The State Theatre of Ithaca has announced the inaugural “Benefit My State Variety Hour,” showcasing what the theatre has to offer and the stories behind why the historic venue truly matters to the Ithaca Community, featuring performances by many well-known acts.
The historic State Theatre of Ithaca is Tompkins County’s last remaining historic theatre, enriching the community since 1928, operated and preserved by the non-for-profit organization State Theatre of Ithaca Inc. The theatre is active and hosts many national, international, and community performances and programming, from comedians to world-class musicians. The Benefit My State Variety hour is being produced by The State Theatre of Ithaca and DSP Shows.
Dan Smalls of DSP Shows explains that “This event is a pretty amazing way to show off all the great things that happen at the State Theatre. Sure we do tons of great internationally touring music and comedy acts, but here we can show off the best of our local organizations side by side and also share a passion for this building. Every one of them has a fabulous State Theatre Story to tell and on May 17 we will hear all of them in addition to seeing their performances.” Performers include Sam Nelson of X AMBASSADORS, Richie Stearns, The Ithaca Ballet, Running To Places, Galumpha, Southside Community Center’s CUMEP, and more.
The “Benefit My State Variety Hour” is The State Theatre of Ithaca’s biggest fundraiser of the year. “Over the past decade, our “Benefit My State” concerts have been a fun and creative way to remind this community that The State Theatre of Ithaca is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. This year’s format will be much different than past ‘Benefit’ shows in that we look forward to offering a taste of all of the types of artists that grace our stage to enrich, inspire and connect us at The State Theatre of Ithaca,” said Executive Director, Doug Levine. “Since re-opening after a 20-month hiatus, all local arts organizations are still facing major challenges. There are some signs of improvement, but numbers are still far off from what they were before the pandemic. The funds raised through this benefit concert will directly enhance this organization and help ensure a healthy future for this important community asset.”
In addition to general admission tickets, VIP tickets are available for the event. VIP Ticket holders are invited to a cocktail hour after the performance and a meet and greet with the performers. Tickets are on sale now.
Pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez put on a brilliant performance this past Saturday, April 15th at the St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church in Beacon. Sanchez, following no particular setlist and rather letting the music come to her in the intimate venue, did not fail to put on an incredible show for her captivated audience.
Angelica Sanchez
Sanchez, born in Arizona but now based in New York, is well-recognized for her jazz piano playing and has been featured in various publications like the New York Times, the Jazz Times, and the Chicago Tribune. She’s played multiple shows across NYC and the East Coast, and has another concert scheduled at Carnegie Hall for The Sophia Rosoff Concert Series: Jazz Piano Pairings 1. She is set to continue her tour until late November, playing venues across Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, the United Kingdom, France, Finland, and more.
Sanchez truly put on an outstanding performance in the dark-lit church venue. During one piece, she took out a drum mallet and began hitting the inside of the piano, adding a slow beat to her previously solo playing. The sheer silence of the crowd, coupled with the rain and thunder heard from the outside, beautifully matched the almost eerie ambiance of her piano playing. She masterfully blended dissonant chords and melodies together to create a panicky tone throughout her performance, with an incredible resolution toward the end. Her quiet humming to her crafted melodies entranced the audience members as they intently listened to her various eclectic compositions. The crowd stayed silent after each piece and waited to clap until the very end, making her one-hour set feel like a giant performance of a single piece.
Sanchez’s show was not something to miss. She is set to play many more shows across New York state throughout 2023, and her tour schedule can be found here.
The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival will open its 25th anniversary season with a performance by the Ying Quartet on May 7 at 4 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church.
Ying Quartet photo by J. Adam Fenster.
Founded in 1999 by flutist Linda Chesis, the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival has been bringing world-class chamber music performances to the Cooperstown area. The festival has featured performances by the American, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Jupiter and Jasper, String Quartets, and more. Concerts are held in venues across Cooperstown, including the grand Otesaga Hotel, The Farmers’ Museum, and Christ Church (the church of author James Fenimore Cooper).
