The Appalachian Chamber Music Festival (ACMF) is celebrating its fifth season this August. The Festival has a dozen full concerts plus other events in its schedule that runs from August 7 – 17. The festival includes performances in Shepherdstown, Charles Town, and Harpers Ferry, as well as Berryville (VA).
Katie Tertell, the festival’s founder and Artistic Director, shared her thoughts earlier this year about how ACMF came to be. “This festival started as a bunch of questions, and hope and belief in an idea of how I wanted to make a difference in this world. It was an experiment; a moment of vulnerability where I put my heart and soul into something that may or may not translate. From that very first summer, I have been completely overwhelmed by the amazing support of this incredible community in a way I could never have imagined.”
Tertell remarked that an important goal of the festival is to introduce chamber music to a broad audience and she offered tips for first time patrons (see below). She also shared a few highlights of what she has planned this year:
- Aaron Copland’s iconic “Appalachian Spring,” the great American work that brought fame to what once was the relatively unknown Shaker tune “Simple Gifts.”
- A “double feature” at the Shepherdstown Opera House sandwiched around dinner at Bistro 112. Patrons will start with an Art and Music concert, then cross the street to enjoy a special dinner, and return to the Opera House for a screening of the 71-minute Italian silent 1911 film “L’Inferno” accompanied by an original score composed and played by Grammy-award winning musician Domenic Salerni along with ACMF regular Sam Suggs.
- New for this year is the Shepherdstown Coffee Concert series: 3 daytime, hour-long concerts, in and around historic Shepherdstown.
- Patty Willis Celebration: An opportunity to experience an exhibition of art by the Charles Town native, as well as a world premiere of a piece for string quartet inspired by her life and work by composer Karen Walwyn.
Full schedule & tickets at AppalachianChamber.org.
Tips For First-Time Attendees
In ACMF’s version of a chamber music festival, our professional musicians travel around the region to a variety of venues offering different concert programs each day. Concerts feature string instruments with piano and woodwinds making an appearance on occassion. Anticipated programs for each event are posted on our website. ACMF also hosts a YouTube channel with a sampling of past concert performances for anyone who would like a preview of the type of work we present.
- Audience members do not need to know anything about music, instrumental music, or classical music to enjoy these events. Concerts feature a variety of musical styes including beloved classical favorites to works inspired by folk music, traditional music, and more! Festival musicians will introduce each piece from the stage with a little context and background, and a Festival Program is available with a selection of program notes.
- Our concerts are less formal with a flexible dress code. Especially when attending outdoor events, be sure to dress for the weather and bring a water bottle to stay cool and hydrated.
- For ACMF hosted concerts, the average ticket price is $25-$30. Two free events will be offered in Harpers Ferry (including our opening concert on August 8). Kids under 18 may also take advantage of free ticket reserations for most concerts when accompanied by an adult. Tickets for our performance at Barns of Rose Hill are sold by the venue.
- Tickets are available for pre-purchase online. We highly recommend purchasing ahead of time, especially for our smaller venues which regularly sell out. When tickets are available, they can be purchased at the door which opens for seating 30 minutes before each performance.