This summer’s event season is shaping up to be a stunning celebration of the vibrancy and diversity of arts programming in the Hudson Valley. There’s no place where that energy is more evident than at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah.
This season, Caramoor’s sprawling 80-acre property, with the historic Italianate villa at its heart, will host music lovers for a jam-packed season of more than 40 curated performances across a wide range of genres—from classical music to opera, global music, American roots, jazz, and more.
An Arts Destination All Its Own
Originally built as the country estate of prominent banker and arts patron Walter T. Rosen and his wife Lucie Bieglow Rosen—a pioneering electronic musician who traveled the world playing the theremin—Caramoor has evolved in recent years into one of the Hudson Valley’s most acclaimed music and art destinations.
To add to Caramoor’s appeal, guests are also invited to explore the picturesque property for free two hours before each performance, and there’s ample space for pre-concert picnics with friends or family.
A Super Summer Lineup of Events
Caramoor’s concert season gets underway with a dazzling performance of beloved classics from the Great American Songbook by Tony, Emmy, and Grammy award–winning singer and actor Audra McDonald, accompanied by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (June 17). Theater lovers also won’t want to miss an evening of songs honoring film and TV composer Harold Arlen (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Get Happy,”) hosted by Ted Sperling and sung by Broadway stars Julie Benko, Aisha de Haas, Mikaela Bennett, and Nicholas Ward (July 8).
Opera fans will be thrilled for Caramoor’s production of pioneering Baroque opera composer Francesca Caccini’s “Alcina,” presented in collaboration with the Boston Music Festival (June 25) as well as Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (July 23). And for Contemporary Classical fans, there will be two Orchestra of St. Luke’s concerts featuring pianist Hélène Grimaud (July 16) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (August 6).
Caramoor will also be bringing back its two beloved full-day music festivals this year: the American Roots Music Festival and the Jazz Festival.
The American Roots Music Festival (June 24), presented in collaboration with City Winery, will be headlined by country singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, a Grammy-nominee and rising solo star. Fans of the country and folk genres will also want to snag tickets to see mega-singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, who will be performing with her full band in the Venetian Theater (August 5).
The annual Jazz Festival (July 22), presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, will be headlined by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, and includes a full day of artist collaborations and tributes to celebrated greats. Jazz aficionados also won’t want to miss singing sensation Samara Joy (August 4), winner of the 2023 Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist.
Anyone tuned in to the boundary-pushing work of contemporary composers will want to catch Brooklyn percussion ensemble Sandbox Percussion’s performance of composer Andy Akiho’s largest-scale chamber music work, “Seven Pillars” (June 30). There will also be a free New York premiere of Ted Hearne’s “FARMING,” performed by The Crossing choir (July 9), an original composition that grapples with the impact of settler colonialism on current labor practices from tech to agriculture.
In recent years, Caramoor has also become known for bringing global musicians to the forefront of its programming. On back-to-back nights in July, there will be performances from the award-winning Ukrainian folk-meets-punk ensemble DakhaBrakha (July 14) and the Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician Oumou Sangaré (July 15).
There’s plenty of family-friendly programming to be had at Caramoor, too. Come swing dance to the big band sounds of the 17-piece Eyal Vilner Swing Band (June 18); celebrate Independence Day with Pops and Patriots featuring the Westchester Symphonic Wind (July 2); and enjoy one of three Concerts for Little Ones for kids ages 2-6 (July 17, 14, and 21).
Caramoor’s season closes on a spectacularly groovy note with sensational singer-songwriter and piano rocker Neal Francis, who will be performing songs from his new album, “In Plain Sight” (August 18).
For the full summer season concert schedule and to purchase tickets, visit Caramoor.org.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah
June 5–August 20 / Thurs-Sun 10am-4pm
Grounds are open free of charge two hours prior to concert start times.
A free shuttle runs from the Katonah Train Station to Caramoor and back for all summer concerts.
(914) 232-1252
[email protected]
Caramoor.org