The Ying Quartet is an American string quartet formed in 1988 by the Ying siblings, presenting a program entitled “American Made,” opening with Samuel Barber’s Quartet in B Minor, from which his famously moving Adagio movement is drawn. The program continues on with works by Jennifer Higdon and Billy Childs that draw on American roots and bebop music tradition, Southern Harmony and Agitato respectively. The night ends with Quartet No. 13 in G major by Dvorak, a European composer who helped define the American musical voice. “The tradition of American string quartet writing is full of magnificent music,” says cellist David Ying. “We have all of these wonderful composers to thank for contributing to the vibrant American music scene that we enjoy today.”
Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students and children, available now.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Maestro Daniel Hege, will begin its 2023-24 season this September and conclude the following, and a special four-night Phelps Mansion Museum Series will be featured in the new season. The new Phelps Mansion Museum series will consist of four Sunday afternoon chamber music concerts sponsored by Garufi Law, P.C. This year’s Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra season will be sponsored by Visions Federal Credit Union and include both the M&T Bank Symphonic Series and the Pops Series.
Sept. 30 begins the M&T Symphonic Series with “Beethoven’s Fifth,” featuring Aaron Copland’s Variations on a Shaker Melody, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto with cello soloist Annie Jacobs-Perkins, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Towards the end of the season, on April 6, “Roman Holiday,” will explore Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, and Ottorino Respighi’s monumental Pines of Rome. Kids 17 and under get in free to all Symphonic Series concerts. Kids 17 and under get in free to all Symphonic Series concerts thanks to M&T Bank.
Annie Jacobs-Perkins, the opening performer for the M&T Bank Symphonic Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
The Pops Series features programs to delight music fans of all ages and on Oct. 28, “Phantom of the Philharmonic,” is full of surprises. “Other Worlds: Superheroes, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi,” towards the end of the series on May 4 explores music across the genres, from Black Panther and Avatar to Game of Thrones, ET, among others. Thanks to Visions Federal Credit Union, kids 17 and under get in free to all Pops Series concerts.
Poster for Phantom of the Philharmonic, the opening show for the Pops Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
General admission for the new Garufi Law, P.C. Phelps Mansion Museum Series begins Sunday, Oct. 15. with the Juilliard Honors Chamber Music Program’s Marian String Quartet. Internationally acclaimed soprano Robin Johannsen will be joined by Philharmonic pianist Tomoko Kanamaru on Dec. 3. The series continues into the new year, when the Castalia String Quartet, led by Philharmonic Concertmaster Uli Speth, performs on Feb. 11. The new series concludes on March 10 with violinist Melissa White and pianist Pallavi Mahidhara.
The Marion String Quartet, the opening group for the Phelps Mansion Museum Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
The Binghamton Philharmonic, founded by cellist/conductor Fritz Wallenberg and his wife, violinist Marianne Wallenberg in 1955, is the Southern Tier’s largest and longest-serving symphony orchestra. It was originally founded as the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society, with the goal of providing the Southern Tier of New York with live, full-scale orchestral works. The orchestra unionized following Fritz Wallenberg’s 1976 retirement, becoming fully professional, and after its merger with the BC Pops (an orchestra formed in 1974 by Russell Hawkes and violinist/conductor David Agard), in 1996, became the Binghamton Philharmonic. Since 2016, Maestro Daniel Hege has led the Binghamton Philharmonic (as Principal Guest Conductor for his first two seasons, and as Music Director since 2018). Serving 10,000+ people annually, the Binghamton Philharmonic connects professional musicians with audiences to stimulate the economy and expand music’s possibilities for a broad listenership both within and beyond the concert hall.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra is generously supported by the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation (Wells Fargo); the Community Foundation of South Central New York; the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation; the New York State Council on the Arts; Tioga Downs Regional Community Foundation; the Victor and Ester Rozen Foundation; and the United Cultural Fund of the Broome County Arts Council. The Philharmonic’s extensive Educational and Community Engagement programming is underwritten by IBM.
