Fernandina Beach, FL—The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival has received a $7,200 grant from the Rayonier Foundation in support of the Festival’s free Concert in Central Park on June 1. The foundation is the charitable arm of Rayonier Inc., a leading international forest products company that operates three business units on Amelia Island – the Performance Fibers Fernandina Mill, the headquarters of Eastern Forest Resources and TerraPointe, a real estate subsidiary.
The Festival said it also received a $2,500 donation from First Coast Community Bank to support the Central Park concert, which will feature a program of American music performed by the Atlanta Woodwind Quintet.
Tickets for the 2008 Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival can be purchased online at www.aicmf.com, by calling 904-261-1779 or at the Festival’s office at 11 South 7th Street, Fernandina Beach.
Christopher Rex, the Festival’s artistic and general director, commented: “We are extremely gratified and pleased to receive this generous funding from Rayonier and First Coast. The financial support from these community-minded organizations, along with our previously announced $10,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, is a clear indication that our Festival, now in its seventh season, is significantly broadening its base of support. This funding also signals the growing recognition of the national stature and importance of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.â€
Rex continued: “These gifts are furthering our mission of providing community residents with access to world-renowned artists and promoting the appreciation of chamber music to audiences of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. Last year, more than 600 people attended our Concert in the Park, many of whom never may have been exposed to chamber music or a performance of this kind. We anticipate a similarly large turnout at this year’s event, particularly since the concert will feature spirited works by great American composers.â€
The 2008 Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival will present an extensive program of German, French, Russian, Czech and American music, performed by an array of internationally acclaimed musicians. The Festival’s star-studded lineup includes violin virtuosos Robert McDuffie and Rachel Barton Pine; cellist Lynn Harrell; and master pianists Valentina Lisista, John Kimura Parker, Claude Frank and Andreas Haefliger. The 2008 Festival also will mark one of the last times area residents will be able to hear the Guarneri String Quartet, one of the world’s greatest chamber ensembles that will retire after the 2008-2009 season.
The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Entering its seventh season, the nationally renowned Festival is dedicated to bringing classical music at the highest level to the general public, schools and senior centers of Amelia Island and surrounding communities of northeastern Florida. For more information about the Festival, visit our web site at www.aicmf.com.