Arcady concert series begins Chamber ensemble STRATA will open this year’s festival

BANGOR – Arcady Music Society will feature the chamber ensemble STRATA, the opening concert series of the 2006 Arcady Summer Music Festival.

There will be four opportunities to hear STRATA perform:

. 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bangor.

. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at the Congregational Church in Dover-Foxcroft.

. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport.

. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor.

The musicians of STRATA are Nathan Williams, clarinet; James Stern, violin and viola; and Audrey Andrist, piano. They have performed together since 1988 and have appeared in concert throughout North America.

All three hold doctor of musical arts degree from the Juilliard School, where they gave some of their first performances as an ensemble.

Praised by the Washington Post for program building as artful as its performances, STRATA is dedicated to presenting a wide spectrum of classical and modern styles in programs that enhance the unique expressive power of each work.

In trio, solo and duo combinations, the musicians revel in the clarity of counterpoint and surprising blends afforded by their contrasting instruments. Their program will include works by Mozart, Leonard Bernstein and the Klezmer sounds of Paul Schoenfield.

Arcady supports and showcases the talented young musicians of Maine and will present winners from this year’s Arcady Youth Competition at the beginning of each concert. Will Bristol of Brunswick and Aiesha Sargent of Bangor will be featured.

Arcady is made possible with support from the Rockefeller Fund, Bangor Daily News and the Nakamura Brace Co.

Admission is $17, $10 for college students with ID. Those 18 and younger are invited to attend free. For more information, e-mail Arcady at arcady@arcady.org, visit www.arcady.org or call 669-4225.