Thursday, July 17, 2025
7:30–9:30 p.m.
General Admission—starting at $30.60 for adults, $15.30 for students
Arkell Pavilion

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 Janáček’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 Janáček’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.

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.