BRUNSWICK — This summer, the Bowdoin International Music Festival will return for its 58th year, June 27 to Aug. 5. More than 250 students from around the world will join faculty and guest artists for an immersive experience and celebration of chamber music. For the first time since 2019, the Festival will welcome in-person audiences back to campus for six weeks of concerts, classes, and special events.

The Festival is pleased to resume its Subscription Series, Young Artists Series, Community Concert Series, Masterclasses, Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, and more, all while carefully following CDC and Bowdoin College safety guidelines. Proof of full vaccination and booster required upon entry at all indoor Festival events. For those unable to attend in person, concerts will continue to stream live online.

Public concerts and events are central to the Festival’s goal to share the transformative power of music with the entire community. Along with ticketed offerings at Studzinski Recital Hall and Crooker Theater, Festival artists will perform free concerts at venues throughout the MidCoast region, including arts centers, churches, libraries, and retirement communities. 

This season’s inclusive and engaging programming features timeless classics and vibrant works by the composers of today. The Festival’s commitment to new music can be heard throughout the season, and with a special focus at one of the nation’s longest-running new music intensives: the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, July 7–10. 

Come prepared to soak in six weeks of extraordinary performances. The Festival welcomes you to experience the inspiring and healing power of music throughout the summer.

TICKETED EVENTS:

Subscription Concert Series

The Ying Quartet opens the Festival season on Monday, June 27 in Studzinski Hall. Series highlights include pianist Orli Shaham performing Mozart with the Festival Orchestra on July 15, and Zlatomir Fung performing the Elgar Cello Concerto on Aug. 5. The Subscription Series also includes performances by the Ariel Quartet, Horszowski Trio, Jupiter Quartet, and the Pacifica Quartet, along with many concerts featuring the Festival’s exceptional faculty. A complete listing and ticket purchase information can be viewed here: Subscription Concert Series. 


FREE EVENTS:

Young Artists Series 

The Young Artists Series presents more than 20 performances by advanced young musicians who come to the Festival from conservatories and music programs in more than fifteen countries. All performances are in Studzinski Recital Hall at Bowdoin College. Tickets are not required and all events are FREE. View a complete listing here: Young Artists Series. 


Masterclasses

Masterclasses give the audience a first-hand look into the teaching and learning process that goes into creating music. Honing technical craft, understanding the nuances of musical language, and finding personal meaning in music are all part of a great masterclass. Witness the Ariel Quartet, Horszowski Trio, Orli Shaham, Pacifica Quartet, Zlatomir Fung and others coach and inspire the next generation of musicians. Tickets are not required and all events are FREE. View complete listing here: Masterclasses. 

Community Concerts

Our Community Concert series offers students the opportunity to engage with various audiences in non-traditional venues. Through these opportunities, students widen their reach and identify entrepreneurial ways to interact and grow through music. Concerts feature a variety of traditional classical repertoire and are typically 45 minutes in length. View a complete listing here: Community Concerts. 

Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music

Presented as part of the Bowdoin International Music Festival since 1965, the Charles E. Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music represents a sustained commitment to nurturing and promoting the music of our time. It is programmed by Festival composers-in-residence Derek Bermel and Andreia Pinto Correia. View a complete listing here: Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music. 

Festival Mission

The mission of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, founded in 1964, is to prepare gifted young musicians from around the world for a life in music through study with world-class artists, and to present classical music in concerts throughout Mid-Coast Maine performed to the highest artistic standards. The Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, founded in 1965, has commissioned and presented the work of emerging and established composers, representing the spectrum of voices on the vanguard of classical composition. Over its nearly 60-year history, the Festival has established itself as a vital force throughout the music world. Visit us at bowdoinfestival.org. 


For more information contact Emily Manzo at 207-373-1440 or emily@bowdoinfestival.org.