Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival

World-Class String Quartet to Share Chamber Music with Chatham Kids

February 01, 2006, Chatham, MA – The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and the Borromeo String Quartet will present two outreach programs in Chatham on Tuesday, February 7th. Fifth and 6th graders from Chatham Middle School will head to their auditorium that morning to hear Nicholas Kitchen, first violinist of the BSQ and Artistic Director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, illustrate a brief history of the chamber music art form: from the music of J.S. Bach, Haydn, and Mozart, to more contemporary composers such as Schubert and Bartok. Students will hear live excerpts performed by the BSQ and enjoy a video montage created by Mr. Kitchen, depicting artwork and images from each composer’s era.

That afternoon, the Borromeo will travel from the middle school to the May Institute on Seaview Street. The May Institute was established in Chatham in 1955 and is an organization that provides services to children and adolescents with autism, brain injury, developmental, and behavioral disorders. The Quartet plans to play a short program for the students. Regarding the pilot event, Susan Chalmers, Managing Director of the Festival, says “because it’s our first time working with the students at the May Institute, we will present a brief and varied program of music from the string quartet repertoire, and see how it goes. Given the unique and sensitive nature of the students we’re not quite sure how they will react, but should it prove successful, the Festival and the Borromeo would like to explore a more regular schedule with the May Institute in the future and hope to sustain grant monies for such a purpose.”

The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival runs during the first three weeks every August and is now in its 27th year. Performances in Chatham are at the First Congregational Church on Main Street, and also take place in Cotuit, Dennis, Wellfleet, and Provincetown. For more information about the Festival call: 800.818.0608 or visit www.capecodchambermusic.org.

The educational residency is made possible in part by Chamber Music America and the Chatham Cultural Council.