The fourth summer season of the Cedar Valley Music Festival promises to be an eclectic one, beginning with fairy tales and concluding with Abraham Lincoln.

It begins Aug. 9 at the First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Falls, with "Once Upon a Time: An Evening of Musical Fairy Tales." The 7 p.m. concert will feature whimsical fairy tales from around the globe told in musical language, including Maurice Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite" and Georg Phillip Telemann's "Gulliver Suite for Two Violins."

Artistic Director Hunter Cappocioni said the fairy tale concept came to life on its own, but inspiration for two other concerts came from collaborations and conversations, as well as a bit of serendipity.

"I'd been thinking about doing something on Jewish composers and heard about the local documentary on Jewish culture that was being done and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the concert and the perfect setting is the Sons of Jacob Synagogue," he explained.

"The Dreams of Isaac and Jacob: A Historical Narrative of Waterloo Jewish History" will be performed at 7 p.m. Aug. 12. The program will feature Darius Milhaud's "The Dreams of Jacob" and Osvaldo Golijov's "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind." Featured instrument will be the klezmer clarinet, and a kosher reception will follow the concert.

"Lincoln, Whitman and the Iowans in the Civil War" is the theme for the third concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Grout Museum's new Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. Cappocioni serves on the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, so the theme was a natural, he said.

The concert combines the messages of Lincoln and poet Walt Whitman -- who sought peace during a time of national bloodshed -- and 20th century composers who championed their words by setting them to music. Using photos and letters from Iowa soldiers and their families, the concert will feature an audio/visual experience in the new museum's lobby.

The program will feature Roy Harris' "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight" for mezzo soprano, violin, cello and piano, Kurt Weill's "Four Whitman Songs for Voice and Piano," Paul Creston's "Three Poems from Walt Whitman Op. 4," Ned Rorem's "War Scenes: A Cycle of Five Songs by Walt Whitman," and Igor Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale."

Cappocioni, who is an adjunct instructor of double bass at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, established the festival in 2006. Unlike a traditional concert with a full orchestra, chamber music is performed with smaller ensembles and in more intimate settings.

"Initially I really didn't understand that there is a lack of understanding about chamber music, and I'm not sure what drives that. Maybe the intimacy of the music scares people or a larger orchestra on a stage some distance away feels safer. My whole philosophy has been to get people to our concerts, to see what we're doing and I'm fairly confident because of our collaborations, that if they come, they'll really like it and want to come back."

He describes it as "knocking down the walls that chamber music is inaccessible or too intellectual. It's not, and with a smaller number of musicians, you can hear every part, you can engage with the musicians and the close proximity allows you access what you don't get in an orchestral concert. It showcases the wonderful musicianship we have in the Cedar Valley. But maybe I'm biased," the director said, laughing.

On Aug. 14, Iowa Public Radio's "Know the Score" program will present the Cedar Valley Chamber Music Festival live on the 5 to 7 p.m. broadcast. The show is free and open to the public, and will take place at the Grout Museum.

Festival musicians include Heather Armstrong, oboe; Jeffrey Brich, John Hines and Jean McDonald, voice; Ute Brandenburg, Julia Bullard, Kathleen Sihler, viola; Nathan Cook, cello; Jennifer Stevensen, clarinet; Emily Vardanyan and Tigran Vardanyan, violin; Lee Schmitz and Robin Guy, pianist.

Children's programs will be presented Aug. 10 at the Cedar Falls Public Library and Aug. 11 at the Waterloo Public Library.

For more information, call 233-3630.