MARLBORO — Marlboro Music, the summer community that The New Yorker has described as “the classical world's most coveted retreat,” will share the discoveries of its 80 resident artists on five concert weekends from July 19 through Aug. 17.
Performances are Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., with two special Friday concerts: Aug. 8 and 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Programs are selected by the musicians themselves, a week in advance, from the 75 works being explored in depth.
The 2014 season, Marlboro's 64th, marks the first in which Mitsuko Uchida assumes the role of sole artistic director, having served as co-director with Richard Goode since 1999.
Both artists reached Marlboro as young musicians and have returned to share their insights with new generations. Marlboro says in a program announcement that it's thrived under their leadership: they introduced lieder sessions, re-instituted a resident composer program, and encouraged the exploration of Bach cantata arias and a focus on some of the major works from string quartet literature.
Moreover, Uchida expanded Marlboro's reach by inviting more young artists from Europe. Both she and Goode share credit for integrating guest artists and lecturers into the summer program to help broaden the perspectives of aspiring new musical leaders for the 21st century.
Goode steps down from his role as co-artistic director, a post he has held since 1999, after having spent 28 seasons at Marlboro: two decades as a senior presence, in addition to his early years there, starting at 15 in 1957.
After this extensive commitment, he recently announced he's setting aside his summer months to pursue a variety of personal and professional projects. He adds he remains committed to Marlboro and looks forward to helping at other times of the year.
Uchida will be joined for the seven-week session by an international group of master artists including special guest artist Leon Fleisher, composer-in-residence Kaija Saariaho, and exceptional young professional musicians.