$50 Gift Certificate - Rockport Music

Since 1981, Rockport Music has been committed to one enduring purpose: enriching lives through great music. Located in the scenic seaport village of Rockport, Massachusetts, Rockport Music presents exceptional musical performances and events year round, including the acclaimed Rockport Chamber Music Festival, which is celebrating its 31st anniversary season with 21 performances during June and July 2012.

Rockport Music also presents classical, jazz, folk, and world music, as well as a film series and HD broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and England’s National Theatre. Educational enrichment programs reach over 7,500 youth and adults and include school outreach programs, family and community concerts, lectures, open rehearsals, and master classes. Annual audiences exceed 25,000, up from 5,000 just three years ago.

Rockport Music was founded in 1981 as the Rockport Chamber Music Festival by soprano Lila Deis and pianist/composer David Alpher (artistic directors from 1981-1994) and local businessman Paul Sylva. Under the artistic leadership of renowned pianist and MIT faculty member David Deveau since 1995, Rockport Music has grown steadily in stature and reputation and is now a nationally recognized organization. In July 2008, the Board of Trustees voted to adopt the name Rockport Music to represent an expanding organization. In June 2010, Rockport Music celebrated the opening of the Shalin Liu Performance Center, designed by lead architects Alan Joslin and Deborah Epstein of Epstein Joslin Architects and acoustician R. Lawrence Kirkegaard.

Rockport Music and the Rockport Chamber Music Festival present some of today’s foremost musicians and ensembles, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow. Past chamber music programs have featured pianists Richard Goode, Marc-André Hamelin, and Garrick Ohlsson; the Brentano, Borromeo, Juilliard, and St. Lawrence string quartets; the Boston, Eroica, and Triple Helix piano trios; violinists Christian Tetzlaff and Midori; and many other esteemed instrumentalists. Recent jazz, pop, and folk concerts have featured Bill Charlap, Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Phil Woods, Celtic fiddler Hanneke Cassel, A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, Livingston Taylor, The Kingston Trio, and Roger McGuinn. Concerts are heard on 99.5 FM Classical New England and Performance Today on National Public Radio. Recent commissions include Granite Coast (Scott Wheeler), Song Without Words (David Alpher), and Adagio (Charles Wuorinen).

Rockport Music is the recent recipient of various awards and distinctions. North Shore Magazine’s 2011 reader’s poll named the Shalin Liu Performance Center “Best Live Music Venue.” The Boston Globe’s “Best of 2011” issue listed Rockport Music in two of ten categories:“Best New Music Performance” and “Most Creative Programming.” The Boston Society of Architects bestowed a “2011 Honor Award” on both the Shalin Liu Performance Center and Epstein Joslin Architects.

http://www.rockportmusic.org/