NYS Music 202​2

Category: Classical

  • Dance In Albany Starts Off The New Year With Bay Area Company

    The performing arts centers at the University of Albany and The Egg present ODC/Dance in the 2023 Dance in Albany series. Having recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary, this San Francisco-based ensemble is scheduled to perform on Friday, January 27th at 7:30pm at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center. 

    The Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform March 4, 2023, at The Egg in Albany as part of the seventh Dance in Albany season, co-presented by The Egg and the University at Albany Performing Arts Center.  

    ODC/Dance was one of the first American companies to incorporate a post-modern sensibility into a virtuosic contemporary dance technique. Since founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, the company has performed for more than a million people in 32 states and 11 countries.   

    MOMIX will perform at The Egg in Albany on Oct. 6, 2022, as part of the seventh Dance in Albany season, co-presented by The Egg and the University at Albany Performing Arts Center.

    According to Dance Magazine, “…the major reason to celebrate ODC is its artistic achievements… Over the years, this body of work has become formally more sophisticated without losing its humanistic principals and questioning spirit…” 

    Savion Glover will perform April 22, 2023, at The Egg in Albany as part of the seventh Dance in Albany season, co-presented by The Egg and the University at Albany Performing Arts Center.
    Savion Glover will perform April 22, 2023, at The Egg in Albany as part of the seventh Dance in Albany season, co-presented by The Egg and the University at Albany Performing Arts Center.

    The company will perform three different works on the program. The first being Two if by Sea which is choregraphed by Associate Choreographer Kimi Okada. This dance set explores a couple’s secret language and signals which become increasingly imperative and urgent as their world changes. The dance is accompanied by music from Ijo Ito and Steve Riech. 

    The next show performed is called Unintended Consequences (A Meditation) and is choreography by Artistic Director Brenda Way. This dance originally premiered in 2008 and is set to music by renowned performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Commissioned by the Equal Justice Society, this work in particular “offers a cutting critique of human relationships, and of how easily we become isolated,” stated by The New York Times.  

    Originally created for Robert Moses’ Kin in 2014, the last show preformed in called Impulse. This show celebrates “individuality, physicality and ferocity of movement.” The piece was nominated for an Izzie award for outstanding choreography, along with featuring music by Someone Else & Miskate. Izzies are bestowed from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards program which celebrates the unique richness, diversity, and excellence of Bay Area dance. 

    “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate with the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and ODC/Dance,” says Dance Department Chair Sarah DiPasquale. “To be a part of the creation of a new work with two prolific American choreographers as an undergraduate student is a once in a lifetime experience — And culminating in a public performance with a professional dance company is icing on the cake! We are so appreciative for the robust learning opportunities that this collaboration has produced for the Skidmore dancers.” 

    Remaining performances in the Dance in Albany series include: 

    New York Theatre Ballet with Bridgman|Packer Dance (February 17) 

    Paul Taylor Dance Company (March 4) 

    Dublin Irish Dance (March 18) 

    Savion Glover (April 22) 

    Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (May 13). 

    Advance tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors, and UAlbany faculty-staff.  Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors, and UAlbany faculty-staff.  Individual tickets can be purchased on the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s by clicking the link here. 

  • Chautauqua Institution Announces 150th Season, Summer Assembly Events Scheduled

    The Chautauqua Institution announced its 150 season, and annual Summer Assembly events, running from June 24 to August 27.

    Chautauqua Institution

    The Chautauqua Institution will be putting on live performances ranging from lectures, orchestras, and concerts with new and old faces. Some lecturers include Stranger Things and The Goonies actor Sean Astin on June 30, NPR puzzle master Will Shortz on July 7, political commentator Bill Kristol on July 10, and Jordan’s Her Majesty Queen Noor on Aug. 25.

    The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra will have 23 performances in weeks one through nine. The Music School Festival Orchestra will present five concerts in 2023 during its residency weeks one through six. The School of Dance will be in residence weeks one through seven, with performances inclusive of two student dance galas and the beloved Alumni All-Star Dance Gala. The Chautauqua Opera Company & Conservatory will produce a combined season featuring five productions. The 2023 theater and opera repertoire will be announced in January.  

