“Elemental View,” an innovative orchestral piece performed by Ellen Fullman and The Living Earth Show, will host a performance on October 24 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s EMPAC Concert Hall.
Photo: Robert Szkolnicki
“Elemental View” is a work in six movements by pioneering composer Ellen Fullman. She wrote it for her Long String Instrument, which she designed in 1980. The instrument is installed in an industrial sized space with 136 strings, tuned and configured precisely for this piece. Through this instrument, the piece immerses the audience, akin to standing inside a giant musical instrument. The result is music both ancient and utterly new, environmental, and with a folk-like orchestral sound. Fullman performs the piece with The Living Earth Show, who hold a multi-season residency at EMPAC.
Fullman’s Long String Instrument boasts strings from wall-to-wall of the gymnasium-like space. She plucks, bows, and glides her fingers across the strings lengthwise to create sound, as it reverberates through the hall. As she walks along the strings, tones unfold at different rates in proportion to string length, creating a wave of different musical undertones. Further, the notation for the Long String Instrument consists of indications of both tempo and spacial movement for the artist, as specific harmonies and tones emerge at different locations along the length of the strings.
Invention and discovery are key features of Fullman’s display, as she shows off multiple custom tools to produce new sounds. Fullman designed and created the box bow, shovelette, and shoveler, which play three, six, or nine strings at once. Varying techniques with these tools produce ringing or closed sounds, as Fullman and her ensemble move through the instrument.
In addition to the Long String Instrument, Fullman and The Living Earth Show include more traditional musical techniques. In movements such as “Environmental Memory,” the group uses Travis Andrew’s guitar, as well as Andy Meyerson’s native percussion skills on pieces of the Long String Instrument.
The presentation continues The Living Earth Show’s multi-season residency at EMPAC, showing engaging, large-scale art and working closely alongside artists. The Living Earth Show functions as a megaphone and canvas for the world’s most progressive artists, pushing the boundaries of technical and artistic possibility. The group amplifies voices, perspectives, and bodies previously excluded while showcasing exciting art to the community.
“Elemental View” will be performed at EMPAC Concert Hall on October 24 at 8PM. Tickets and more information are available here.
The Sembrich in Bolton Landing will be holding its annual gala on Aug. 26, featuring renowned tenor Leonardo Sánchez. This year’s event is titled “Mi México Querido” and is set to honor traditional Mexican music. Along with Sánchez, the performance will also incorporate instruments like the guitar, guitarrón, vihuela, and accordion.
Leonardo Sánchez rose to prominence after becoming the youngest tenor to win the “Carlo Morelli” National Singing Competition in Mexico. Highly regarded as the most important award in Latin America, Sánchez now hones his craft as part of the Chanteurs Solistes program in Switzerland. He trains under soprano Jeanne-Michelle Charbonnet and is an ambassador for “Opera for Peace”. After five years of performing in Europe, “Mi México Querido” marks the vocalist’s return to the sounds and traditions of Mexico.
The evening’s featured performer Leonardo Sánchez has shared the stage with great artists such as Rolando Villazón, Ramón Vargas, Susana Zavaleta, María José, Anastasiya Petryshak, Thomas Hampson, and Placido Domingo, and has performed on some of the most prominent stages in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the United States, and Mexico.
Artistic Director Richard Wargo
Sánchez will be accompanied by outstanding musicians, including Humberto Flores of the Villa Lobos brother. Flores is the producer of the program which he plans to present at other venues around the world.
I am delighted to return to Bolton Landing with “Mi México Querido”, a project which represents the beauty of Mexican culture in an authentic and elevated way.
Humberto Flores
The Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association commemorates opera singer Marcella Sembrich at her former teaching studio and woodland retreat. Programming at the site includes a film series, musical performances, and discussions with scholars. The Sembrich also features an 80-year-old museum and an annual summer festival. The Association is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Tickets are $150 for regular admission or $250 for the honorary committee. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling (518) 644-2431.
As colleges are preparing to welcome back students, the University at Albany is anticipating the music as its Department of Music and Theatre has announced its upcoming performances for the 2023-2024 season. The performances will begin on Sept. 19 and will take place at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center.
