Legendary American String Quartet Opens the Cooperstown Summer Music Festivals 27th Season with Mozart, Brahms, and Basque Folk Traditions

Concert Features Artistic Director and flutist Linda Chesis in Intimate Chamber Music Evening Monday, July 21st at Fenimore Farm and Country Village

[COOPERSTOWN, NY - July 7, 2025] The acclaimed American String Quartet launches CSMF’s new season with a captivating program that ranges from Mozart's royal court elegance to folk-inspired works of the late 19th century. The evening opens with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's String Quartet in B-flat major, K. 589, from the "Prussian" Quartets (his final three), which showcase his characteristic style and refinement while giving a prominent, lyrical role to the cello, born of Mozart’s hope for the patronage of cellist-King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

In a special collaboration, CSMF Artistic Director and flutist Linda Chesis will join the quartet for Charles Bordes's Suite Basque, op. 6, a little-known gem which highlights Bordes's fascination with Basque folk music and features the flute, representing the traditional Basque txistu, a type of flute which came to symbolize the Basque folk revival. This performance offers a portal to the unique character and rhythmic vitality of Basque musical heritage.

The evening reaches its zenith with Johannes Brahms's String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, op. 111. Written for string quintet with two violas, this extraordinary work achieves an almost symphonic sonority in its outer movements. Exuberant, sumptuous, and unmistakably Brahms,  the work was intended by the composer to be his last, and unarguably one of the finest achievements in his chamber music. In fact, when he sent the score to his publisher, Brahms included a note to effect that Simrock Publishing now held his “last will and testament.”

For this performance, the current American String Quartet violist will be joined by the former ASQ violist, Daniel Avshalomov, for a special reunion. The quintet's exuberant finale reflects Brahms' Hungarian Dances, creating a folk music connection that pairs beautifully with the Bordes. The American String Quartet continues to set the standard for chamber music excellence, bringing decades of experience and artistic refinement to this carefully curated program that spans classical elegance, folk inspiration, and romantic grandeur.

"We're thrilled to welcome back these Festival favorites," said Artistic Director Linda Chesis. "The American String Quartet has been such an integral part of our musical community. Their return to open our season feels like a homecoming we can't wait to share with our audiences."

Program:

• W.A. Mozart - String Quartet  in B-flat major, K. 589

• Charles Bordes - Suite Basque, op. 6

• Johannes Brahms - String Quintet No. 2 in G major, op. 111

Artists:

• American String Quartet - Peter Winograd, violin; Laurie Carney, violin; Matthias Buchholz, viola; Wolfram Koessel, cello

• Linda Chesis, flute

• Daniel Avshalomov, viola

Event Details:

American String Quartet

Monday, July 21 at 7:00PM

Fenimore Farm and Country Village

5775 NY-80, Cooperstown, NY 13326

Ticket Information:

Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased in advance either online at www.cooperstownmusicfest.org or over the phone by calling Purplepass Tickets at 800-316-8559 and selecting Option 1. Please note there is a $2 service fee per phone order. Tickets will also be sold at the door, as available.

About the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival:

Founded in 1999 by flutist Linda Chesis, the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival has been bringing world-class chamber music performances to the Cooperstown area for over 25 years. The festival has featured performances by the American, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Jupiter, and Jasper String Quartets, Stefon Harris, Bill Charlap, Kurt Elling, Simone Dinnerstein, Mark O’Connor, John Pizzarelli, the Sonia Olla Flamenco Dance Company, and many more. Concerts are held in venues across Cooperstown, including the grand Otesaga Hotel, Fenimore Farm and Country Village, and Christ Church (the church of author James Fenimore Cooper).

The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.