    The Chautauqua Institution announced some exciting performers set to come to the Amphitheater. On June 30 at 8:15 p.m. a special performance by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons graces the stage. The group has sold over 100 million records worldwide, with Valli having a very successful solo career as well. July 7 at 8:15 p.m. brings Straight No Chaser to the stage, a group with 2 RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold, over 1 billion streams on Pandora, and over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Other artists performing include Natalie Merchant and Girl Named Tom, among others.

    The Chautauqua Institution has an exciting lineup announced for the Summer Assembly programs. Gate passes and single event tickets, as well as parking and docks, will go on sale to the public on Jan. 17, with the season’s best prices from Jan. 17 through Feb. 20.

  • New York-Based Neo-Classical Cinematic Pianist Doeke Shares Delicate, Dreamy, and Nostalgic Album ‘Herinner’        

    Doeke (Jorn Swart), a New York-based neo-classical pianist delivers a great deal on his new album Herinner – he is at times poignant, elegant, delicate, intricate, and vulnerable in this continued exploration of his signature dreamy and gentle piano playing style.

    Doeke

    With these sonic reflection of stories from the past, present, and future, the album is all about nostalgia, home, and the strange details remembered from childhood, the music transporting the listener to another time and place.

    Doeke was my grandfather’s first name. He played the accordion, which inspired me to pick up that instrument as a kid, and later led me to the piano. All the song titles are in Dutch, and many of the compositions are inspired by memories from the Netherlands.

    Doeke (Jorn Swart)

    Doeke is shaped by a desire to return to simplicity, with Swart’s piano compositions inviting listeners from all over the world to feel a nostalgia that is both melancholic and comforting. Swart moved to the USA in 2010 as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue a master’s degree in jazz piano in New York City, where he’s been living and performing ever since.

    Doeke

    Throughout his career, Swart has been busy not only as a composer and a piano soloist, but also as a bandleader, musical director, and recording artist for other musicians. As he built his name, touring throughout the USA and in Europe and garnering international acclaim, audiences told him that his work sounded like it was telling a story. With Doeke, he leans into this quality, with music that has a narrative and the emotional attributes of a film score.

    You know how a certain smell can suddenly evoke something that happened a long time ago, something you thought you’d forgotten, and you become instantly overcome with the same feeling you had back then? Music can also send you on these fleeting time travels and the songs on this album capture such transient visceral experiences. Though these recollections are deeply personal for me, music can transcend this and transform the particular into the universal.

    Music allows us to collectively experience the most powerful human states of being — nostalgia, joy, melancholy, reflection, excitement — and take comfort in knowing we all feel this way sometimes. Herinner is about these little moments that can seem insignificant, but still endure. It invites the listeners to join and embrace the nostalgic.

    Doeke (Jorn Swart)

    Herinner is available for streaming on various platforms here.

  • Binghamton Philharmonic Visits a Winter Wonderland

    On Saturday, December 10 at the Broome County Forum Theatre, Maestro Daniel Hege led the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra in “Winter Wonderland,” a holiday pops concert with a host of special guests.

    Along with the big man himself (Santa Claus), the orchestra was joined by 11 year-old treble soloist Luca Thomas and a quartet of resident artists from Binghamton’s Tri-Cities Opera (Gina Moscato, soprano; Janine Dworin, mezzo-soprano; Felix Aguilar Tomlinson, tenor; Bernardo Medeiros, baritone). Nancy Wildoner’s charming pre-concert holiday bonbons, played on the Theatre’s 1922 Robert-Morton Pipe Organ, set the stage.

    Winter Wonderland might have been a typical holiday pops concert, except that much of the program was focused on holiday film music. John Williams’ Home Alone II (with “Merry Christmas” sung by the opera guests), Alan Silvestri’s The Polar Express, and Danny Elfman’s Nightmare Before Christmas (a strange mashup of Klezmer music and Dies irae from the Requiem Mass) all led up to the afternoon’s highlight: Howard Blake’s The Snowman, complete with film screening and a stunning “Walking in the Air” by Luca Thomas.

