Summer Nights in Cooperstown Get Unexpectedly Extraordinary

Jazz musicians sync live with classic cartoons, forgotten masterpieces emerge from library archives, and world-class artists transform intimate venues into something magical.

[COOPERSTOWN, NY - June 1, 2025] This isn't your typical summer concert series. When jazz artists perform live soundtracks to animated films, matching every pratfall and punchline in real time, or when musicians uncover lost compositions from library archives, you know you're in for something completely different.

The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival's 27th season delivers five performances this July and August that redefine what a night out can be - whether you're a music aficionado or someone who simply stumbled upon an intriguing experience.

But the season's most unexpectedly entertaining evening may belong to The Queen's Cartoonists, who have mastered the art of live soundtrack performance. The six-piece band synchronizes their music perfectly with animated films projected on stage, recreating original soundtracks note-for-note while adding their own compositions to modern pieces. Think of it as a live concert, comedy show, and movie night rolled into one experience that celebrates both jazz and animation as uniquely American art forms.

The Festival opens July 21 with the legendary American String Quartet with flutist Linda Chesis and violist Daniel Avshalomov performing Brahms’ viola quintet, Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K. 589, and a colorful Mahler-esque suite inspired by Basque folk traditions. Baroque violinist Rachell Ellen Wong returns on August 4 with her ensemble Twelfth Night for a program that includes Tartini's technically demanding "Devil's Trill," a piece so challenging it was once rumored to be inspired by a dream about the devil himself playing violin.

The Caroga Arts Ensemble returns to Cooperstown on August 13, featuring KASA Quartet, flutist Linda Chesis, and clarinetists Graeme Steele Johnson and Bixby Kennedy. These local legends perform works by Debussy, Ravel, and the recently rediscovered Charles Martin Loeffler Octet, a kaleidoscopic masterpiece nearly lost to history. The season concludes August 21 with Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles, whose "Creole Soul" performance draws musical connections across the African diaspora with fiery original compositions rooted in Caribbean rhythms.

"This season represents the heart of what the Festival always strives to create - extraordinary music in intimate settings that brings our community together in shared moments of musical discovery," says Linda Chesis, the Festival's founder and Artistic Director. "We're proud to offer experiences that might otherwise only be found in major metropolitan centers. 

All performances begin at 7 PM and take place in historic venues across Cooperstown, including the scenic Fenimore Farm and Country Village and Christ Episcopal Church, the same church where author James Fenimore Cooper once worshipped.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for students and children, available at cooperstownmusicfest.org or by calling 800-316-8559.

Performance Schedule:

• July 21: American String Quartet with Linda Chesis and Daniel Avshalomov

• July 30: The Queen's Cartoonists

• August 4: Twelfth Night: Grand Tour

• August 13: Caroga Arts Ensemble: Forgotten Sounds

• August 21: Etienne Charles: Creole Soul

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 Episcopal Church.

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