By Rebecca Wicks
Ventura Breeze
Mar. 10, 2010

Vienna may seemingly sit in the shadow of bigger European cities like Paris, London and Rome but when it comes to classical music it holds its rightful place near – if not at – the top. This year the Ventura Music Festival will celebrate music from the humble city of Vienna featuring famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss.

Cheryl Heitmann, executive director for the festival calls the season’s lineup “incredible and amazing.”

“No one would be disappointed with any concert they chose,” insists Heitmann.

Heitmann believes music is a gift to any community calling it something “good for the soul, especially in these stressful times.”

The festival begins on April 29 with the annual Tea and Trumpets event where music goers are treated to a traditional English tea while being entertained by Festival Brass. The festival continues through May 8 with a concert by pianist Yeol Eum Son.

Two major highlights will include the Grammy-decorated Herbie Hancock who will perform on Ventura College’s athletic field and world-renown violinist Itzhak Perlman.

“Herbie Hancock is simply a legend,” said Heitmann. “The concert at the college is one of the most popular we have each year.”

Heitmann describes the outdoor concert event as family-friendly where even small children can attend.

Perlman, who will perform at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, the only concert taking place outside Ventura has stirred excitement in the classical community in Ventura.

“He’s hands-down the best violinist alive right now,” said Tiffany Cho, an amateur violinist in Ventura.

“He’s just who he is – the world’s leading violinist,” said Heitmann who notes the venue makes the performance even more special. “You’ll be able to see and hear him well which is sometimes difficult at his often large concerts.”

For one member of the Escher String Quartet it will be a homecoming of sorts. Originally from Thousand Oaks, cellist Andrew Janss is more than excited about the Viennese-themed event.

“When it comes to a Viennese program, your mind goes straight to Schubert,” said Janss whose group will also be playing pieces by Beethoven and Mozart on May 7 at the Community Presbyterian Church in Ventura.

The group is named for M.C. Escher the mathematically inspired artist famous for works such as graphically interlocking birds and hands.

“Escher believed art is a series of interconnected pieces,” said Janss. “It’s basically how a string quartet works, separate voices are not interesting, but together the interaction makes it interesting.”

The group, which came together at the Manhattan School of Music has been playing together for five years and has toured around the country and the world.

Janss and the Escher Group will likely draw a large crowd in Ventura with many members and followers of the New West Symphony, the Thousand Oaks-based group Janss started with in attendance.

“The Escher Group has a wonderful career,” said Heitmann. “We are more than excited to have them.”

Heitmann who has been the executive director of the Ventura Music Festival for four years expresses as much excitement if not more when talking about the group’s youth outreach programs.

“These days, there are so many budgets being cut especially arts programs,” said Heitmann. “Anything we can do to increase music’s presence we see as a win.”

The group’s programs reach elementary through high school students and include general exposure to instruments all the way through sponsored competitions.

Other groups performing at this year’s festival include Grammy-award winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, the Celefax Reed Quintet from the Netherlands and the Rising Stars who will perform with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic.