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Paul Watkins has served as the artistic director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival for 12 years.
SOUTHFIELD/OAKLAND COUNTY — The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival has appointed its next artistic director.
Violinist Jennifer Frautschi will officially step into the role of artistic director at the conclusion of the 2026 music festival program. She will succeed cellist Paul Watkins, who has held the role for the last 12 years. The two share a connection beyond the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival as colleagues at Stony Brook University in New York, where they are both instructors.
The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival takes place each summer across various venues in Oakland County, including the West Park Gallery, located at 29469 Northwestern Highway in Southfield.
Frautschi said she is looking forward to stepping into the role of artistic director.
“I want to put together a mix of interesting programming that features music from the classic composers that everyone recognizes and younger, upcoming composers,” she said. “I want to curate a mix of voices that are representative of what’s going on in America, and blend them with beloved composers.”
This year’s festival will take place from June 14 through 27 and will be the last one organized by Watkins. The festival, titled “Time Signatures,” will be a way to celebrate Watkins’ tenure as artistic director.
Watkins said this is not a retirement and that he will still be a musician. He said a number of things have happened in his life, such as the disbandment of the Emerson String Quartet, of which he was a member, that caused him to think about the cycles of his work.
“I’m coming up on 12 years with (the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival) and it felt like a natural time to go, and I felt like I have done what I wanted in terms of programming,” he said.
One of the things Watkins is proud of accomplishing is creating strongly themed seasons each festival year. Additionally, he has been instrumental in getting young composers and musicians featured at the festival, all being local, national and international talents.
Watkins said the festival will be in great hands under Frautschi.
The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival began in 1994 as a collaboration between religious and cultural institutions. Each June, the festival presents more than 20 concerts across metro Detroit, featuring a wide array of classical, jazz and contemporary works.
More information on the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival can be found on its website at greatlakeschambermusic.org.
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