It was only four years ago that Hurricane Irene ravaged the Catskills, and Windham was one of the hardest-hit areas. It’s inspiring to see how far the Greene County town had bounced back in such a short time, and the opening of the Windham Chamber Music Festival this weekend is further evidence of Windham’s re-emergence.
The festival opens its summer season on Saturday with a standing-room only gala concert by the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra conducted by Robert Manno. Featured artists include pianist Anna Polonsky and flutist Diva Goodfriend-Koven, each performing concertos by Mozart, along with the first performance in Windham of Schubert’s great Fifth Symphony.
Here’s Polonksy playing a bit of Verdi in 2009:
The Windham Chamber Music Festival’s Gala Opening Concert takes place on July 18 at 8pm at the Windham Civic Centre Concert Hall in Windham. Tickets are $35 general admission, $32 for seniors (65+), $30 for contributors: $30, and $5 for students (6-23). For those unable to attend the evening performance, there will be a free open rehearsal July 19 from 11:00am to 1:30pm. For more information, call (518) 734-3868 or visit www.windhammusic.com.