The Music and Theatre programs have prepared for a year jam-packed with incredible musical talent. The Music program itself will present twenty-three performances while the Theatre Program will prepare three full productions offering five to six performances of each show plus its annual festival of new plays written and conducted by students.
Tickets for all shows are now available for purchase here.
Full 2023-2024 Schedule
Viva Mexico
Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 7 pm
Pianist Max Lifchitz celebrates the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month performing a recital featuring music by Mexican composers.
Tangos & More
Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 7 pm
Pianist Max Lifchitz marks the ending of Hispanic Heritage Month performing a recital featuring dance-inspired music from the Americas.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
• Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 8 pm
• Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 8 pm
• Friday, October 20, 2023, at 3 pm
• Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 2 pm & 8 pm
• Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 3 pm
This poetic drama, about the choices in the life of a young artist, made the yet-unknown playwright an overnight sensation. It’s an American classic: envisioned for our world today and our unique theatre in the round.
UAlbany Symphony Orchestra & Concert Band
Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 1 pm and Thursday, March 14, 2024, at 7:30 pm
Two of the University’s large ensembles present a shared program.
The Choral Hour
Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 3 pm and Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 3 pm
The UAlbany Chamber Singers and Community Chorale perform separately and combined in a program of music from a wide array of styles and cultures.
Senior Recital
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 7 pm
This program of guitar music features solo classical pieces as well as jazz ensemble selections arranged by Sam Piazza.
Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage
• Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at 8 pm
• Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 8 pm
• Friday, November 17, 2023, at 3 pm
• Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 2 pm & 8 pm
• Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 2 pm
The most produced play in America in 2022, this comedy, by the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Sweat and Intimate Apparel, is set in the kitchen of a truck stop where the art of making a sandwich is perfected by a group of formerly incarcerated individuals.
Bach to Broadway
Friday, November 17, 2023, at 7:30 pm
Students in the vocal program perform staged versions of classical and contemporary song repertoire.
Miolina: The Dueling Violinists
Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 4 pm
Mioi Takeda and Lynn Bechtold perform music for two violins by contemporary composers including Capital District composers Hilary Tann, Max Lifchitz, and Rain Worthington.
Student Recitals
Friday, December 1, 2023, and Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 6 pm
A host of performers showcase their vocal and instrumental talents as part of their departmental studies.
Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 3 pm
Music Program ensembles (Chorale, Chamber Singers, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Symphony Orchestra) are joined by student groups (Serendipity, Pitch Please) for a concert celebrating the season.
UAlbany Percussion Ensemble & Jazz Band
Monday, December 4, 2023, at 7 pm
Two of the University’s large ensembles present a shared program.
American Romantics
Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 7 pm
Pianist Max Lifchitz performs piano music by American composers.
Albagli & Friends
Friday, February 16, 2024, at 7 pm
Faculty member Richard Albagli and his top students perform a percussion recital.
“To Refresh Their Spirits” – Keyboard Music of Bach and Handel
Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 7:30 pm
Pianist Kuok-Wai Lio presents two great works side by side: the Handel Chaconne in G Major, HWV435, and Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
• Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 8 pm
• Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 8 pm
• Friday, March 8, 2024, at 3 pm
• Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 2 pm & 8 pm
• Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 2 pm
Unfolding with music and merriment, a nearly all-female cast of players takes on Shakespeare’s classic comedy about the politics of empowerment and who wears the pants when two fabulously headstrong individuals fall in love.
Festival of Contemporary Music
Monday, March 11, 2024, at 7 pm
This concert of percussion music features four ensembles.
Music by Women Composers
Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 7 pm
Pianist Max Lifchitz marks Women’s History Month by performing music by women composers.
Fresh Acts
• Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 8 pm
• Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 8 pm
• Friday, April 12, 2024, at 3 pm
• Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 2 pm & 8 pm
This spring festival of brand-new plays is written, directed, and performed by students, the future of American theatre.
Showcase Concert
Friday, April 12, 2024, at 7:30 pm
Vocal students complete their study of the operatic and oratorio repertoire with this staged production.
Youth Movements XVI
Sunday, April 14, 2024, at 3 pm
The annual festival includes musicians of all ages from around the Capital Region.
