Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival

The Haywood County Arts Council will host the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival for an 18^th season beginning June 24. The series of five concerts showcases world-class musicians performing a variety of chamber music works. Concerts are Sundays, June 24-July 22 at 7:30pm at the Performing Arts Center, 250 Pigeon Street, Waynesville.

WHEN:  Sundays June 24, July 1, 8, 15 & 22 at 7:30 p.m. Box office opens one hour prior to concert

ADMISSION:  Tickets are $20 per person, season tickets are $75 for the series including a free guest ticket for a total of six tickets; students are admitted FREE of charge

Haywood County Opens 17^th Year of Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival

Waynesville, NC – The Haywood County Arts Council announces its 18^th season hosting the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival beginning June 24. The series of five concerts showcases world-class musicians performing a variety of chamber music works. Concerts take place Sundays, June 24-July 22. All concerts begin at 7:30pm at the Performing Arts Center, 250 Pigeon Street, Waynesville.

Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival Co-directors Bill Hoyt, French horn, and Paul Nitsch, piano, have assembled an outstanding group of Swannanoa Chamber Players for the festival including: Inessa Zaretsky, piano; Cynthia Watson, oboe; Tracy Rowell, bass; George Pope, flute; Lynn Hileman, bassoon, Ricardo Almeida, French horn; and David Bell, clarinet. The Chamber Players are featured throughout the five-week festival along with two award-winning quartets: the Jasper Quartet (June 24 and July 1) and the Enso String Quartet (July 8, 15, 22).

With a 2009 Grammy nomination for “Best Chamber Music Performance,” the Enso String Quartet has quickly become one of the country’s most accomplished young ensembles. Quartet members include: MAUREEN NELSON, violin; JOHN MARCUS, violin; MELISSA REARDON, viola; and, RICHARD BELCHER, cello. Shortly after the group’s inception at YaleUniversity in 1999, Enso had success at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Strad Magazine described their debut cd as “an auspicious start to their recording career,” and was followed by the recent Grammy-nominated release of Ginastera’s quartets. MusicWeb International said the album was “playing of jaw-dropping prowess revealing masterpieces of the 20th century quartet literature … seek out this group – they are clearly bound for greatness.” The disc was selected as one of MusicWeb’s Recordings of the Year for 2009. 

Tickets for the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival in Waynesville are available at the Haywood County Arts Council office and gallery at 86 N. Main Street or by calling the Arts Council office at 828-452-0593. Season tickets may be purchased for $75; individual tickets are $20 per person. A complimentary guest ticket for a concert of choice is included with each season ticket purchase. Students 25 years old and under are admitted free of charge with valid student ID.