ABOUT US

Dear Friends,

As we approach our 10th anniversary, we are delighted to present our 2007 schedule of events - our most exciting calendar of performing and visual arts programming to date.

New York State Music Fund Grant

We are delighted to announce that in 2007, we received a large programming grant from the New York State Music Fund. Established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to support musical performance throughout the state, the New York State Music Fund will support a broader slate of live performances in 2007. Our ever-popular program of family performances will be expanded to include shows by (among others), Beethoven's Wig, the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, and The Tweaksters. For details and a full roster of performances, please turn to the Family Programming section of this publication.

We are also expanding our roster of performers at the Mountain Culture Festival in July 2007, which will feature the legendary John Sebastian, as well as many others. The MCF is always a highlight of our Mountaintop summers, and this year's will be the biggest and most exciting festival to date. The grant from New York State will also fund a new Folk Music Festival which is now in its planning stages.

Highlights of our 2007 Performance Schedule

2007 will include a host of exciting live performances at the CMF. Besides the expanded schedule of Family Performances, and the opening festival at the Doctorow Center, our audiences will be treated to new concerts by the Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra, the Amati Music Festival, Early Music New York and New York Philomusica, theatrical gems from Horton on the Stream, Theater 1010 and the Exchange (formerly the Jean Cocteau Repertory, dance choreographed by the company of the brilliant Jennifer Muller, and two new original musical revues in the Mountaintop Celebration of Song.

New Facilities

Each year we make progress in our goal of creating beautiful spaces in which to present all of our many programs and this year will be no exception. In August, the new Doctorow Center for the Arts will celebrate its grand opening. The new art center will include the Pleshakov Piano Museum, expanded to include a number of historical pianos new to the collection, the Evelyn Weisberg Music Hall, and three movie theaters for showing the best of Hollywood, independent and foreign films, film festivals and other film programs. The highlight of our 2007 season will undoubtedly be the Grand Opening of the new Doctorow Center for the Arts on Main Street in Hunter on the first weekend on August. Come celebrate with special performances by Vladimir Pleshakov and Elena Winther and special guest, cellist Daniéle Doctorow.

We are also hard at work on the renovation of the Orpheum Theater in Tannersville. This new facility will provide us with a professional performing arts space to present dance, theater and other performances that require a large stage, wing space, professional theatrical lighting, and dressing rooms. We know that this will have a dramatic impact on the level of performances we can present. We have started planning the grand opening of the Orpheum Theater in Tannersville for 2008 to coincide with our 10th anniversary. If you have driven through Tannersville recently, you can see that we are tripling the space of the building from its original 4,000 square feet to 12,500 square feet which includes the addition of the stage house, artists dressing rooms and lobby, all of which are attached to the original movie theater. Please visit our website at www. catskillmtn.org for updates on the Orpheum Theater during the coming year.

Sugar Maples Center for Arts and Education

In addition to our performing arts season in 2007, Sugar Maples Center for Arts and Education will offer an expanded schedule of workshops for adults and children during the spring, summer and fall. Last year our enrollment at Sugar Maples increased by almost 50%, and our youth program grew rapidly, with many local children benefiting from our scholarship program. We are particularly excited to announce that in 2007 the renowned painter Jacob Collins will be starting a Hudson River School for Landscape as part of Sugar Maples. For more information on our Sugar Maples programs please view complete course catalog.

Literary Arts

In the Literary Arts, poet and publisher Carolyn Bennett will create a Readers and Writers Series including a wide range of writers from the region and beyond. This past year's series included a number of poets from the area plus nationally recognized writer Francine Prose. Please consult our website as writers and dates are confirmed for this new program.

We invite you to visit our Fine Crafts Gallery, Bookstore, Farm Market and Cafe, and Business Resource Center at Hunter Village Square in Hunter. We are delighted with the expanded array of items available at HVS, and we think you will be too.

Tickets to Performances

As always, you can purchase tickets for our performances at our gallery in Hunter Village Square or you can reserve tickets over the phone by calling our new dedicated ticket reservation number, 518 263 2063. You will find a subscription form in the center of this schedule of events, and hope you will become both a subscriber and a member/supporter of our performing arts program! We look forward to seeing you at our events in the coming year.

Sincerely,
Peter Finn, Chairman
Sarah Finn, President