UAlbany Jazz Band
Monday, April 22, 2024, at 8 pm
Directed by Keith Pray, this student and community ensemble presents a concert featuring classic and contemporary jazz.
UAlbany Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 3 pm
With conductor Christopher David Neubert, this large ensemble performs works representing outstanding repertoire from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The Sound of the Trumpets, The Roar of the Drums
Monday, April 29, 2024, at 7 pm
The UAlbany Concert Band and UAlbany Percussion Ensemble present a shared program.
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) the far-sighted orchestra and master’s degree program founded by Bard College president, conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, announced its ninth season performances, happening from Sept. 16, 2023, through May 19, 2024.
Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater on Sun 11-6-16. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now is a group of 59 vibrant young musicians from 13 different countries across the globe, including the United States, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, and more. The main mission of the orchestra is to make orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences by sharing unique personal insights in a welcoming environment. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories—including the Yale School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music—the members of TŌN give on-stage introductions and demonstrations, write concert notes from the musicians’ perspective, and have one-on-one discussions with patrons during intermissions.
Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein founded TŌN in 2015 as a graduate program at Bard College, where he is also president. TŌN offers both a three-year master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies and a two-year advanced certificate in Orchestra Studies. The Orchestra’s home is the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center at Bard, where it performs multiple concerts each season and takes part in the annual Bard Music Festival. Dubbed by the HuffPost as “dramatic and intense,” TŌN performs regularly at venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others across NYC and beyond.
The Orchestra Now musicians-Zhenyuan Yao, Milad Daniari, Paul Nemeth, Michael Franz, and Jonathan Wisner. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now has also performed with many distinguished guest conductors and soloists, including Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Järvi, Gil Shaham, Fabio Luisi, Vadim Repin, Hans Graf, Peter Serkin, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, and JoAnn Falletta. They are featured on several recordings, including Buried Alive with baritone Michael Nagy, released on Bridge Records in August 2020, which includes the first recording in almost 60 years, and only the second recording ever, of Othmar Schoeck’s song cycle Lebendig begraben.
For the 2023-2024 season, TŌN offers 20 programs and a total of 27 concerts, including two at Carnegie Hall, three at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, three free concerts at Manhattan’s Peter Norton Symphony Space and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and six at the Orchestra’s home at Bard College’s Fisher Center. This year marks the seventh season of The Orchestra Now’s popular broadcast series on WMHT-FM, the classical music radio station of New York’s Capital Region. TŌN’s performances are also heard regularly on American Public Media’s Performance Today.
As we approach the ninth successful season of TŌN, I am exceedingly proud of all we have accomplished since the Orchestra was launched in 2015. Since then, TŌN has performed a remarkable 668 works by 304 composers in 36 venues for more than 88,000 live and virtual concertgoers, with 320 soloists and 33 conductors. I am delighted to continue that impressive record in the 2023-24 season with three U.S premieres, an exploration of numerous undiscovered masterworks, and a roster of guest artists that range from Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe—Artistic Director of Bard Conservatory’s Vocal Arts Program—to rising young winners of Bard Conservatory Concerto Competitions.
Leon Botstein.
For more information about The Orchestra Now and to purchase tickets to the upcoming 2023-2024 season, visit here.
Exodus: Jewish Composers in Exile Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 at 7 p.m. The Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall series opens with Leon Botstein and the orchestra performing rarely heard works by Jewish composers written while they were in exile from their homelands during World War II. The program comprises Alexandre Tansman’s rhythmic Polish Rhapsody, inspired by the invasion of his homeland, the NYC premiere of Josef Tal’s dramatic Exodus, based on the Passover Haggadah, Walter Kaufmann’s Indian Symphony, written while in exile in Bombay, and Marcel Rubin’s melancholy Symphony No. 4, Dies irae, reflecting his experiences during the Second World War.
Photo by David DeNee – Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall on Fri 5-13-16.
