35th Bard Music Festival Featured in the New York Times Critic’s Notebook

For the New York Times Critic’s Notebook, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim writes that Bard’s “exploration of Martinů, a restless exile equally fluent in Czech folk song, Neo-Classicism and the hum of the modern world, invites audiences to discover one of the most distinct and delightful voices of his time.” In eleven themed concerts featuring its boldest and most adventurous programming to date, the Bard Music Festival’s 2025 season examines the life and times of Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959), one of the most fascinating and prolific composers of the 20th century, whose music is nonetheless largely unfamiliar to U.S. audiences today. “This year marks both Botstein’s 50th year as president of Bard College and the 35th iteration of the festival, which he has built into a summer institution,” da Fonseca-Wollheim continues. “The subject is as likely to be a household name as an overlooked figure, but the program always stretches beyond familiar repertoire. That mix of intellectual ambition and freedom from commercial pressures is rare in music-making in the United States, and it flourishes here.”

Post Date: 08-13-2025