sonic Innovations sound art installation throughout which includes the debut of Stephan Moore’s Promenade and Senem Pirler’s Seismic Grief, along with seven returning pieces.

Edward J. Lewis III, Caramoor’s President and Chief Executive Officer, elaborates: “Over the course of its storied 79-year history, which has seen periods of seismic societal shifts and upheavals, the Caramoor experience is timeless, remaining constant in its delivery of transformative live music performances that resonate with audiences and artists of the day. You can always count on Caramoor to be your artistic summer sanctuary.”

Kathy Schuman, Caramoor’s Artistic Director, adds: “The unique Caramoor setting continues to inspire and inform our programs, from world-class celebrated artists to rising stars, in a multitude of genres. As these genres continue to expand, I’m particularly excited about two dance-centered performances: Mark Morris Dance Group and Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. We pride ourselves on the breadth and diversity of the musical experiences we bring to our community over the summer season.”

You can check out the full summer season and buy tickets now at caramoor.org.

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Caramoor, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Caramoor Spring Concerts, Katonah, Wynton Marsalis

Soothe your Soul at a Caramoor Springtime Concert

February 21, 2024 by The Inside Press

Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix (April 19)

This month marks the first performances of the year at Caramoor Center for Music & The Arts in Katonah, all set in the warmth and beauty of the Music Room at the Rosen House.

The Spring Season features three chamber concerts: Ivalas Quartet (Sunday, February 25), multi-Grammy winning Pacifica Quartet (Sunday, April 14), and Abeo Quartet (Sunday, May 5), Caramoor’s 2023-24 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence. Vocal music fans will want to catch Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars (Sunday, March 17) and Will Liverman (Sunday, March 24).

Will Liverman, baritone (March 24th)

In April, in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, Caramoor will present charismatic alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix, for an evening that fuses jazz, hip-hop, and soul (Friday, April 19).

This May, in collaboration with City Winery, Caramoor presents Smithsonian Folkways artist and multi-instrumentalist Jack Blount who will share his interpretations of Black folk music via the banjo, fiddle, electric guitar and synthesizer (Saturday, May 11). May also brings a sold-out performance from the Chopin International Competition-winning piano virtuoso Seong-Jin Cho (Wednesday, May 15), just days before his sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall.

The Spring season wraps up on Sunday, May 19, with Caramoor’s first outdoor concert of the year. This Family Concert on Friends Field features Sonia de los Santos, offering delightful songs for children and adults of all ages, and vocals in English and Spanish. Tickets for Caramoor’s Spring concerts, as well as Saturday Rosen House Tours and the popular Afternoon Teas, are on sale now… and, not to fear: the full Caramoor Summer Season will be announced on Tuesday, March 5! Tickets for summer will go on sale that day to members, followed by the public on sale on Tuesday, March 12. Please visit caramoor.org.

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Caramoor, Caramoor Spring Concerts, Spring Season

Caramoor Fall ‘23 – Spring ‘24 Highlights: A Preview of the Adventurous Programming!

August 18, 2023 by The Inside Press

The Pacifica Quartet performing April 14th Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Caramoor’s longstanding commitment to adventurous programming – encompassing an expansive range of genres and outstanding artists – continues indoors all year round in the intimate setting of the Rosen House Music Room. Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 season tickets are on sale now. Highlights include the Emmet Cohen Trio with special guest Lucy Yeghiazaryan presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center (Sept 29), genre-bending South African cellist Abel Selaocoe (Oct 22); a benefit concert with Juno Award-winning and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Allison Russell (Dec 2); superlative period-instrument ensemble The English Concert led by Harry Bicket (Dec 8); Grammy-winning baritone Will Liverman (March 24); dynamic saxophonist and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin with her quartet (April 19); and Chopin International Competition-winning pianist Seong-Jin Cho (May 15).

Allison Russell performing December 2nd
Photo courtesy of Caramoor

Also highly anticipated: the multi-Grammy winning Pacifica Quartet (April 14); a holiday program featuring TENET Vocal Artists (Dec 10); two programs from this season’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, the Abeo Quartet (Nov 12 & May 5); American Roots music from Alisa Amador (Nov 3) and Jake Blount (May 11); jazz from the Emmet Cohen Trio with special guest Lucy Yeghiazaryan (Sep 29); cabaret singer Carole J. Bufford (Oct 20); performances by young artists from Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars and Schwab Vocal Rising Stars programs, and more.

Caramoor will also present a lively celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, for the third year as a free outdoor community event. Expect traditional music, dance, arts & crafts, and storytelling at this event in which loved ones are honored. Featured artists include the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (Oct 15).

Emmet Cohen performing September 29th Photo courtesy of Caramoor

December will mark the return of Caramoor’s series of Holiday Tea Musicales, featuring holiday music followed by tea service. As always, Caramoor’s grounds are open to explore and enjoy for free, from Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Info and tickets at caramoor.org.

Information Presented in Partnership with Caramoor

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Caramoor, Fall and Spring Highlights

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Please Visit

William Raveis – Armonk
William Raveis – Chappaqua
White Plains Hospital
Houlihan Lawrence – Armonk
Houlihan Lawrence – Briarcliff
Houlihan Lawrence – Chappaqua
NYOMIS – Dr. Andrew Horowitz
Raveis: Lisa Koh and Allison Coviello
Purple Plains
Compass: Miller-Goldenberg Team
Korth & Shannahan
Douglas Elliman: Chappaqua
Elliman: Pam Akin
Houlihan: Tara Siegel
Houlihan Lawrence: Harriet Libov
Play Nice Together
Temple Beth El
Dr. Briones Medical Weight Loss Center
Pinksky Studio
David Visconti Painting & Contracting

Follow our Social Media

The Inside Press

Our Latest Issues

For a full reading of our current edition, or to obtain a copy or subscription, please contact us.

Inside Armonk Inside Chappaqua and Millwood Inside Pleasantville and Briarcliff Manor

Join Our Mailing List


Search Inside Press

Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Subscription
  • Print Subscription

Publisher’s Note Regarding Our Valued Sponsors

Inside Press is not responsible for and does not necessarily endorse or not endorse any advertisers, products or resources referenced in either sponsor-driven stories or in advertisements appearing in this publication. The Inside Press shall not be liable to any party as a result of any information, services or resources made available through this publication.The Inside Press is published in good faith and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in advertising or sponsor driven stories that appear in this publication. The views of advertisers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher’s.

Opinions and information presented in all Inside Press articles, such as in the arena of health and medicine, strictly reflect the experiences, expertise and/or views of those interviewed, and are not necessarily recommended or endorsed by the Inside Press. Please consult your own doctor for diagnosis and/or treatment.

Footer

Support The Inside Press

Advertising

Print Subscription

Digital Subscription

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Did you know you can subscribe anytime to our print editions?

Voluntary subscriptions are most welcome, if you've moved outside the area, or a subscription is a great present idea for an elderly parent, for a neighbor who is moving or for your graduating high school student or any college student who may enjoy keeping up with hometown stories.

Subscribe Today

Copyright © 2025 The Inside Press, Inc. · Log in