    The joyful concert concluded with some audience participation: a clapalong Radetzky March and a singalong set of Christmas carols.

    The Binghamton Philharmonic’s season continues on January 28 with “Wallenberg Festival,” a concert celebrating Binghamton’s three orchestras: the Binghamton Youth Symphony, the Binghamton Community Orchestra, and the Binghamton Philharmonic. For more information, visit binghamtonphilharmonic.org.

    winter wonderland
    winter wonderland
    winter wonderland

  • The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra Presents “Winter Wonderland”

    The Binghamton Philharmonic holiday concert “Winter Wonderland,” will be held on Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. at the Broome County Forum Theatre.

    The Binghamton Philharmonic
    Karen Bogardus – Binghamton Philharmonic “Green Places”

    The Binghamton Philharmonic is Broome County’s only professional symphony orchestra. It was founded by Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg in 1955 at the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society and later merged with the B.C. Pops, an orchestra founded by David Agard and Russell Hawkes. The Philharmonic Orchestra presents an annual series of classical, pops, and chamber music concerts in Downtown Binghamton and throughout the county.

    The Binghamton Philharmonic will kick off its “Winter Wonderland” celebration, including music from The Polar Express, Home Alone II, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The program will feature a visit from Santa, a holiday sing-along with a quartet from the Tri-Cities Opera, and the viewing of the classic British animated film, The Snowman, with music performed by a live orchestra and treble soloist Luca Thomas.

    Thomas is an 11-year-old from NYC, who started singing before he could even speak. At the age of 4, he was a featured singer on two Laurie Berkner tracks and is now a member of a professional children’s choir. He recently toured Ireland over the summer and is excited to have a solo at the “Winter Wonderland” show.

    the Binghamton philharmonic
    Luca Thomas

    All children 17 and under get in for free to the “Winter Wonderland” show on Dec. 10, held at the Broome County Forum Theatre. To purchase tickets for the event, go here.

  • Conductor David Alan Miller Discusses ASO Holiday Performances in Albany and Troy

    Two fan favorite festive orchestral performances arrive in the Capital Region in the coming weeks. The Albany Symphony Orchestra (ASO) appearing at Albany’s Palace Theatre for the The Magic of Christmas series on Sunday, December 4th and at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall for the Holiday Classics on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11.

    ASO holiday
    Albany Symphony Orchestra

    Groups of young, talented performers are being featured in the musical performance at the Palace Theater on Sunday, December 4, including The Music Studio and Capital District Youth Chorale, as well as the Boland School Dance, Ghanaian drumming group Gballoi and special guest narrator Walter Throne of the Albany Business Review.

    ASO holiday
    Capital District Youth Chorale Featured in Magic of Christmas Poster

    GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra conductor David Alan Miller is leading the orchestra in both concert series, which includes directing classical musical pieces by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson included in Holiday Classics. “It’s always such a treat for us to present beautiful Baroque and Classical music in the glorious Troy Savings Bank Music Hall during the holiday season,” said David Alan Miller.

    Albany Symphony Orchestra David Alan Miller

    Mr. Miller went in further depth about his experience leading the ASO during the holiday season and music highlighted in prior and upcoming performance.

    Heather Occhino: The Magic of Christmas and Holiday Classic show events are premiering at Albany’s Palace Theater and Troy Savings Bank. How long have you been the director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra?

    David Alan Miller: 31 years 

    HO: Music by Mozart and Bach are going to be included in Holiday Classics. Do you think sharing classics, such as Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, on stage affects the audience size for each year Holiday Classics is premiered?

    DAM: Yes, there are different pieces we play at different times of year. People love Baroque and Classical music, we tend to play them during the month of December. Hearing these pieces is a wonderful treat. The shows on the weekend of 12/10 includes music by Black American multi-genre music composer, Coleridge Taylor Perkinson. 

