Artistic Director George Cleve has announced the 2010 program for the 36th Anniversary Season of the Midsummer Mozart Festival, a San Francisco Bay Area icon and North America’s only all-Mozart festival. The Festival is proud to welcome 14-year-old piano sensation Audrey Vardanega and violin soloist Robin Hansen in Program I, and beloved pianist Seymour Lipkin and basso Jeremy Galyon in Program II. Maestro Cleve will lead the Festival Orchestra in eight Bay Area concerts, July 15-18 and July 22-25, 2010. Click here for Program
It being a Midsummer Mozart Festival, the program was entirely that of Mozart.
These events are excellent for introducing kids to classical music. I took my 6 year old daughter and she had a good time. I gave her a chance to listen to some of the pieces at home, so that music would be more recognizable for her (she even played the opening theme from Mozart 40th on the piano).
As far as the performance itself, the orchestra sounded excellent. The piano soloist was very nervous and made a few mistakes here and there, but the crowd was happy and that's all that matters.
Program I is over, but there is still a chance to go and hear Program II (which features Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 -- a gem).