About

What is Rites of Spring Music Festival?
Rites of Spring has quickly become the premier classical and contemporary music festival on the North Fork of Long Island. In this fourth edition the festival is devoted to contemporary sounds in a setting that engages the community and invites the listener to participate on many levels. We believe great music works best in a unique environment. We invite you to join us.

We combine classical contemporary music with great local food & wine, an historic setting, and inspiring artist talks.

Donate today!
Support for Rites of Spring Music Festival is fully tax deductible 501(c)(3)

Letter from the Founder & Artistic Director

Dear friends, subscribers and music lovers,

I would like to thank you for being part of our music community and for supporting our artistic programming.

While society is on pause, our human desire to gather together and experience the art of live music continues to inspire us.  Faced with the challenges of stay-home orders and closed venues amid the pandemic, Rites of Spring Music Festival expanded our creative forces to present Music & Tell, a weekly performance series hosted virtually via Zoom over the summer months. Music & Tell is aimed to expand the mission of ROSMF and create a stronger  sense of identity while investing in the passion and artistry of classical and contemporary artists. 

We find ourselves moved and inspired by the talent and adaptability of the many musicians connected with our Rites of Spring Music Festival.

We are planning a new series  from September through December 2020 and serves as a wonderful opportunity for the North Fork and the East End community to enjoy classical music . We are fortunate to be able to present concerts for the remainder of  2020 and we are exploring all options for sharing our programming in 2021.  

I am grateful to everyone  of you who have supported the Festival in the past and given us the opportunity to expand our mission and create a stronger sense of identity.  All concerts of the Festival are made by the generosity of the many who support the organization each year — through subscriptions, annual gifts, or in-kind donations of goods and services.

For this reason and many others we ask you to continue to support our organization and make the vision of its founder and artistic director ever stronger. Your generosity is key to the success of our music program. Thank you for helping us keep our music strong and alive.

During these trying times, your contribution will help us more than ever to ensure the arts remain strong and  intact with an optimistic future. Please consider making a contribution today. Your gift will enable us to continue to bring high-quality classical and contemporary music to our community. Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time. 
 
Paolo Bartolani
Founder,  Artistic & Executive Director


Paolo Bartolani, pianist, Founder and Artistic Director of Rites of Spring Music Festival
Paolo Bartolani is a pianist, musicologist and music manager, working in both classical and contemporary music. He graduated in 1989 from the Santa Cecilia Music Conservatory in Rome (Italy). He studied with Eduardo Hubert, and after graduation, with Charles Rosen, György Sándor and Andor Foldes. He also studied French piano repertoire with Germaine Mounier at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. In 1994, he received his Master in Musicology of the 20th century degree under the direction of Hugues Dufourt at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in collaboration with IRCAM / Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Paolo performs as a soloist and also as a member of chamber ensembles in Europe and United States.

He writes articles for the musicology journals Sonus-Materials for Contemporary Music and Music/Reality. In 2006, he created a Masters Degree Program in Cultural Enterprise Administration at the University of Perugia, where he also teaches.
At the Venice Biennale, from 2008 to 2012, Paolo was the General Coordinator of ENPARTS - European Network of Performing Arts, which promotes the creation of new works in dance, music and theater by young artists. From 2009 to 2014 he was the Director of the Résonnance Italy, a nonprofit organization based in Switzerland, where he was responsible for its artistic and humanitarian program, "bringing music to places where it is not heard."  The members of the organization – singers, instrumentalists, conductors – have performed more than two hundred concerts in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons in order to promote musical sensibilities and share the joy of music.

He has been the General Coordinator of Music Up Close Network at Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome. The Network includes seven European orchestras who promote new orchestral works and support a new generation of musicians to connect with young audiences.

He founded the Rites of Spring Music Fest in 2016 to promote classical and contemporary music on the North Fork of Long Island, and to combine music, history and the natural environment. The Festival currently is a non-profit organization 501c3 and he is the Artistic Director and Responsible for developing the Festival’s program.

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Our Mission

Music is a vital force for developing a participatory attitude to the arts which in turn leads to a vibrant and progressive community. The mission of the organization is to involve, enrich and inspire the community and audiences by providing exceptional classical and contemporary music events in unconventional and stunning venues which permit site-specific creative experiences and educational outreach activities combining music, natural landscapes and historic sites. To accomplish this the Festival will establish and maintain core values of excellence, relationship and relevance that enrich the cultural, economic and social vitality of the community and region.

