When the Madison Chamber Music festival opens June 13 with fiery four-hand piano works performed by the husband-and-wife team of Valentina Lisitsa and Alexei Kuznetsoff, the stage will be set for the most unique assemblage of musical talent yet by returning Festival Artistic Director Christopher Rex, principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.   

From the Eroica Trio, who brought the house down last year with their performances of Carmen and Porgy and Bess; to Grammy-nominated Enso Quartet and Gold medal winners Linden Quartet; to Karen Gomyo playing her 1703 Stradavarius; to Jade Simmons, named Ebony Magazine’s 2007 “Young Leaders Under 30,” the 2010 Madison Chamber Music Festival offers a star-studded line-up for the twelve concerts running from through June 30.

The popular annual festival also offers intimate settings for concerts by these world-renowned musicians, all at affordable prices (two are free!) and in a variety of locations in and around Madison, GA and the Lake Oconee area.  To participate in the Festival, consider the following . . .

— Reserve a table at Town 220 Bistro in Madison for Music of Passion and Fire and enjoy dinner while listening to some of the nation’s finest virtuoso musicians. June 21

— Welcome returning artist and a Festival favorite Alison Buchanan (soprano) as she joins brothers Christopher and Charles Rex and Elizabeth Pridgen in the historic auditorium of the Cultural Center in Madison for a concert that combines music and a documentary film on the life of the Rex brothers. June 24

— Enjoy the charming antebellum Church of the Advent (Madison), which will showcase the Linden Quartet, gold medal winners of the 2009 Fischoff  National Chamber Music Competition.  Savor lunch at Madison’s 1811 Heritage Hall, home of the Morgan County Historical Society.  June 22

— Will it be Beethoven, Gershwin, Dvorak, or Brahms for Chamber Music à la Carte at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center?  Cast your vote at the return engagement of the vivacious Eroica Trio during a festive and delicious dinner concert. June 26.

— Surrounded by art at the Steffen Thomas Museum in Buckhead, GA, be amazed by the talented and beautiful pianist Jade Simmons, known for her musical creativity and electrifying stage presence (and also first runner-up Miss America 2000).  June 29

— Show your true colors at An American Celebration at the Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton, GA as the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet plays only American composers including Billy Joel, George Gershwin, Aaron Copeland, Fats Waller, and John Philip Sousa.  June 30

For a complete schedule and description of all concerts in the series or to order your tickets, please visit www.mmcc-arts.org or phone (706) 342-4743 or call toll-free (877) 233-0598.

The 2010 Madison Chamber Music Festival is sponsored by the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, a non-profit performing and visual arts center located at 434 S. Main Street in historic Madison, GA.  Programming for the Festival is made possible by contributions from foundations, businesses, and individuals from the surrounding area and beyond.  Other significant funding sources come from the Robert M. and Lilias Baldwin Turnell Foundation, the J. D. and Sarah Baldwin Harris Foundation, Mabel Reeder Foundation, Georgia Council for the Arts, the Southern Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts/American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius grant, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.    For more information about funding for the Festival, please contact Sally Tuell, Festival Director, at stuell@mmcc-arts.org or by calling 706-342-4743.