Violinist as Composer Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 7 p.m. Leon Botstein spotlights four European virtuoso violinists who were also major composers in their respective countries but are not household names elsewhere today. The program includes Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s contemplative Partita for Orchestra, Hungarian composer Joseph Joachim’s Variations for Violin and Orchestra, the New York City premiere of a recently discovered concerto by famed Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe, and the energetic and passionate Second Symphony of Romanian composer George Enescu.
Rose Theatre
Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3 p.m.
TŌN welcomes rising French conductor Chloé van Soeterstède, who has conducted orchestras around the globe, including the London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. Her program begins with one of Debussy’s most popular works, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, inspired by a poem about the mythical creature and nymphs. Principal trombonist of the London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Moore, joins the orchestra for Dani Howard’s Trombone Concerto. The afternoon concludes with Rachmaninoff’s vibrant Symphonic Dances, the last piece he ever wrote, and his only work that was fully composed in the United States.
In the popular series Sight & Sound, Leon Botstein explores the parallels between orchestral music and the visual arts. Each program is accompanied by on-screen artworks and musical excerpts performed by The Orchestra Now, followed by a full performance and audience Q&A.
Copland, Culture & Politics in the 1930s Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 at 2 p.m.
The 1930s were a time of political and social turmoil in the United States. Through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, art and music aided the struggling nation’s search for identity and hope, depicting and publicizing the struggle of the era’s masses. Aaron Copland mixed everyday Americana tunes with classical music in an unprecedented way. His strict orchestral Statements for Orchestra, written at a time when the composer was becoming more politically active, and Wild-West ballet Billy the Kid both quote popular folk music of the day, earning him a reputation as the United States “populist” composer.
The exhibition Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Sept. 7–Dec. 10, 2023 in galleries 691–693.
Debussy & Matisse: Creating New Colors
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Artist Henri Matisse helped to revolutionize the visual arts in the first decades of the 20th century with experiments in a technicolor style that changed the course of French painting. In the same era Claude Debussy was rejecting classical German musical tradition, developing his own style of harmony and orchestral coloring that would strongly influence a wide range of composers for years to come. His expressive Images for Orchestra, which evokes English, Spanish, and French cultures, exemplifies the composer’s explorations in color and texture.
Still, Johnson & the Harlem Renaissance Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2 p.m.
With the rise of new, urban Black communities both in NYC and abroad, the Harlem Renaissance became the first African-American-led movement of international modern art. With that art came developments in visual art, poetry, jazz, and concert music. William Grant Still’s dramatic Lenox Avenue, which was commissioned by CBS for a 1937 radio broadcast, was inspired by street scenes in Harlem. Meanwhile, his orchestration of James P. Johnson’s Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody, was a response to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, capturing what the composer felt was a more “authentic” rhapsody about a black neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia.
The exhibition Harlem Renaissance will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Feb. 20–July 28, 2024, in Gallery 999.
The Fisher Center Series at Bard
The Orchestra Now, Bard’s orchestral masters, presents its ninth season of six different programs and 11 concerts. All performances will be livestreamed on TŌNtube.
Two Sides of Vienna
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Music Director Leon Botstein opens TŌN’s ninth season with a concert juxtaposing two distinct styles of Viennese music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include the vibrant and festive melodies of Franz Lehár and the Strauss brothers, and Mahler’s beautifully tragic Sixth Symphony. The concert opens with music from Lehár’s well-known 1905 operetta The Merry Widow, written in 1940 to celebrate the composer’s 70th birthday. This is followed by two dance pieces: Eduard Strauss’ train-themed polka Bahn frei!, and his brother Johann Jr.’s majestic Emperor Waltz. The program closes with a contrasting style from the same era, Mahler’s deeply personal Symphony No. 6.
Leon Botstein by Matt-Dine.
Jean-Marie Zeitouni Conducts
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Celebrated Canadian conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni makes his debut with TŌN in an all-French program, beginning with Saint-Saëns’ exuberant Bacchanale from his opera Samson et Dalila. Then mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, a co-founder of the Lynx Project who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, performs Berlioz’s song cycle The Summer Nights. The program also includes Fauré’s music for the play Pelléas et Mélisande, and d’Indy’s soaring and lyrical Symphony on a French Mountain Air, featuring Bard College Conservatory faculty pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough.
