NEWSLETTER
July 15 through August 17, 2026
Cooperstown, N.Y. (May 11, 2026) - The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival returns for its 28th season with six concerts offering something for everyone. Performances take place at the Fenimore Farm and Country Village and Christ Episcopal Church, the same church where author James Fenimore Cooper once worshiped. Concerts take place from July 15 to August 17, 2026.
2026 SEASON CONCERTS
WindSync: Reverberations
Wednesday, July 15 at 7 PM | Fenimore Farm and Country Village
WindSync brings its acclaimed wind quintet artistry to Reverberations, a program tracing a living musical lineage from the legendary Nadia Boulanger through two of her students, Elliott Carter and Philip Glass, to Mozart's Serenade in C minor, a masterwork from the golden age of wind chamber music, with imaginative arrangements by the quintet's own bassoonist, Kara LaMoure.
Caroga Arts Ensemble: Eddie Barbash & KASA Quartet
Tuesday, July 21 at 7 PM | Fenimore Farm and Country Village
Saxophonist Eddie Barbash, a founding member of Jon Batiste's Stay Human, the original house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, brings his jazz trio to join KASA Quartet from the Caroga Arts Ensemble. From Ellington to Debussy to Orbison, their program spans soulful American roots music to the vibrant rhythms of Mexico, France, and Brazil, all united by the joy of timeless melody.
The Sebastians: Over the Alps
Wednesday, July 29 at 7 PM | Christ Episcopal Church
Early music ensemble The Sebastians charts a musical journey across the Alps, tracing the Italian virtuosic style through Castello, Corelli, and Vivaldi, then following its influence north into the German and Austrian masters: Biber, Froberger, Handel, and Bach.
The Westerlies: Paradise
Tuesday, August 4 at 7 PM | Fenimore Farm and Country Village
Grammy-nominated brass quartet The Westerlies has forged a sound that defies category, blending jazz, classical, and Americana into something entirely their own. In Paradise, they draw on the rich tradition of American hymns and folk music, presenting kaleidoscopic arrangements of traditional songs alongside new compositions rooted in that same tradition.
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Wednesday, August 12 at 7 PM | Fenimore Farm and Country Village
Widely regarded as the defining bluegrass fiddler of his generation, Michael Cleveland is a Grammy winner, twelve-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, National Fiddler Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowship, our nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. He brings his powerhouse band Flamekeeper to CSMF for an evening of blazing, deeply rooted bluegrass.
Ying Quartet with Linda Chesis, Flute
Monday, August 17 at 7 PM | Fenimore Farm and Country Village
The Grammy-winning Yings returns to CSMF with a program spanning 250 years of chamber music in celebration of America's Semiquincentennial: Haydn's String Quartet Op. 20 No. 3, David Ludwig's Canzoniere for flute and strings featuring Artistic Director Linda Chesis, and Dvořák's beloved "American" Quartet.
“After 28 seasons, I’m still amazed by what happens when world-class artists perform in an intimate room for an audience that really listens. That’s what Cooperstown makes possible, and this summer’s programs are among the most varied and exciting we’ve ever presented.”- Linda Chesis, Founder and Artistic Director.
All performances begin at 7 PM. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for students and children. Tickets are available at cooperstownmusicfest.org or by calling 800-316-8559.
Performance Schedule:
- July 15: WindSync: Reverberations
- July 21: Caroga Arts Ensemble: Eddie Barbash & KASA Quartet
- July 29: The Sebastians: Over the Alps
- August 4: The Westerlies: Paradise
- August 12: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
- August 17: Ying Quartet with Linda Chesis, Flute
About the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival:
Founded in 1999 by flutist Linda Chesis, the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival has been bringing world-class chamber music performances to the Cooperstown area for over 25 years. The Festival has featured performances by the American, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Jupiter, and Jasper String Quartets, Stefon Harris, Bill Charlap, Kurt Elling, Simone Dinnerstein, Mark O’Connor, John Pizzarelli, the Sonia Olla Flamenco Dance Company, and many more. Concerts are held in venues across Cooperstown, including the grand Otesaga Hotel, Fenimore Farm and Country Village, and Christ Episcopal Church.
The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
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