The American Classical Orchestra (ACO) is announcing the “Healing Bach” performance including much-loved Bach cantatas at the Gothic-style Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in Manhattan on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 8 pm. This wonderful concert is featuring notable soloists including Sherezade Panithaki, Daniel Moody, Brian Giebler, and Joseph Parrish.
Founded in 1984 as the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy and renamed in 1999, the American Classical Orchestra (ACO) is the New York City’s foremost period instrument orchestra. It is now the City’s only full-scale orchestra dedicated to performing 17th, 18th, and 19th century music on period instruments. By playing music on original instruments and using historic performance techniques, ACO strives to recreate the sounds that audiences would have heard when the music was first written and performed.
The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer is a Roman Catholic parish in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Bertram Goodhue and completed in 1918 and made a New York City designated landmark in 1967.
Before the concert, Artistic Director Thomas Crawford will give a brief talk to illuminate the program at 7:15 pm. The concert featuring soloists including soprano Sherezade Panthaki, head of Mount Holyoke College’s vocal program; countertenor and Metropolitan Opera singer Daniel Moody, tenor Brian Giebler, the 2020 Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Grammy winner; and bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Especially, this concert will highlight J.S Bach’s Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42; Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18; Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36.
The following performance will close the ACO season with an evening of Romantic music by Schumann, Sarasate, and Grieg. It will feature baritone William Meinert, praised for his “rich vibrant bass” (Opera Today) and award-winning violinist Rachell Ellen Wong, on May 18 at Alice Tully Hall.
American Classical Orchestra will be conducted by Thomas Crawford, consisted of soprano Corrine Byrne and Sherezade Panthaki; mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith; countertenor Daniel Moody; tenor Lawrence Jones and Brian Giebler; bass-baritone Joseph Parrish and Edmund Milly; and Marc Schachman on oboe and oboe d’amore.
Tickets, priced at $75, $55, and $35 are available at American Classical Orchestra website. For more information, visit aconyc.org.
On Saturday, January 28, the Binghamton Philharmonic celebrated its first “Wallenberg Festival,” a concert of Binghamton’s three orchestras: the Binghamton Community Orchestra (Evan Mecarello, dir.), the Binghamton Youth Symphony (Barry Peters), and the Binghamton Philharmonic (Daniel Hege).
The program was named after Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg, the founders of the Binghamton Symphony in 1955. In his remarks to the audience, Executive Director Paul Cienniwa explained that, while the Wallenbergs did not directly create today’s three orchestras, they were instrumental in sparking substantial interest within a relatively small community.
Each orchestra performed a short set of familiar works. Many of the crowd-pleasers, from von Suppè’s Poet and Peasant to a Brahms Hungarian Dance, are not heard too often these days, and these works were an excellent introduction to the orchestra for many of the concert’s young attendees. “Wallenberg Festival” concluded with a side-by-side performance of the Youth Symphony and the Philharmonic, first playing Rimsky-Korsakov’s Procession of the Nobles under Peters, and then Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave under Hege.
As expected in a concert of one professional and two amateur orchestras, the playing was mixed. The enthusiasm was not, however–especially during the side-by-side. Even more so, the large audience showed again and again its love for Binghamton and its uncommon tradition.
Coming up this month, on Thursday, February 16 at 6:00 pm, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will present its 8th Annual Mac & Cheese Fest Fundraiser at the Holiday Inn Downtown in Binghamton. Guests should get ready for some cheesy goodness at this all-you-can-eat Mac & Cheese event featuring over sixteen local restaurants. Local chefs will compete for best Mac & Cheese while host Chelsea Cheddar (the Mayor of Macaroni) presides with cheesy proclamations as musicians of the Philharmonic play lively fanfares. Patrons and celebrity judges will determine which restaurant wins the Best Mac & Cheese title for 2023, along with other culinary awards. Tickets are just $25 to support the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. For tickets and more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic box office at 607-723-3931 or visit www.bingmacfest.com.
The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes (OSFL) has announced a showcase concert of the new principal musicians for the next concert on the 22-23 Musicians’ Choice Chamber Series.
In September, the OSFL held auditions for the open orchestra seats, and these five musicians were appointed as the principal players in their respective sections. Peter Ecklund (bassoon), Frank Gabriel Campos (trumpet), Duane Smith (trombone), Chris McAllister (percussion), and Mario Pietra (bass). “Delighted to showcase the newest stars of our orchestra, and I would like our audience to be familiar with them through this concert,” says Toshiyuki Shimada, OSFL’s Music Director and Conductor.
