The Geneva Music Festival’s mission is to entertain, inspire, and nurture a lifelong appreciation of chamber and other musical genres in Finger Lakes communities by presenting world-class artists that engage diverse audiences of all ages, including populations with little exposure to music of this caliber. Purposeful engagement with young people is an integral part of the Festival’s programming and children 18 years and younger are admitted free to all public concerts. Programs in schools and senior living facilities bring live chamber music to audiences that might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it.
As we reflect on the 2024 season of the Geneva Music Festival, themed “Light and Dark,” we are filled with immense gratitude and pride. This year’s festival was an exploration of the profound dichotomies that shape the human experience, presented through a tapestry of musical works. Over the course of four magical weeks, we enjoyed memorable musical experiences in our beautiful city, strengthening community ties – new and old – and, all the while, creating cherished memories together.
The Geneva Music Festival was founded in 2011 by Geneva native and violinist Geoffrey Herd as a weekend of chamber music for their hometown. Exceptional musical quality, enthusiastic community response, and artistic vision stimulated the Festival’s evolution into a four-week event featuring world-class musicians. Now in its 12th season, the GMF has become Geneva’s and the Finger Lakes’ premiere summer kick-off event, attracting audiences to four weeks of concerts in May and June to hear outstanding musicians from the world’s stages.
While rooted in the chamber music repertoire, performances now include jazz, contemporary, and bluegrass music, and festival musicians represent leading classical soloists, multiple Grammy Award-winning artists, members of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, and faculty from Yale, Juilliard, the Colburn School, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Community outreach, which includes free concerts and classes, is among the most exciting and important of GMF’s annual activities. Many artists take time to share their talents in the community. In the most recent years, ATLYS has presented free concerts to children at the Geneva YMCA, North St.
Elementary School, Geneva Middle School, and Skaneateles High School in addition to holding performances at senior living centers such as The Athenaeum of Skaneateles, The Commons on St. Anthony in Auburn, and Ferris Hills in Canandaigua. These performances combined have reached more than 1,150 audience members. ATLYS also conducted a master class for violin students of St. Peter’s Community Arts Academy. Additionally, Festival musicians were invited to give a performance by the Geneva Rotary Club, and pianist Michelle Cann played for students at the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva.
Geoffrey Herd Director
Trevor Burrall Secretary
Joyce Jacobsen President
Steve Naimoli Treasurer
Carla Aquino
Christine Clark
August Deimel
Daisy Hoyt
John Lechner
Tom McClure
Jay Smith
Bree von Bradsky
Katherine Walker
Max Whelan
Awards from Foundations and other philanthropic organizations account annually for over half of the Festival’s income. These awards support general operating expenses and especially our educational programs and community outreach. In the current year, special grants have enabled the Festival to rebuild its website in order to more fully support our patrons, offer ever-more program and artist information, and expand access to and the reach of the GMF through the Digital Concert Hall and the livestreaming of concerts from The Smith. Foundation support is highly competitive and the success of the Geneva Music Festival in attracting foundation support is testament to its growing regional and national stature. We are deeply appreciative of this support and wish to acknowledge our gratitude to the following foundations and philanthropic organizations.
GMF was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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The Geneva Music Festival is recognized by the U.S. IRS as a non-profit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Festival’s business address is P.O. Box 543, Geneva, NY 14456, (315) 326-1951, info@genevamusicfestival.com.