    HO: Is Holiday Classics the first performance where musicians belonging to your ensemble are highlighting historically known performances part of the concert series?

    DAM: No, we feature musicians during every season. 

    HO: Do other musical troupes other than the Albany Symphony Orchestra typically join shows you direct?

    DAM: Yes, particularly in Magic of Christmas; 8-9 groups are joining this performance-an African drumming group, a children’s chorus, which are important particularly for Holiday programs. Young opera singers from Bard College are joining on the shows Dec. 10-11.

    HO: A special appearance by Santa is featured in the Magic of Christmas. What do you think this will mean for the children of your audience?

    DAM: We want to make it as much fun as possible for kids. We pick kids’ names out of a hat and conduct “Jingle Bells” on stage and do big sing alongs with the whole audience-we want to make the performance as engaging as possible. 

    Buy Magic of Christmas and Holiday Classic tickets here.

    Watch Albany Symphony Orchestra Perform at AHA! A House for Arts

  • New York Youth Symphony Announces New Music Director

    The New York Youth Symphony has appointed Andrew Jinhong Kim as its new Music Director beginning in the 2023-2024 season. He replaces Michael Repper, who will complete his tenure at the end of this season after six years. Kim is joining an illustrious roster of prior NYYS Music Directors, including Leonard Slatkin, David Alan Miller, Ryan McAdams, Joshua Gersen, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

    This season, Mr. Kim was Assistant Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO) and Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra. In this joint role he appeared in pops and subscription concerts throughout the season with DSSO and led the top ensemble of its youth orchestra program.

    New York Youth Symphony director

    The NYYS Music Director Search Committee, chaired by Slade Mills, conducted an international search. More than 85 candidates were reviewed and vetted by the Committee and NYYS staff. Live auditions were held in October with the orchestra which allowed for the students’ opinions to be heard as well.

    “Working with passionate young musicians is one of the most meaningful aspects of my life,” said Kim, “so I’m thrilled and honored to be joining the distinguished New York Youth Symphony family. I am immensely looking forward to creating a memorable journey from the first rehearsal to the concert and to engaging the community with the love of music and pursuit of excellence that everyone in the organization shares.”

    Kim received his master’s degree at Ithaca College under the mentorship of Octavio Mas-Arocas. In addition to assisting the IC Symphony and Chamber Orchestras he worked with the IC Siinfonietta and the Contemporary Ensemble and enjoyed frequent collaborations with friends for recital performances and composition premieres.

  • Can’t Miss Holiday Events in Utica, Cortland, and Endicott This December

    Throughout the winter season, historic venues across Central New York present holiday show offerings to keep up with the Christmas festivities. The most popular event being Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker; it wasn’t until the 1960s that performances of this ballet really took off as an annual Christmas tradition. This year, there will be many popular holiday events preformed in places such as Utica, Cortland, and Endicott this December.  

    Holiday Events in Utica, Cortland, and Endicott This December

    EPAC Nutcracker with the FUSE Dance Center of Binghamton

    Established in 1998, The Endicott Performing Arts Center provides a high quality performing arts venue to local, regional, and touring artists. Thus, enabling their students to present, develop, and improve their artistic efforts. This season, EPAC presents four performances of “The Nutcracker” December 9th, 10th, and 11th. With the amazing dancers from The FUSE Dance Center of Binghamton, teaming up with the EPAC Repertory Company, ‘The Nutcracker’ has become a holiday tradition that you don’t want to miss. 

    Four performances are held on Friday December 9 at 7pm, Saturday, December 10 at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday, December 11 at 2pm.

    Tickets are $20 Adults / $18 Seniors and Children.

    For more information, reserve seating, and to purchase tickets, click the link here.

    Holiday Events in Utica, Cortland, and Endicott This December
    Photo credit to Matt Ossowski

    Upcoming Concerts and Events at The Stanley Theatre 

    This holiday season, there will be many upcoming shows you won’t want to miss at The Stanley Theatre. The most popular being The Nutcracker which the Board of Directors and Artistic Director, Melissa Larish, have endeavored to make the production unique, through major investments in sets, costumes, choreography, lighting and guest artists. Other shows like Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, Home Alone, and A Charlie Brown Christmas will all be held throughout December.  