The five have collaborated to plan an evening of solo and small ensemble music from Baroque to jazz to modern, including original arrangements and transcriptions for these instruments. This concert will be filled with a wide variety of musical styles and instruments, including the addition of djembe and flugelhorn. Musical selections for this concert will include works by Bach, Beethoven, Mancini, Rodgers and Hart, and more. In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, this concert will include My Funny Valentine and Smile.
Following the tradition of the Musicians’ Choice Chamber Music Series, oral program notes will be given by the musicians interspersed throughout the performance. The short format program is presented in an intimate, relaxed setting without intermission. A complimentary wine and cheese reception preceding the concert will begin at 6:45 for guests with tickets purchased at least 24 hours in advance. Doors open at 6:30.
The OSFL offers a concert season of five full orchestra concerts including a side-by-side Young People’s Orchestra and professional musician collaboration, the Musicians’ Choice Chamber Music Series, concerts by the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes, the youth ensembles, as well as educational outreach concerts for children. Under the guidance of distinguished Music Director and Conductor, Toshiyuki Shimada, the OSFL is a strong supporter of highlighting the musical achievements of young musicians through the youth ensemble programs, as well as the annual Hertzog Concerto & Aria Competition for young artists in grades 9 – 12. The OSFL collaborates with regional cultural partners, artists, and like-minded organizations to advance mutual artistic growth in the greater Elmira-Corning area.
Support for the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes comes from Corning Incorporated Foundation, the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes. The Hilliard Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
The 22-23 Musicians’ Choice Chamber Series is sponsored by Dick and Judy Sphon, the Hilliard Foundation, and the OSFL Chamber Music Society.
The next concert on the Musicians’ Choice Chamber Series will be held at North Presbyterian Church on March 31 and is part of the OSFL’s Clara Schumann Festival.
The concert is on Friday, February 3 at 7:30 PM, with a pre-concert reception beginning at 6:45, at the Rockwell Museum, in Corning, NY.
For concert and ticket information please visit OSFL.org.
Kronos Quartet, a San Francisco treat who have been reinventing the string quartet since 1973, will arrive at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs on Sunday, January 29th.
Featuring David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello), Kronos Quartet is one of the world’s most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing 1000s of concerts and releasing more than 70 recordings, while collaborating with composers and performers. The group has won over 40 awards, including three GRAMMY Awards, and the prestigious Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes.
Founding member David Harrington spoke to NYS Music recently, sharing insight into the group’s creation, how the early years continue to influence current projects, and how Pete Seeger influenced the band’s work.
Pete Mason: You are performing in a theatre in the round on January 29 at Universal Preservation Hall. When someone is seeing you for the first time, what do you hope their takeaways might be?
David Harrington: I hope the audience will feel like they’ve had a little adventure through the world of music as told by the members of Kronos, playing several recent pieces. The music of Nicole Lizée from Montreal brings sonic elements into the mix, and it’s got this darkness but it’s also fun. And a piece by Indonesian composer Maduswara – there’s nothing like Maduswara that I know of.
We will be ending the show with “Cadenza on the Night Plain” – one continuous 30 min piece, featuring incredibly beautiful interlocking rhythms and a solo for each member of group. You will notice Terry Relily is generous, and he gave us this beautiful work that is thrilling to play this in the round, as everyone has their own individual experience. We’re also playing “All Along the Watchtower” – if you could name one great cover version of any song, in the last 60 years or whatever, you’d have to say Hendrix doing “Watchtower” is just the most amazing reinvention of a song. We’re trying to take our audience through a lot of different sound worlds, so let’s go!
PM: Is the new release My Lai connected to your album 1990 album Black Angels?
DH: In my mind, yes. 1973 was when I first heard “Black Angels” (George Crumb’s 1970 composition) on the radio – and I formed Kronos a few weeks after hearing it, we had our first rehearsal on Sept 1, 1973. Playing “Black Angels” later that year felt like bringing a great deal of music together, chanting and shouting, playing crystal glasses and instrumental effects, it felt like it was so much together, as a response to the war in Vietnam. I was searching for that, and there it was.
40 years later, Jonathan Burger told me about Hugh Thompson, and he had an idea for an opera. I had heard of the My Lai massacre – 500 villagers dead in Vietnam – but I didn’t know the story of Thompson, and Jonathan wanted to make this an opera. With him knowing of Kronos and “Black Angels” and having been working with a Vietnamese instrumentalist, Burger learned from her and began writing this piece and it was recorded and released a few months ago.
