ROCKPORT — The Bay Chamber Summer Music Festival will bring a wide range of musical experiences to audiences in 2015, including the world premiere of Marriage Suites, a collection of musical snapshots of married life in the twentieth century. The five-day festival, which runs Aug. 19 to 23, includes twenty events at various venues in Rockport. Performers this summer include the renowned chamber ensembles Decoda and Aeolus Quartet, as well as cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, percussionist Ian Rosenbaum, pianist Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichordist Paolo Bordignon, and many other eminent artists.

Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School, a nonprofit organization in Rockport, presents the Summer Music Festival each August. Artistic Director Manuel Bagorro sees the Festival as the high point of the summer and creates a vigorous and innovative experience for festival audiences. “The Summer Music Festival brims with ambitions musical programming, adventurous artistic collaborations, inspiring interactive learning opportunities and intense community engagement,” explains Bagorro. “You can begin your day with Bach at Pascal Hall, take in an innovative lunchtime musical repast, or relax with a glass of wine at Union Hall in the evening while an extraordinary ensemble enraptures the audience.”

This year the Summer Music Festival will introduce a brand new work commissioned by Bay Chamber: the world premiere of Marriage Suites takes place on Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House. Marriage Suites is built around musical snapshots of married life in the twentieth century and features excerpts from the operas 27 (Ricky Ian Gordon), Breaking the Waves (Missy Mazzoli), and JFK (David T. Little) re-imagined for string quartet and voices. The librettist for each of these works is the masterful Royce Vavrek. Marriage Suites will be performed by three eminent opera stars, soprano Marnie Breckenridge, mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti and baritone John Moore, with the Aeolus Quartet.

The Festival includes the popular "Bach for Breakfast" series in Pascal Hall, midday events including an intimate and interactive opera, early evening concerts at the Rockport Opera House and nighttime performances in Union Hall. The final event of the Summer Music Festival will be a gala reception and season finale held at Brewster Point in Rockport. Directed by Los-Angeles-based director, production designer, and visual artist James Darrah, the evening's performance will include music by Vivaldi, Bach, and a contemporary one-act opera by Jonathan Dove entitled L'Altra Euridice featuring baritone Douglas Williams.

Tickets for all Summer Music Festival events are $25, excluding the gala reception/season finale; a Festival Passport allowing access to all 20 events is available for $250. Bach lovers will appreciate the Bach for Breakfast Bundle, which includes all 5 morning Bach concerts at Pascal Hall for $100. Tickets are available at baychamberconcerts.org or by calling 207-236-2823. As part of Bay Chamber Concerts' effort to make live music performances more accessible to younger audiences, all tickets are only $10 for anyone under age 25. Details on the program for each concert as well as the complete festival calendar are available at baychamberconcerts.org.

Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School is a nonprofit organization in Rockport, Maine dedicated to presenting live music to Midcoast audiences and making musical performance and education accessible to all.

Festival Schedule

Wednesday, August 19

10 a.m., Bach for Breakfast, Pascal Hall

12 p.m., Bon Appétit, Bay Chamber Music School

3 p.m., Marriage Suites Conversation, Union Hall

6 p.m., Opening Gala Concert: Simple Gifts, Rockport Opera House

9 p.m., Probosci: Time to Feed, Union Hall

Thursday, August 20

10 a.m., Bach for Breakfast, Pascal Hall

12 p.m., Bon Appétit! , Bay Chamber Music School

6 p.m., Haydn and Beethoven Quartets, Rockport Opera House

9 p.m., Listen, Quiet, Union Hall

Friday, August 21

10 a.m., Bach for Breakfast, Pascal Hall

12 p.m., Bon Appétit!, Bay Chamber Music School

6 p.m., Schubert and Cage, Rockport Opera House

9 p.m., Resonance Union Hall

Saturday, August 22

10 a.m., Bach for Breakfast, Pascal Hall

12 p.m., Ian Rosenbaum and Friends, Union Hall

6 p.m., Marriage Suites, Rockport Opera House

9 p.m., Metamorphosis, Union Hall

Sunday, August 2

10 a.m., Bach for Breakfast, Pascal Hall

12 p.m., Haydn Dialogues, Union Hall

6 p.m., Season Finale: Candlelit Baroque, Brewster Point Barn