Our Core Values

 - We value the opportunity for communities and audiences to discover, explore and appreciate classical music and arts through music events, conversations, music workshops and cultural and educational activities.  
- We value the opportunity to participate in music and art programs as a means to bring people together and to encourage creative and personal expression and development.
- We value the ability to maintain outstanding programs which are affordable and accessible to ensure such opportunity. 
- We value commitment to quality and programs that focus listeners in new ways offering a new perspective on the interplay between music, art, history, architecture and landscape.
- We value the contribution that young professional talents make to music and art.
- We value collaboration with individuals and organizations that share our goals. 
- We value cultural independence and artistic experimentation.

Vision Statement
The vision of the Festival is to offer the best young professional musicians as well as international chamber music ensembles and soloists, to provide audiences of all ages, in particular young people, with a stimulating introduction to the performing arts, and to reach out to those with limited opportunities to experience the arts.   

​The Festival is dedicated to providing accessible and affordable chamber music performances in informal venues. Concert programs are innovative and seek a balance between old and new music. The Festival endeavors to provide an unmatched experience for those who attend. We focus on growing a reputation around the positive, welcoming atmosphere found at large scale festivals.

The Festival’s innovative approach for musicians and audiences is to foster a participatory creative culture through music concerts, interdisciplinary arts programs, experiential learning and volunteer opportunities for all ages, especially young people.

Board & Committees

Founder
Paolo Bartolani
 
Artistic & Executive Director
Paolo Bartolani
 
Executive Board
Joan H. Bischoff  -  Chairman of the Board
Lauren McCall - Secretary
Giovanni Borghese - Treasurer
Paolo Bartolani  - Board Member
Marina deConciliis - Board Member
 
Staff
Kristy Verity - Media and Relations
Steve Benthal -  Webmaster
Maria Mullaly – Bookkeeper
Ronald Farnworth – CPA Accountant

 Development Advisory Committee
Gene Boxer, Group General Counsel of Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd.
Duncan Kennedy, President of North Fork Promotional Council
Terrance Nolan, General Counsel and Secretary of New York University
Cheryl Feld, entrepreneur, owner of Impulse Boutique
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Advisory Artistic Committee 
Perry Goldstein, Professor and Chair Department of Music Stony Brook University
Christopher Lyndon – Gee, Music Conductor and Associate professor at Adelphi University
Christopher Cerrone, composer and teacher of electronic music and composition at Yale College
 
 Circle of Friends of Rites of Spring | Music Festival
Jane & Fred Andrews
Gail Galvani Bell
Joan H. Bischoff van Heemskerck
Carrie Blair
Nancy & Daniel Torchio
Gene Boxer
Matilde Busana
Tomaso Cenci
Rick Coffey
Morton Cogen
Marcello Crecco
Debra & George Coritsidis
Anne & Sten Evenhouse
Lori Feilen
Cheryl Feld
Fred Friedberg
​Perry & Dawn Goldstein
Ann Howard
Richard Kalich
Thomas W. Kozal
Meryl Kramer
Lois Leonard
Melanie & Aldo Majorana
Christopher Magyar
Patricia Matos-Puente
Lauren McCall
Anne McElroy
Molly McDermot
Donna Miness
Mary Motto Kalich
Terrance Nolan
Joan Ohlson
Gary  Osborne
Nick Planamento
Michelle Roussan
Judith & Roberto Scattone
Juan Sepulveda
Jennifer & David Sinclair
Ulysses Smith
Nancy & Robert Stellato
Marilyn Stern
Marie Wade
William White White
Robert J. Wilson


 Circle of Friends of Rites of Spring | Salotto in Musica
Mary Cantone
Jan Nicholson
Wendy Prellwitz
Aurora & Karl Szekielda

Concerts

13

Attendees

900

Locations

10

Contact Us

Rites of Spring Music Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit.
Tax identification number 82-3695345 .
Donations may be mailed to the Festival’s address or made online through PayPal and are fully tax deductible.

Email: 
info@ritesmusic.org
Address:
Rites of Spring Music Festival, Inc.
P.O. Box 41, Southold, NY 11971

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Come experience classical music on the East End like never before. 

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©2019