PM: How did the music of Pete Seeger influence you?
DH: The music and voice of Pete Seeger are locked into my own life. I grew up hearing him and when we had kids, we played his music in the home. When we had grandkids, we played Seeger in the car and at home. My daughter, now a 3rd grade teacher, plays Seeger in her classroom. We played in her classroom once, and one of the teachers brought a guitar, as the kids have all learned “We Shall Overcome.” The other 3rd grade teacher noticed it was Seeger’s 99th birthday the next day. So in the classroom, we decided to make an album celebrating Seeger, and if it’s good enough for my kids, grandkids and these students, it’s good enough for an album.
Clarence Jones, a speech writer and friend to Martin Luther King, Jr. shared how the I Have a Dream speech came to be. We recorded his story, and he said “You know if Seeger were alive, I believe he’d be singing that song.” The album has songs Seeger was inspired by, songs from around the world, President Obama sang “Amazing Grace” on the album, one of the most amazing public events that any official has ever done. We recorded the “We Shall Overcome” track in the school with 100 kids, it was one of the most fun albums I could ever imagine going..
I still have Pete Seeger’s home number in my phone, and I never called him because what would I say to him?
PM: Any film scores on the horizon?
DH: The latest film Kronos scored is 1000 Thoughts. Sam Green directs and Kronos plays the score live as Sam takes the listener/viewer through the history of Kronos, with interviews with composers, one we have done live quite a bit.
PM: Do you have a favorite arrangement of music you are enjoying at the moment?
DH: I try to keep my ears open every day and I never know where it’s gonna pull me next. I just try to be ready, thats been my habit all these years, and I think I’m getting better at it – just getting ready. I heard a musician the other day, my friend told me about, Pura Fé, a singer/songwriter who plays guitar, and a member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation. I was just struck by it and thought it was amazing.
Revisit our July 2022 coverage of Kronos Quartet performing their live documentary, A Thousand Thoughts for the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer series.
Tickets for Kronos Quartet at UPH are available here.
January 29th Program
Peni Candra Rini (arr. Jacob Garchik) / Maduswara ** Aleksandra Vrebalov / My Desert, My Rose ** Mazz Swift / She Is A Story, Herself * Nicole Lizée / ZonelyHearts * INTERMISSION Bob Dylan (arr. Jacob Garchik) / All Along the Watchtower (inspired by Jimi Hendrix) + Abel Meeropol (arr. Jacob Garchik) / Strange Fruit (inspired by Billie Holiday) + Terry Riley / Cadenza on the Night Plain * Introduction Cadenza: Violin I Where Was Wisdom When We Went West? Cadenza: Viola March of the Old Timers Reefer Division The Old Timers Throw a Spring Festival Marching Off to More Serious Matters Cadenza: Violin II Tuning to Rolling Thunder The Night Cry of Black Buffalo Woman Cadenza: Cello Gathering of the Spiral Clan Captain Jack Has the Last Word
The Binghamton Philharmonic has announced its Wallenberg Festival, a joint concert with the Binghamton Youth Symphony and Binghamton Community Orchestra, coming up this Saturday, January 28.
This Festival is in celebration of orchestra founders Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg, and their lasting legacy of symphonic music in the Southern Tier. The program will include a side-by-side performance of the Youth Symphony and Philharmonic through works by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky. The performance is scheduled for Saturday, January 28 at 7:30pm at the Forum Theatre.
Founded by Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg in 1955 as the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra presents an annual series of classical, pops, and chamber music concerts in Downtown Binghamton and throughout Broome County. The professional musicians of the Philharmonic, represented by Local 380 of the American Federation of Musicians, hail from the Southern Tier, New York City, and surrounding states. Maestro Daniel Hege was appointed Music Director in 2018.
A Night Of Classics
The show will be conducted by Daniel Hege, Evan Meccarello, and Barry Peters. The Binghamton Youth Symphony will perform pieces by Antonín Dvořák and Franz von Suppè. The Binghamton Community Orchestra will follow up with more Dvořák and works by Johannes Brahms, while the Binghamton Philharmonic will perform music by Edvard Grieg. The night will conclude with a joint performance by the Binghamton Youth Symphony and the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra.
