NYS Music 2023

Category: Classical

  • American Classical Orchestra’s Holiday Concert: Italian Masterpieces at Corpus Christi Church

    In a festive celebration of Italian musical heritage, the American Classical Orchestra (ACO), under the guidance of Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Crawford, is set to enchant audiences with a holiday concert program on Thursday, December 14 at 7 PM at Corpus Christi Church, located at W. 121 St. between Broadway & Amsterdam in Manhattan.

    This concert marks the second of four Manhattan performances by the ACO this season, featuring a captivating selection of Italian works, including the rediscovery of Antonio Bencini’s long-lost Christmas oratorio “Gesù Nato” and Antonio Gianettini’s “Magnificat,” in collaboration with the Academy of Sacred Drama.

    The heart of the program lies in the resurrection of Antonio Bencini’s forgotten masterpiece, “Gesù Nato,” rescued from the depths of the Vatican archives. This Christmas oratorio, composed in 1742, offers a glimpse into the enchanting world of the Nativity, featuring vocal soloists, a choir, and a vibrant orchestra of trumpets, oboes, and strings. Antonio Gianettini’s “Magnificat” and five psalm settings, written for four-part chorus with string accompaniment, further enrich the program, providing a sonic tapestry rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition.

    The evening will be graced by the talents of renowned soloists:

    Linda Tsatsanis (Soprano): Praised by The New York Times for her “ravishing” performance at the Boston Early Music Festival.
    Kate Maroney (Mezzo-Soprano): A CBC and Naxos recording artist, also recognized for her expertise as a voice and vocal pedagogy teacher at Mannes School of Music and Yale University.
    Alex Guerrero (Tenor): Applauded by The New York Times for his “apt comic timing,” Guerrero has been a featured singer in numerous ACO performances.

    The members of the American Classical Orchestra Chorus will join forces with the soloists to deliver a mesmerizing performance under the baton of Thomas Crawford.

    Antonio Gianettini, a 17th-century Italian organist, singer, and composer, will take center stage with his Psalms and the majestic Magnificat. Having served as maestro di cappella to Francesco II d’Este, Duke of Modena, Gianettini’s compositions were cherished in both Italy and Germany during his lifetime.

    The rediscovery of Antonio Bencini’s “Gesù Nato” is a significant musical event, offering what is likely the modern premiere of this hidden gem. Composed in 1742, the oratorio captures the spirit of the Nativity and was tucked away in the Vatican Library for three centuries before resurfacing.

    This performance is a collaborative effort between ACO and the Academy of Sacred Drama, founded by ACO violinist and scholar Jeremy Rhizor in 2013. The Academy is dedicated to Baroque oratorio that draws inspiration from biblical tales and the lives of saints, enriching the cultural and spiritual experience.

    Tickets for this musical extravaganza are priced at $75, $55, and $35, and can be purchased at ACO’s website or by calling ACO at (212) 362-2727, ext. 4.

  • Dance In Albany Series Continues with Trailblazing Contemporary Company

    The vibrant dance scene in Albany is set to be illuminated once again as The Egg and the University at Albany join forces to present the groundbreaking Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company on Saturday, December 2 at 8 pm, part of the Dance in Albany series.

    The performance promises to captivate audiences at The Egg at the Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany, marking a return to the Capital Region since their last appearance in 2015.

    Founded in 1982, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company emerged from an extraordinary 11-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948–1988). This partnership not only redefined the duet form but also foreshadowed themes of identity, form, and social commentary that have left an indelible mark on American dance. With a global footprint encompassing over 200 cities across 40 countries, the company stands as a beacon of innovation and power in the dance-theater world.

    The company’s repertoire is a testament to its diversity, exploring various subject matters, visual imagery, and stylistic approaches to movement, voice, and stagecraft. Collaborating with an eclectic array of artists, including Keith Haring, Cassandra Wilson, and Jenny Holzer, the company’s intensely collaborative creation process has yielded a rich tapestry of performances.

    The upcoming program by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will showcase “Love Redefined” from 1996 and “Story/” from 2013.

    “Love Redefined,” inspired by the 1992 commission for the Lyon Opera Ballet titled “Love Defined,” is a powerful ensemble work that embodies Jones’ distinct and poetic style. Set to Daniel Johnston’s whimsical music and featuring décor by Donald Baechler, the performance is an energetic reflection on love and human relationships.

