Chamber Music Festival 2024 - Rancho La Puerta

Rancho La Puerta Presents:

Chamber Music Festival Week

February 3-10, 2024

Our 7th Annual Chamber Music Festival features some of the world’s finest musicians who will inspire you with extraordinary performances set in the relaxed atmosphere of The Ranch. In addition to daily concerts, you can enjoy talks by the musicians, participate in workshops and perhaps even encounter “random acts of music” in unexpected places throughout your day.

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2023’s Program

For reference only.

The Week

The highlights of the festival are performances that combine “Carnegie Hall” artistry with relaxed discourse. Whether held at La Cocina Que Canta, Oaktree, Bazar del Sol or the Dining Hall, you will leave feeling invigorated, inspired and possibly transformed.

2023 Program:
Sunday, 8 PM
: “Opening Night” Festival week kicks off with a high-spirited concert by WindSync.

Monday, 8 PM: “Broken Hearts and Madmen” with the Juno Award winning Gryphon Trio and singer, Patricia O’Callaghan performing selections from their album, featuring Latin music, jazz-tinged tunes, and songs by some of pop’s most revered composers.

Tuesday 8 AM: Breakfast hike and concert with festival musicians.

Tuesday 5 PM: “Epic Trios, Part 1” featuring the Gryphon Trio in a performance of Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8.

Tuesday 8 PM: “Epic Trios, Part 2” featuring the Gryphon Trio in a performance of Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, D 929.

Wednesday 2 PM:  “Winds in the Woods” combines the sounds of nature and WindSync along a hike in the Woodlands.

Thursday, 4 PM: “Silent Hour” invites you to a mindful walk of the grounds as 10 festival musicians underscore nature’s beauty with evocative melodies, culminating in a performance at the Villas Pool.

Thursday, 8 PM: “All Together Now” brings together all artists in a festive concert that ends with a champagne toast.

Friday 8 AM: Breakfast hike and concert with festival musicians.

Friday, 5 PM: “Encore!” Relax with a glass of wine as festival artists bid farewell with some favorite encores at Bazar del Sol.


Music Meets Mindfulness

As both a music critic and meditation teacher, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim created Beginner’s Ear, an experience that brings you closer to the music by opening the ear to both silence and sound. Through guided meditation, participants reach a deep state of attentive calm, out of which a live performance unfolds with visceral beauty.  Join Corinna and festival artists for these mindful music experiences.

  • “Mindful Focus” with Biber’s Passacaglia (Monique Mead, violin)
  • “Mindful Curiosity” with Beethoven’s Variations on “God Save the King” (Jamie Parker, piano)
  • “Mindful Patience” with Popper études (Roman Borys, cello)

Open Rehearsal

Offering a peek behind the scenes, musicians invite you to listen in during two open rehearsals with time for questions at the end.


Musical Talks

A contributing music critic for the New York Times, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim offers insight on how she listens to music and offers tips on how to write about musical experiences.

  • TUESDAY: A Music Critic’s Perspective on the Art of Listening
  • FRIDAY: How to Write About Musical Experiences

Random Acts Of Music

This week, it’s likely that you will be disarmed by the beauty of music when you least expect it, perhaps on a hike, during yoga, or at the labyrinth.  Festival musicians are dedicated to enhancing the serenity of the Ranch in their own delightful ways.


Miró Quartet

Formed in 1995, the Miró Quartet is consistently praised for their deeply musical interpretations, exciting performances, and thoughtful programming. Each season, they perform throughout the world on the most important chamber music series and on the most prestigious concert stages, garnering accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, Texas, the Miró Quartet took its name from the Spanish artist, Joan Miró, whose surrealist works — with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory and imaginative fantasy — are some of the most original of the 20th century.

Concert highlights of recent seasons include a highly anticipated and sold-out return to Carnegie Hall to perform Beethoven’s complete Opus 59 Quartets; collaborations with award-winning actor Stephen Dillane as part of Lincoln Center’s White Lights Festival; Miró Quartet took first prizes at several national and international competitions including the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. In 2005, the Miró Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant.


Monique Mead, Violin and Artistic Director

A passionate ambassador of classical music, violinist Monique Mead enjoys a rich career as a performer, educator, and innovator. Inspired and mentored by Leonard Bernstein, Monique has devoted her performing career to nurturing new audiences and curating extraordinary musical experiences. Her programs with major orchestras and festivals in the United States and Europe have drawn international acclaim for their popular appeal and innovative approach.

Interweaving live music with education and audience engagement at the highest level, her programs have reached millions through television appearances, a six-year radio series with the Munich Radio Orchestra, and over 20 years of concerts with the Cologne Philharmonic, Munich Symphony, Düsseldorf Symphony, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Mainly Mozart Festival, among others.

Since 2012 Monique has served as Director of Music Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University, where she trains musicians in community engagement, peak performance, and professionalism as she helps them forge new paths as professional musicians.

Monique performs on violin made in 1860 by J.B. Vuillaume which was gifted to her at age 19.  She enjoys hiking, yoga, homegrown cuisine, and performing with her talented teens, Isabel and Tino.

In 2012 Mead founded the Music Entrepreneurship program at Carnegie Mellon University. With a focus on experiential learning, she collaborates with world-class musicians in helping students develop a broad range of skills and take an innovative approach to professional life.

She currently performs on a 1717 Stradivarius, graciously made available by Carnegie Mellon University.


Spend a week at Rancho La Puerta, one of the world’s top destination wellness resorts, set on thousands of acres of wildlands and landscaped gardens. Customize an ideal routine to energize your body, calm your mind and lift your spirits. In addition to extraordinary musical experiences throughout your week, we offer:

  • Guided hikes on 40-miles of mountain trails each morning.
  • More than 50 daily fitness classes, including Pilates, Pickleball, Barre, TRX, Hydro-Fit, yoga, and Zumba.
  • Three farm-to-table meals, sourced from our organic garden and other local farms.
  • Eleven gyms, four pools, a running track, as well as tennis, Pickleball, basketball and volleyball courts.
  • Three full-service spas offering massage, facials, wraps, scrubs and other holistic therapies.
  • Art classes, including painting and sculpting.
  • Presentations on music-making, nutrition and brain health.
  • Mind-body classes such as mindfulness, meditation, Feldenkrais and sound healing.
  • Live evening concerts and entertainment with world-class performers.

 

 

To find out more or make a reservation during Chamber Music Festival Week please fill out the form below.



 

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