Sounding America: Music That Shaped Us

Photos by Patrick McCormack, courtesy of MMF

Hi, Friends! I’m continuing to enjoy the arrival of spring and all it brings to us, including the season announcements pouring in from our local and regional cultural institutions. Every time I receive one, I think about how lucky we are to live in a place that values and supports the visual and performing arts.

The Manchester Music Festival has an incredible line-up for us this summer with an expanded season inspired by the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and all the celebratory events in the area that go with it. 

MMF’s 52nd season opens with a free Community Kick-off Party on July 7 at Southern Vermont Arts Center’s Yester House Patio, with catering by curATE Café and featuring a performance by folk ensemble Grand Picnic.

Full Press Release for the Manchester Music Festival’s 52nd Season

Manchester Music Festival, the renowned Vermont chamber music festival under the artistic direction of Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet, returns for its 52nd season with Sounding America: Music That Shaped US, a wide-ranging exploration of American music inspired by the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

Spanning July 7 through September 6, 2026, the extended season features five mainstage programs, each framed as a distinct musical "journey," along with special events and performances that reflect the depth, diversity, and evolving story of American classical music. The season celebrates composers and performers whose voices have shaped the nation's musical identity, drawing from a confluence of backgrounds, cultures, and traditions.

"The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offered a natural opportunity to explore American music in a thoughtful and celebratory way," said Setzer. "The season highlights the extraordinary diversity of voices that define our musical landscape. Each program is designed as a journey, one that invites audiences to come along and discover how these works connect across the season."

Audiences will experience from the open landscapes of Aaron Copland and Charles Ives to the urban rhythms of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, with a pivotal stop in the Midwest through Antonín Dvořák's American works. Featured artists this season include Grammy Award–winning violinists Jennifer Koh and Mads Tolling, and Avery Fisher Prize–winning clarinetist David Shifrin.

"This season is designed to be experienced as a true journey, one that unfolds over time," said David Whitehill, Executive Director of Manchester Music Festival. "Along the way, we’ve included a few surprises, including concerts that extend the festival from July all the way into September. By extending the season and adding special events, we're giving audiences more opportunities to linger, return, and deepen their connection to the music, the artists, and the stories behind the works."

Season Kickoff Party - July 7

The 2026 season opens with a Community Kickoff Party on Tuesday, July 7 at 5:00 p.m. on the Yester House Patio at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Catered by curATE Café and featuring a performance by folk ensemble Grand Picnic, the free event welcomes the community to celebrate the start of the season together. Attendees will be among the first to explore the new 12,000 square foot addition to Yester House, with tours offered during the event.

Summit Masterworks - 5-concert series

Appalachian Spring: Music from the Mountains 

Thursday, July 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

American classical composers didn't always view the nation's vibrant folk traditions as a valid source of inspiration, but once someone realized there's not so much that separates a violin from a fiddle, concert music was permanently enriched. Aaron Copland used the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" as the basis for his iconic Appalachian Spring, while Charles Ives eagerly embraced traditional folk idioms in his String Quartet No. 1. Between movements, folk ensemble Grand Picnic weaves in folk-inspired interludes, creating a lively dialogue that bridges past and present. Edgar Meyer's String Quintet proves the well is in no danger of running dry.

Program: Edgar Meyer – String Quintet; Charles Ives – String Quartet No. 1, "Salvation Army"; Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring

Artists: Grand Picnic, folk ensemble; Philip Setzer, violin; Gregg August, bass; Ji Young Kim, flute; Guilherme Batalha, clarinet; Delano Bell, bassoon; Festival Young Artists

Setzer and the Sound of Dreams 

Thursday, July 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Artistic Director Philip Setzer guides audiences through a vivid, varied dreamscape in sound, a journey epitomized by Paul Epstein's aptly titled Dream Sonata, which leaps from Viennese ballroom sounds to midwestern ragtime in the blink of an ear. The program blazes a similarly unlikely yet harmonious path, from the courtly String Quartet of Benjamin Franklin (yes, really) to Samuel Barber's elegiac Adagio for Strings, by way of Scott Joplin, Amy Beach, and Carlos Simon.

Program: Benjamin Franklin – String Quartet; Paul Epstein – Dream Sonata; Amy Beach – Serenade; Carlos Simon – Sleep Well; Scott Joplin – Maple Leaf Rag; The Entertainer; Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings

Artists: Philip Setzer, violin; Paul Epstein, piano; Festival Young Artists

Dvořák in America 

Thursday, July 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out treasures hidden in our midst. The distinguished Bohemian composer Dvořák, associated with musical nationalism through his Czech folkloric works, insisted that American composers pay attention to the boundless riches of indigenous and Black American music. During his tenure as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City from 1892 to 1895, he worked with composer Harry Burleigh, who introduced him to spirituals, and encountered Native American music during a summertime visit to Spillville, Iowa, in 1893. In response, Dvořák produced some of his most popular works: the "American" Quartet and Quintet, composed in Spillville, are featured here alongside the delectable Sonatina, Op. 100, famously played by Fritz Kreisler under the title Indian Lament.

