CAPE MAY — Come to Cape May and experience sweet sounds by the seaside during the 29th annual Cape May Music Festival presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), from Sunday, May 27 through Friday, June 15. The award-winning Cape May Music Festival has been a Cape May tradition for almost three decades, offering live music for a variety of tastes.
Opening the 29th Annual Cape May Music Festival on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. is the 35-piece Atlantic Brass Band, a long time Cape May favorite, under the baton of Salvatore Scarpa. The Atlantic Brass Band returns to the beautiful Rotary Bandstand to present an exciting, toe-tapping all-brass concert of American music, perfect for a Memorial Day weekend celebration. Concert will be held at Cape May Convention Hall in the event of rain. Admission is free.
On Tuesday, May 29 at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble presents “Folk & Dance in Chamber Music” with special guest, Oren Fader, guitar in performances of Boccherini’s “Fandango Quintet” for guitar and string quartet; Piazzola’s “Oblivion”; Bartok’s “Roumanian Dances” and “Selected Folk Songs”; and Dvorak’s “American” String Quartet. Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
On Thursday, May 31 at 8 p.m., hear the innovative Folk Americana group BAILEN perform at West Cape May’s Willow Creek Winery. BAILEN is comprised of 25-year-old twins Daniel and David Bailen who play and sing three-part harmony with their 19-year-old sister, Julia, and childhood friend, Pierre Piscitelli (the only “non” Bailen in the band). They have performed internationally and have garnered a faithful following within the London and New York City folk scene, as well as on college campuses throughout the Northeast. The three siblings have been writing songs and performing since they can remember, while touring with their parents, who are both professional New York City freelance musicians. Willow Creek Winery, 168 Stevens St., West Cape May. Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $10. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for tapas and wine, available for purchase. Advance reservations recommended.
On Sunday, June 3 at 10 a.m., savor a Sunday morning champagne jazz brunch buffet at Aleathea’s Restaurant, the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St., during Champagne Jazz Brunch at Aleathea’s. Sip champagne and enjoy a delicious buffet brunch accompanied by live jazz from The Great American Songbook, featuring Mary Lou Newnam on saxophone, clarinet and flute, and Sonny Troy on guitar. Admission is $35. Tickets are purchased through the Inn of Cape May at (609) 884-5555.
On Sunday, June 3, at 8 p.m., at Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place, don’t miss the incredible a cappella sounds of Blue Jupiter, in a free concert co-sponsored by MAC and the City of Cape May. Blue Jupiter is at the cutting edge of a cappella, performing soaring pop and Broadway leads with tight harmonies and astounding beatboxing. Blue Jupiter makes “twisted” a cappella versions of Broadway and pop songs. This creative a cappella twist has landed Blue Jupiter on Oprah, Lifetime TV, and as the voice of the Oreo Cookie commercials produced by Randy Jackson (American Idol, Mariah Carey). They’ve headlined shows for Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, Sands Casino in Macau China, Villa Roma Catskills Resort and on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise ships. They’ve shared the stage with national touring artists like Pentatonix, Livingston Taylor, Owl City, Third Eye Blind, Blake Lewis of American Idol, Neil Sedaka, Take 6 and Andy Samberg. They’ve sung for tens of thousands of kids, from elementary age to college as part of their educational outreach program “The A Cappella Experience.” Blue Jupiter has performed for international brands like Disney, Nokia, ABC Family, Microsoft, Honda, Weather Channel, Berkshire Hathaway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the NBA and many more, with performances in 48 U.S. states and over 200 shows in China and Japan, Canada and across the Caribbean. At Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place.
On Tuesday, June 5 at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble presents “Chamber Jazz: Musical Crossroads” featuring Sam Reider and friends in performances of “Swamp Dog Hobble,” “Wanderings,” “The Murder,” “Skeleton Rag,” “Too Hot to Sleep” and “Baku” by Sam Reider; “Song Without Words” by Felix Mendelssohn; and “Duos for Flute & Saxophone” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gioachino Rossini. Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
On Thursday, June 7 at 8 p.m., the Bay Atlantic Symphony led by Conductor Jed Gaylin presents Prevailing Winds, featuring Charles Gounod’s “Petite Symphonie”; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Serenade No. 12 for Winds, in C minor, K. 388” and Antonín Dvorak’s “Serenade for Winds, op. 44.” This concert features the vast array of colors of the woodwinds and brass. Gounod’s charming “Petite Symphonie” is more a suite, filled with warm sounds and echoes of southern France, while Mozart’s so-called serenade is a virtual symphony in its human pathos. Dvorak gives listeners ripples of nature and rural life in its folk-dance forms in this program filled with melody, shimmer, and emotion. First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, 500 Hughes St. General admission $25, Seniors $20, Students $10.
On Sunday, June 10 at 8 p.m., friends and fans celebrate the memory of an inspiring musician and friend during the 7th Annual George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert under the direction of Barry Miles. “When Bell Bottoms Roamed the Earth” is a flashback to folk, rock, pop, jazz and Broadway classics of the ’60s and ’70s, as fast-forwarded by musical director Barry Miles and the George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert musicians. Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place. General admission $25, Seniors $20, Students $10.
On Tuesday, June 12 at 8 p.m., New Jersey’s premier chamber ensemble, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players, returns for another program from the classical repertoire, performing “Suite of Fugues” by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Duo for Viola and Cello (1949)” by Walter Piston; “Songs and Dances (2013)” by John Steinmetz; “Quartet for Bassoon and Strings, KV 285,” and “Quartet for Oboe and Strings, KV 370,” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and “Fugue in g minor (“the Little”) BWV 578” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
On Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m., The New York Chamber Ensemble presents “The Italian Influence” Italian Baroque in the German Masters in performances of “Sonata in C Major, Op. 1, No. 7” by George Frideric Handel; “Suite No. 2 in D Minor” and “Concerto in A-minor, BWV 1041” by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Sonate ‘Corellisante’ in B Minor, TWV 42:H3” by Georg Philipp Telemann; and “Double Concerto in G Minor RV 517” by Antonio Vivaldi. Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $5.
On Friday, June 15 at 5 p.m., the Friends of the Cape May Music Festival present an encore performance by members of the New York Chamber Ensemble in “Musical Desserts,” capping off this year’s festival. Enjoy great music and light refreshments under the tent of the Carriage House Café & Tearoom at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May. General admission $10.
In addition to these evening concerts, music lovers are invited to the Carriage House Café & Tearoom for Bach’s Lunches, mini-concerts by members of the Bay Atlantic Symphony that accompany a delicious Tea Luncheon. Bach’s Lunches offer an intimate, afternoon al fresco musical experience, under the tent. Admission of $30 per person includes a complimentary wine tasting. Bach’s Lunches are Wednesdays, May 30, June 6 and 13 at noon.
The Cape May Music Festival is presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) with funding by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For further information or to purchase tickets, call (609) 884-5404 or visit capemaymac.org.