Bryant Park Corporation has announced the 2023 lineup for its free summer performing arts series, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, happening from June 1 to Sept. 14.
Photo credit Chris Lee.
Located in Midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances has grown into one of the foremost outdoor performing arts festivals in New York City. Over 75,000 people attended last summer, and nearly half a million watched the live streaming of the free performances. The 2023 season features world-class local artists as well as performers from as far away as Italy, Colombia, Turkey, Finland, and South Africa. More than 20 shows from the 2023 season will be live-streamed for free on Bryant Park’s social media channels and website, reaching national and international audiences. Attendees may bring their own food or purchase from on-site food and beverage vendors near the Lawn.
“Bryant Park Picnic Performances is an uncommonly collaborative project that is meant to showcase the best of the arts in New York City,” says Dan Fishman, Vice President of Public Events at Bryant Park Corporation. “I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate New York than to provide a platform in partnership with the many cultural institutions – large and small – that make this city great.”
This summer, the New York City Opera will host a number of shows in Bryant Park, kicking off the picnic performances on June 1 at 7 p.m. with a one-night-only, staged, and costumed production of Puccini’s La Bohème with orchestral accompaniment, conducted by Maestro Joseph Rescigno. Later on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m., there will be a live music-supported production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville featuring members of the New York City Opera Orchestra. Tenor Alessandro Lora performs a special concert of Italian favorites on Aug. 19. Closing out the New York City Opera series is Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet on Sept. 8, starring Ekaterina Siurina and tenor Won Whi Choi.
New York City Opera, 2018, photo credit Angelito Jusay.
Different contemporary dance performances curated by Tiffany Rea-Fisher will take place in June, starting with Robin Dunn, Buddha Stretch, and Mr. Wiggles with additional artists TBA, marking 50 years of hip-hop dance on June 8. The next day brings Dance Heginbotham, a New York-based contemporary dance company founded in 2011 committed to supporting, producing, and sustaining the work of choreographer John Heginbotham, enriching national and international communities with its unique blend of inventive, thoughtful, and rigorous dance theater works. Two rising stars in contemporary dance, Terk Lewis and Kayla Farrish perform on June 15. Lewis began his formal ballet training at the age of 17 with Tony Calucci at The Dance Extension in Columbus, earning his BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University. He has choreographed his own commissioned works for The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, The Joffrey Ballet School, Black Boys Dance Too (Presented by Bryant Park NYC), and Western Michigan University.
Farrish is a Black American Director merging dance-theater, filmmaking, narrative, and sound score, receiving the Sundance Uprise Grant for Emerging BIPOC Directors, Bessie Awards for NYLA’s Motherboard Suite, the Harkness Promise Award for 2022, and more. The last contemporary dance performances feature two of New York’s extraordinary percussive dance artists, Soles of Duende and Josh Johnson on June 16. Soles of Duende is on a lifelong mission to elevate the joy and music of true collaboration across disciplines and the celebration of the forms they practice, based on the sounds of Tap (Amanda Castro), Flamenco (Arielle Rosales), and Kathak (Brinda Guha). Johnson is a Harlem native, who tap-danced on the trains of New York City to pay for college at Penn State University, going on to perform at many jazz clubs in the city, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, and has made multiple appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Kayla Farrish, photo by Sarah Annie Navarrete.
The Emerging Music Festival presented by Bryant Park and curated by AdHoc returns this summer with some of the best up-and-coming artists today. Starting June 23, THUS LOVE, Psymon Spine, and Katy Kirby grace the stage. THUS LOVE was founded in 2018 by three trans-multi-instrumentalists in Brattleboro, Vermont, Echo Marshall (she/her), Lu Racine (he/they), and Nathaniel van Osdol (they/them). The mission statement of the group is to amplify the voices of those who struggle, tackling weighty themes with startling intimacy and vulnerability. Brooklyn-based dance group Psymon Spine is comprised of Noah Prebish, Peter Spears, Brother Michael Rudinski, and Sabine Holler, taking inspiration from Talking Heads and Os Mutantes along with the rush of the NYC dance scene, fuzing psych-pop and post-punk.
