Daniel Nitsch, executive director of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, sensed the spirit of the festival one evening several years ago.  In a recent interview he recalled that the power went off in the middle of a concert. But with only “a few battery-powered stand lights” available, the musicians were nonetheless “undeterred” and the music making “continued into the night, with no thought of canceling the remainder.” It confirmed for him “the uniqueness of live performance, especially in classical music.”

Since its inception in the 1960s, the Bowdoin International Music Festival has grown into an inspiring event, both for classical music students (280 this year) and professional musicians from around the world. For local classical music fans, it represents a fantastic opportunity to visit the Bowdoin College campus for chamber concerts full of traditional and modern compositions masterfully played in comfortable venues. For orchestral concerts, the nearby Crooker Theater is used.

As in recent years, the schedule (70 free and 20 ticketed events in 2026), can seem almost overwhelming. The students get to show their stuff, while weekly concerts featuring the likes of the Jupiter, Ying, Shanghai, and Brentano quartets, for example, provide a unique opportunity for audiences to hear some of the best performing artists in the business taking on both classic and new compositions.

Nitsch points to likely highlights this year with scheduled performances by violinist Frank Huang, concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, on Aug. 2 and award-winners Zlatomir Fung (cello) and Jon Nakamitsu (piano) performing with the Festival Orchestra on July 17 and Aug. 7, respectively. Also, he sees a world premiere two-piano arrangement of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, performed by husband-wife duo Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee on July 1, as a very special event. 

Visiting composers Kenneth Hesketh and Elizabeth Ogonek will have works performed during the festival while Derek Bermel and Andreia Pinto Correia will return as composers-in-residence.

The annual Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music (July 9-12), a festival within the festival, will be headlined by Ensemble Dal Niente featuring an intriguing program from composers born after WWII.

So how does this festival all come together? Nitsch gives a lot of credit to artistic directors (and brothers) David and Phillip Ying who choose faculty members, many of whom “return year after year, attracted by the high caliber of student musicians, Brunswick’s coastal setting, and the unique collegiality and devotion to music demonstrated throughout the entire organization.” The two Yings also work with the visiting quartets and soloists “to ensure an overall cohesive and dynamic season.”  

IF YOU GO

Bowdoin International Music Festival, June 29-Aug. 2. Individual tickets $55, season pass $920, 12-concert pass $591, six-concert pass $306. For more, go to bowdoinfestival.org.