Stephanie Blythe Sings Brahms
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Award-winning mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, artistic director of Bard Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, joins TŌN for an all-Brahms concert. She performs his profound and dramatic Alto Rhapsody. The program also includes the sweeping cantata, Rinaldo, concluding with Brahms’ masterful First Symphony, which the composer toiled over for 14 years before its debut performance.
Stephanie Blythe.
Beethoven’s 6th & The Rite of Spring
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2 p.m.
TŌN welcomes spring with three musical tributes to the vernal equinox. These include Egon Wellesz’s 1911 The Dawn of Spring, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, performed alongside members of the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, and Beethoven’s lush Pastoral Sixth Symphony, echoing the composer’s love of nature.
Free Concert Series
These concerts are free, no tickets necessary, advance RSVP suggested. Check here for RSVP information.
Schumann & Strauss
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
TŌN Resident Conductor Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Barber’s overture The School for Scandal, Strauss’ powerfully evocative tone poem Death and Transfiguration, and Schumann’s intense and emotional Symphony No. 4.
Zachary Schwartzman, photo by Jito Lee.
Mendelssohn & Sibelius
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Mendelssohn’s fiery Ruy Blas Overture, Prokofiev’s masterful Violin Concerto No. 2 with soloist Yangxin Song, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and Sibelius’ voluptuous Symphony No. 1.
Schumann’s Piano Concerto
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
TŌN Assistant Conductor Andrés Rivas returns to Simon’s Rock for a free concert that includes Species of Motion by retiring music department chair Larry Wallach. The program also includes a performance of Schumann’s symphonic Piano Concerto, performed with Yilin Li, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition.
Rochester’s acclaimed music chamber ensemble fivebyfive recently unveiled its 2023-2024 season. The theme for this year’s round of programming is “Dichotomies” and is aimed at pushing artistic boundaries. As part of “Dichotomies” the ensemble will be releasing an album, holding collaborative concerts, hosting discussions, and much more.
Created in 2015, fivebyfive has earned a reputation for its ambitious performances and creative programming. The outfit is devoted to commissioning, developing, and performing the works of living artists. Boasting an incredible roster of musicians, fivebyfive takes pride in trying to highlight underrepresented and overlooked creators in the field. “Dichotomy” serves as another impressive artistic challenge for the ensemble. In honor of the theme, the group has curated an extraordinary lineup of visual and auditory experiences based on juxtaposition and contrast.
Fivebyfive is comprised of world-class artists, including Laura Lentz (Artistic Director & flute), Marcy Bacon (clarinet), Ken Luk (electric guitar), Eric Polenik (bass), Haeyeun Jeun (piano) and Marc Webster (Executive Director & audio/video engineer).
The upcoming season is designed to captivate and engage audiences through a range of complex feelings from primordial expression to celestial wonderment. We cannot wait to share these transformative musical experiences with the world.
Laura Lentz
Laura Lentz
Release of fivebyfive’s Third Album
“breath & fire”
Release date: Oct. 15, 2023
The project is inspired by the explosive and intense nature of fire balanced with the steady and tranquil essence of breath. Pieces on the album strongly invoke stillness or motion, and the recording process of matching spaces to the mood or pace in the music seeks to further draw out these energies as you listen.
Oct. 21, 2023 (Syracuse) and Oct. 22, 2023 (Rochester).
Musicians from Pegasus Early Music/NYS Baroque and fivebyfive will perform back-to-back concerts in Syracuse and Rochester. The concerts will feature both traditional and newly arranged versions of Sephardic music. Based in Jewish culture from medieval Spain and Portugal, the traditional performance will include instruments such as the lute, recorder, duduk, shawm, harp, and percussion. The new renditions will be performed in chamber style by fivebyfive featuring flute, clarinet, bass, piano and electric guitar. Additionally, artist Lynne Feldman will display several tapestries depicting Jewish life and discuss Judaic art.
Concert Featuring Medieval and Renaissance-Inspired Music
“Reflections: Music of Then & Now”
Nov. 15, 2023.
As part of a Jewish Music Series, fivebyfive will travel to Buffalo to present a program that reflects back in time to explore medieval and renaissance-inspired music. The performances will also incorporate other pieces that connect us to this present moment. This concert will feature Sephardic music, pieces from the Of and Between album, and Pale as Centuries, composed by Sarah Kirkland Snider.
Meet the Composer: Special Public Discussion with Roberto Sierra
Zoom presentation: Nov. 19, 2023
Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy winning composer Roberto Sierra will be part of an online Zoom discussion. Through a grant provided by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), fivebyfive commissioned Sierra to create a new work for the ensemble. In Sonidos de Tlön, Sierra explores the dichotomy of fantasy vs. reality using inspiration from 20th-century Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. During the 2024-2025 season, fivebyfive will showcase his piece in a concert of music and poetry from Latin America.
Multimedia Presentation with Eclipse-Inspired Music and Immersive Video
“Light & Dark: Eclipse Music”
Jan. 20, 2024 & Jan. 21, 2024.
To celebrate the 2024 total solar eclipse, fivebyfive has created a multi-media concert experience with original music by five composers. Jessica Meyer, Marc Mellits, Glenn McClure,Julie Herndon, and Kamala Sankaram were all invited to create work for the celebration. The Strasenburgh Planetarium at the Rochester Museum and Science Center will also present an immersive to go along with the event. The program combines art, science, music, and audience engagement activities to mark this unforgettable event.
Fivebyfive visits Minnesota’s Carleton College in 3-day Residency
In February of 2024, fivebyfive will travel to Carleton College in Minnesota for a three-day residency. The ensemble will present a concert, lead a reading session of student works, and participate in several workshops.. Composition professor and frequent fivebyfive collaborator, Andrea Mazzariello has previously produced works for fivebyfive including Of and Between which was featured on Performance Today several times.
Rochester Chamber Ensemble fivebyfive, known for its involvement in the community, experienced musicianship, and love for the genre will now receive a 2023 Creative Arts Support Grant from the Farash Charitable Foundation.
The Farash Charitable Foundation started in Rochester to support and boost creative arts groups in Monroe and Ontario counties, particularly ones that provide accessible, community-centered programs.
With that being said, 2023 now marks the sixth straight year fivebyfive has received a grant, as they have become a staple to the Rochester population, spreading their love for chamber music to people of all ages.
Forming in 2015, the ensemble began with the mission to engage audiences in the spirit and creativity of today’s chamber music, introducing to Rochester everything this style of music has to offer. In order to accomplish this, fivebyfive develops and performs the works of living artists, building off of some more of the genre’s masterpieces.
Made up of Marc Webster (executive director and audio/video engineer), Laura Lentz (flute), Marcy Bacon (clarinet), Ken Luk (electric guitar), Eric Polenik (bass), and Haeyeun Jeun (piano), the group will begin their 2023-2024 season in October.
In collaboration with Pegasus Early Music, the two groups will play Sephardic music, new pieces, and modern instrumentation usage from the two ensembles to kick off the season. Additionally, the Fall kickoff will feature new compositions from Grammy-Award nominated composer Clarice Assad and Eastman grad Keane Southard.
On top of an already jam-packed schedule and grant from the Frarash Foundation, fivebyfive also plans to release its third album Breath & Fire in mid-October, and will celebrate across the 2023-2024 season.
For more news and information surrounding fivebyfive’s upcoming season, visit here.
“Christmas in July” takes on even greater meaning as MSGE has recently announced the return of the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes for 2023. America’s favorite holiday show will begin on November 17 this winter and stretch to January 4 of next year at Radio City Music Hall.
This year’s show will allow the Rockettes to put their amazing skills on display through incredibly difficult routines and will once again feature the fan-favorite scene “Dance of the Frost Fairies,” which was fully reimagined in 2022 making the Christmas Spectacular a one of a kind experience. The scene sees the Rockettes as fantastical winged fairies, performing alongside fairy-drones that dance high above the audience creating an immersive experience for anyone lucky enough to be involved. The remainder of the ninety-minute show will be jammed packed with nine show-stopping numbers by the professional dance group.
