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9th Duxbury Music Festival Offers Music Events for All Ages, Interests

Opening Concert kicks off 2 weeks of competition, concerts and diverse community celebrations

By Michelle McGrath July 17, 2014
South Shore Conservatory’s 9th annual Duxbury Music Festival (DMF) kicks off this week, with an intensive program of solo and chamber instrumental study, competition, performance and diverse community events celebrating the full spectrum of music.  Spanning a two-week period, DMF faculty, students and acclaimed ensembles perform in a variety of public and private venues, from the Duxbury Town Green and The Ellison Center for the Arts, to beautiful seaside homes. 
 

The festivities begin with an Opening Concert titled Mozart and a Few of His Admirers:  Melody and Music By the Bay, featuring repertoire programmed by Festival Director Stephen Deitz, on Sunday, July 20, 6:30 pm.  The concert’s outdoor venue overlooks Duxbury’s Back River and Powder Point Bridge, on the tented lawn at the home of Diane and Sherm Hoyt, providing a breathtaking backdrop for the performance.  Members of the DMF and SSC piano and string faculty, as well as DMF string students, presents music spanning two centuries, including Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major for Violin and Viola, K. 364; Bédard's Fantaisie for soprano saxophone and piano; Durufle´'s Prélude, récitatif et variations, Op. 3 for flute, viola, and piano; and Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins, Op. 56.  The Sinfonia Concertante will feature winners of the DMF 2013 solo and concerto competitions, Hye Min Choi and Christine Choi. 
 
Cabaret/Jazz Night features several members of the DMF faculty, the Festival’s Performers in Residence, and SSC faculty in concert, on Thursday, July 24, at 6 pm and 8:30 pm seatings, at the Conservatory’s Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury.  The Cabaret/Jazz Night program “look[s] at love from both sides now, from give and take”, according to Festival Director Stephen Deitz, discovering what contemporary composers and lyricists have gleaned.  Nibbles and wine concessions will be available. 

 
Tent Events Weekend lights up the day and night on Duxbury Town Green.  Two special events for families of all ages are on tap:  British Invasion on the Green on Friday, July 25, 7 pm, features SSC faculty performing 50 years of music from across the pond including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Adele and more.  Family Fest on Sunday, July 27, 10:30 am, features New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Brian Lies premiering his new picture book Bats in the Band at a kid-friendly concert featuring SSC faculty musicians and Plymouth Phil conductor Steven Karidoyanes.  Family Fest also features the Batwagon with a crazy sewer pipe organ, an instrument petting zoo, refreshments and more fun for everyone. Autographed Bats in the Band books are available for purchase.  A sell-out is expected for this event,  advance ticket purchases are recommended.
 
A Festival favorite, Rhythm & Blues on the Green, turns the glamorous DMF tent into a trip to the Italian Riviera, on Saturday, July 26, 6:30 pm, features a buffet dinner dance benefit, complete with Island Creek Oysters, a specialty dessert bar and music by In the House.  Proceeds benefit Duxbury Music Festival and South Shore Conservatory scholarships. 
 
A free concert featuring DMF student chamber performances, welcomes lawn chairs and picnics at Sunday in the Park on Sunday, July 27, 5 pm.  Wine and drinks will be available for purchase and, Foodies Market will offer a limited menu, including lobster rolls and sandwiches, for purchase. 
 
For the Opening Concert, parking is limited, guests are asked to park at South Shore Conservatory, at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury.  The Shuttles from the Conservatory to the concert begin at 5:30 pm.  Individual tickets as well as a variety of series subscriptions are available.  For complete program, ticket and event information, visit www.duxburymusicfestival.org, call 781-934-2731, ext. 14, or follow Duxbury Music Festival on Facebook.

Photo Credit:  Kathy Dixon 

About Duxbury Music Festival

Duxbury Music Festival (DMF), a program of South Shore Conservatory, is an intensive program for solo and chamber instrumental performance, unique to all of New England.  Founded with the knowledge that music enriches the human spirit and upon the belief that this enrichment endures, DMF brings faculty and students from around the world to the idyllic seaside community of Duxbury, thirty-five miles south of Boston and twenty miles north of Cape Cod.   DMF is a 16-day intensive program for the study and performance of solo and chamber repertoires for undergraduate and graduate students and adult professionals. Festival Director Stephen Deitz gathers to this historic and picturesque town a renowned faculty who offer chamber performances as well as individual instruction and ensemble coaching.  Both Festival faculty and students perform in concerts in public and private venues, from the Duxbury Town Green and The Ellison Center for the Arts to beautiful seaside homes and barns.  DMF has tremendous community support, involving over 150 volunteers and over 2000 patrons each season.  DMF headquarters are located at South Shore Conservatory’s Duxbury campus at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury, 781-934-2731. For more information, follow Duxbury Music Festival on Facebook or visit www.duxburymusicfestival.org.

About South Shore Conservatory

South Shore Conservatory, recently recognized as a national model for arts education by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, is celebrating 44 years of enriching the lives of South Shore residents through music and the arts. SSC was founded as a not-for-profit community music school in 1970 and now has two beautiful campuses in Hingham and Duxbury.  Currently serving 3500 students of all ages and abilities, SSC is the largest community school for the arts in Massachusetts. Students participate in more than 50 diverse programs in music, dance and drama. SSC’s Hingham campus is located at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, 781-749-7565.  SSC’s Duxbury campus is located at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury, 781-934-2731. South Shore Conservatory is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.  SSC programs are supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call us, follow us on Facebook or visit www.sscmusic.org.
 
South Shore Conservatory admits students and families of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.