The Valley of the Moon Music Festival specializes in chamber music performed on period instruments from the Classical and Romantic periods, a spectrum encompassing works by European composers from Haydn to Rachmaninoff from 1750 to 1945.
But for its 10th anniversary, in “Music Across the Americas” concerts from July 13-28 in Sonoma, it will showcase compositions of Latin America and North America as well as Europe from those periods, and their influences on each other.
“We originally thought of this theme for 2021, but then the pandemic happened,” says cellist Tanya Tomkins, who co-directs the festival with fortepianist Eric Zivian. “It is our most ambitious season to date and involved a lot of research and contact with scholars who have researched Latin American music, and we learned a ton in the process of creating this season.”
In the U.S., there has been a recent resurgence of the Latin American Baroque repertoire, but not of Latin American music from Classical and Romantic periods, especially on historical instruments, says Tomkins.
“Once we started our research it became clear how much this music is neglected in the United States,” she says. “We want these composers to become household names here again.”
“Music Across the Americas” includes works by well-known 20th century composers such as Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, Revueltas and Piazzolla. It also highlights music by Peruvian Pedro Ximenez Abril Tirado (1784-1856), who was the most prolific South American composer of the first half of the 19th century.
“Ximenez, who is featured on our program ‘La Musica Classica’ alongside Haydn and Boccherini, was only rediscovered in the late 20th century when his original scores were found locked away in a chest of drawers,” Zivian explains. He was influenced by Classical European composers but has his own unique and compelling voice.”
Influences flowing across the Atlantic and among the Americas during the two musical periods were palpable and numerous.
“The American composer Louis Gottschalk (1829-1869) was very connected to composers in Cuba for instance; he encouraged José White (1836-1918), the great Afro-Cuban violinist virtuoso, to go to Europe and make a career there, where he befriended and impressed Pablo de Sarasate, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gioachino Rossini and others,” Zivian says. “Gottschalk also trained and encouraged Venezuelan pianist-composer-singer Teresa Carreño (1853-1917), whose work was widely praised. She even played for Abraham Lincoln.”
The artistic cross-pollination during Classical and Romantic periods included tours by European musicians in Latin America, which exposed audiences there to Italian opera and Viennese chamber music.
In addition to concerts, The Valley of the Moon Music Festival offers the complementary Blattner Lecture Series, with expert guest speakers and Q&As. The lectures, free with purchase of a concert ticket, are at 2:30 p.m. July 13, July 21 and July 27 in the Hanna Center Conference Room.
Continuing education is another festival mission. The Cremona Apprenticeship Program supports five emerging artists (students and performers immersed in theory and practice of performing Classical and Romantic music on period instruments). Each season, apprentices are welcomed back as laureates ready to begin careers as musicians and educators
“Our faculty encourages experimentation and exploration, offering a welcoming and nurturing environment in Sonoma for young artists to find their authentic voices,” Zivian says. “Young musicians play alongside more seasoned players—we all learn from each other—and in line with our emphasis on education of all kinds, our musicians have begun working with grade school students in the Sonoma public schools’ music classes.”
The festival’s weekend concerts are at 4 p.m. in the Hanna Center Auditorium, followed by an outdoor reception with complimentary local wines. Weekday alfresco concerts at 7 p.m. are at Bartholomew Estate Winery on July 16 and Buena Vista Winery on July 23.
A pay-as-you-wish alfresco performance for families is at 7 p.m. July 18 at La Luz Center, and a free concert for families is at 2 p.m. July 28 at the Sebastiani Theatre.
The need to protect the three delicate keyboard instruments the festival employs in the climate-controlled safety of the Hanna Center is a practical reason for the weekend venue choice. Another rationale explains the location and time of weekday concerts.
“Weekday evenings, after our patrons come home from work, are a perfect time for outdoor events, and we have partnered with local wineries since the very first season,” Tomkins says. “It seemed impossible to imagine a festival in one of the world’s most beloved wine regions without serving wine at our receptions. Plus, music and wine are such a natural pairing.”
The Valley of the Moon Music Festival runs July 13-28 in Sonoma at the Hanna Center Auditorium, 17000 Arnold Drive; Bartholomew Estate Winery, 1000 Vineyard Lane; La Luz Center, 17560 Greger St.; Buena Vista Winery, 18000 Old Winery Road; and Sebastiani Theatre, 476 First St. For tickets ($30 to $100, free to students with ID) and concert lineups, visit valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org.
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