Thursday, July 31, 2025
7:30–9:30 p.m.
General Admission—starting at $30.60 for adults, $15.30 for students
Arkell Pavilion

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.

For its 51st season, the Manchester Music Festival brings big talent and bold stories to the Arkell Pavilion at Southern Vermont Arts Center, for “Music and Storytelling,” July 10-August 7, 2025.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Philip Setzer, famously of the Emerson String Quartet, this year’s Festival presents a range of celebrated artists, including Emmy Award Winner David Strathairn; GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Christine Goerke of The Metropolitan Opera; Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet, New York Philharmonic; Emi Ferguson, Principal Flute, Handel & Haydn Society; Michael Stephen Brown, Piano and Avery Fisher Career Grant Recipient; Paul Neubauer, Viola, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Sherezade Panthaki, Soprano, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Paul Watkins, Cello, Emerson String Quartet; Gregg August, Bass, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; and the MMF Young Artists.

Audiences will experience iconic works: Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata, Mendelssohn’s Octet, Schubert’s Trout Quintet, Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, and so much more, including free family concerts. Fifty-one years on, the Festival continues to be a cultural cornerstone and one of Vermont’s must-visit summer music events. Discover more at mmfvt.org.