Musicians collaborate at Festival Amadeus

Festival Amadeus brings top-tier musicians from across the globe to Whitefish each summer to showcase their talents. Often those musicians have never met, much less played together.

“It can be like fire and ice with some musicians,” said renowned violinist Yevgeny Kutik. “But you have to figure it out.”

Kutik and pianist Spencer Myer spent an hour practicing together Monday afternoon as they worked out the kinks of their performance scheduled for Thursday evening.

By the end of the practice session, the duo seemed to have found their groove as the wowed the few people who sat in on the free rehearsal at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

“The skill level of the professionals here make it easy,” Myer said about playing alongside new artists. “That accounts for 80 percent of it. The rest is just figuring out the tempo.”

Both artists praised the Festival Amadeus Orchestra.

“I’m shocked by how much they play,” Kutik said. “The Boston Symphony Orchestra will play three times in a week, but they’re doing four days this week. It’s impressive.”

Myer was excited to be invited to the festival to perform with other special guests, including fellow pianist Andrew Staupe. Staupe and Myer will take center stage on Sunday evening to close the festival with a “dueling pianos” performance.

All concerts in Whitefish will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

Wednesday, Aug. 5, Orchestra Night 1

Diversity is the keyword in this program that brings the Festival Amadeus Orchestra to the stage with saxophonist, Ashu, for Piazzola’s “Two Tangos” and Bellenati’s “Concerto for Two Guitars and Orchestra,” with a bit of Mozart and Ibert to fill out the evening.

Thursday, Aug. 6, Chamber Night 3

Saxophonist, Ashu, violinist, Yevgeny Kutik and pianist, Spencer Myer, will come together in a mesmerizing night of violin/piano and sax/piano duets by a range of composers, from Mozart to Rachmaninoff to Ravel.

Friday, Aug. 7, String Orchestra Night

Festival Amadeus Orchestra with the Fry Street Quartet. “The Brandenburg Concerto” by Bach and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C” will be highlights of this dynamic concert.

Saturday, Aug. 8, Orchestra Night 2

Yevgeny Kutik, violinist will perform Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in e” with the Festival Amadeus Orchestra. Mozart’s “Magic Flute Overture” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” will fill the concert hall.

Sunday, Aug. 9, Orchestra Night 3

Dueling pianos anyone? Staupe and Myer will take center stage in the magnificent “Concerto for 2 pianos in Eb” by Mozart followed by Bach’s “Concerto for 2 pianos in C.” The concert will conclude with Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony No. 41.”