    “Story/” is a reworking of “Story/Time” (2012), where chance plays a central role in choreography, music, lighting, set elements, and costumes. Set to Schubert’s String Quartet #14, Death and the Maiden, “Story/” draws from a trove of choreographic material spanning 35 years. The piece explores the dynamic interplay between movement and music, showcasing Jones’ exploration of the dramaturgical possibilities that arise from this interaction.

    The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has garnered numerous accolades, including New York Dance and Performance Awards (“Bessie”) for various productions. Noteworthy mentions include awards for “Chapel/Chapter” at Harlem Stage (2006) and “Deep Blue Sea” (2021). The company was also nominated for the 1999 Laurence Olivier Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Dance and Best New Dance Production.”

    Before the performance, a Prelude talk sponsored by the Dance Alliance will take place at 7:15 pm at The Egg. Mary DiSanto-Rose, former Dance Department chair at Skidmore College, will engage in a conversation with Janet Wong, Associate Artistic Director of the company and New York Live Arts.

    Tickets for the performance are priced at $36 and can be purchased at The Egg Box Office on the Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, by phone at 518-473-1845, and online at theegg.org.

    Remaining performances in the Dance in Albany series promise a diverse and exciting lineup, including Mark Morris Dance Group (January 25), Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company with Capital Trio (January 27), Monica Bill Barnes & Company in “The Running Show” (February 3), NoGravity Theatre (February 9), Savion Glover (April 13), and Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (May 18).

  • The Klezmatics To Play Hanukkah Show In Schenectady This December

    8th Step & Proctors Passport Series have announced an appearance from The Klezmatics at The GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, performing their holiday show, The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanukkah, on December 5th.

    In the first show on the group’s nationwide tour, the Klezmatics will sing Woody Guthrie’s uncovered Hanukkah songs, alongside accompaniments from celebrated violinists.

    The Klezmatics
    The Klezmatics

    The Klezmatics formed in New York in 1986, and are now one of the world’s most renowned klezmer artists, performing traditional klezmer music for audiences around the world. Klezmer originated in Eastern Europe in Ashkenazi communities, and includes instruments such as violin, clarinet, trumpet, percussion, and more.

    The Klezmatics will perform songs originally by Woody Guthrie that have been newly uncovered in recent years. Guthrie himself was not Jewish, but married into a Jewish family in 1945 through his second wife, Marjorie Greenblatt. During their marriage, he wrote tunes such as “Hanuka’s Flame,” “Hanuka Gelt,” “Spin Dreydl Spin,” and “(Do the) Latke Flip-Flip.” The Klezmatics will perform these songs, and more from Guthrie’s expansive catalog.

    GE Theater at Proctors
    GE Theater at Proctors

    The Klezmatics are Lorin Sklamberg (lead vocals, accordion, guitar, piano), Frank London (trumpet, keyboards, vocals) and Paul Morrissett (bass, tsimbl, vocals), Matt Darriau (kaval, clarinet, saxophone, vocals), Lisa Gutkin (violin, vocals), and Richie Barshay (drums, vocals). 

    The Klezmatics will perform their show Happy Joyous Hanukkah at the 8th Step at Proctors (GE Theatre) on December 5 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and $65 Gold Circle (Includes priority seating and meet & greet with The Klezmatics onstage). Tickets are available through the Proctors Box Office at (518) 346-6204, or at proctors.org and 8thstep.org.

  • The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra Hits High Notes with “Faces of Joy”

    On Saturday, November 18, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra continued its 2023-2024 Symphonic Series with “Faces of Joy,” an exhilarating program of music spanning two centuries. The evening began with a short piece for strings and celesta, “Five Faces of Joy,” by the living Chinese-American composer Wang Jie.

    The composer calls her work a portrait of “five comic ways of smiling,” including “the smile of a dancing Godzilla,” and Maestro Daniel Hege and the ensemble brought out the wit and whimsy of Wang’s music, providing a fitting introduction to a concert whose theme was joy.

    Pianist Andrew Russo performing at Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra's "Faces of Joy"
    Pianist Andrew Russo performing at Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Faces of Joy”

    Also on the program was Sergei Prokofiev’s delightful Symphony No. 1, known as the “Classical” Symphony. Writing in 1917, the young Prokofiev sought to imitate the musical style of Mozart and Haydn, and this piece is full of delicacy, dynamic contrasts, and devilish speed. The principal woodwinds of the Philharmonic gave a collective star turn in the dizzying fourth movement.  

    The highlight of the concert, though, was the second half of the program, with guest soloist Andrew Russo playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, the “Emperor.” Russo, Maestro Hege, and the orchestra seemed to become an organic whole, breathing together as Russo pushed the piano to the utmost extremes of emotional expression. Russo’s virtuosic playing and Hege’s sensitive conducting created a spellbinding atmosphere of joy, which the audience acknowledged by leaping to its feet with loud cheers at the conclusion.

    As always, it was uplifting to see many children and teens in the concert hall. One young boy told this reviewer that he particularly loved Andrew Russo’s performance, saying, “He reminds me of Beethoven!” It was pure joy to hear Beethoven and his colleagues brought to life so skillfully by the Binghamton Philharmonic.

    Don’t miss the next event from the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, Soprano Robin Johannsen & Pianist Tomoko Kanamaru on December 3. Both internationally acclaimed artists, the duo will perform a program of art songs by women composers from the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries, including works by Clara Schumann, Florence Price, and Yui Kitamura.

    Tickets are $25. For more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic Box Office at 607-723-3931 or visit www.binghamtonphilharmonic.org.

  • Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes Announces “Holiday Traditions Together”

    The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes (OSFL) has announced its upcoming holiday concert, “Holiday Traditions Together,” set to charm the community in early December at the Clemens Center in Elmira. As the region’s premier holiday event, this concert is not just a performance but a vibrant celebration of community spirit and festive joy.

    Featuring a dynamic collaboration with the Honors Chorus from the Alternative School for Math & Sciences, soprano Rachel Schutz from the faculty at Ithaca College, and skilled dancers from Rafael Grigorian Ballet, “Holiday Traditions Together” on December 9 promises an afternoon of enchanting music and dance. The concert will include a special singalong segment, inviting the audience to participate in the holiday cheer.

    “Dancing to the vibrant strains of a live orchestra is a rare and exhilarating opportunity for these young dancers…This concert embodies the spirit of togetherness and celebrates the rich tapestry of talent we have right here in our community.”

    Toshiyuki Shimada, Music Director of the OSFL

    The OSFL offers four regular season full orchestra concerts, including a side-by-side Youth Orchestra and professional musician collaboration, a Musicians’ Choice Chamber Music Series, concerts by the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes, concerts by the Youth Orchestra, and educational concerts for children. Under the guidance of Music Director and Conductor, Toshiyuki Shimada, the OSFL is a strong supporter of highlighting the musical achievements of young musicians with its own youth ensembles and the Hertzog Concerto & Aria Competition for young artists in grades 9 through

    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 OSFL comes from the Corning Incorporated Foundation, the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, 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.

    “We are proud to offer this musical gift to the community. With tickets starting at just $25 and free admission for children under 18, we are making the joy of live music accessible to all. This is our way of saying thank you to the community that supports us year-round.”

    Karen Dusek, OSFL’s Managing Director

    Tickets start at $25 and college students pay $15 if they show their student ID. Entry is free for all youth under 18.

    Tickets for “Holiday Traditions Together” on December 9, 2023 at 3:00pm can be purchased online at their website, by calling (800) 724-0159, or in-person at the Clemens Center Box Office.

  • Hearing Aide: Mikaela Davis releases new EP “Our Creepy Eep Hour”

    Rochester native Mikaela Davis recently released a brand new EP, titled Our Creepy Eep Hour on October 31st. The three track EP, clocking in at just over 10 minutes, features her band Southern Star, with whom she’s been working and collaborating with for over a decade.

    Our Creepy Eep Hour follows the release of her LP, And Southern Star, which debuted to the public less than three months ago in August. This was her first full length LP featuring Southern Star. The band consists of Davis on harp, Cian McCarthy on guitar, Shane McCarthy on bass, Kurt Johnson on steel guitar, and Alex Coté on drums.     

    our creepy eep hour mikaela davis
    Photo by John Lee Shannon & Cassidy Rose; Dollhouse Venue by Alison Coté

    This past May, Davis and Southern Star embarked on a three night residency at Parish Public House in Albany. Each night the band performed her originals alongside the Grateful Dead’s. On the last night, Davis performed Jerry Garcia’s 1972 solo album Garcia in full. The 4th track off the album, “Late for Supper/Spidergawd/Eep Hour” would later become the EP. 

    our creepy eep hour mikaela davis
    Photo © Jamie Goodsell

    Our Creepy Eep Hour breaks up the suite of songs into its three distinct sections; “Late for Supper,” the avant garde, abrupt opening leads into “Spidergawd”, which contains eerie soundscapes and audio of Garcia talking. This transitions into “Eep Hour”, a serene, slow building section that crescendos to a beautiful peak. The band’s patience, ability to communicate musically and talent is on full display. Their unique instrumentation allows for them to pay tribute to the original in a truly special way. This is the first time covers of these songs have ever officially been released.

    Photo courtesy of archive.org (Phil & Friends live at The Capitol Theatre, October 16th, 2022)

    Mikaela also has a direct link to the Dead themselves. She has shared the stage with both Bob Weir and Phil Lesh; in 2018 with Wolf Bros at the Landmark Theater in Syracuse and Phil & Friends at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester for a 3 night run in late October of last year. She has also toured with Circles Around The Sun, the band responsible for curating the setbreak music at Fare Thee Well, a series of concerts celebrating 50 years of the Grateful Dead and their legacy. The Mikaela Davis/Dead link is apparent, and the respect and admiration she has for their musicianship is exemplified in both the covers and originals she performs.

    Mikaela Davis 2023 Tour Dates

    12/07 – Lark Hall – Albany, NY

    12/08 – Funk ‘n Waffles – Syracuse, NY

    12/09 – Essex – Rochester, NY

    Our Creepy Eep Hour is currently available on all streaming services here.

    Listen to each track off the Our Creepy Eep Hour from Mikaela Davis below.

  • Syracuse Opera Cancels Remainder of Season, Furloughs Staff

    The future is uncertain for the Syracuse Opera, announcing it has canceled the remainder of shows for the 2023-2024 season.

    Photos courtesy of Syracuse Opera Facebook and Bunn Hill Photo (Randy Cummings).

    Syracuse.com has reported that the Syracuse Opera board chair Camille Tisdel said ticket sales are down 40-60% from where they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company planned to have three more productions: “All is Calm,” The Fantasticks,” and “The Barber of Seville.”

    Tisdel, in a note to members Friday, wrote “While our recent productions have been artistically excellent and impactful, like many opera companies across the country, ticket sales have been considerably lower than projected, and we do not have the financial ability to continue the season.” She also went on to stay that grant support, donations, and sponsorships are all in jeopardy because of the uncertainty in our world post-pandemic.

    She also said that Syracuse Opera has one full-time and four part-time employees that will be furloughed.

    A scene from Syracuse Opera’s April 30 production of “The Marriage of Figaro.” Photo courtesy of Bunn Hill Photo. 

    The current season opened on Oct. 20 with “I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams” at the Redhouse Arts Center. The Syracuse Opera was founded in 1974, and was the only year-round professional opera company, opening many doors for the Central New York music community. Due to the pandemic, their revenue had decreased dramatically, with majority of the opera’s coming from donations, grants, and sponsorships.

    As audience members keep declining, it is becoming more difficult to attract sponsors, Tisdel said. Government grants that helped keep organizations afloat have mostly gone away, making situations like these hard to deal with.

    “The next 24 months, let’s say, are going to be a big challenge for theaters around the country,” Syracuse Stage artistic director Bob Hupp told the Post-Standard | syracuse.com in April. “It’s going to be tough before it gets better.”

    The future of Syracuse Opera remains uncertain, and the board will decide in the coming months what to do next. Tisdel said ticketholders and subscribers will be contacted in the coming weeks about refunds.

  • The Olayan Group Partners with Kristopher Hull, Bringing Live Music to 550 Garden

    The Olayan Group announced they have partnered with Kristopher Hull to bring classical music out of the concert hall and into The 550 Garden, the largest green space to be built in East Midtown in decades.

    550 Garden

    As part of the artist residency, the Garden will host live performances on Tuesdays and Thursdays in a limited engagement. Kristopher Hull is a cultural fixture in New York City, known for pushing his custom-mounted 1964 Baldwin Upright Piano around lower Manhattan, bringing a mix of Chopin études, preludes, and nocturnes into the Garden for the enjoyment of all New Yorkers.

