Manchester Music Festival engages, inspires, and grows a supportive audience for classical music, performed at the highest level of artistic excellence, and teaches exceptional young performers in the art of chamber music.

This summer, Manchester Music Festival explores "Music and Storytelling," illuminating the profound connections between literature, poetry, song, and music.

Schedule of Events:

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Thursday Nights - Mainstage Concerts

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Opening Night: Baroque and A Famous Musical Quote

Location: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, Manchester, VT

Emi Ferguson, Principal Flute of the distinguished Handel and Haydn Society and recipient of the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, joins early music specialist Arthur Haas (harpsichord), Philip Setzer (violin) and the MMF Young Artists Strings to open the season with Bach's lively Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Music inspired by Shakespeare, Dryden, and Milton shapes the program in songs from Purcell's The Fairy Queen and Oedipus, as well as Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, featuring the internationally acclaimed soprano Sherezade Panthaki, a radiant phenom for whom "it becomes increasingly difficult to find words that will adequately convey the multifold splendor of her singing" (San Francisco Chronicle). Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings, which owes its literary inspiration to Goethe's Faust, while also paying homage to Handel, governs the Arkell Hall stage on the second half of the program.

Program: 
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (1721)
Purcell - Aria "Music for a While", incidental music from Oedipus: A Tragedy (1679)
Purcell - Song "The Plaint" ("O let me weep!") from The Fairy Queen (1692)
Handel - Song "Sweet Bird" from L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740)
Mendelssohn - Octet for Strings, Op. 20 (1825)

Artists: 
Arthur Haas, harpsichord
Emi Ferguson, flute
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Philip Setzer, violin
MMF Young Artists Strings

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Discovery
Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning, in collaboration with the Manchester Music Festival presents Professor Michael R. Katz

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Leo Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata (1889)

Location: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Dr., Manchester, VT

Tolstoy's controversial novella takes the form of a heartrending confession by a conscience-stricken Russian aristocrat, who murders his wife in a fit of intense jealousy. Publication of this scandalous work was initially prohibited by the Russian censors, but the Tsar himself gave permission for it to appear in Tolstoy's collected works. As we would say now, it went viral! This talk will summarize and analyze the original story, and then describe briefly Tolstoy's thoughts about classical music, in particular, Beethoven's Sonata (Kreutzer) for Violin and Piano (1803).

Guest Speaker:
Russian scholar Michael R. Katz is C.V. Starr Professor Emeritus at Middlebury College. He is the author of two monographs and is a renowned translator of Russian literature, including English versions of works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. He retired from full-time teaching in 2010, but continues to teach occasional J-term courses at Middlebury and summers at the Bread Loaf School of English. 

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Thursday, July 17, 2025

Thursday Nights - Mainstage Concerts

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: The Kreutzer Sonata

Loaction: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, Manchester, VT

Beethoven's complex ninth sonata reverberates to the present day. Originally written for his friend, George Bridgetower, the two fell out and the piece was rededicated to another notable violinist of the time, Rudolphe Kreutzer. Against this backdrop, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove conjured a narrative for the biracial Bridgetower in her poetry collection Sonata Mulattica: A Life in Five Movements and a Short Play. The sonata itself became a key plot point in Tolstoy's dark novella of the same name, which in turn inspired Janá?ek's String Quartet No. 1. Pianist Michael Stephen Brown and violinist Philip Setzer perform Beethoven's sonata; and the eminent violist Paul Neubauer will be featured on Janá?ek's tone poem, as well as on Schumann's exuberant Piano Quintet in E-flat major. The program will be underscored with readings from Dove and Tolstoy's works by actor Linda Setzer.

Program: 
Beethoven - The Kreutzer Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 (1803), preceded by the Rita Dove poem "The Bridgetower Sonata" (2009)
Janá?ek - String Quartet No. 1, "The Kreutzer Sonata" (1923), with readings from Leo Tolstoy's "The Kreutzer Sonata" (1889)
Schumann - Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44 (1842)

Artists: 
Michael Stephen Brown, piano
Philip Setzer, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Linda Setzer, narrator
MMF Young Artists Strings

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Family Programs

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Family Programs - Ferdinand the Bull

Location: Manchester Community Library, 138 Cemetary Ave., Manchester, VT

The ideal introduction to the beauty and enjoyment of the performing arts, Manchester Music Festival's Family Programs invite young people and their grownups to discover the world of chamber music together. 

Programs:
Ridout - "Ferdinand the Bull" (1971). Inspired by american author Munro Leaf's best-loved book, The Story of Ferdinand (1936), British composer Alan Ridout penned his musical adaptation for violin and reader in 1971. Violinist Philip Setzer will perform Ridout's appealing score, with actor Linda Setzer narrating the tale of the peace-loving bull who delighted in a sunny, fragrant meadow (July 19). 

Poulenc - "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant" (1940). Francis Poulenc's brilliant musical characterizations of Babar, his Mother, the Patroness, and cousins Arthur and Celeste embellish Jean de Brunhoff's memorable "Story of Babar," a classic that has warmed young hearts since 1931. Scored for piano and reader, "The Story of Babar" will be brought to life by actor Paula Nassivera and pianist (to be announced) (August 2).

