Central's Kairos Quartet Brings Classical Music To Suncadia

June 26, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Get ready for four magnificent weekends of music at Suncadia Resort in Roslyn, Wash., as the Kairos Chamber Music Festival kicks off Sunday, June 29, 2008. The festival brings professional musicians, emerging artists, and music enthusiasts together to celebrate the masterworks of the classical repertoire.

Suncadia will host the music festival, which includes Central Washington University's own Kairos Chamber Orchestra, along with 17 guest artists including musicians from the CWU community. Whether you're familiar with classical music or new to the genre, the Kairos Chamber Music Festival is a great way to experience a variety of styles and instrumentation.

All four members of the Kairos Chamber Orchestra are lecturers in Central's Department of Music. The group performs for regional, national and international audiences. They'vealso recorded soundtracks for many Hollywood films, including "The Incredible Hulk," the new "Rambo" film, and upcoming film, "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise.

Guest artists at this year's festival include local, regional, national and international musicians. Performing at the first two festival concerts June 29 and July 6 will be acclaimed Canadian artists, pianist Peter Longworth and his wife, soprano Melanie Conly. "They are both spectacular musicians with international performing careers," says Timothy Betts, lecturer of music at Central and Kairos Orchestra co-director.

Along with the festival's exceptional music comes a great atmosphere. This is the first yearthe festival will be held at Suncadia Resort. Performances will take place at the Suncadia Amphitheatre and the Rialto Ballroom in the Lodge at Suncadia in a very intimate setting, with no more that 100 people at each concert.

According to Betts, "There's no other festival like this in the region, giving listeners an opportunity to listen to world-class musicians in an up-close and personal setting."

The concerts will be held each Sunday from June 29 through July 20. For more information, please visit www.kairosfestival.org.

Tickets are $10 for the concert only, $25 for the concert and picnic basket and $45 for reserved seating and plated lunch. Seniors receive a $5 discount, and children 12 and under get in free.

In conjunction with the festival at Suncadia, the Kairos ensemble will be hosting the popular Kairos Chamber Music Lyceum at CWU from June 27 through July 6. Thirty-three student musicians will take place in this year's lyceum, which is an intense chamber music workshop for serious high school and college level musicians. The group will perform weekend concerts at Central. For more information on specific dates and times, visit www.kairosmusic.org. These concerts are free and open to the public.

Media Contact:
Tim Betts, CWU professor of music and Kairos co-director, 509-963-2023, betts@kairosfesitval.org
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu,509-963-1117 or 509-899-1222

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.