THE FESTIVAL MOVES TO 2021
From Barry Shiffman, artistic director
As we look ahead to the summer, cherished memories come to mind of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival’s tremendous musical performances from past years, comingled with a deep sense of homecoming as friends return to Cape Ann. With these thoughts, I know I am not alone, as I’m the newcomer to this Festival, but I have felt the warm embrace of you into this family of music lovers. So many of you have been stalwart supporters since the very early years of the Festival. It is hard to imagine not gathering this summer, but in light of the current world situation, we feel the only responsible decision is to cancel this year’s Rockport Chamber Music Festival, which would have celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of the great Ludwig van Beethoven.
Barry Shiffman, artistic director
This decision to cancel the Festival was made with great difficulty, as this is not only our flagship festival, it is the cornerstone by which we were founded. I was looking forward to sharing so many wonderfully exciting new artists, as well as the return of some festival favorites. We are still hopeful that we will see each other during the Festival Annex scheduled for August 7-9 with the incredible violinist Ray Chen, as well as the return of David Deveau with the Borromeo Quartet in a Beethoven program. However, we will keep patrons notified if further cancellations are deemed necessary. Additionally, since we are unable to gather in June for our beloved Festival, we are planning a series of Festival livestreaming events during June and July (details to come soon).
Please remain safe in these troubled times. As Claude Debussy wrote, “Music is the space between the notes.” We will weather this storm and one day gather together in celebration of the power of music.
Top photo: Violinist Ray Chen performing