Katy Kirby is an indie rock songwriter, with lyrics focusing on unspoken rules, misunderstandings of all kinds, and boredom, forming a band to work on recording a full-length record. The Emerging Music Festival’s final day on June 24 consists of Ky Vöss, Seramic, Miss Grit, Dead T00th, and More TBA. Vöss is an NYC-based American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, utilizing stark contrasting lyrics, striking visuals, and synthesized melodies to walk the line between otherworldly and deeply human. Seramic (Marcus Foster) showcases a powerfully unique and varied range of influences, releasing two critically acclaimed EPs, combining his love for Prince, gospel, & soul singers of the 70s and 80s mixed with 90’s hip hop and RnB. New York-based musician Margaret Sohn created Miss Grit to function as an outlet for their own analysis and expression of self, releasing their debut record Follow The Cyborg earlier this year.
Dead T00th is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band that has released several EPs, winning OWL Winter Madness (a 16-band, 5-week-long “battle of the bands” at Brooklyn’s legendary rooftop venue Our Wicked Lady). Other concerts include Shaina Taub and Friends on Aug. 11. Taub is an Obie Award-winning, Emmy Award-nominated songwriter and performer. She is an artist-in-residence at Joe’s Pub and at the Public Theater, where she wrote and starred in Suffs, garnering Drama League, Drama Desk, and Lortel Award nominations. She has three solo records released, created, and starred in critically acclaimed musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and As You Like It at Free Shakespeare in the Park, as part of their community-based program, Public Works, among many other accomplishments.
Psymon Spine.
On June 2, Jazzmobile brings trumpeter, Steve Oquendo, to lead a 19-musician Latin jazz orchestra. Other events include the Jalopy Theatre curating a three-part folk festival with bluegrass headliners Michael Daves Quartet Ft. Tony Trischka, Malian kora virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko, and lap steel guitarist Terrell King on June 30, the Classical Theatre of Harlem performing an abridged version of Langston in Harlem, five nights of music presented by Carnegie Hall Citywide, and more. For more information about the Bryant Park Picnic Performances, go here.
Schedule of Events
June 01 – New York City Opera: La Bohème – 7pm
June 02 – Jazzmobile: Steve Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra- 7pm
June 08 – Contemporary Dance: Robin Dunn and more TBA – 7pm
June 09 – Contemporary Dance: Artists TBA- 7pm
June 15 – Contemporary Dance: Terk Lewis + Kayla Farrish- 7pm
June 16 – Contemporary Dance: Soles of Duende + Josh Johnson – 7pm
June 23 – Emerging Music Festival: THUS LOVE, Psymon Spine, Katy Kirby – 7pm
June 24 – Emerging Music Festival: Ky Vöss, Seramic, Miss Grit, Dead T00th – 5pm
June 30 – Jalopy Theatre: Michael Daves Quartet ft. Tony Trischka, Yacouba Sissoko, Terrell King – 7pm
July 07 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra – 7pm
July 14 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Tessa Lark + Michael Thurber – 7pm
July 21 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Magos Herrera featuring The Knights – 7pm
July 28 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Champe-Soukous Collective – 7pm
August 03 – Ailey Moves NYC: Ailey II – 7pm
August 04 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Ndlovu Youth Choir – 7pm
August 18 – New York City Opera: The Barber of Seville – 7pm
August 19 – New York City Opera: Alessandro Lora in Concert – 7pm
August 25 – Accordions Around the World: Diana Burco, Suistamon Sähkö, Ragini Ensemble – 7pm
August 26 – Roulette Intermedium: 75 Dollar Bill, Ka Baird, Additional Artist TBA – 7pm
September 01 – Classical Theatre of Harlem: Langston in Harlem – 7pm
September 07 – American Symphony Orchestra: American Expressions – 7pm
September 08 – New York City Opera: Romeo and Juliet – 7pm
September 09 – Drom: Gaye Su Akyol (U.S. Debut) – 7pm
September 14 – Harlem Stage: 40th Anniversary Celebration – 7pm
Pioneering Australian/British composer, pianist and flautist Keyna Wilkins will mark her first American “mini-tour” tour with a Big Apple debut at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Music Center on April 20 at 9 p.m.
