The Cassatt String Quartet gives performances across Maine at the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music July 25-August 5
Programs feature works by Pulitzer-prize winner Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Florence Price, Astor Piazzolla, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and more
"an extraordinary quartet" – The New York Times
The world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet performs in Maine July 25 through August 5, 2023 as the longtime ensemble of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music. From the island of Vinalhaven to Portland and Brunswick, the quartet performs over a dozen concerts across the state over 12 days, including public performances and community concerts.
The 2023 festival brings composers Chen Yi, Zhou Long and Anthony De Ritis to Maine for concerts in Vinalhaven, Belfast and Portland on August 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Along with guest artists Wang Guowei (erhu) and Peter Weitzner (bass), the CSQ performs works by these guest composers alongside music by the American composer Dorothy Rudd Moore (1940-2022).
Founded in 1994, the Seal Bay Festival fosters the relationship between American composers, performers, and audiences. At SBF’s annual Composer Institute, world-renowned composers Chen Yi and Zhou Long are mentors to composers who are at the beginning of their careers. Music by these Fellows is premiered by the Cassatts on July 31, after several days of workshop rehearsals.
In addition to these concerts, the Cassatt String Quartet with guest bassist Peter Weitzner gives nearly a dozen community performances at retirement homes, churches, and community centers throughout Portland, Brunswick, Topsham, North Haven, Vinalhaven, Westbrook and Gorham.
Complete program and venue information is below.
Pictured above: Erhu player Wang Guowei
Seal Bay Festival
Calendar Listing and Program Details
Visual Artist Presentation with Master Printmaker Christopher Clark
July 29, 3 pm: Vinalhaven
Free admission
Must register in advance (muneko@gmail.com or 212-932-9449); address provided upon registration
Open rehearsal with Cassatt String Quartet and Wang Guowei (erhu)
July 30, 1 pm: Vinalhaven Library (6 Carver St, Vinalhaven)
Free admission
Erhu demonstration
Chen Yi: Fiddle Suite for erhu and string quartet (with Wang Guowei, erhu)
Preview of new quartets by Woody Mo, Yun Li, Leyou Wang, and Maja Maklakiewicz
Partners in Island Education Fundraising Concert with Cassatt String Quartet, Peter Weitzner (Bass), and Wang Guowei (erhu)
July 30 at 7 pm: Union Church (25 East Main St, Vinalhaven)*
Florence Price: String Quartet No. 1
TBA: Erhu solo performed by Wang Guowei
Zhou Long: Chinese song (with Wang Guowei, erhu)
Bottesini: Bass Quintet (with Peter Weitzner, bass)
Piazzolla (arr. Shirish Korde): Oblivion
Piazzolla (arr. Shirish Korde): Libertango
Emerging Composer’s concert, presented by Composers Institute at Seal Bay Festival with Cassatt String Quartet
July 31, 6 pm: Vinalhaven School, Smith Hokanson Recital Hall (22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven)*
World premiere of quartets by Woody Mo, Yun Li, Leyou Wang, and Maja Maklakiewicz
Seal Bay Festival Concerts with Cassatt String Quartet and Wang Guowei (erhu)
August 1, 7 pm: Vinalhaven School, Smith Hokanson Recital Hall (22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven)*
August 2, 7 pm: The First Church of Belfast (8 Court St, Belfast)*
August 3, 7:30 pm: Woodfords Congregational Church (202 Woodford st, Portland)*
Zhou Long: Song of the Ch'in for string quartet
Chen Yi: Fiddle Suite for erhu and string quartet (with Wang Guowei, erhu)
Anthony De Ritis: Passion's Continuum
Dorothy Rudd-Moore: Modes
*denotes suggested donation for admission (all other concerts are free)
Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the Cassatt String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim across the world since its founding in 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, the Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Centro National de las Artes, Maeda Hall, and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The group’s discography includes over forty recordings, including three discs that were named “10 Best Classical Recordings” in The New Yorker. The CSQ, comprised of Muneko Otani and Jennifer Leshnower, violins; Rosemary Nelis, viola; and Gwen Krosnick, cello, is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.
Seal Bay Festival is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Aaron Copland Music Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Davis Family Foundation, Maine Arts Commission, and Amphion Foundation