    Referred to as the “Pianist Errant” after the knight-errant Don Quixote, the majority of Hull’s work is performed in front of murals and in public gardens around Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. Now, in partnership with 550 Madison, he is bringing live classical music to Midtown. Inspired by 550 Madison’s architectural heritage and the natural history of the region, the 550 Garden is East Midtown’s first new publicly accessible space in decades. Designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, 550 Madison Avenue is one of the city’s most recognizable architectural masterworks. It is a postmodern gem known for its distinctive “Chippendale” curved roof pediment and pink granite façade.

    The reawakened space, open year-round and features a heated hearth seating area, embraces nature as an amenity for building tenants, area residents, and visitors. New Yorkers find solace within the Garden among trees and plants and now live classical music.

    The 550 Garden offers an elegant and welcoming space where New Yorkers can immerse themselves in nature without stepping outside the heart of Midtown. We are pleased to make Hull’s extraordinary performances of classical music accessible to the public, further enhancing the dynamic experience in the Garden.

    Erik Horvat, Head of Real Estate at Olayan America.

    Hull is a self-taught classical pianist who began learning the instrument at 20 years old, inspired by recordings of his favorite 20th-century pianists such as Vladimir Horowitz and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He has also performed at some of the city’s most renowned street art venues like Freeman Alley, First Street Green Art Park, and the Park Avenue Tunnel. His performances at the Garden will feature Chopin and Mozart.

    “My work as a pianist centers around the belief that pairing classical music and art provides an entirely new type of experience,” said Hull. “I’m thrilled to bring live music to complement 550 Madison’s serene Garden and Philip Johnson’s renowned post-modern architecture.”

  • Fingers of Gold: Holly Bowling plays Lark Hall, begins Fall Tour

    A brisk fall night on Lark Street was warm and inviting at The Eleven, celebrating its grand opening with a fitting artist upstairs at Lark Hall, pianist Holly Bowling.

    the eleven lark
    photo by Zak Radick

    Much has changed in the past decade since Bowling began playing solo shows, having transcribed and performed Phish jams (not just songs, the improv sections too) and gave fresh takes on the catalog of the Grateful Dead, even having appearances with Phil Lesh as one of his friends.

    holly bowling lark hall

    Bowling now enters her second decade of live performances with an evolving solo career in the jam scene, having branched out into Ghost Light with Tom Hamilton and company, played regularly with Greensky Bluegrass, taken part in the immersive Musical Sojourns in Portugal this past October, and brought to life the ever unique Wilderness Series – performing at beautiful vistas within and around our National Park System.

    holly bowling lark hall

    The past decade has been a whirlwind of growth and opportunities, including giving birth to her and husband Jeffery’s first child. Holly Bowling has been about as busy as one can, and shares how she has worked towards finding balance with it all:

    One thing I took away from the pandemic was a new acceptance of how to be creative in touring and that there’s a lot of different ways to play music for people. You have to do what makes sense for the situation you find yourself in at that particular time, whether it’s finding ways to create and play music when all the venues are shut down or finding ways to tour that make sense as a parent of a young child. I’m not sure I’d say I’ve figured out how to balance it all. I think finding balance of any kind is a challenge for most touring musicians. It’s a constantly evolving process, and I have to keep reminding myself to find ways to make it work for what my life is today and that what works today isn’t necessarily going to be what worked before or what’s going to work five years from now. And that’s fine – maybe even good.

    Holly Bowling

    On this evening, Bowling took the stage and performed as she always has, with focus and attention to detail, showing no signs of slowing down a well-paced musical career. Bowling last played Lark Hall with Ghost Light in October 2022, and sought out owner Jennifer Miller to plan a show in the future, with November 11th – 11/11 – being the best date for a show, adding in a nod to the Grateful Dead in the process.

    With tube lighting on either side of the stage, a mirror ball above and four colored spots shining down and moving slowly along with the tempo, the stage was set, a grand piano and bench awaiting Bowling.

    The first set featured the entire “Terrapin Station” suite, broken up into two sections, opening up with the first half of the song, “Lady with a Fan” and “Terrapin Station,” deep and layered, neatly falling into Phish’s “Fast Enough For You,” with the addition of looping to give the Rift track a new twist. 30 minutes later, the audience offered rousing applause.

