Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival grows

By CHRIS MAYS / Reformer Staff

Posted: 08/07/2013 03:00:00 AM EDT

Wednesday August 7, 2013

JAMAICA -- For its second year, the Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival has expanded by hosting an additional concert to the line-up.

"I've had nothing but support," said Festival Founder and Curator Susanna Loewy. "I've also decided that instead of making it over one weekend, to spread it over a whole week to keep the momentum going and give it the full feeling of a festival going on."

There are 10 performing musicians, three artists, a conductor and a composer in residence.

"We're all living in Jamaica, a few doors down from Town Hall," said Loewy. "We spend all day rehearsing and make our dinner all together then get ready for the next day."

The first concert of the 2013 Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival was held on Aug. 4. Compositions by Amadeus Mozart and Igor Stravinsky were among the selections. All the events of the festival are held at the Jamaica Town Hall on Main Street.

On Aug. 5, participants took a day off to hike around and swim at Jamaica State Park. The next day, they'd be back to rehearsals for a concert on the night of Aug. 7.

"We had some outreach in the State Park to try and get vacationing families to come on Thursday," said Loewy. "It would be wonderful for next year or the year after to have an attraction for families to come to Jamaica and vacation, then have an opportunity to participate in the festival events, whether it be a concert or Family Day."

The music and arts collaboration

event for kids and young adults on Thursday, from 1 to 3 p.m., is a day for families. This year's theme is inspiration and fantasy.

At night, from 4 to 6 p.m., there will be an open rehearsal where Franz Schubert's "String Quintet in C Major," will be performed as well as Joseph Hallman's "Triple Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet." From 6 to 8 p.m., there will be an open mic led by Jesse Loewy.

The festival will continue again on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. with a closing concert featuring compositions written by Schubert, Hallman, and Maurice Ravel.

Everything is free at the festival but donations are welcome. Evening concerts have pre-concert talks, which begin an hour before the concerts' starting time. There are post-concert receptions as well.

Loewy told the Reformer that she and the other participants have been getting to know the local residents better and better each day. They felt welcomed into the community upon arrival, she said.

"Last year, by the end of the festival, we felt we really were a part of the community. When I arrived to set up, people immediately recognized me and asked me questions about the festival and were excited to have it going again," Loewy said.

As a child, Loewy grew up coming up to Jamaica for at least a few weeks every summer. She felt that the town was a perfect place for a musical festival. After seeing the Town hall, she thought it seemed "absolutely perfect for those chamber music concerts."

"It's a really beautiful place with nice acoustics. It's right in the center of town so we get a lot of through traffic," said Loewy.

For the past three years, Loewy has been living in Philadelphia. She grew up in Louisana.

The rest of the festival's musicians traveled from New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Chris Mays can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 273, or cmays@reformer.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @CMaysReformer.