ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — The St. Augustine Music Festival (SAMF) returns for its 13th summer season of free classical music concerts in the historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.
Six performances are staged over two weeks, June 20-22 and June 27-29, with all concerts starting at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit StAugustineMusicFestival.org
Founded in 2007 by Jacksonville musicians Jorge A. Peña and Jin Kim-Peña, the festival welcomes audiences as varied as its concert programs. Classical music “newbies” mingle with seasoned aficionados, true to the festival’s mission to educate, elevate, and entertain all through great music, regardless of ability to pay for a ticket. Individual and corporate donors support the festival financially to keep the concerts free to the public.
SAMF creates world-class concerts with professional musicians of the highest caliber. Many of the musicians are members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. SAMF, the largest, free festival of its kind in the United States, has become a beloved summer “must-do” in Northeast Florida’s cultural life. Its concerts have been featured on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
This year’s event will feature Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with St. Augustine favorite Nigel Armstrong, the beautiful Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, Dmitri Shostakovich’s powerful Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor, and Arnold Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is located at 38 Cathedral Place in downtown St. Augustine, FL. Follow on social media: Instagram @staugmusicfest and Facebook @staugmusicfest
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or donating to the 2019 season of the St. Augustine Music Festival, please visit StAugustineMusicFestival.org or contact us at SAMFnews4u@gmail.com. Additional high-resolution photos available upon request.
ST. AUGUSTINE MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, June 20 ~ SIMPLE BEAUTY
Nigel Armstrong, Violin
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
- Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major K. 219
- Allegro aperto
- Adagio
- Rondeau
Roxanna Panufnik (B. 1968)
- Tibetan Winter
INTERMISSION
SAMF Chamber Orchestra
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
- Symphony No. 5
- Allegro
- Andante con moto
- Menuetto. Allegro molto
Friday, June 21 ~ PERCUSSION FEST
Joseph Becker, Kevin Ritenauer (Percussionists)
John Cage (1912-1992)
- Dream
- Steve Reich (B. 1936)
- Clapping Music
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
- Inventions No. 3, 4 and 1
- Daniel Levitan (B. 1957)
- Inventions No. 6, 2 and 1
INTERMISSION
Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
- Cross Hatch
Anders Koppel (B. 1947)
- Toccata
Andy Akiho (B. 1979)
- Karakurenai
Gene Koshinski (B. 1980)
- Dance of the Drums, movement 2
Saturday, June 22 ~ HOPE, JOY, AND LOVE
Nigel Armstrong, Gabriela Peña-Kim; violin
Jorge Peña, DJ Cheek; viola
Jin Kim; cello
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
- Viola Quintet in C major No. 3 K. 515
- Allegro
- Andante
- Menuetto: Allegretto
INTERMISSION
Jorge Peña, DJ Cheek; viola
Betsy Federman, Jin Kim; cello
Nigel Armstrong, Gabriela Peña-Kim; violin
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) Op. 4
Thursday, June 27 ~ A MUSICAL PARTY WITH FRIENDS
Scott Watkins; piano, Xiaodi Liu; oboe,
Patrick Graham; clarinet,
Stephanie Magnus; bassoon, Debra Sherrill; horn
Scott Watkins; piano, Alan Snow; violin,
Jorge Peña; viola, Brian Magnus; cello
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
- Piano Quintet in E-flat major K. 452
- Largo – Allegro moderator
- Larghetto
- Allegretto
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
- Piano Quartet in A minor
- Nicht zu schnell
- Scherzo
INTERMISSION
Gabriela Peña-Kim; violin, Jorge Peña; viola, Jin Kim; cello
Sam Casseday; bass, Patrick Graham; clarinet,
Stephanie Magnus; bassoon, Debra Sherrill; horn
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
- Septet in E-flat major Op. 20
- Adagio – Allegro con brio
- Adagio cantabile
- Tempo di menuetto
- Tema con variazioni
- Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace
- Andante con moto alla marcia
Friday, June 28 ~ PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA
Scott Watkins, Piano
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
- Four Impromptus Op. 90
Howard Hanson (1896-1981)
- Symphonic Rhapsody Op. 14
INTERMISSION
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
- St. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves
- Transcendental Étude No. 9
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12
Saturday, June 29 ~ AROUND THE WORLD
Sir Charles Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
- An English Suite
- Prelude
- In Minuet Style
- Saraband
- Caprice
- Pastoral
- Air
- Frolic
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
- Adagio for Strings
“In memory of SAMF violist Colin Kiely”
INTERMISSION
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
- Chamber Symphony for Strings in C minor
- Largo
- Allegro molto
- Allegretto
- Largo
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
- Suite for Strings
- Praeludium
- Intermezzo
- Finale
*SAMF Chamber Orchestra:
Violin: Nigel Armstrong, Gabriela Peña-Kim, Katherine Baloff, Piotr Szewczyk, Katrina Rozmus,
Alan Snow, Scott Jackson, Annie Hertler, and Yordan Tenev
Viola: Jorge Peña, DJ Cheek, and Daniel Urbanowicz
Cello: Jin Kim, Betsy Federman, Brian Magnus
Bass: Sam Casseday
Flute: Sarah Jane Young
Oboe: Daniel Rios and Claudia Minch
Bassoon: Anthony Anurca and Stephanie Magnus
Horn: Katharine Caliendo and Debra Sherrill