Summer of the Artist Starts Strong
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The Music Academy’s 76th annual festival Summer of the Artist got off to a glorious start with two major sold-out concerts at Hahn Hall on the Miraflores campus.
Kicking off the eight-week event, which ends on August 5, was the ever-popular Takacs Quartet with violinists Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes, cellist András Fejér, and violist Richard O’Neill, formerly with Camerata Pacifica.
Fanny Mendelssohn’s “String Quartet in E-flat major” and Schubert’s “String Quartet in G major” made for a heady performance in the packed venue.
Just 48 hours later mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard, an academy alumna who won a Grammy for best opera recording, showed off her impeccable vocal skills, accompanied by pianist John Arida, with works from Bizet, Montsalvatge, Velázquez, Bernstein, and Sondheim.
A cracking launch to what promises to be a highly entertaining season…
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