Artists:
Philip Setzer, violin
Linda Setzer, narrator
Paula Nassivera, narrator
Pianist

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Young Artists Concerts

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Chamber Music

Location: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Dr., Manchester, VT

Each summer, ten exceptional young musicians participate in the Manchester Music Festival Young Artists Program. This immersive curriculum is a full-scholarship five-week professional training program for string players and pianists, ages 18 - 26. The primary focus of the Young Artists Program is to intensively study and perform chamber music at a high level and to provide a select group of students the rare opportunity to work directly with internationally acclaimed guest artists. Young Artists perform with their mentors in MMF concerts on the mainstage and in dedicated Young Artists Concerts. This year's program features two concerts of the chamber repertoire on July 20 and August 3; and a special concerto program on July 27, designed to showcase the artists' individual talents. Program details will be announced. 

Young Artists on Tour
The Young Artists on Tour series also brings these talented musicians to venues throughout the region as part of MMF. The ensembles perform masterpieces of chamber music repertoire in diverse locations for the enjoyment of new audiences. In previous seasons, Young Artists have performed in clubs, churches, museums, community festivals, and live in the studios of Vermont Public Classical radio. 

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Thursday Nights - Mainstage Concerts

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: The Wordless Voice of the Clarinet

Loaction: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, Manchester, VT

Few instruments evoke the human voice with such range and nuance as the clarinet, and even fewer performers achieve the distinction of Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. Recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize and named 2024 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical america, McGill is a musician whose "trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character" (The New York Times) burnish everything he plays. McGill will be joined by violinist Philip Setzer, the MMF Young Artists Strings and MMF returning favorites Edward Arron (cello) and Jeewon Park (piano) for Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes and Brahms' Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano. The program concludes with Mozart's exquisite Clarinet Quintet, a late work considered by many to be his greatest chamber music piece. 

Program: 
Prokofiev - Overture on Hebrew Themes for Clarinet, Strings, and Piano, Op. 34 (1919)
Brahms - Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 114 (1891)
Mozart - Clarinet Quintet, K. 581 (1789)

Artists: 
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Jeewon Park, piano
Philip Setzer, violin
Edward Arron, cello
MMF Young Artists

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Young Artists Concerts

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Concerto Concert

Location: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Dr., Manchester, VT

Each summer, ten exceptional young musicians participate in the Manchester Music Festival Young Artists Program. This immersive curriculum is a full-scholarship five-week professional training program for string players and pianists, ages 18 - 26. The primary focus of the Young Artists Program is to intensively study and perform chamber music at a high level and to provide a select group of students the rare opportunity to work directly with internationally acclaimed guest artists. Young Artists perform with their mentors in MMF concerts on the mainstage and in dedicated Young Artists Concerts. This year's program features two concerts of the chamber repertoire on July 20 and August 3; and a special concerto program on July 27, designed to showcase the artists' individual talents. Program details will be announced. 

Young Artists on Tour
The Young Artists on Tour series also brings these talented musicians to venues throughout the region as part of MMF. The ensembles perform masterpieces of chamber music repertoire in diverse locations for the enjoyment of new audiences. In previous seasons, Young Artists have performed in clubs, churches, museums, community festivals, and live in the studios of Vermont Public Classical radio. 

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: "Birding by Ear"

Location: Manchester Community Library, 138 Cemetary Ave., Manchester, VT

Manchester Music Festival's Discovery programs bring knowledge and insight to the music on our stages through informal talks, demonstrations, interviews, book signings and other events in the community. 

Composer Perry Goldstein will talk about his collaboration with author Richard Powers, "Birding by Ear." The work is a setting of six poems by Powers and will be performed July 31 as part of the Manchester Music Festival's Thursday Nights Mainstage Series.  

Powers and Goldstein will be joined by violinist Philip Setzer, cellist Paul Watkins, pianist Gilles Vonsattel, and baritone Randall Scarlata to provide musical illustrations of the themes the composer and author explore.

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Thursday Nights - Mainstage Concerts

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Music Inspired by Song and Birdsong

Loaction: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, Manchester, VT

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers' sextet of poems from 2013 forms the basis of composer Perry Goldstein's song cycle, "Birding by Ear." Baritone Randall Scarlata, admired for his "compelling desire to bring texts to life" (The New York Times), will be joined by the musicians with whom he premiered the work in 2022—violinist Philip Setzer, cellist Paul Watkins, and pianist Gilles Vonsattel. Wenzel Müller's amusing aria "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu," followed by Beethoven's equally buoyant variations on the song, embrace the avian theme; and the sounds of the woodland are further celebrated in Schubert's "Die Forelle," based on the poem by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, as well as the composer's subsequent and well-loved "Trout" Quintet. Bassist Nina Bernat joins the ensemble on the final work.

Tuesday, July 29 at 5:00 p.m.  Manchester Community Library
Join Philip Setzer, Perry Goldstein, Paul Watkins, Gilles Vonsattel, and Randall Scarlata for a discussion and demonstration of "Birding by Ear."

