December 2008

Our new Chamber Music Holiday Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia promises to be a very full nine days with lots of concerts, playing, sightseeing, wonderful gourmet meals - some in historic places - and a stimulating and sociable time with people from all over the world. Coaching will be by the Aron Quartet from Vienna who will also be playing in concerts in this area and Charles Castleman from the USA. There has been a lot of interest in this already. We shall spend ample time in the superbly restored historic area Colonial Williamsburg and visit other places of historic interest. (More information below.)   

Prague Christmas - 22nd to 29th December.
Bookings are closed for this year but I plan the same for Christmas 2009. This is a magical time to be in Prague, there is an enchanting atmosphere with the famous Christmas Market in the Old Town Square. As always in Prague, lots of wonderful music including a Kocian Quartet concert in Villa Bertramka, a Czech Philharmonic concert and Janacek's opera the  Makropoulos Affair. We are all looking forward to this very much.

Prague Spring Festival - 14th to 26th May
This is one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe and Prague is really wonderful in spring, lots of flowering trees and shrubs. Concerts include the Kocian Quartet and the Czech Nonet. Bookings have already started and the discount for early payment has been extended to 15 December. It is possible to combine the Eszterhaza celebration of Haydn's Bicentenary with Prague. You would meet the main group in Vienna on 28th May to travel together and return on 3rd June. This option is almost sold out, just four rooms in the Palace Hotel still vacant.

Haydn Bicentenary, Esterhaza and Vienna - 27th May to 8th June
The Haydn Bicentenary Chamber Music Holiday and Festival in the fabulous Esterhazy Palace in Hungary and Vienna has proved very popular with all the apartments and rooms in the Bagatelle booked. There are still four rooms in the hotel in the Palace as of today but only one room in Vienna. It will be a great multinational group, including several old friends, to celebrate the Bicentenary on 31st May with concerts over several days and a special party. A unique experience.

The Vienna String Quartet Festival - 17 to 24 August
After the great success last year this is yet another week to look forward to. The Baroque water palace Schloss Laudon is a wonderfull setting and the Aron Quartet and friends give us five fantastic concerts, wonderful sightseeing in places of musical interest, accommodation in an apartment hotel ideal for playing chamber music and meals in  interesting and often historic restaurants.

Plans for Prague August 2009 followed by the Haydn in Eszterhaza Festival in early September are being finalised and will be on the website soon with details in the next Newsletter.

Corfu - 22nd September to 6th October
Bookings have already started for this Holiday. Our lovely new boutique hotel in a stunning situation and a two day excursion to Albania are proving most attractive. Concerts with the outstanding Herold String Quartet in spectacular locations including a winery, an historic Venetian mansion, an exclusive Country Club, an 18th Century estate with a concert hall in a converted olive press. We are hoping to finalise plans for a concert in a monastery in mainland Greece – opposite Corfu – in conjunction with the Bicentenary celebration of Byron’s stay there. There are a limited number of places - especially for single rooms so it is wise to book early.

Williamsburg VA. USA - 17th to 26th October
A superb time to be in this wonderful area. Colonial Williamsburg with its character interpreters, museums, and period  ambience will take up much of our free time. Tom and Alice Lindsay  suggested this to me earlier this summer and we have been working on details. They are professional musicians living in Williamsburg and teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University who have been with me in Prague and are coming to Vienna and Eszterhaza in May/June. They understand how the Chamber Music Holidays are organised and we (mostly they!) have put together a wonderful nine days. This would not have been possible without them. We also have a special party in their home - dinner then lots of chamber music, real southern hospitality! We have an ideal hotel for chamber music and meals will be a highlight at wonderful restaurants, some in historic Taverns. There will be a possibility for people to come for the last weekend – from 23rd to 26th. Chamber music playing every day – with coaching by the world renowned Aron Quartet from Vienna and the famous Charled Castleman from the USA. Listeners will find plenty to do – enjoying the music also concerts, sightseeing, gourmet meals and for your friends and family members who are golfers, there are some of the world's great courses. 

News of our Musical Family 

Lucie (Hulova) and her husband Martin Sedlak (Czech String Duo and Kinsky Trio) who many of you know, had a son a month ago. Lucas is a beautiful baby - I have had several photos!   

The Prazak Quartet were in North America and several people who have met them on the Chamber Music Holidays have been backstage to have a chat. 

The Herold Quartet played in England recently at the world famous Eden Project in Cornwall - a huge glass house complex with plants from all over the world. They launched their new CD of quartets by Vaclav Zahradnik and sold about 150  on the spot! They are currently on a European tour and have an extensive tour of Spain in January then the UK in February - busy boys! 

The Kocian Quartet have been making several recordings recently and will be playing in Bertramka over the Christmas week also in the Prague Spring Festival in May.  

We shall be having our usual party over the Christmas week, it is always a pleasure to get together with these wonderful Czech musicians and their families.

Once again thank you all for your interest and support and please forward this Newsletter to friends who may be interested. Do continue to send me contacts with people who may be interested in joining us. Thank you to everyone who has sent me their change of e-mail address, this is most helpful. I hope to see you in 2009. If you have written an e-mail to me which has not been answered please resend it as I am still finding important emails and application forms in junk or spam filters. 

All best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2009 full of wonderful music.

Vivienne E. Pittendrigh

Previous Newsletters

October 2008