Thrilling, live chamber music performances are returning to the White Lake area! From August 5 – 13, the 14^th annual White Lake Chamber Music Festival will present an impressive array of exceptional performances! Excellent programming, world-class artists, and inspiring classical music performances will take place in the White Lake area. What once was mostly found only in metropolitan cities, is now a yearly experience in the White Lake area.

The Chicago based, world-renowned Avalon String Quartet, described as “…deeply musical and sheerly gorgeous”, returns for two concerts during the festival.  Avalon’s first concert on Saturday, August 5, will take place at St. James Lutheran, 8945 Stebbins St. in Montague. This 7PM concert will feature Mozart’s String Quartet in A Major, K. 464, Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden”, and more. The Avalon String Quartet is one of the country’s leading chamber music ensembles. Members of the quartet are Blaise Magniere – violin, Marie Wang – violin, Anthony Devroye – viola, and Cheng-Hou Lee – cello.

On Tuesday, August 8, Avalon will perform Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 in D Major, Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 37, and Mozart’s String Quintet in D Major, K. 593 and will be joined by Michael Ouzounian, viola.

Michael Ouzounian joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as principal violist, retiring from that position in 2017. As guest soloist at the Ravinia Festival for 18 summers, Mr. Ouzounian performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and extensively in chamber music ensembles. In New York, he has been heard often as a chamber musician with James Levine and colleagues from the MET Orchestra and as soloist with the MET Orchestra in Strauss’s Don Quixote, and the Concertantes of Mozart and Bolcom at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Ouzounian served on the faculty of Switzerland’s Verbier Festival (2000-2006) and on the summer faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp since 2014.

Tickets for each concert are $20 (students are free) and are available in advance at the Book Nook & Java Shop, (‪8726 Ferry St., Montague, 231-894-5333), and at https://whitelakemusic.eventbrite.com.

These exciting concerts are part of the White Lake Chamber Music Festival, August 5 – 13. Now in its 14th year, the Festival will again comprise a wide variety of exceptional performances and events held in the White Lake area of Montague and Whitehall. Many events are free.

For a schedule of this year’s delightful Festival’s events, please visit www.whitelakemusic.org or call 231-329-3056 for more information.