Program: 
Wenzel Müller - "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu" ("I am the tailor Cockatoo") (1794)
Beethoven - "Kakadu" Variations, Op. 121a (1803)
Perry Goldstein - "Birding by Ear", settings of poems by Richard Powers (2022)
Schubert - Song "Die Forelle" ("The Trout") (1817)
Schubert - "Trout" Quintet ("Die Forelle"), D. 667, Op.114 (1819) 

Artists:
Randall Scarlata, baritone
Gilles Vonsattel, piano
Philip Setzer, violin
Paul Watkins, cello
Nina Bernat, bass
MMF Young Artists

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Family Programs

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Family Programs - The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant

Location: Manchester Community Library, 138 Cemetary Ave., Manchester, VT

The ideal introduction to the beauty and enjoyment of the performing arts, Manchester Music Festival's Family Programs invite young people and their grownups to discover the world of chamber music together. 

Programs:
Ridout - "Ferdinand the Bull" (1971). Inspired by american author Munro Leaf's best-loved book, The Story of Ferdinand (1936), British composer Alan Ridout penned his musical adaptation for violin and reader in 1971. Violinist Philip Setzer will perform Ridout's appealing score, with actor Linda Setzer narrating the tale of the peace-loving bull who delighted in a sunny, fragrant meadow (July 19). 

Poulenc - "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant" (1940). Francis Poulenc's brilliant musical characterizations of Babar, his Mother, the Patroness, and cousins Arthur and Celeste embellish Jean de Brunhoff's memorable "Story of Babar," a classic that has warmed young hearts since 1931. Scored for piano and reader, "The Story of Babar" will be brought to life by actor Paula Nassivera and pianist (to be announced) (August 2).

Artists:
Philip Setzer, violin
Linda Setzer, narrator
Paula Nassivera, narrator
Pianist

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Young Artists Concerts

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Chamber Music

Location: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Dr., Manchester, VT

Each summer, ten exceptional young musicians participate in the Manchester Music Festival Young Artists Program. This immersive curriculum is a full-scholarship five-week professional training program for string players and pianists, ages 18 - 26. The primary focus of the Young Artists Program is to intensively study and perform chamber music at a high level and to provide a select group of students the rare opportunity to work directly with internationally acclaimed guest artists. Young Artists perform with their mentors in MMF concerts on the mainstage and in dedicated Young Artists Concerts. This year's program features two concerts of the chamber repertoire on July 20 and August 3; and a special concerto program on July 27, designed to showcase the artists' individual talents. Program details will be announced. 

Young Artists on Tour
The Young Artists on Tour series also brings these talented musicians to venues throughout the region as part of MMF. The ensembles perform masterpieces of chamber music repertoire in diverse locations for the enjoyment of new audiences. In previous seasons, Young Artists have performed in clubs, churches, museums, community festivals, and live in the studios of Vermont Public Classical radio. 

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Thursday Nights - Mainstage Concerts

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Grand Finale - Cabaret Songs and Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat

Loaction: Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, Manchester, VT

The multi-Grammy Award-winning soprano Christine Goerke returns to the Manchester Music Festival as the Devil in Stravinsky's masterful and sardonic take on the Faust legend, L'Histoire du soldat (Tale of the Soldier). Originally conceived for a cabaret setting, the work will be semi-staged at Arkell Pavilion by director James Glossman, and features the award-winning stage, film, and television actor David Strathairn (Goodnight, and Good Luck; Nomadland) as the Soldier, with actor Linda Setzer narrating. The chamber ensemble will be led by Paul Watkins and includes Philip Setzer (violin), Alan Kay (clarinet), and Eduardo Leandro (percussion), as well as Grace O'Connell (trumpet), Bridget Piccirilli (bassoon), and Matthew Nienow (trombone). Choreography created by Peter Sparling (Martha Graham Dance Company) will be performed by Marie Millard. Hailed "the reigning american dramatic soprano of the day" (The New York Times), Goerke will also perform a selection of cabaret songs drawn from the work of Weill, Bernstein, and Sondheim, with Watkins at the piano; and the MMF Young Artists open the program with the Mozart motet Ave Verum Corpus.

Program: 
Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus, K 618 (1791)
Songs by Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, Carrie Jacobs Bond, and others
Stravinsky -  L'Histoire du soldat ("Tale of the Soldier"-performed in English) (1918) 

Artists: 
David Strathairn, actor (The Soldier)
Christine Goerke, soprano (The Devil)
Linda Setzer, actor (Narrator)
Philip Setzer, violin
Alan Kay, clarinet
Eduardo Leandro, percussion
Grace O'Connell, trumpet
Bridget Piccirilli, bassoon
Matthew Nienow, trombone
Paul Watkins, conductor and piano
James Glossman, director
Peter Sparling, choreographer
Marie Millard, dancer
MMF Young Artists

Date:
July 10 - August 7, 2025

Location:
Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 SVAC Drive, Manchester, VT 05255
Manchester Community Library, 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester, VT 05255

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