The Rockettes were originally founded in 1925 and are two years shy of celebrating their 100th anniversary, making them the longest-running precision dance company in America. The dancers are known all around the world for their incredible athleticism, unity, and immeasurable precision through their unique style combining elements of ballet, jazz, and tap dancing.
Not only is the group a staple of Christmas, but the dancers also appear in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Christmas in Rockefeller Center tree lighting among numerous other appearances including award shows and national television. Most recently, the Rockettes were featured in the Hallmark movie “A Holiday Spectacular” where they performed with Mariah Carey in her holiday special filmed at Madison Square Garden, “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!”
The Rockettes are not the only aspect of a New York Christmas that has been around for almost 100 years, however, as the Christmas Spectacular itself originally began at Radio City back in 1933. With a mission not only to meet the needs of guests and ensure diversity all around, Radio City’s Spectacular and the Rockettes have brought joy and holiday spirit to more than 70 million people from around the world and will continue to do so in their 90th season. Tickets for the shows are now available and can be found here.
The 13th annual Lake George Music Festival will be held August 6th to the 17th. The festival will take place at the historic and lakeside Carriage House on the grounds of the Fort William Henry Hotel.
Lake George has often received wide-spread admiration and reverence as a cultural destination, yet that public sentiment seems to have lost its relish in recent years. This culturally vibrant location was once heavily influenced and supported by the presence of 20th century artists such as composer Samuel Barber and visual artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Though lacking these spirited artists and musicians today, The Lake George Music Festival hopes to shift the open opinion of the location back in this direction.
The festival aims to make that change with the assistance of classical music. Individuals from the classical music world remain adamant in the town’s position as a cultural and musical staple, as it is known as one of the most loved classical artist retreat locations in the nation.
This year’s musicians represent numerous professional orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Czech Philharmonic. Students in the festival’s fellowship program represent nearly every music school in the nation including The Juilliard School, the Yale School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music. Musicians from as far away as New Zealand, China and the Czech Republic will be in attendance this season.
This year, the festival will bring together over 100 classical artists, composers, podcasters, radio hosts, and pedagogues for public concerts and other events. The venue will offer festivalgoers an intimate experience bringing them up close to some of the nation’s best and brightest artists.
The Festival is committed to commissioning and premiering new works. This year’s commissions include a new solo violin work by Juilliard School Dean, David Serkin Ludwig, a full Symphony Orchestra piece by Curtis alumni Sheridan Seyfried, and a chamber work by Curtis and Princeton graduate Alyssa Weinberg.
Building off last year’s successful opening night where they presented Grammy award-winning trio Time for Three, the first public performance will be held on Aug. 9 in Shepard Park. Famed electroacoustic violin/cello duo ARKAI is set to perform with the Lake George Music Festival Symphony.
The festival along with Lake George’s other music staple, the Lake George Jazz Weekend hosted by the Lake George Arts Project have both brought musical enrichment to the town. Still, the aura of summer tourism and people’s avoidance because of that make their enrichment difficult to solidify and bring to light.
Founder and CEO of the festival, Alexander Lombard, claims, “Great arts and culture is happening in Lake George and now is your chance to be there for it vs. lamenting about missing what happened. The Curtis Institute of Music, where one of the Music Festival’s founders studied, as well as many of our alumni, uses the phrase “tomorrow’s artists today.” This, I feel, is especially relevant to what’s happening now in Lake George.”
Festival passes are available for sale now for $149/$49, or, single tickets will be available at the door for $25. Parking is affordable and convenient only steps from the venue.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra has announced its 2023-2024 season titled Beethoven and Beyond, featuring the four finalists in the search for the next Music Director.
Music Director Finalists.
Each finalist will conduct a concert on the CCO’s Orchestral Series during the coming season, including a Beethoven Symphony, a concerto, and a “conductor’s choice.” Candidates include Jeffery Meyer, Guillaume Pirard, Michelle Di Russo, and Octavio Más-Arocas. Meyer recently joined the Orchestral Conducting faculty at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and serves as Artistic Partner with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Tacoma, Washington. Di Russo is currently the Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony.
