First impressions of Katonah and Caramoor from new CEO Gillian Fox

Gillian Fox is the new president and CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. (PHOTO BY GABE PALACIO, COURTESY CARAMOOR)

By JEFF MORRIS

Gillian Fox was named the new president and CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in May, after serving as executive director of Newport Classical since 2021. 

“I joined the organization on June 9,” she told The Recorder, “and so far, it’s been incredibly exciting to see both the quality of the programs that we offer and the warmth of the community that makes up Caramoor.”

One of her key observations, she said, is “just how much our audience is dedicated to Caramoor. I’ve been so touched to hear these stories of people who have been coming for generations. I often hear ‘I’ve been coming to Caramoor for 30 years’ or ‘I started coming as a child with my parents, and now I have the privilege of introducing my children to Caramoor.’ I think that is such a beautiful community.”

Fox wants to continue to expand and broaden that community, “and welcome as many people as we can to experience the incredible array of both musical programs that we have here, but also the natural beauty that we have and the historic preservation and archive of the Rosen House. It’s much more than just a performing arts center.”

Her view is that Caramoor is a true community center.

“The 80 acres are just so beautiful and an oasis in Westchester, and a way to get away and both get back in touch with nature and with the community,” she said. 

That sense of community and togetherness is something that many folks feel that they’ve lost in recent years. 

“Caramoor is a really beautiful place to bring people back together — through music, through nature, through history,” she said.

According to Fox, it was Caramoor’s artistic legacy that attracted her to the position.

“I was really familiar particularly with the past decade of artistic leadership,” she said. “From an industry and national profile perspective, Caramoor has an incredible standing. I think a lot of other organizations look to Caramoor as a role model, for artistic excellence, for diversity of programming, for programming mix. Classical, chamber and orchestral music are really the backbone of Caramoor, but we have really expanded our programming mix to encompass a robust array of jazz, roots and world music. I’m really excited to reinstate our commitment to classical music kind of as the centerpiece, but to continue to explore additive opportunities to explore other genres and hopefully welcome new people to those programs.”

Fox said one of her favorite things, that she was really pleased to find during her first weeks, “is that most people I talk to don’t just come to one genre. You don’t have just a classical audience or a jazz audience, but you hear a lot about the musical omnivore — the people who say, ‘I mostly come for one genre, but I love the opportunity to explore and learn about new artists, and have different kinds of concert experiences.’” 

With one month under her belt, Fox wants people to know that “there is so much of the summer left.”

Just added to the schedule, on Saturday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m., is acclaimed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo in an evening of arias by Handel and Vivaldi, accompanied by historical performance specialists Twelfth Night.

“I am particularly excited about Orchestra of St. Luke’s with violinist Stella Chen on July 13,” Fox said. “Orchestra of St. Luke’s has a longstanding relationship with Caramoor dating back to the late ‘70s, one through which we share our commitment to artistic excellence and advancing classical music to the future. It’s a really great way to be able to present a large repertoire to our audiences.”

Fox said she personally is a huge fan of Stella Chen. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with her in recital, at chamber capacity, so I cannot wait to present her here as a soloist,” she said. “I think our audiences will be particularly captivated by her passionate playing; she’s a very fiery player, very expressive.”

Noting that Caramoor has started to incorporate dance, Fox called attention to Music from the Sole on Thursday, July 17, also in the Venetian Theater. “That’s a really great way for people, maybe a first-time patron, to come and see something really visual, which I think is a beautiful way to engage with the organization,” she said.

Jumping to July 20, Fox was enthusiastic about the Knights, “one of my all time favorite ensembles, and also a fan favorite here, and combining that with the stylings of Chris Thile is going to be such a high energy, fresh performance; I hope to see our more traditional audiences cross-pollinating with some younger folk singer-songwriter type of energy. I think that’ll be really fun.”

Fox said her enthusiasm for the existing programming is a reflection of her background in the performing arts, her familiarity with the industry, and “just how excited I am, genuinely, to be here.” She credits Kathy Schuman, the artistic director, for doing an “incredible job” of programming, which is actually planned some 18 months to two years in advance. She said at some point she hopes to be able to bring her background in both classical music and extensive work in the jazz industry and world music as a networking resource of contacts, and as a thought partner in the planning process. 

“I look forward to continuing to bring energy and attention here to Caramoor, but I very much respect Kathy as our artistic director and am excited to work with her in that way,” she said.

Fox also wanted to bring more attention to the work their team is doing at the Rosen House, singling out Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Archives Jessa Krick. “It’s a tremendous responsibility to be the stewards of the Rosen family legacy,” she said. 

“I want to expand awareness and invite more people to take tours of the home, and dive into the architecture, the textiles, and the history.” She noted this year is the 80th anniversary of both Caramoor and the end of World War II, with the tour focusing on their intertwined legacy.  

In the coming weeks, said Fox, they will be announcing the Rosen House concert series.

“We will present nearly 20 incredibly intimate, high level concerts in an acoustically excellent setting. I love that juxtaposition of the opulence of the room with the intimacy of the space and the quality of the performance,” she said. “And it has air conditioning.”

Fox is impressed not only with the Caramoor community, but the community surrounding it as well, with which she and her family have become well acquainted in a relatively short time. Her husband, Michael, is cofounder of an artists management agency, and they have a 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Charlotte. 

“We brought her to the unofficial opening of the summer on Sunday, June 15, we had the annual Juneteenth celebration, which is a free community event,” she said. “It was such a well attended fun family day, so I was excited to bring Charlotte to that; she had so much fun just running around and meeting other kids her age. A lot of folks, when they think of Caramoor, they think of the Venetian Theater, and certainly that’s a huge part of our brand, but concerts on the lawn at Friends Field and a more casual, family friendly, kid-friendly setting, I think are a huge part of our brand too.”

The family is currently living in Bedford Hills.

“We’re very happy to be here in the community and will be looking for a long-term solution in the coming months, and it’s certainly our hope that we’ll remain very close to Caramoor,” Fox said. They have been out and about in Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, Katonah and Pound Ridge, and intend to keep exploring the area.

“It’s beautiful here,” observed Fox. “I’m a big fan already of LMNOP, the baked goods and coffee, and I’m going to be a frequent visitor at the Reading Room. We want to be active parts of the community both in a personal and professional way. I think it was a natural fit for me and for our family. We really feel like this is the place.”