BY CRYSTAL SANDS
Dating back to 1902, the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival has been bringing chamber music to life through education and concerts in the Blue Hill area and beyond for well over a century. Nestled in the woods of Blue Hill, the Kneisel Hall campus hosts some of the best young musicians in the country every summer. These musicians study chamber music in the intimate setting of Blue Hill, teach local Maine students their craft, and share their brilliant music locally and throughout the state as a part of the Kneisel Hall summer concert series.
Kneisel Hall was originally founded in 1901 by violinist Franz Kneisel, the former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony. According to Kneisel Hall Executive Director Meredith Amado, Franz Kneisel would bring his students to study with him in Maine during the summer months, and as the number of students began to grow, Kneisel Hall moved from Franz Kniesel’s summer cottage on Parker Point Road to a second Kneisel Hall that was built on the slope of Blue Hill Mountain. The school struggled during the Great Depression, but in the 1950s, the program was revitalized thanks to Kneisel’s daughter, Marianne Kneisel, and her husband, Felix Kahn.
“The long tradition of classical chamber music continues today,” Amado said. “This year marks Kneisel Hall’s 122nd year.”
This summer, Kneisel Hall will host two chamber music programs. The Young Artist Program brings students from the best music schools and conservatories to Blue Hill. Students from renowned music schools like Juilliard will study classical chamber music with the high-caliber faculty Kneisel Hall offers.
These young artists will also serve as mentors in Kneisel Hall’s second chamber music — the Program for Maine Students. Each summer, classical students ages 9 to 19 from across Maine get a chance to study with some of the best young talents in the country and the world. The opportunity for young Maine musicians to get to study with musicians of such high caliber is a rare treat.
Together, these programs highlight the reason Kneisel Hall has been called “the cradle of chamber music teaching in America.”
Of course, the public-facing portion of Kneisel Hall’s summer programs — the concerts — are an important opportunity for everyone in the area, not just musicians, to enjoy classical music.
“The 2024 festival includes over 50 public performances over nine weeks,” Amado said. “Highlights include our riveting Young Artists’ performances on July 13, 15, and 16 and August 7, 8, and 10. In addition to weekly Friday and Sunday performances by Kneisel Hall’s illustrious faculty, we have seven individuals and two string quartets joining as guest artists this summer.”
Kneisel Hall’s 2024 season is certainly packed with opportunities for audiences to experience beautiful classical music and more.
“In the span of 9 weeks, we will offer more than 50 opportunities to enjoy chamber music on our campus and at local venues,” Amado said.
Highlights in chamber music include everything from free concerts given by musicians in the Maine students program to concerts from two-time Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills, as well as concerts given by Kneisel Hall’s prestigious faculty.
In addition to concerts at Kneisel Hall in Blue Hill, this summer will feature concerts at the Blue Hill Public Library, and in Bucksport, Southwest Harbor, and Brooklin. Summer 2024 will also feature special performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic opera, “H.M.S. Pinafore,” by The Blue Hill Troupe.
For more information and tickets to these performances, visit kneisel.org/2024-festival.
