The eighth season of the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival has been announced, with five programs scheduled at East Carolina University, six programs outside Greenville, and two programs slightly farther away — in New York City and Israel.

Ara Gregorian, Artistic Director of the series, says the festival will perform three concerts in the newly-restored Turnage Theater in Little Washington, in addition to playing in Morehead City, Winston-Salem, and Columbia, NC

In 2008, the Festival players also will perform at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, New York, Feb. 23, and will put on a five-concert tour in Israel May 23-28.

The season will open September 13 at 7:00 PM and September 14 at 7:00 PM at the A.J. Fletcher Recital hall on the ECU campus in Greenville, with Beethoven’s Piano Trio in E-flat, Op. 70/2; Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 66; and Beethoven’s arrangements of folk songs, with baritone John Kramar as soloist. Other guests will be pianist Thomas Sauer and cellist Colin Carr. Gregorian will play violin. That program will be repeated September 15 at 8:00 PM at The History Place in Morehead City.

Times of all other programs on the schedule are 7:00 PM on Thursdays and 8:00 PM on Fridays. Click here for complete schedule information.

The October program is Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-flat, K. 493; Arensky’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 35; and Dvorak’s Piano Quartet in E-flat, Op. 87. Gregorian will be joined by Adam Neiman, piano, Jennifer Frautschi, violin, Emanuel Gruber, cello, and Amit Peled, cello.

The January program is Schubert’s String Trio in B-flat, D. 471; Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 44; and Franck’s Piano Quartet in F minor. The players will be Robert McDonald, piano, Ani Kavafian, violin, Joseph Genualdi, violin, Michael Kannen, cello, and Gregorian, viola.

In March, the program will consist of Shostakovich’s Allegretto for String Quartet; Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84; and Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34. The players will be Amon Erez, piano, Ittai Shapira, violin, Hagai Shaham, violin, Zvi Plesser, cello, and Gregorian, viola.

The April program will be Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A, Op. 18; “Time As a Fly,” by ECU composer Ed Jacobs; and Brahms’ String Quintet in G, Op. 111. The performers will be Elina Vahala, violin, Hsin-Yun Huang, viola, Maria Lambros, viola, Raman Ramakrishnan, cello, and Gregorian, violin.

Playing as Concertante, a chamber music sextet, Gregorian and other musicians will perform February 23 at 8:30 PM in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Among the other musicians will be pianist Adam Neiman, violinist Ani Gregorian Resnick, and cellist Sarah Carter. The program will include piano music by Chopin, Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, and Brahms’ String Sextet in B-flat, Op. 18.

The season will conclude with a May 23-28 tour of Israel, where concerts will be given in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rishon Le Zion, and Raanana. The May 26 concert at Henry Crown Hall in Jerusalem will be broadcast live on radio.

For information on tickets and programs, call 252/328-5386 or 328-2787. See: http://www.ecu.edu/music/fourseasons/.