Katonah, NY - Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts launches its 64th Caramoor International Music Festival on Saturday, June 27 at 8:30pm with Susan Graham, the dazzling Metropolitan Opera star, singing a selection of Mozart’s most beautiful and emotionally affecting arias.

The Festival’s opening weekend continues with the kick-off event for the third year of its acclaimed Sonidos Latinos Latin American music initiative:  the high-voltage Latin jazz and hard-driving Cuban rhythms of Tiempo Libre on Sunday, June 28 at 4:30pm.  Audiences of all ages may enjoy Tiempo Libre, the two-time Grammy-nominated ensemble and top timba (Cuban Salsa) band in the country, in Caramoor’s Venetian Theater or from the picnic grounds as the first Caramoor Al Fresco event of the summer.

Opening Night
“It is an honor to have David Robertson, the acclaimed Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s for our Opening Night concert and to welcome guest soloist Susan Graham to the stage of our Venetian Theater,” said Michael Barrett, Chief Executive and General Director of Caramoor.  “Many in our audience may already have had the pleasure of hearing Susan sing during her celebrated opera and recital career and undoubtedly will relish the opportunity to hear her again.  Those experiencing her magnificent voice for the first time will quickly understand why one critic wrote ‘It is impossible to take eyes or ears off of Susan Graham whenever she is onstage.’”  (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The evening’s program includes Rossini’s Overture to La gazza ladra; Mozart’s Ch’io mi scordi di te…Non temer, amato bene, K. 505, Deh per questo istante solo and Parto, parto ma tub en mio from La Clemenza di Tito; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67.

Opening Night Gala
In addition to the concert, the evening will also feature Caramoor’s annual Opening Night Gala, which begins at 6:00pm with dinner, provided by Caramoor’s caterer, Great Performances®, and concludes after the concert with dessert and dancing with the artists at “Club Caramoor.”

Tickets to the entire Gala evening are $2,500 and $1,250, and $600.  Tables of 10 are available.  A limited number of “After Dark” tickets, which include the concert, dessert, and dancing are available at $250.  This year’s Gala co-chairs are Effie and Robert Fribourg of Katonah , NY and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kendall of Greenwich, CT.

Opening Night Artists
Susan Graham, one of today's foremost opera stars, is a versatile and compelling singing actress with a devoted international audience.  She has sung leading roles from the Baroque and Classical to contemporary creations in the great opera houses of the world, including at:  the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Dresden's Semperoper, and at the Salzburg Festival, and she has appeared with most of the world's leading conductors and orchestras.  In great demand at home and abroad, the Grammy® Award-winning mezzo-soprano enchants audiences with her expressive voice, her natural, engaging acting ability in both comedy and tragedy, and with her tall and graceful stature.  A cover article in Gramophone magazine dubbed her " America 's favorite mezzo."

Ilya Poletaev leads a multi-faceted career as a classically trained pianist as well as a performer on early keyboards.  As a solo pianist, he has appeared with the Toronto and Hartford symphony orchestras; as a chamber musician, he has performed alongside such distinguished artists as Donald Weilerstein, Gary Hoffmann, and Boris Berman.  In addition to Caramoor, where he was a member of the Rising Stars program, he has also appears at such festivals as the Sarasota, Norfolk, the Banff Festival of the Arts, the Orford Arts Center, Yellow Barn Music Festival, and Stratford Summer Music Festival.  As a harpsichordist, he has been the recipient of Early Music America scholarship and has been heard at the Vancouver Early Music, Amherst Early music festivals, as well as at Dartington Summer Music in the U.K.

American conductor David Robertson, highly acclaimed worldwide for his impeccable musicianship, exhilarating presence, and innovative programming, returns to Caramoor to lead the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and open the 64th season.  Equally at home in both orchestral and operatic realms, Mr. Robertson’s combination of passion and intellect has established him as a leading interpreter of both the standard classical repertoire as well as less traditional works of our time.  2009 finds Mr. Robertson in his fourth season as Music Director of the 129-year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, while continuing as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post to which he was appointed in 2005.  In addition to his commitments with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he continues to guest conduct nationally and internationally including appearances in the U.S. with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the San Francisco Symphony and Seattle Symphony.  Internationally, Mr. Robertson appears with the Sydney Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Orchestra of St. Luke's is America 's foremost and most versatile chamber orchestra.  Formed at the Caramoor International Music Festival in the summer of 1979, the Orchestra evolved from the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble (1974), with Ensemble members forming the Orchestra's artistic core as principal players.  The Ensemble and the Orchestra still co-exist today, and the collaborative chamber aesthetic that is the St. Luke’s hallmark has resulted in consistent critical acclaim, both for mastery of a diverse repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary, and for vibrant music-making of the highest order.  In addition to serving each summer as the Orchestra-in-Residence at Caramoor, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s participates in such Carnegie Hall events as four-concert series in the Isaac Stern Auditorium, the Choral Workshop and Carnegie Family Concerts, in addition to numerous artistic collaborations with other New York City cultural organizations.