All children 17 and under get in for free, courtesy of M&T Bank, Binghamton Philharmonic’s Classical Series Sponsor.
There will also be a Pre-concert Dinner to support the Philharmonic, held at the Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Binghamton. The dinner will be $35 per person and seating begins at 5pm the day of the show.
For tickets and more information, including Pre-concert dinner reservations, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic box office at 607-723-3931 or visit www.binghamtonphilharmonic.org.
Schenectady’s Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) have announced that they’ve received a grant of $22,000 from the Van Norton Family Foundation, going towards the CHIME program.
Heather Manthey, Van Norton Family Foundation President and Co-Founder is driven by her mother’s benevolence. She says, “Our Foundation has a three-part mission: to support qualifying organizations that promote the interests of children, assist with the mental and physical health of individuals in our community, and advance the arts.” After researching ESYO, it wasn’t long before Manthey knew that she had found her perfect choice.
Founded in 1979, ESYO is a non-profit organization that is widely known as a premier music education/performance program for youth and has received three ASCAP awards.
The Empire State Youth Orchestra plans to use their stupendous gift to support their CHIME program. Creating Harmony Inspiring Musical Excellence was launched in 2015 to address fundamental inequities preventing universal access to high level music opportunities for youth. Today it is a free after-school program for grades k-12, that empowers youth to develop a strong sense of personal identity and community through ensemble-based music instruction.
The Amplify Our Voice initiative provides the youth of CHIME with a safe place to process deep emotion, explore shared experiences, and amplify their voices to the world. Through reflection, improvisation, and experimentation, the youth of CHIME create an original, multi-level composition in partnership with a guest arranger. This year’s theme, chosen by students, is “Stop Violence & Show Kindness,”. They will be collaborating with composer Adrian Gordon. The CHIME Proctors Orchestra recently performed Gordon’s piece “A Hero’s Journey.”
Currently, in support of their CHIME program, ESYO has received a total of $105,000 from regional and national Foundations. Funders, Rea Charitable Trust, Review Foundation, Carnegie Hall PlayUSA, Barry Alan Gold Memorial Fund,D’Addario Foundation, Henry M. Butzel Foundation, Seymour Fox Foundation and Price Chopper Golub Foundation have all made gracious donations. For more information, visit esyo.org.
Conductor and music director Leon Botstein leads The Orchestra Now (TŌN) for their upcoming presentation of Haydn, Brahms & The Manufactured Classical Ideal on Sunday, February 19th at 2 PM. This will be the second installment of the Orchestra’s popular Sight & Sound series performed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The program compares theories of classical music structure and 18th-century sculpture, featuring Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn and Haydn’s Symphony No. 38. Alongside the performance, there will be projected images from the Museum’s concurrent Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color exhibition.
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) currently comprises 58 vibrant young musicians from 12 different countries across the globe: Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. All share a mission to make orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences by sharing their unique personal insights in a welcoming environment.
Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, whom The New York Times said “draws rich, expressive playing from the orchestra,” founded TŌN in 2015 as a graduate program at Bard College, where he is also president. HuffPost, who has called TŌN’s performances “dramatic and intense,” praises these concerts as “an opportunity to see talented musicians early in their careers.”
Photo by Matt Dine
Leon Botstein is founder Leon Botstein and music director of The Orchestra Now (TŌN), music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO), artistic codirector of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival. He has been guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, Russian National Orchestra in Moscow, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Taipei Symphony, Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, and Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas in Venezuela, among others.
Tickets are priced at $30, $40, and $50; all tickets include same-day museum admission. Tickets may be purchased online by clicking the link here.
For upcoming activities and more detailed information about the musicians, click the link here.
On Sunday, January 29, The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra will return to the main stage at Proctors with Philip Edward Fisher joining.
The performance will encompass illustrious pianist Philip Edward Fisher in Mozart’s “Piano Concerto in D Minor, along with Rossini’s “Overture to the Barber of Seville,” Salieri’s Sinfonia in D Major and Brahms “Variations on a Theme by Haydn.” Fisher’s first collaboration with SSO was during their 20-21 virtual concert season, which resulted in him being featured by the “Back to Basics” program.
Philip Edward Fisher began his music journey at the age of nine and made his first public appearance a year later. At age twelve, he performed “Shostakovich’s Second Concerto at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall”. Years later Fisher acquired degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School, studying with Christopher Elton, Joseph Kalichstein, and Jerome Lowenthal.