Program: Dvořák – String Quartet, Op. 96 "American"; Sonatina, Op. 100; String Quintet, Op. 97 "American"

Artists: Hesper String Quartet; Philip Setzer, violin; Dillon Scott, viola; Festival Young Artists

West Side Story Goes Hollywood 

Thursday, July 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Hollywood studios offered generations of composers handsomely paid work, while keeping the sounds of orchestral instruments in the ears of moviegoers who might never visit a concert hall. Composers like Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, and John Williams became household names, crafting timeless scores that entered the concert-music canon. And few can match the extraordinary success of Leonard Bernstein, who fused urban swagger with jazz and Latin dance music to create one of the 20th century's most beloved works: West Side Story.

Program: Elmer Bernstein – Theme from To Kill a Mockingbird; Bernard Herrmann – Clarinet Quintet; Gary Eskow – Storms Are Coming; Duke Ellington – Piece for Clarinet and Piano; John Williams – Theme from Schindler's List; Leonard Bernstein – Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Artists: David Shifrin, clarinet; Christopher Johnson, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; Matthew Duvall, percussion; Ethan Cowburn, percussion; Festival Young Artists

Rhapsody in Blue: Music from the City 

Thursday, August 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Ask any music lover to name an important American orchestral work, and the answer is likely George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a groundbreaking synthesis of classical elegance and jazz's swinging spontaneity. Countless composers since have incorporated elements of jazz in their work: Aaron Copland's bluesy trumpet in Quiet City, William Bolcom's buoyant bounce, the brass swagger and driving pulse of John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Violinist and composer Mads Tolling, formerly of Turtle Island String Quartet, shows with his bluesy concerto Yggdrasil that classical music and jazz continue to make a potent pairing.

Program: Aaron Copland – Quiet City; John Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine; George Gershwin – Lullaby; Mads Tolling – Yggdrasil; William Bolcom – Graceful Ghost Rag; George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

Artists: Mads Tolling, violin; Philip Setzer, violin; Adam Golka, piano; Carol Wincenc, flute; Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English horn; Guilherme Batalha, clarinet; Delano Bell, bassoon; Shichen Li, horn; Grace O'Connell, trumpet; Matthew Nienow, trombone; Michael Salzman, tuba; Ethan Cowburn, percussion; Gregg August, bass; Ian Niederhoffer, conductor; Festival Young Artists

Discovery Specials - 2-concert series

On the Trail with Hilary Gardner and The Lonesome Pines 

Saturday, August 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Hilary Gardner and her band, The Lonesome Pines, make their Vermont debut with an evening of music celebrating the nostalgic heart of the American West. Their album On the Trail with The Lonesome Pines (Anzic Records) was praised by The Wall Street Journal as something "new and wondrous," won the 2025 Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album, and appeared in The Times of London's top 10 jazz albums of the year.

Bach's Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin 

Sunday, September 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center

Grammy Award–winning violinist Jennifer Koh performs Johann Sebastian Bach's complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001–1006, in their entirety, in what promises to be an unforgettable afternoon of solo violin mastery.

Next Artists - 3-concert series

The Festival continues its prestigious Young Artists Program, a full-scholarship, five-week immersive chamber music experience for exceptional string players and pianists ages 18–26, or currently enrolled in a conservatory or college/university music program. Young Artists are woven directly into the fabric of the season, performing alongside internationally acclaimed musicians, and taking the lead in the Next Artists concert series.

Unbound: Rising Stars (Sunday, July 19, 4 p.m.): Experience our Festival Young Artists Experience our Festival Young Artists pushing boundaries in solo performances that bring their individual voices to the forefront. Be part of their journey from conservatory to the concert stage.

American Original: Spotlighting Walker (Tuesday, July 21, 7 p.m.): Violist Dillon Scott and young artists weave George Walker's music and story into a celebration of artistry. Presented in partnership with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning.

HerStory: In Harmony (Sunday, August 2, 4 p.m.): A program shining a light on women's contributions in music, dedicated to violinist Marie Setzer, one of the first female musicians in The Cleveland Orchestra and mother of Artistic Director Philip Setzer.

"The Young Artists are active participants in the artistic life of the Festival," said Setzer. "They rehearse, perform, and collaborate alongside world-class musicians, which creates an incredible exchange of energy, mentorship, and artistry that benefits everyone involved."

Tickets and subscriptions are available online at mmfvt.org, or by calling (802) 362-1956, Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm.

About the Manchester Music Festival

The Manchester Music Festival engages, inspires, and grows a supportive audience for classical music, performed at the highest level of artistic excellence, and teaches exceptional young performers in the art of chamber music. MMF celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024 and returns in 2026 for its 52nd season, "Sounding America: Music That Shaped US," celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence through the composers and performers who have shaped America's musical identity. Visit mmfvt.org or follow us on Instagram (@mmfvt_1974), Facebook (@mmfvt), and YouTube (@mmfvermont).