2013 PARMA Music Festival Announced – Live Classical Music Gathering 8/15-17, Portsmouth, NH
An energetic wave of classical – from new to historic to experimental — is beaming out of the Northeast.
It’s not south nor southwest — but there’s a similar sense of musical adventure afoot.
HQ will be the 2013 PARMA Music Festival, being held August 15-17 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
PARMA Recordings, the organizer, is a growing New England company specializing in orchestral, chamber, choral, and commercial recording. With a whole new generation of dressed-down classical music fans emerging, PARMA has wisely decided to give them a forward-thinking festival of live performances, all their own.
Already on the bill are Grammy-winning clarinet virtuoso Richard Stoltzman, marimba soloist Mika Stoltzman, the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the PARMA Orchestra with conductor John Page, with many more to be announced.
The agenda is highly enticing for music aficionados of all stripes. Daytime and evening performances, listening parties, and panels will be held at multiple venues in Portsmouth over the three days, highlighted by a closing concert event at The Music Hall on Saturday, August 17 featuring the world premieres of “Elegy For Clarinet & Orchestra” (1949) by Lukas Foss with Richard Stoltzman and the PSO, and “Streams” (2010) by Martin Schlumpf with David Taylor, Matthias Müller, and the PARMA Orchestra. Both orchestras will be conducted by Mr. Page.
The Festival will also serve as the official host for the 2013 Region 1 Conference of the Society of Composers Incorporated (SCI), one of the largest composer-service organizations in the country.
Marimba madness: the world-renowned Mika Stoltzman.
PARMA’s work is wide-ranging beyond just classical, however spanning jazz, rock, experimental, and more, with artists under is auspices including such as the Grammy-winner Richard Stoltzman, Pulitzer Prize-winner Lewis Spratlan, Pete Townshend of the Who, percussionist Steve Gadd, and former New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow among others.
In addition to recording, everything from distribution to licensing/publishing is part of PARMA’s mix. The result is a curator that’s extremely in synch with its audience, sensing the readiness for a progressive presentation of classical and all its rich guises.
“If you’ve got a tux, leave it at home – and if you don’t, well that’s perfect, because you’ll be all set,” says PARMA Recordings CEO Bob Lord. “This isn’t about a scene, or a ‘seen-and-be-seen’ for that matter, this is all about the music itself. PARMA’s work encompasses an extraordinarily wide cross-section of styles and presentations, and you’ll hear and see this diversity and eclecticism throughout the Festival.”
Midpoint in distance from NYC between Boston and Portland, Maine, Portsmouth is an under-the-radar Northeast summer destination. Its beautiful gardens, historic homes, and seaside location helped it to be named a top-100 walking city.
A full list of events featuring local, national, and international artists spanning the genres of classical, jazz, rock, and more will be announced in the spring.
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