String Quartet No. 2 ("The Sonnenberg Suite") - Pocket Score

About the Sonnenberg Gardens and Estate The Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, located just blocks from downtown Canandaigua, is a 50-acre estate offering a serene escape filled with stunning gardens, majestic trees, and a grand Victorian mansion. Created as a summer home by Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson during the Gilded Age, it is now one of the few remaining Country Place Era estates in the United States, featuring themed gardens from around the world, including a Japanese Garden and Teahouse. After decades of neglect following its use as a Veterans Administration Hospital, local efforts restored the estate, opening it to the public in 1973. Today, Sonnenberg operates as a nonprofit within the state park system, inspiring visitors through its gardens, historic architecture, and the philanthropic legacy of the Thompson family. About The Sonnenberg Suite Upon hearing the ATLYS string quartet perform a concert at Ferris Hills in 2019, Thomas Mees, a volunteer at the gardens was inspired to approach the group after the concert with great enthusiasm about his vision for a piece of music that would embody the majesty, enchantment, history, and beauty of the Sonnenberg Gardens. Ari Fisher was commissioned by ATLYS to compose the ten movement, hour long work. Each movement serves as a vignette portraying each of the nine gardens and their themes, with an additional movement that serves as an overture.