YWAA and Caramoor Kick Off Summer

Caramoor's summer festival opens in Katonah with a June 20 concert and a reception before the event for Yale alumni and guests. Peter Oundjian (above, L) will conduct. (Caramoor photos).

Caramoor launches its summer festival season Saturday, June 20, and YWAA, a long-time supporter of the concert series in Katonah, gets to tag along and hop aboard the music bandwagon. Merrell Clark '57 '70 MAR, YWAA board member and past president, has once again organized a special evening for Yale alumni and guests, whether or not they are music enthusiasts or just want to enjoy a gorgeous Westchester setting with a live symphony soundtrack.

Peter Oundjian, a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music, returns to Caramoor to conduct Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Collegiate Chorale. Yale alumni and guests get a 10% discount on tickets to the event and enjoy Yale's night in the Caramoor gardens. Purchase tickets for the June 20 concert by calling 914-232-1252 and request the Yale discount using the Yale discode "PYAA.

For other Caramoor events this summer, Yale alumni will still have the discount and can order online at www.caramoor.org and use the same Yale discount code.

At the June 20 event, Clark and others have organized a free reception for 6:30 pm before the concert for Yale guests in the Caramoor Garden Courtyard. The concert starts at 8:30 pm.  After an evening of music, Oundjian will chat with the Yale group at Caramoor's Artists' Studio. This summer, YWAA and Caramoor celebrate 20 years together.

Besides teaching at Yale's music school, Oundjian has been a guest conductor for major symphony orchestras and is conductor for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has been an adjunct at Yale since 1981 and the conductor in Toronto the past 11 years. Oundjian was previously music director of Caramoor's Center for Music and Arts and played 15 years with the Tokyo String Quartet.

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah.