Standard-Times correspondent
July 08, 2007 6:00 AM
The Buzzards Bay Musicfest begins its 11th season this Wednesday, and organizers are still surprised at the popularity of the concerts, which are held at the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts at Tabor Academy in Marion.
"It was a success from day one," says board chair Trudy Kingery. "You can't believe how surprised we were to walk into that first concert and see all those people.
"But we have a lot of visitors here in the summer, and many people who love classical music."
The festival is supported almost entirely by individual donations. "We've had only a few corporate sponsorships," Ms. Kingery says. "But people are generous. We get major donations, and sometimes we get 10 dollars. But it all helps."
It also helps that the musicians, some of whom travel long distances, stay with local families while they are in the area. "Some of the musicians have been staying with the same families since they first came here 11 years ago," she says. "They've become part of the family."
A 15-member board and a similar-sized group of volunteers support the musicians, which this year will number about 32.
The festival was founded by Artistic Director Russell Patterson, who was the longtime leader of both the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Symphony. During that time he founded a similar series to Buzzards Bay, the Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka. After retiring to his current home in Centerville, he created this festival in his new home state. He also occasionally guests for the Cape Sinfonietta.
One thing he's proud of, he says, is "that we've never repeated a single piece over the course of 11 years. The works this year range from Pachelbel to Schoenberg.
"I think the two most difficult pieces this season are Schoenberg's 'Transfigured Night' and Strauss' 'Bourgeois Gentleman.' They're both on the final program, and the string players really have to work hard." Other unusual works this season are the Brahms "Serenade No. 2," which Maestro Patterson notes "doesn't get played much, because there are no violins. It really features the violas," and an orchestral arrangement of the scherzo from Mendelssohn's well-known octet.
Conductor Patterson admits that the popularity of the concerts has a lot to do with visiting guests to the area, but also points out that "this is such a big sailing area, we have to squeeze the programs in between two major regattas. Everyone is too busy otherwise."
The festival begins Wednesday evening at the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts at Tabor Academy in Marion. Admission is free, but audiences are advised to arrive early to find a seat.