50th Anniversary Season
Yellow Barn Festival Concerts July 6-August 3
Summer Gala August 3
Jörg Widmann, Composer in Residence July 22-July 27
Brett Dean, Composer in Residence July 28-August 3
Young Artists Program Concerts June 17, 19, 27 & 28
"Concerts like those at Yellow Barn shouldn't really exist.
And yet they do."—The Boston Globe
All Yellow Barn venues are fully accessible.
Consideration for the continued artistic growth of Yellow Barn’s musicians is the primary focus of our programming each summer. Repertoire presented during Yellow Barn’s summer season is chosen after the conclusion of our admissions process, and the full schedule of programs and performers will be available after June 1. In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy selected performances from past festivals.
View this year's list of Yellow Barn musicians
Season Overview
Yellow Barn Concerts
July 5 – August 3
Since 1969, Yellow Barn has gathered together an international community of musicians ranging from conservatory students to renowned professionals. For five weeks, Yellow Barn creates an ideal environment for creative exploration and expression, resulting in a series of extraordinary public performances. Each season’s repertoire is unique, spanning a wide range of eras and genres, offering infinite insights into chamber music—for performers, composers and audiences alike. All concerts take place at 8pm in the Big Barn.
Summer Gala
August 3
Yellow Barn celebrates 50 extaordinary years with a special chamber music performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, followed by Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, a tribute to founders David and Janet Wells, who always ended their summers by filling their barn, our first home, to the point of bursting with music, musicians, and love. This special event to benefit the Yellow Barn Scholarship Fund begins at 11:00am and concludes with a post-performance lunch and celebration.
Composers in Residence
Jörg Widmann
July 22 – 27
July 24: Masterclass
Brett Dean
July 28 – August 3
July 30: Composer Portrait
Since the 1970s, composers of all nationalities have enriched Yellow Barn’s summer season with their music, the work they do with musicians, and interactions with audiences. This summer Yellow Barn welcomes back renowned composers Jörg Widmann and Brett Dean. Each residency will offer multiple performances of their music and opportunities to hear the composers themselves performing. In addition, Yellow Barn offers two special opportunities for audiences: Jörg Widmann's masterclass will explore a range of repertoire, including his own work, and the annual Composer Portrait is dedicated to Dean’s work, with conversations with Artistic Director Seth Knopp, performers, and audience members. All events take place at 8pm in the Big Barn.
Masterclasses
July 6: Gilbert Kalish
July 13: Donald Weilerstein
July 20: Kim Kashkashian
July 24: Jörg Widmann
July 27: Laurence Lesser
At Yellow Barn masterclasses, audience members are invited to sit in the Big Barn with Yellow Barn musicians and witness the interpretive process as Yellow Barn faculty and guests coach participants on a wide range of repertoire. Masterclasses on July 6, 13, 20, and 27 will take place at 10:30am in the Big Barn. The masterclass on July 24 will take place at 8pm at the Big Barn.
Pre-Concert Discussions
July 6, 13, 20 & 27 | August 3
On Saturdays, audience members are invited to the Putney Public Library for an intimate introduction to the evening’s concert given by Yellow Barn musicians. All pre-concert discussions take place at 7pm at the Putney Public Library.
Open House
July 21
Yellow Barn’s Open House affords audiences the chance to spend an afternoon attending open rehearsals, participating in discussions, and sharing a meal with Yellow Barn musicians on campus. Lunch and open house begin at 12:30pm at the Greenwood School.
Young Artists Program Concerts
June 17, 19, 27 & 28
Preceding the main season is the Young Artists Program for outstanding composers and performers ages 13–20, with four concerts that include classical repertoire and world premiere performances of works created during the program. All concerts take place at 8pm in the Big Barn.
Special Event: Benjamin Bagby
June 16
Yellow Barn welcomes Benjamin Bagby for a special pre-season performance. In his extraordinary hourlong performance of the first part of the epic poem known as Beowulf, Bagby assumes the role of 11th-century scop, transporting both himself and the audience to the very roots of storytelling, when aural tradition was paramount to sustaining culture, history, and society. The scop would re-tell the story of Beowulf, in song and speech, accompanying himself on a six-stringed harp based on the remains of an instrument from the 7th Century. 7:30pm at Next Stage.