It was the great 18th-century Irish statesman Edmund Burke who said, “No one ever made a greater mistake than he who did nothing, because he could only do a little.”
With that in mind, Caramoor, the Mediterranean-style center for music and the other arts and an acclaimed summer festival in Katonah, is plunging ahead with a coronavirus-modified summer season.
“Caramoor’s purpose is to inspire a lifelong love of music in our beautiful setting,” says CEO Jeff Haydon. “Rather than cancel our summer season entirely, Caramoor’s ‘Summer 20/2.0’ provides ways we might still be able to offer opportunities to bring much-needed inspiration to our community.”
Over the course of “Summer 20/2.0,” Caramoor aims to stream seven new performances from the Music Room of the Rosen House, known for its historically eclectic furnishings and intimate acoustics. The video streams will feature such artists as Inon Barnatan, Conor Hanick, Sandbox Percussion, the Calidore String Quartet and Musicians from The Knights in repertoire ranging from Mozart and Tchaikovsky to excerpts from Shirley Graham Du Bois’ opera “Tom-Tom,” a children’s program, and the world premieres of new works by Christopher Cerrone and Anna Clyne. Each streamed performance will be accompanied by additional content, including talks with the artists and closer looks at the Westchester house and grounds (July 2–Aug 6).
Later in the summer, Caramoor plans to host four live, public, open-air concerts on Friends Field. Suitable for small, well-spaced audiences, these will feature multiple genres – American roots, mariachi, jazz and swing (Saturdays, July 18–Aug 8, with rain dates on the following Sundays).
In addition, Caramoor hopes to open its outdoor spaces to the public, beginning in mid-July. Visitors will be able to enjoy its landscaped Italianate and woodland gardens, interacting with nature, architecture and history on socially distant picnics and walks, as well as exploring the site-specific sound art installations of Sonic Innovations (Thursdays through Sundays, beginning July 16).
Finally, a variety of outdoor pop-up events may also be added to the lineup, with appearances around the grounds by artists, including a brass ensemble from Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Caramoor’s orchestra-in-residence for the past 41 years.
For more, visit caramoor.org.
