Welcome to the
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival
For over twenty-five 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 co-founder and co-Artistic Director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival.
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. He 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.
Raphael gave the world premiere 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 the Brahms Double Concerto with Philippe Herreweghe. As a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra for many years, he 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.
After growing up in Charlottesville, Raphael studied at The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro, and later with Mario Brunello, Steven Isserlis, and Ferenc Rados. He now resides in Antwerp with violinist Aki Saulière, and their son, Tomo.
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Photo by Geoffroy Schied
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Timothy Summers, CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Charlottesville native 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 Artistic Director of the MCO’s ‘Future Presence’ Virtual Reality project with sound artist Henrik Oppermann.
Co-founder and co-Artistic Director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival since 2000, Tim has performed as a chamber musician at festivals across the United States and Europe. He served as second violinist of the Orpheus String Quartet, and was for several years a participant in the Emmanuel Music cycle of Bach Cantatas in Boston, led by John Harbison and the late Craig Smith.
Tim has performed extensively as an improviser with electronics. He 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. He has collaborated with improvisation artist Steven Nachmanovitch on improvisation and digital music projects, and he continues to develop music learning and analysis tools for digital media, with a concentration on AR/VR and sonic interaction.
Tim Summers currently teaches violin on the faculty of the Universität der Künste (UdK) Berlin, and has taught violin, orchestral playing, improvisation, and chamber music worldwide. 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.
Tim now lives in Berlin with his wife, violinist Annette zu Castell, and their son, Nicholas.
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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 and her husband, Carl, live in the Charlottesville area where they enjoy all that the city and central Virginia have to offer.
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Staff & Board
Raphael Bell, Co-Artistic Director and Board Member
Timothy Summers, Co-Artistic Director and Board Member
Natalie Hokanson, Executive Director
Bex Chippendale, Assistant to the Executive Director
Linda Monahan, President
Elsie Thompson, Treasurer
Terry Grant, Secretary
Timothy Summers, Co-Artistic Director and Board Member
Natalie Hokanson, Executive Director
Bex Chippendale, Assistant to the Executive Director
Linda Monahan, President
Elsie Thompson, Treasurer
Terry Grant, Secretary
CHECK OUT THIS 2019 FESTIVAL FEATURE ON PBS!