The Rockport Chamber Music Festival is dedicated to the presentation of chamber and solo music performed by the finest musicians and ensembles available. It is the intent of the Festival to perform music of many countries, written in diverse styles and periods including the music created by composers of our time while maintaining a strong base in the classical tradition. The Festival recognizes the importance of making chamber music accessible to audiences from diverse musical backgrounds and will give attention to the creation of opportunities for chamber music education to encourage broad appreciation of the art. The Festival will also support the performance of chamber and solo music by younger musicians and will provide performance opportunities for the best of these emerging artists. Inspired by Rockport’s rich artistic heritage and spectacular seaside setting, the Festival was founded in 1981 by two musicians, pianist-composer David Alpher and soprano Lila Deis, and Paul Sylva, a Rockport businessman. The founders’ goal was to create an exciting chamber music series in one of the nation’s oldest and most vital art colonies—home to many well-known contemporary artists and a favorite haunt, in the early part of the 20th century, of renowned painters such as Winslow Homer, Harrison Cady, and Childe Hassam. For the past 26 seasons, the Festival has honored the founders’ vision by presenting a chamber music series of extraordinary quality each June. For each of these 26 years, the Rockport Art Association has graciously hosted the Festival concerts in its Hibbard Gallery. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director David Deveau since 1995, the Festival continues to receive praise for the highest quality musicianship and innovative programming. Soloists and ensembles of international reputation perform repertoire from standards of the classical repertoire to little-known, early music to world premieres of newly commissioned works. Lectures, discussions, and family concerts with interactive programming stretch musical horizons and challenge audiences of all ages with the new, exciting, and unexpected. Engaging audiences, both young and old, in an appreciation for classical music continues to be a vital part of the Festival’s mission. RCMF brought 43 educational programs to Cape Ann residents over the past year, reaching 2100 school students and more than 700 adults. The Festival continues to broaden musical horizons even further by expanding our programming to include jazz; a genre so important to our American culture. Over the past seven years, as Festival audiences and programs have continued to grow, and as more of our concerts sell out – even before opening night – RCMF has searched for a larger, permanent home of its own. Our goal was to create an intimate setting designed for the enjoyment of chamber music, but one that would provide additional seating, unrestricted access, full air conditioning, superior acoustics, and the opportunity for expanded and more diverse programming. In September 2006, RCMF took a momentous step toward the future with the purchase of the three-story Haskins Building, home of the former Madras Shop, on Main Street in Rockport. With the generous financial support of all of those who love the Festival and its music, the site will be transformed into an elegant new performance center with a world-class concert hall, complete with a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean through the glass window behind the stage. This extraordinary cultural resource will host a variety of performances and educational programs year round to enrich the cultural and economic life of the North Shore, greater Boston, and beyond. In addition to expanded Festival programming, the new venue will also offer opportunities for other presenters, and to business, civic, and social groups. Once again, welcome to an exhilarating 2007 Season, and please join us in imagining the future of the Festival!