A two-time finalist for the Australian Art Music Awards, Wilkins is the writer of over 60 compositions that have been performed internationally – in solos, with small ensembles and orchestras. Her eclectic music is informed by her passion for human rights, astronomy, Indigenous culture, jazz, intuitive improvisation and existential quests. As an innovative soloist on piano and flute and leader of cutting-edge ensembles, she has been heralded by UK’s Jazz Journal as a“powerhouse player”, and “fine and nuanced playing”by Limelight Magazine and is described by Australian Jazz as being “unconstrained by labels and is constantly exploring new ways to express herself musically.” She has composed 4 major orchestral works including “Celestial Emu”, a didgeridoo concerto in collaboration with indigenous didgeridoo player Gumaroy Newman for The Metropolitan Orchestra, and a triple flute concerto “Solar Triumvirate” which was described by Sydney Arts Guide as “sensational,.. with incredible freshness of gesture”.
Wilkins’ tour was made possible via a collective effort of artists who are involved with Music for Musicians, MFM. MFM is an advocacy group for musicians’ rights founded by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, whose board, supporters and membership includes leading names like Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and Dr. Cornell West.
When the organization’s members found out that Wilkins, one of its first international members, was seeking to tour the U.S., they combined forces to help her find and promote gigs.
For the April 20 show at Williamsburg Music Center, Wilkins will be joined on the bill by two active MFM members, Dawoud the Sufi Renegade and NYSMusic.com book reviewer/feature writer Sal Cataldi (aka Spaghetti Eastern Music). The trio will perform solo sets and also collaborate. For info, visit the Eventbrite page here.
Hudson Valley music-lovers will be able to catch Keyna on April 22 at an intimate concert in the home of another MFM member, pianist/composer Peter Wetzler, at his studio in Kingston, N.Y. Wetzler will also perform at the event, along with poet-artist Julie Hedrick. For info, visit here.
Wilkins will conclude here New York performances on April 25 at 9 pm with a solo performance at the Downtown Music Gallery. Info here.
Wilkins has released 9 albums of original music on all streaming platforms including 4 solo albums. Her latest album in 2021, “Set Me Free”, a collaboration with a 9-year innocent detained refugee poet-artist, Jalal Mahamede.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra has announced that it will conclude its 67th Season with “May the Fourth Be With You” at the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, May 4 at 7:30pm.
Live narration by Joshua Sedelmeyer will weave together the epic story of Star Wars while Maestro Daniel Hege leads the Philharmonic in performing the music of John Williams, including themes from The Force Awakens, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, and of course, the original Star Wars Suite.
Founded by Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg in 1955 at the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society and later merging with the B.C. Pops, an orchestra founded by David Agard and Russell Hawkes, 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.
Narrator Josh Sedelmeyer has developed an ease at creating rapport with audiences during interactive performances. Fans of the Philharmonic will recognize Josh from many lectures and events, including previous concerts with the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra such as The Magical Music of Harry Potter, A Night at the Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet, and now Star Wars, May the Fourth.
For tickets and more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic box office at 607-723-3931 or visit www.binghamtonphilharmonic.org.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, based in Ithaca, will welcome spring with their bright “Eastern Bloc” program on April 23. The orchestra promises a “musical potpourri” of strings, piano and wind instruments, played by members and friends of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra.
“Eastern Bloc” will kick off with the Arensky Piano Trio No.1 performed by Christina Bouey, Rosemary Elliott and Charis Dimaras. The Ligeti Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet will follow, played by Wendy Mehne, Paige Morgan, Sarah Chandler, Cathryn Gaylord and Madison Warren. Finally, instrumentalists from both previous performances will join with Diego Vásquez, Michael Sinicropi and Vadim Serebryany for Martinů’s La revue de cuisine.