Pirard was a founding member and Co-concertmaster of the Brooklyn-based chamber orchestra, The Knights, and will serve as Visiting Professor of Violin at Ithaca College for the coming academic year. Más-Arocas directs the Michigan State University orchestras, the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, the Marquette Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, and the Clinton Symphony in New York. All four conductors have ties to Ithaca through their work.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1976 and is officially designated “Ithaca’s Orchestra.” Each season includes an Orchestral Series, Chamber Music Series, Holiday concerts, free Family Concerts, and the long-standing Willard Daetsch Youth Outreach Program, which earned the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator award. In 2017, the CCO added a Youth Orchestra program for advanced students, and in 2019, a new Diversity Career Fellowship program was established to provide opportunities for college students from communities that have been historically underrepresented in classical music.
The 2023-2024 season will also include the popular Chamber Series and a performance of Händel’s Messiah. Concertgoers will be treated to a final concert, Passing the Baton: The Four Seasons, featuring Concertmaster Christina Neubauer as soloist. Interim Music Director Grant Cooper will make his final appearance on the podium as Interim and the next Music Director will be announced at that concert. A special reception is planned immediately following the concert.
The Huntington Arts Council (HAC) is bringing live music to Long Island during the entire month of July with the Huntington Summer Arts Festival. The festival is now in its 48th season and features performances from July 1- 30. Concerts will take place at the Chapin Rainbow Stage in Heckscher Park.
Free to attendees, the Huntington Summer Arts Festival aims to celebrate established acts while also highlighting up-and-coming artists. This year’s celebration features festival regulars Huntington Community Band, who perform each Wednesday of the month. Concertgoers still have the chance to see Huntington favorites North Shore Pops Concert Band.
Red Baraat
This summer’s roster of musicians come from a diverse set of musical backgrounds. Genres like swing jazz, latin, R&B/Soul, rock, and classical are all represented at the festival. In addition to music, the Huntington Summer Arts Festival also includes dance and theatrical performances. The group Sol Y Sombra Spanish Dance Company performed earlier this month. Attendees however will still have the opportunity to catch the L.I. Dance Consortium is set to take the stage on July 23.
Created in 1963, The Huntington Arts Council has been a pillar in the Long Island arts scene. The organization looks to celebrate and nourish the cultural diversity of Long Island through different avenues. HAC is involved with constructing and sponsoring a multitude of activities, programs, and events. The Council maintains that “the arts create a vibrant, energized, and culturally rich environment”.
Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Co.
Along with the Huntington Summer Arts Festival, HAC has also collaborated with the Folk Music Society of Huntington to bring back the Huntington Folk Festival on July 22. Co-headliners Lucy Kaplansky and Cliff Eberhardt take the stage at 8, with the festival getting underway at 12:30.
Below is the upcoming schedule for the Summer Arts Festival. Sunday performances start at 7:00PM, all others performances start at 8:00PM, unless noted. Here for a full list of the lineup and more details about the festival.
Remaining Schedule
Wednesday, July 19 – Huntington Community Band, “Una Celebracion de la Musica Latina”- 7:00PM Jazz Band start time, 8:00 PM Concert Band start time
Thursday, July 20 – North Shore Pops Concert Band– Northport Community Band- 8:30PM NPT Park
Friday, July 21 – Huntington Latin Night: Tito Rodriguez Jr. Orchestra- 7:00 PM
Saturday, July 22 – 16th Huntington Folk Festival, Cliff Eberhardt & Lucy Kaplansky- Festival at 12:30PM, headliners at 8:00PM
Sunday, July 23 – L.I. Dance Consortium, “Long Island Dances!- 7:00PM
Wednesday, July 26 – Huntington Community Band,”…and Home Again!”- 8:00PM
Thursday, July 27 – Swing Sessions with Dudley Music & Guests- 7:30PM
Thursday, July 27 – Northport Community Band- 8:30PM NPT Park
Saturday, July 29 – Jazz Loft Big Band, Tom Manuel Conductor, and Nicole Zuraitis- 8:00PM
Sunday, July 30 – Orchestra L.I., David Stewart Wiley, Conductor “In Concert With Nature”- 7:00PM
