The 2021 Grand Canyon Music Festival

Tonight we’re on the trail to the Grand Canyon Music Festival to hear world class music performances from the breath-taking setting of the Shrine of the Ages. Bill Baker is our tour guide through the Grand Canyon this evening as we revisit the festival’s 2021 performances. On this program, the sounds of strings and flute are echoing through the canyon playing music both old and new. Our musicians for this program are Cenovia Cummins, violin; the Manhattan Chamber Players: Clare Hoffman, flute; Katie Hyun, violin; Luke Fleming, viola; Jacob Fowler, cello; David Fung, piano; and the Catalyst Quartet: Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello.

Program

We’ll hear the Manhattan Chamber Players open with J.C. Bach’s Flute Quartet in C, giving flutist and Grand Canyon Music Festival founder Clare Hoffman a chance to shine. After this, Hoffman continues to captivate listeners while joined by her friend Cenovia Cummins in a performance of one of Cummins’ own compositions: 6 Short Pieces for Violin and Oboe (arranged for flute). The Catalyst Quartet also takes the stage to strum, pluck, and bow their instruments in a performance of Jessie Montgomery’s 2015 work Strum that will surely make you want to dance along. Finally, our program comes to a close with Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E flat played by the Manhattan Chamber Players.

Interview

This program includes a special interview with Hoffman and her husband Robert Bonfiglio. In between rehearsals and performances, Hoffman and Bonfiglio take the time to sit with us outside at the Grand Canyon. In this interview, they tell the story of how burnout, a book, and a ranger inspired them to create this unique festival nearly forty years ago. To hear more from Hoffman and Bonfiglio and learn more about the festival, check out our Art in the 48 podcast episode Grand Canyon Music Festival and visit grandcanyonmusicfest.org.