    The Nutcracker 

    December 2nd | 7:00 p.m. 

    December 3rd | 7:00 p.m. 

    December 4th | 2:00 p.m. 

    Mannheim Steamroller Christmas 

    December 7th | 7:30 p.m. 

    Home Alone (1990) 

    December 8th | 6:30 p.m. 

    A Charlie Brown Christmas 

    December 20th | 7:00 p.m. 

    Cortland Rep Downtown Holiday Events

    Cortland Repertory Theatre Downtown, located at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland, offers an exciting and festive December of holiday shows and events. For the first time since 2019, CRT is offering a weekend of photos with Santa, on Saturday, December 3rd from 10:00am-12:00pm and 2:00pm-4:00pm, and on Sunday, December 4th from 1:00pm–3:00pm. Along with this, they will also be offering a Holiday Broadway Brunch on December 10th, a performance by The Rave-On’s December 11th, Third Thursday Trivia on December 15th, and more to come. 

    Holiday Broadway Brunch  

    December 10th at 11:00am 

    The Rave-Ons 

    December 10th at 7:30pm and December 11th at 2:00pm 

    Third Thursday Trivia  

    December 15 at 7:00pm 

    The Story of Ebenezer Scrooge by The Traveling Lantern Children’s Theatre Company 

    December 17th at 11:00am 

    Dancin’ Thru the Decades New Year’s Eve Community Dance  

    December 31st at 9:00pm 

    For more information or to purchase tickets to any of these events, please visit the link here.

  • Caroga Arts Collective Announces WinterFest Concerts

    The Caroga Arts Collective announced the events for the fourth annual WinterFest, including music from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and favorite Christmas singalongs. These events will be happening from Dec. 14-17.

    Caroga Arts Collective

    The Caroga Arts Collective presents over 50 performances and community events in the Southern Adirondacks throughout the year, featuring world-class musicians from across the country and from various styles of arts and entertainment.

    Before kicking off the WinterFest, there will be the fifth annual tree lighting ceremony at Sherman’s Park on Nov. 26, and the Caroga Arts Collective is asking for volunteers to help light up the park. On Dec. 14, the popular “SAUNDERSFEST Christmas” hosted by Canada Lake-based brothers Geoff and Rich Saunders will be happening at The Nick Stoner Inn & 19th Hole at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

    On Dec. 15 and 16, the Caroga Arts Ensemble will perform the Tchaikovsky Holiday Spectacular at Paul Nigra Center. They will perform selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite and other beloved works. Tickets are on sale now for both events.

    The last day of WinterFest brings the free Hallelujah, it’s Handel! event. The Caroga Arts Ensemble will perform music by Handel, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and more at St. John’s Episcopal Church. There will also be selections from Handel’s Messiah and Christmas sing-a-longs.

    The Caroga Arts Collective’s fourth annual WinterFest will take place from Dec. 14-17 at various locations in the Adirondacks, showcasing the talent of the area in different musical forms.

  • Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes Announces December Holiday Concert

    As the family-friendly holiday activities start rolling out, consider a live music event, like the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes’ holiday concert this December 3. The concert will showcase diverse vocalists and genres, as well as compositions created by international musicians. The OSFL will explore themes of healing and community; encapsulated in the season’s felicitous motto: “Together We Are Sound.”

    Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes

    To ensure the event includes all holidays in its festivity, the OSFL commissioned an Israeli-American composer, Avner Finberg, to write a medley of iconic Klezmer dances. His composition, Dances in Freygish, will put Hanukkah in the global spotlight, as the December 3 concert is its world premiere.

    This concert also promises big band fun, the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes will play a collection of 40s jazz favorites by Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and more. 

    The concert will take place in the Clemens Center Powers Theater at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20-$50 for adults, $10 for college students with ID, and free for youth under 18 (if accompanied by a ticketed adult.)