Up and Down the East Coast, Violinist Arnaud Sussmann Is Elevating the Chamber Music Experience
Arnaud Sussmann.
More than 1,200 miles separate the vibrant cosmopolitanism of Palm Beach County, Florida, and the tranquil natural beauty of New York's Hudson Valley. But these far-flung locales have three things in common: a history of grand Gilded Age architecture, a taste for fine dining — and now, a fabulous chamber music series.
Led by artistic director and violinist Arnaud Sussmann, the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach is gearing up for the inaugural Boscobel Chamber Music Festival in Garrison, New York, a verdant hamlet about 60 miles north of Manhattan. From September 3 to 11, the Festival will present four performances by some of the finest chamber musicians in the country on the expansive grounds of the Boscobel House and Gardens, an early 19th-century mansion-turned-museum that offers one of the finest examples of Federal style architecture.
Forging this thrilling partnership between two prominent cultural organizations is just the latest chapter in Sussmann's dynamic career. Born in Strasbourg, France, and based in New York City, the in-demand violinist — with his distinguished sound, bravura style of performing, and profound musicianship — has captured the attention of critics and audiences across the globe.
But in 2019, Sussmann added a new title to his résumé: artistic director. Already a fixture of the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach's concerts for years, Sussmann began his tenure as the ensemble's creative visionary at a pivotal time. Just months into the role, the global pandemic forced a radical rethinking of how performing arts organizations could connect with audiences while music venues were shuttered.
Thanks to Sussmann's savvy strategy, the Society was able to seamlessly transition to digital programming, which opened access to the ensemble's concerts to viewers around the world and served as an important lifeline to musicians at a time when work opportunities were scarce.
As it turns out, making programming choices and tackling such large-scale challenges was a natural fit for Sussmann. As he told the Palm Beach Post earlier this year: "For so long, I was just performing. I have loved the last couple of years as an artistic director, being able to see another side of the performing arts, as a presenter."
Driven by a shared mission to present chamber music masterworks with performances of the highest caliber, Sussmann and Jennifer Carlquist, the Boscobel House's executive director and curator, quickly saw how a partnership between their organizations could offer benefits to both sides.
For the Society, the Hudson Valley offers new surroundings for their performances. All of the Festival's concerts will take place outdoors on the House's lush grounds overlooking the Hudson River — quite the complementary setting to the group's slick, modern venues in Florida, including the Norton Museum of Art and West Palm Beach's renowned Kravis Center.
And for the Boscobel House, hosting live music is another opportunity to honor its history and traditions, given that records indicate music was performed often in many of the House's resplendent rooms during its 19th-century heyday as a stately family home.
Now, with just a handful of days remaining until the Boscobel Chamber Music Festival begins welcoming music lovers, Sussmann is excited to see what the next two weeks will hold.
"I am thrilled to be joined by an outstanding roster of artists for our other festival programs, featuring staples of the chamber music repertoire that are in harmony with the pastoral setting that is Boscobel. We cannot wait to combine this crown jewel of the Hudson Valley with fantastic chamber music performances."
Boscobel Chamber Music Festival: Quartets and Quintets Galore
For its inaugural concert on September 3, the Boscobel Festival will present perhaps the biggest name in American chamber music: the Emerson String Quartet. In the first US performance of the group's farewell season, they'll bring their superlative interpretations of Ravel's Quartet in F Major and Beethoven's Eighth String Quartet — two works that have been part of the group's repertoire for decades.
On September 5, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein will perform the beloved clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms on the House's Great Lawn — a perfect picnic setting — with violinists Jennifer Frautschi and Stella Chen, Sussmann on viola, and cellist David Requiro.
The festival's final concerts will include an evening of piano quintets by Schubert and Vaughn-Williams and a Sunday-morning concert for families. These performances will feature Sussmann on violin, alongside violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, cellist Nick Canellakis, bassist Blake Hinson, and pianist Gloria Chen.
For more information and to purchase tickets, head to the Boscobel House and Gardens’ website.
Celebrating the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach's 10th Anniversary
To mark a decade of acclaimed chamber music performances throughout Palm Beach County and South Florida, Sussmann has planned the ensemble's biggest and boldest season to date.
Between November and April, the Society will present seven concerts at venues throughout the region, including the Norton Museum's Stiller Auditorium and the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center — both intimate venues of about 200 seats.
Each concert offers audiences the chance to dive into a different slice of music history — from an evening of Bach and Handel with soprano Joélle Harvey to a program that connects Ravel to the Beatles with violinist Charles Yang and pianist Peter Dugan. Other season highlights include performances by the Jerusalem Quartet and an evening of art songs with soprano Susanna Phillips and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.
For more information and to purchase tickets, head to the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach’s website.
