By Meredith Hoffman
DNAInfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — Classical music abounds at the second annual Chelsea Music Festival, a week-long event showcasing award-winning musicians around the neighborhood.
The festival, which kicked off Tuesday and runs through Saturday June 18, includes free performances of Bach each day, called "Bach at noon," in different outdoor Chelsea spots including the Hudson River Park.
Alban Gerhardt, Artist-in-Residence with the Chelsea Music Festival, plays cello in these brief renditions each day.
He's described on the CMF website as having "unerring musical instincts, intensity of feeling and an arresting stage presence," and has played with more than 180 orchestras around the world.
The festival also includes evening performances, with musicians including Grammy award-winning jazz bassist John Patitucci, violinists Augustin Hadelich and Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation, and Philharmonic violinist Rebecca Young.
This year's theme is Franz Lizst and Gustav Mahler, in the concerts and post-concert receptions. Thursday evening a concert will be held at St. Paul's Church on 315 W 22nd Street, and Friday and Saturday shows will be at the Chelsea Art Museum, at 556 W 22nd Street. In addition, an improvisation talk will be held Saturday afternoon at the General Theological Seminary at 175 Ninth Avenue.
Tickets (other than for the free "Bach at noon") range from $20-$45.