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ChamberFest 2027 · July 21–28 Musicians and concerts will be announced when tickets go on sale in early March Join Our Email List
A violist in close-up
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 7:15 p.m. Pre-Concert Chat | 7:30 p.m. Concert
Notre Dame Retreat House 5151 Foster Road, Canandaigua, NY 14424

An Evening of Elegance

Join ChamberFest Canandaigua for an evening of beautiful chamber music on the lake in Canandaigua, NY.

The program begins with a solo cello performing Bach before gradually building a rich musical tapestry. A violin joins for a Scottish duo, followed by viola for a lighthearted Dohnányi Trio movement. The piano then enters for Mozart's magnificent Quartet in G minor before a second violin completes the ensemble for Dvořák's breathtaking Quintet for Piano and Strings.

This elegant concert showcases the intimacy, artistry, and collaborative spirit that make chamber music one of the most captivating live music experiences in the Finger Lakes region.

Program
Suite No. 1 in G Major for solo cello, BWV 1007 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
I. Prelude
Shetland Set for violin and cello Alasdair Fraser (b. 1955) and Natalie Haas (b. 1983)
Serenade in C Major, op. 10 for violin, viola, and cello Ernst von Dohnányi (1877–1960)
I. Marcia
Quartet in G minor, K. 478 for violin, viola, cello, and piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
I. AllegroII. AndanteIII. Rondo: Allegro
Quintet No. 2 in A Major, op. 81 for two violins, viola, cello, and piano Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
I. Allegro, ma non tanto
This movement opens with a noble theme in the cello and the piano provides arpeggiated chords before the ensemble shifts to a new theme in F-sharp minor and then to C major.
II. Dumka: Andante con moto
The second movement is based on the Ukrainian and Slavic folk form known as the dumka, which alternates between slow and fast sections. It opens with a delicate, wistful piano theme in F-sharp minor.
III. Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace
This movement is a spirited Furiant, a Bohemian folk dance characterized by strong rhythms. The trio section introduces interesting rhythmic interplay with passages in both three-against-four and two-against-three groupings.
IV. Finale: Allegro
The finale is a lively rondo that opens with a burst of energy from the strings, accompanied by syncopated piano rhythms.

A masterpiece of late romantic chamber music composed in 1887, scored for piano and string quartet. It is highly regarded for its melodic richness.

The quintet is a mixture of Dvořák's personal form of expressive lyricism with elements from Czech folk music. Characteristically, those elements include styles and forms of song and dance, but not actual folk tunes; Dvořák created original melodies in the authentic folk style.

An Evening of Elegance