Birdfoot’s Annual International Festival
Every May the Birdfoot Festival brings audiences and artists together for a celebration of live chamber music that roves from timeless classics to cutting edge contemporary collaborations. Concerts and events take place all over New Orleans in venues such as jazz clubs, community centers, theaters, and galleries.
Before the stage lights come on and the doors open, every Birdfoot Festival begins with a Rehearsal Residency. This is an essential, if less visible component of the festival, which gives musicians the time and space to study major works of chamber music in depth, away from the frenetic pace of their performing careers.
Birdfoot believes that when musicians have time to engage fully in this creative process, audiences experience the exhilarating results—gripping performances that lift off the page and breath life into old (and new) notes. The residency begins with a five-day immersive and inspiring Artistic Residency. Rehearsals then continue at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans as public events kick off around the city.
Curious listeners are invited to sit in on Open Rehearsals to see art in the making and experience what goes on behind the scenes.