The Bridge Chamber Music Festival is proud to announce its 14th season with four scheduled performances August 16, 19, 21 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Northfield.

The festival, which draws world-renowned musicians to the quaint town of Northfield, is best described by Cellist and Artistic Director David Carter of the Bridge Chamber Music Festival as, “all the drama and passion of the symphony, but much more intimate.”

The festival begins on August 16th with a Young Artists’ Recital. This concert showcases a variety of chamber and solo works performed by talented young musicians from the Northfield area.

Studio A, St. Olaf College, 7:30 p.m. This concert is free.

Festival Concert I – August 19th features the Artaria String Quartet and WindWorks. This program consists of Ludwig van Beethoven's Quartet in C minor, Op. 18 #4 and Dmitry Shostakovich's Quartet #14 in F sharp minor, Op. 142, both performed by the Artaria String Quartet . WindWorks will perform Paquito D'Rivera “Aires Tropicales.” St. John's Lutheran Church, 7:30 p.m.

 Of interest for this concert: Artaria www.artariaquartet.com continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary with the performance of the complete cycle of quartets by Dmitry Shostakovich. This event is sponsored by the Schubert Club in St. Paul, Minnesota. Shostakovich, who matched wits with Stalin and ultimately became an international figure and musical icon of the Soviet Union, is especially known for his intensely powerful and deeply introspective music, of which his 15 string quartets are a prime example. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Op. 18 quartets in 1799, when his fame was just beginning to spread throughout Europe and coincidentally when his looming deafness was first noticeable. The 4th quartet is the most "Romantic" and stormy of the set, seeming to lay the foundation for the 19th century. Paquito D'Rivera is a composer born in Cuba who has achieved notable success especially for his works for wind instruments. The Aires Tropicales contains references to popular music styles in a lighthearted tone.

Festival Concert II – August 21st features the Bridge Chamber Players and Andrea Een, Hardanger fiddler with violinists Taichi Cen, Francesca Anderegg http://francescaanderegg.com, and Hector Valdivia, violist Charles Gray, cellist David Carter, and pianist Nicola Melville. The program consists of W. A. Mozart's Quintet for Strings in D major, K. 593 and Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quartet in A major, Op. 26, as well as traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle tunes. Urness Recital Hall, St. Olaf College, 7:30 p.m.

Of interest for this concert: Andrea Een recently retired from the violin faculty after over 30 years of teaching. During her teaching career she taught violin, viola, conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra, and founded a thriving studio for Hardanger fiddle students. This repertory is all taught through oral tradition. Dr. Een is also a respected composer of Hardanger fiddle tunes. Mozart's Quintets form a unique part of his chamber music output, calling for a string quartet plus an extra viola (which was his own instrument) adding a special and notable richness to the sound. It's often said that composers wrote chamber music for their own enjoyment, and this wonderful quintet, one of Mozart's last works, is a great example of this sublime essence. By contrast, the Piano Quartet of Johannes Brahms is a work of youthful vigor and considerable passion, featuring a bold Hungarian theme for its finale.

Festival Concert III – August 23rd features Erin Keefe erinkeefeviolin.com, Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, Anthony Ross, Principal Cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra, and Gustavus Adolphus piano faculty Esther Wang. This concert will showcase Zoltan Kodaly's Duo for Violin and Cello, Beethoven: Piano Trio Op. 70 #2 as well as Mozart's Piano Trio in E major, K. 542.

Urness Recital Hall, St. Olaf College, 7:30 p.m.

Of interest for this concert: Violinist Erin Keefe performs around the US and abroad as member of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society in addition to her duties as Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra which she assumed in September 2011. Cellist Anthony Ross is a frequent soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra. Pianist Esther Wang has extensive experience as a soloist and chamber musician. The music of Zoltan Kodaly, like his countryman Bela Bartok, draws heavily on folk influences from their native Hungary, central Europe, and extending to North Africa. Kodaly and Bartok were searching for a new influence for their musical style to set it apart from the late Romantic Germanic tradition.

Tickets ($5/concert except for the Young Artist Recital which is free) are available at the door the evening of each event.

For more information on the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, visit http://www.bridgechamberfestival.org or contact David Carter at carter@stolaf.edu. The Bridge Chamber Music Festival is supported by a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council through funds from the Minnesota State Legislature. Northfield invites visitors to experience this historic music town first hand by extending their stay for multiple concerts. Stay over packages and travel itineraries are available for the concert series. For more information go to www.visitingnorthfield.com and view “travel packages.”

The Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau is a department of the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Visit the Northfield CVB Newsroom at http://visitingnorthfield.com/newsroom.html.

Content supplied by David Carter.