By Gail McCarthy
Staff Writer
June 15, 2009 10:51 pm Two weeks into its landmark final season at the Rockport Art Association, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival is drawing some big-time attention. Saturday's sold-out concert drew both Gov. Deval Patrick, who has been supportive of the state's cultural economy, and Shalin Liu, who gave $3 million to build the music festival's permanent home which is scheduled to open next year. The performance featured eight-time Grammy nominated pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin, and the buzz about the governor spread quickly among the crowd of more than 250 at the Rockport Art Association, which has been home to the chamber music concerts for the past 28 years. The chamber festival and other presentations by Rockport Music are expected to open the new Shalin Liu Performance Hall next summer. Patrick attended the concert with his best friend from high school at Milton Academy, Will Speers. Speers married Heidi Rowe, whose parents live in Rockport; Patrick attended their wedding at the Rockport Art Association on Nov. 17, 2007. Speers recalled seeing posters promoting past Rockport Chamber Music Festivals at the Rowes' home. But he never had a chance to attend until he got together with Patrick for the concert here Saturday night. It was a first for both Speers and Patrick. "It's obviously a music festival with a loyal following, and the concert was absolutely astonishing," said Patrick. Asked by Thomas Berger, chairman of Rockport Music board, if he would attend the opening of the $17 million Shalin Liu Performance Center next June, Patrick replied: "Send me an invitation." "I found him so affable, and we plan to send him an invitation for June 10, 2010," Berger said. Berger — who, like the rest of the audience, was unaware of the governor's planned visit until he arrived — said he was thrilled that the governor could have attended Hamelin's concert. Speers said he was equally impressed with the Rockport Chamber Music Festival concert. "This was my first and it will not be my last," said Speers, who lives in Delaware but who spends the month of June with his family at Conomo Point in Essex. Both Patrick and Liu talked to anyone who approached them to converse. Patrick fielded comments ranging from "good work" to a request to paint lines on roads. Liu, too, was thrilled to be part of the audience at the Hamelin concert, which she, too, described as "amazing." "He must have three other hands he took out of his pockets because you can't play that kind of music with 10 fingers," said the Taiwanese-born philanthropist who resides in the Boston area. The ocean-front concert hall will be named after her. David Deveau, artistic director of Rockport Music, announced the special guests before the concert. He also noted that Rockport Music last month received a $400,000 capital grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund. "This concert was like a Madison Square Garden event with tickets selling out not long after they went on sale," he said. That wasn't lost on the visiting artist. "I found the atmosphere really wonderful, and the audience's reaction was truly heartwarming," said Hamelin of his debut in Rockport. "One doesn't often feel this kind of intensity from the public in a hall of that size," he said, "so it was a delightful surprise that the applause was so prolonged and warm. And it was a source of special pride for me to be in such distinguished company, if one looks at the rest of the season." Nancy and John Trott of Gloucester were among those in attendance. The couple has attended the chamber music concerts in nearby Rockport for the past seven years, during which time Nancy Trott has volunteered. "We really enjoy classical music," said John Trott. "It's an incredible event and it has grown over 25 years. The anticipation about the new building is quite high and it will be phenomenal." Gail McCarthy can be reached at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com THIS WEEK AT ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Thursday, 8 p.m.: Time for Three, a group which performs "imaginative arrangements of classical repertoire and bluegrass, along with their boundary-crossing original compositions." The program includes "Ragtime Annie," "Shenandoah," Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5" Lennon-McCartney's "Blackbird," and "Amazing Grace." Friday, 8 p.m.: Mia Chung and Alina Polyakov in a four-hand piano concert will feature works written specifically for four-hand piano by Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Rachmaninoff. Saturday, 8 p.m.: Gilles Vonsattel on piano is joined by two other young virtuosos, Frank Huang, violin, and Nicolas Altstaedt, cello. The program includes Haydn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Sunday, 5 p.m.: The Newberry Consort features works of Baroque composers Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel. This group, based at the Newberry Library in Chicago, is a critically-acclaimed early music ensemble. Details: For tickets or more information, visit www.rockportmusic.org or call 978-546-7391.
—
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.