Welcome to the
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival
In the past twenty-three years we have charted, together with our patrons and musical colleagues, a very special musical journey. We’ve explored a breadth of music, mined the core repertoire, discovered new sounds and rhythms. Our musical travels take us all over the world, but we always look forward to returning to our hometown. Our colleagues who have played here remember the warm welcome of our appreciative Charlottesville audiences. Whether you have been with us all along, or are just discovering the Festival, we hope you will enjoy the music.
The Co-Founders & Co-Artistic Directors
Courtesy photo
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Raphael Bell, CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Raphael Bell enjoys a varied career as a principal cellist, chamber musician, teacher, and festival director. He is currently principal cello of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, co-Artistic Director of La Loingtaine in Montigny-sur-Loing, France, co-founder of the Camerata Fontainebleau, and founder and co-Artistic Director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival in Virginia. As a chamber musician he has performed at Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Salle Gaveau, Berlin Philharmonie, Köln Philharmonie, Luzerner Theater, Tokyo Suntory Hall, and Kyoto Concert Hall, and at festivals including Seattle Chamber Music, Ferrara Musica, Wiener Festwochen, Elba Festival, Ravinia, Verbier and Resonance Festival Belgium.
Bell was part of the IMS Prussia Cove tour that won the Chamber Music Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, and has collaborated with musicians such as Steven Isserlis, James Ehnes, Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, and with quartets including Brooklyn Rider, Dante, Taurus, Orpheus, and Oxalys Ensemble. He gave the world premier of Olli Mustonen's Triptych for three cellos with Steven Isserlis and Steven Doane. Solo performances include concertos with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Nagaokakyo Ensemble, Tokyo Luft Ensemble, and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Edo de Waart and Brahms Double Concerto with Philippe Herreweghe. As a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra for many years, Bell played in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra’s celebrated Mahler Symphony Cycle with Claudio Abbado. He has been guest principal in Les Dissonances, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and worked with the Munich Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Bell studied at The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro, and later with Mario Brunello, Steven Isserlis and Ferenc Rados.
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Photo by Geoffroy Schied
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Timothy Summers, CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Violinist Timothy Summers is a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and has performed on violin, viola, and occasionally mandolin with the orchestra across the world. He serves on the orchestra’s board and is also artistic director of the MCO’s ‘Future Presence’ Virtual Reality project with sound artist Henrik Oppermann.
Summers is a founder and co-director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival since 2000. He has performed as a chamber musician at festivals across the United States and Europe and served as second violinist of the Orpheus String Quartet. He was also for several years a participant in the Emmanuel Music cycle of Bach Cantatas in Boston.
Summers spent the 2005-2006 year as artist-in-residence at the Danish Institute of Electroacoustic Music in Århus, funded by a grant from the Fulbright Commission, and has worked on improvisation and electronic music projects with improvisation artist Steven Nachmanovitch. Recently, he developed tools for music and audio analysis in immersive sound environments.
He holds an A.B. from Harvard University in English and American Literature and an M.M. in violin Performance from The Juilliard School. He was a student of Ronald Copes and Robert Mann at The Juilliard School, Mark Rush at the University of Virginia, James Buswell at New England Conservatory, and Robert Levin at Harvard University. Summers currently teaches violin on the faculty of the Universität der Künste (UdK) Berlin.
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Photo by Linda Hogan
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Natalie Hokanson, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Natalie Hokanson is the Executive Director of The Virginia Chamber Music Foundation, presenter of the annual Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival.
Before moving to Virginia in 2020 Natalie spent more than 15 years with the acclaimed Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO), most recently as Director of Operations, where she gained extensive experience in all aspects of planning and oversight of the production of classical music performance seasons consisting of over 100 concerts and educational experiences annually.
Her experience includes long and short-range production planning, producing national and international tours, and partnering and collaborating with other arts, educational, and community organizations. In addition to production management, Natalie also has over 14 years in Front of House management, as well as several years of experience in artistic planning, development/fundraising, strategic planning, and oversight of facilities and IT.
Along with a wide range of arts administration responsibilities, Natalie’s time with the SPCO enabled her to work alongside a number of the national and international musicians who have performed at the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival including: Jennifer Frautschi, Melissa Reardon, Raman Ramakrishnan, and Finland’s Pekka Kuusisto.
Natalie is originally from Wisconsin where her love of music was fostered through various church and school activities. She has a BA in Psychology with a minor in Music from Gustavus Adolphus College, and a Masters of Arts degree from Luther Seminary. In her free time, Natalie enjoys listening to a wide array of music, bicycling, day hiking, travelling, cooking, and gardening.
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Staff & Board
Natalie Hokanson, Executive Director
Linda Monahan, President
Elsie Thompson, Treasurer
Terry Grant, Secretary
Linda Monahan, President
Elsie Thompson, Treasurer
Terry Grant, Secretary
CHECK OUT THIS 2019 FESTIVAL FEATURE ON PBS!