Media Release: International Music Festival Celebrates ‘Bohemian’ History of the Catskills

This August, the hills will be alive with the sounds of Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, and other titans of Romantic music at the Catskill High Peaks Music Festival. A creation of internationally acclaimed cellist and festival director Yehuda Hanani, the festival was inspired by the role of the Catskill Mountains as an artists’ retreat and bohemian destination for some of the most influential contributors to the Gilded Age in America.

With regional inspiration from Frederick Church to Mark Twain, the programming uses music to inspire current artists and audiences to continue the area’s tradition of creative work. “We are committed to bringing the very best artists and leading pedagogues to continue this new musical tradition, here in the breathtaking environment that inspired the Hudson River School painters and generations of artists since,” says Hanani. This Summer brings artists from around the globe, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, France, Japan and Korea.

Previously held in Tannersville, NY, this year’s events will take place from August 9th – 19th amid the rolling hills, intimate parlors, and performance halls of The Carey Institute’s 100+ acre campus in the Helderberg Hilltown of Rensselaerville. The 10-day chamber music festival boasts a schedule of concerts, master classes, and lectures with performances by internationally renowned violinist Peter Zazofsky, pianist and conductor Michael Chertock, as well as Yehuda Hanani.

Local audiences aren’t the only ones to benefit from the Festival. This year’s program also features a “Buddy Day” on August 19, in which students from musically underserved Capital Region schools and Kids4Harmony in Pittsfield will participate in a full day of interaction with the Residents and Masters, culminating with a performance that evening.

Catskill High Peaks Music Festival
Presented by the Carey Institute for Global Good and Close Encounters with Music
When: August 9th – 19th
Where: Carey Institute for Global Good
100 Pond Hill Road
Rensselaerville, NY 12147
Tickets: Prices range from free to $30
Tickets can be reserved by calling 518-797-5100518-797-5100 or purchased at the door

Yehuda Hanani
Born in Jerusalem, Hanani was brought to the United States from Israel by Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern at the age of 19. He is an international soloist, recording artist, Israeli-American cellist and Professor of Violoncello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has served on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory and presents master classes around the globe (including Juilliard, Paris Conservatoire, Hochschule fur Musik, among others). He has been at the forefront of thematic programming and has directed the innovative chamber music series – Close Encounters With Music – (based in the Berkshires since 1992) in cities across the U.S. and Canada, and at the Frick Museum in New York. He has been the subject of hundreds of articles and interviews in the media, and his weekly program on NPR affiliate station WAMC Northeast Radio, “Classical Music According to Yehuda” attracts thousands of fans.

The Carey Institute for Global Good is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2012 by Wm. P. Carey and is dedicated to making the world better by contributing to a strong, educated and just society. Through its programs, the Institute strives to bring together innovative and dynamic people from around the world to seek creative solutions to the most pressing challenges of the day.

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For more information on the program, or to schedule an interview with director Yehuda Hanani, please contact Leah Hennessy at The Carey Institute for Global Good at lhennessy(at)careyinstitute(dot)org or call 518-797-5100518-797-5100