When questioned about what audience members can expect from the upcoming concert, Fisher stated “This is a wonderful program and, although it is centered around the ‘great classicists,’ the audience will get a true taste of the move towards romanticism and the way in which each of these great composers influenced the music that would follow them.” Regarding his opinion about reuniting with The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, Fisher said, “My first appearance with the orchestra was actually one of my very first performances during the COVID crisis… so I am particularly excited to return and play for a live audience. As enjoyable and fulfilling as the virtual concert was, there is simply nothing that can replace the thrill of making music for a live audience!”
Philip is globally acknowledged as a unique performer of urbane style and exceptional versatility. Touring as a prolific soloist and ensemble musician has allowed Fisher to travel from his home in the United Kingdom to Italy, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Japan, Ukraine, and the United States.
Tickets are on sale and available through the Box Office at Proctors, or via phone at 518-346-6204. Tickets are also available online at www.proctors.org.
Rochester’s collaborative chamber ensemble fivebyfive impressed the crowd at the Chamber Music America Conference in New York City during their performance on Jan. 6.
fivebyfive, photo by Becky Yee.
fivebyfive, the artist-led Rochester-based ensemble, formed in 2015 with a simple mission, to engage audiences by performing music of leading and emerging composers. Composed of a flutist, clarinetist, electric guitarist, bassist, pianist, and audio/video engineer, the group advocates for creators who are underrepresented in the field and chooses to collaborate with artists across disciplines, while staying committed to performing new music.
Laura Lentz, the flutist and Artistic Director for the group, said that the group likes conveying messages beyond the music. “Our goal is always to push boundaries while creating community-building experiences. We often use video and animation or poetry—even glass-blowing–to convey a message,” she said. She was elated to be performing at the Chamber Music America Conference on January 6.
The national conference was held January 5-8, 2023 at the Westin New York in Times Square to bring ensemble music professionals together to network and share information. Fourteen ensembles were chosen to perform off-site at DROM, fivebyfive included. At the CMA conference performance, fivebyfive’s repertoire included two commissioned works, “a tiny dream” composed by Anthony R. Green and Of Breath and Fire by composer/harpist Amy Nam. In a statement, Nam said that she was “thankful for the privilege to work with a team of musicians who share my motivation of igniting curiosity and joy in their audiences.”
The ensemble members are now back in Rochester, preparing for a 3-day residency next month at SUNY Fredonia where members of the ensemble will teach, play, and guide developing artists. Lentz said that the group “love[s] working with enthusiastic students and expect to meet many at Fredonia. We’ll share sessions on topics like creating videos and forming a musical group such as ours.” To keep up to date on the group and their future shows, go here.
After a lengthy four month blind audition process, the Binghamton Philharmonic has announced the selection of five new musicians.
The Binghamton Philharmonic
Joining this prestigious community of musicians are:
Brianne Lugo, Assistant Principal Viola – Recognizable from her performances at both Carnegie Hall and Saturday Night Live, Ms. Lugo is also a member of Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Punta Gorda Symphony.
Junheng Chen, Assistant Principal Violin II – Well Traveled with performances in Asia and Europe, Ms. Chen will balance Philharmonic duties while pursuing her Doctoral degree at the Eastman School of Music.
John Shuo Zhang, Section Violin – Hailing from Guangzhou, China, Mr. Zhang has taken his Juilliard education across the United States with the Juilliard String Quartet. When not in the States, he holds an assistant concertmaster position in Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yi-Ting (Joy) Kuo, Section Violin – Coming to the Southern Tier from the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Ms. Kuo received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the New England Conservatory and is currently a member of The Orchestra Now.
Shawn Hutchison, Oboe II / English Horn – A Graduate of the Yale School of Music and recipient of The Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award, Mr. Hutchinson is also a member of The Orchestra Now.
Binghamton Philharmonic
The Binghamton Philharmonic is the Southern Tier’s largest and longest-serving symphony orchestra. Founded in 1955 as the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society, the Philharmonic has provided the Southern Tier of New York with live, full-scale orchestral works ever since.
Acting on its mission to build community through the power of live music, the Philharmonic serves over 10,000 people annually through engaging and affordable programming. Music Director Daniel Hege hopes to continue with their goal of connecting professional musicians with audiences to stimulate the economy and expand listenership and education with the 2023 season.
For more information about the Binghamton Philharmonic, and to see a schedule of events, please visit binghamtonphilharmonic.org