    With the use of effects pedals processing the piano sound, Bowling illuminated the improvisation jam that led from “About to Run”, and found its way into the rest of the “Terrapin Station” suite, “At a Siding” and “Terrapin Flyer,” finally ending the set with an ever-gorgeous “Divided Sky.” The emergence of a greater scope of sounds from the piano – whether it be with mallets, e-bows, fishing line or pedals – adds depth to the music. Said Bowling, “The piano has always been the instrument that can be closest to a full orchestra and I just want to play with as many sounds as possible.”

    The second set opened with a heavy “St. Stephen” where Bowling explored the most familiar parts of the song using a tribal synth sound via manipulation of the inner piano strings, creating a hypnotic trance (accentuated briefly by a police siren wailing down the street.) “William Tell Bridge” developed out of this trance, Bowling playing the inner strings again, the pair of songs harkening the call of “The Eleven,” which would show up promptly at 10:11 (that’s 11:11 without DST). A song very rarely played by Bowling, “The Eleven” gave way to Phish’s “If I Could,” an emotional composition in its own right, and with light internal plucking and looping, Bowling summoned the intro of “Theme From the Bottom,” which took deep turns and twists, eventually fading into “Morning Dew” to close the set.

    “Waste” would fall into the encore slot, with Bowling greeting and talking to fans after the show, everyone filing downstairs through The Eleven where Quantum Cosmic Trio continued on with the celebration of a grand opening, a grand performance and a grand pianist.

    Holly Bowling – Lark Hall, Albany – Saturday, November 11, 2023

    Set 1: Terrapin Station Suite -> Fast Enough For You, About to Run -> Terrapin Station Suite -> Divided Sky
    Set 2: St. Stephen -> William Tell Bridge -> The Eleven -> If I Could, Theme from the Bottom -> Morning Dew
    Encore: Waste

    holly bowling lark hall

  • Free Music at Noon Series Returns to Troy

    The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall’s Music at Noon series has returned for the 2023-2024 season with The Lost Radio Rounders on Oct. 10. The rest of the year brings an eclectic lineup to the venue, featuring a wide variety of acts.

    Carl Gutowski & Yalin Chi.

    Since 1988, on the second Tuesday of each month from October to May, the free Music at Noon concert series has presented exceptional musicians with diverse musical styles. Returning in full swing on Nov. 14 is Carl Gutowski, a flutist based in the Hudson Valley and Cape Cod who has been performing in solo and chamber music settings for over 30 years. When he isn’t creating music he is a Software Engineer with nearly 30 years of experience developing software systems for air traffic control, publishing, education, e-commerce, and finance.

    Joining him is pianist Yalin Chi from Beijing, China, who made her debut with the Central Opera Orchestra before moving to the United States to study at Interlochen Arts Academy. She has performed and worked with musicians from across the globe, and studied at Julliard for her undergraduate and master’s degrees.

    Other performances at the Music at Noon series include singer/songwriter Alan Goldberg, performing a mix of originals and covers on Dec. 12. On Jan. 9, the Vermont-based Woodwind ensemble Heliand Consort performs, featuring a pre-show workshop titled “Explore Double Reeds & Piano: Demonstration & Instrument Petting Zoo.” Students will learn about chamber music and each instrument: piano, oboe, and bassoon, and how each of them operates. The workshop is free, register here.

    On Feb. 13, Korean classical fusion group CelloGayageum performs, with a free preshow workshop titled “Exploring Cello & Gayageum through Korean Folk Music,” where students learn about Korean culture through sing-alongs and immersive activities. Musicians Yvonne Chavez Hansbrough, Young Kim, and Paul Quigley perform at Music at Noon on March 12, featuring the flute, guitar, and piano.

    April 9 brings Spira, a group made up of Jamecyn Morey, violin, Brittany Zellman, viola, David Bebe, cello, and Chrysi Nanou, piano. There is a free pre-show workshop titled “Explore Bowed String Instruments and Piano: Demonstration & Instrument Petting Zoo,” showcasing their respective instruments.

    The final Music at Noon performance is on May 14 with Findlay Cockrell, an 87-year-old pianist, who taught music and performed at UAlbany and throughout the whole capital District, retiring from the university after 40 years in 2006.

    For more information about Music at Noon or the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall’s upcoming programs visit here.