Also known as “Ithaca’s Orchestra,” the CCO has been running since 1976. The orchestra runs multiple programs for students, including their Youth Orchestra and Diversity Career Fellowship program which provides opportunities in classical music for historically underrepresented students.
Tickets for the show on April 23 are $38.50 for adults and $12 for students with college ID. They can be purchased here, or at the door.
On Tuesday, March 28, the talented piano player RIOPY graced the stage of the Church of Intercession Crypt. This intimate concert setting added a unique and hauntingly beautiful atmosphere to RIOPY’s already mesmerizing music.
Photo by Kevin Condon IG @weirdhours
RIOPY, born and raised in France, began playing the piano at the age of six. He has since become a world-renowned pianist. His music is a blend of classical and contemporary, with a focus on emotional depth and storytelling through music.
The performance opened with a piece called “La Nocturne,” a haunting and melancholic melody that set the tone for the rest of the evening. From there, RIOPY gave the audience a preview of his upcoming album, Thrive. The album will be released on April 14th under Warner Classics.
Photo by Kevin Condon IG @weirdhours
Throughout the concert, RIOPY shared stories about his life and the inspiration behind his music. He spoke about how his music is a reflection of his experiences and how he hopes that his music can bring comfort and healing to those who listen to it.
RIOPY’s concert at the Church of Intercession Crypt was a testament to the power of music. His beautiful melodies and emotional depth left a lasting impression on everyone in attendance.
The Crypt Sessions is a concert series that takes place in the crypt of the Church of the Intercession, located on West 155th St in Upper Manhattan. The Crypt Sessions series was founded in 2020 by Andrew Ousley, who wanted to create a unique and intimate concert experience for both the performers and the audience.
The concerts are held in the crypt, which is a small, underground chamber beneath the 180 old Episcopal church. The space has a unique atmosphere and excellent acoustics, making it an ideal venue for live music performances. The Crypt Sessions feature a wide range of musical genres, from classical and opera to jazz and indie rock. The performers are often world-renowned musicians who are attracted to the unique setting and intimate atmosphere of the series
Setlist: La Nocturne, Piano Allegretto, Ukiyo, I Love You, Rockefeller Room, Drive
The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) announced that Michael Thomas has been appointed Director of the NYYS Jazz program, beginning with the 2023/24 season.
Founded in 1963, the New York Youth Symphony is internationally recognized for its award-winning and innovative educational programs for talented young musicians. The symphony was awarded the 2023 Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance – Classical, the first youth orchestra to win a Grammy in this category. The NYYS has provided over 7,000 music students unparalleled opportunities to perform at world-class venues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, and The Times Center. Students gain valuable life skills like commitment, discipline, focus, collaboration, and friendships that last a lifetime.
Michael Thomas is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and arranger, arriving in New York City in 2011, becoming an active member of the jazz community. He began his musical career as a pianist at age five, switching to saxophone at age nine because his father was also a saxophonist, and his mother a clarinetist. He has performed throughout the United States and abroad, including tours in Central and South America, Australia, Europe, Japan, and Russia. He can be heard on over 30 recordings, including three albums as a leader, and has been commissioned by schools and professional ensembles around the world. In addition to his own trio, quartet, and quintet, Michael Thomas also co-leads and writes for the Grammy-nominated Terraza Big Band.
Thomas follows Andy Clausen, who will step down from his position at the end of the 2022/23 season after seven seasons. The New York Youth Symphony Jazz is a 17-member swing ensemble dedicated to studying, rehearsing, and performing classic big-band jazz music from the 1930s and 40s, incorporating the music into current and emerging styles that define the genre for the present generation. “We are thrilled to have found Michael, who we are confident will be a worthy successor to Andy Clausen, who has brilliantly led the program for the last seven years,” explained Robert J. Levine, Senior Vice President of NYYS Trustees and Head of the Jazz Director Search Committee. “Michael’s experience and impressive knowledge of all aspects of the jazz repertoire and his strong ability to communicate with our young musicians were immediately evident in his live audition.”
For more information about the NYYS and upcoming events, visit here.
