The Icicle Creek International Chamber Music Festival Offering Intimate Experience

Leavenworth, WA - Icicle Creek's treasured gem - the International Chamber Music Festival will kick off on July 8th with an "Opening Night Gala" at 8pm featuring complimentary appetizers, wine and lots of one-on-one time with the artists themselves.

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments and includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word chamber implies that the music can be performed in a small room, often in a private salon with an intimate atmosphere.

Chamber music – “the music of friends” is composed for a small group of instruments, one player to a part, and is traditionally performed in an intimate setting such as a chamber or private salon. The magic of this intimacy awaits you in the gorgeous and acoustically perfect Canyon Wren Hall, nestled in a field of wild flowers.

Imagine a conversation with pianist Christina Dahl, Winner of USIA Cultural Ambassador's Competition both as a recitalist and a collaborative pianist, having appeared at Carnegie Hall and the National Gallery in Washington DC and on the faculty at SUNY, Stony Brook.

Or perhaps a chat with Professor Anthony Elliott, University of Michigan; Conductor, Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra; winner, Emanuel Feuermann International Cello Competition and top-ranked American cellist in Concours Cassado, Italy; soloist with New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and others.

If you prefer the violin, perhaps you may be more interested in a conversation with Elisabeth Perry. Debut performance at Royal Albert Hall, London, at age 14 with Yehudi Menuhin; continued studies in New York with Dorothy Delay and Oscar Shumsky; has soloed with many of the world's major orchestras; Concert mistress of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra; member, Spinoza Quartet; faculty, Utrecht Conservatory.

The Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival will also feature internationally acclaimed artists: Richard Wolfe, Jennifer Caine, the Avalon String Quartet, Laurie DeLuca, and Oksana Ezhokina - also the festival's Artistic Director.

This year's festival, the 19th annual of the series, promises to deliver an intimate experience as concerts will continue to take place in the acoustically perfect setting of Canyon Wren Recital Hall - accommodating no more than 120 attendees to create a warm, magical experience.

Enhancing the intimacy are the post-concert receptions, masterclasses and free young artist concerts performing Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, all open to the public.

A full schedule of the festival, including international artists' bios and ticket info can be found online at www.icicle.org.

Tickets are $20 general admission, $16 for seniors, and $8 for students. They can be purchased by calling the Icicle Creek main office at (509) 548-6347 or visiting icicle.org. This year's Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival's partner is Northwest Public Radio.