Tiempo Libre and Sonidos Latinos
Tiempo Libre is one the hottest young Latin bands today.  Equally at home in concert halls, jazz clubs, and dance venues, the members of the Miami-based band are true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba .  Tiempo Libre's members were all classically trained in Cuba 's premiere conservatories at a time when it was illegal to listen to American songs on the radio. Now, the group is a hit in the U.S. and abroad, celebrated for its incendiary, joyful performances of timba, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son, a style of music that became popular in Cuba in the 1920s.  Tiempo Libre's members were all enjoying thriving careers in Latin music performing, touring and recording with such artists as Albita, Cachao, Arturo Sandoval, NG La Banda, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Isaac Delgado, when the seven extraordinary musicians came together to realize their collective musical dream: to create the first authentic all-Cuban timba band in the United States.  Their eagerness to share their music with others led these multi-talented individuals to come together between projects to develop their new style together, hence the name Tiempo Libre (Free Time).

Sonidos Latinos, Caramoor’s adventurous Latin American music initiative, was established in 2007.  The continuing goal of the initiative is to bring Latin American music, often under-represented in classical music venues, to a position of importance commensurate with the growing prominence and influence of Latin American culture in our society.

The 2009 Sonidos Latinos series continues on July 16 with the first Northeastern U.S. appearance of Jorge Luis Prats, one of Cuba’s finest pianists; July 19 with the legendary Paquito D’Rivera and his first-ever all Cuban band; and August 1 and 2 with Caramoor Jazz Festival sets featuring the foot-stomping Latin Jazz of the Chuchito Valdes Quartet and the Brazilian sensations Luciana Souza and Romero Lubambo.

Tickets
Tickets for Caramoor’s Opening Night concert are $35, $45, $55, $70, and $80.  Tickets for Tiempo Libre are $15, $20, $30, and $45 and include seating in the Venetian Theater.  Caramoor Al Fresco tickets are $10 for audiences, particularly family audiences, to hear the concert from the picnic lawns at Caramoor.  Tickets may be purchased at the Caramoor Box Office, 914.232.1252 or ordered online at www.caramoor.org.

Groups of 16 or more may purchase discounted tickets by contacting Matthew Scarella at 914.232.5035 ext. 266 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

For Opening Night Gala tickets contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 914.232.1492.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, New York.

About Caramoor
Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built their summer home – now known as the historic Rosen House at Caramoor – and filled it with their treasures.  Walter Rosen was the master planner for the Caramoor estate, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world.  Their musical evenings were the seeds of today’s Caramoor International Music Festival.  Realizing the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor – the house with artworks spanning the centuries from B.C.E. to the 20th-century, the gardens, and the musical programs on summer evenings – in 1946 the Rosens established a public charity to open Caramoor to the community.

Lucie Rosen survived her husband by seventeen years.  During those years, she expanded the Music Festival: the Spanish Courtyard was used as a setting for musical events, as it is today, and, under her direction, the great stage of the Venetian Theater was built.

Caramoor is often described as “a Garden of Great Music” where audiences are invited to come early, explore the beautiful grounds, take a tour of the Rosen House, visit the gift shop, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens.  With its unique heritage, Caramoor remains a place where magical summer days and nights are shared and enjoyed by thousands. “Caramoor is the loveliest Festival of them all.” – The New York Times

Concert Venues, Art and Gardens
Concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1,714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard.  Caramoor is more than just music – there is beauty at every turn.  The Rosens were prolific collectors and the Rosen House contains artworks spanning the centuries from B.C.E. to the 20th-century, including furniture, tapestries, sculpture, paintings, textiles, porcelain, and jade in twenty rooms that are open to the public.  There are entire rooms that were imported from European palaces and villas making the Rosen House one of just five mansions in the country that imported and incorporated entire rooms.  On Thursdays and Fridays, afternoon tea is served in the Summer Dining Room, overlooking the charming Spanish Courtyard.

Caramoor’s gardens are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens.  Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, a Butterfly Garden , Tapestry Hedge, and Iris and Peony Garden , which may be enjoyed on one’s own or seen on a guided tour.

Enjoy a Picnic at Caramoor
Extend your Caramoor experience by arriving for concerts early and enjoying a picnic amidst the beautiful gardens.  Bring your own picnic or pre-order from Great Performances® by calling 212.337.6055.

Caramoor Al Fresco
Introduce your family to Caramoor and enjoy the sounds of the concert from the picnic grounds for only $10.00 per ticket on the following Sunday afternoons at 4:30pm:  June 28 (Tiempo Libre), July 5 (Pacifica Quartet with Jeremy Denk), July 12 (Brentano String Quartet), July 19 (Paquito D’Rivera), and July 26 (Vladimir Feltsman).

Rosen House
Guided tours of the historic Rosen House at Caramoor are provided from Wednesday through Sunday, 1:00pm-4:00pm with the last tour at 3:00pm.  On Saturdays, during the Festival, tours are given from 1:00pm-5:00pm, with the last tour at 4:00pm.  Tickets are $10.00 (children 16 and under free).

GETTING TO CARAMOOR
Caramoor is easy to get to by car and mass transportation.  The Caramoor Caravan is available for Bel Canto at Caramoor performances.

By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey , take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah.  Exit at Route 35/ Cross River .  Turn right and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road .  Follow the signs to Caramoor.  (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 2, or online at www.caramoor.org).  Parking at Caramoor is free.

By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah , New York . Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road , Katonah , New York.

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