The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra (CCOYO) will hold its opening concert of the 2023-24 season on Saturday, January 13, 2024, under the baton of Music Director, Kirsten Marshall.
This exciting concert opens with Chaminade’s Callirhoë Ballet Suite, Mascagni and Leoncavallo’s dramatic Intermezzos, and Grieg’s thrilling Concerto in A minor with pianist and concerto competition winner, Nathaniel Shuhan.
As a playful twist in this concert’s repertoire, winners from the Top Toy Tournament Fundraiser will also be featured in Haydn’s Toy Symphony. The afternoon will conclude with Tchaikovsky’s timeless Romeo & Juliet, promising a symphony of emotions.
Now in its seventh season, the CCO Youth Orchestra is embarking on its first overseas concert tour to Italy in April, 2024. Musicians will perform free concerts in major venues in Florence and Venice, including a side-by-side concert with an Italian youth orchestra. In addition to performing, students will visit museums and historic sites, study drawing, and attend an operatic performance.
To raise funds for the trip, the CCOYO have been hosting fundraisers throughout the fall semester, including a chamber concert, coffee fundraiser, leak raking fundraiser, and more. Among these efforts is the , where the most donated nominee winners will perform one of the seven, coveted solo parts in Haydn’s Toy Symphony.
The mission of the CCO Youth Orchestra is to offer a high-quality symphony orchestra experience for youth in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Now in its seventh successful season, we are thrilled to have a robust student membership of 67 players from all around Tompkins County. Our season typically includes two full-length symphonic concerts plus two run-out concerts to rural schools.
We will also be touring Italy in the Spring for our first overseas trip! Part of our mission is to bring our music to surrounding communities that might not otherwise experience live classical music and to educate and engage our students in being ambassadors of music. CCOYO students have experienced a side-by-side performance with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra as well as individual sectional coaching with CCO members.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra’s Winter Concert be held on Saturday, January 13 at 4:00pm at Ford Hall, Ithaca College. This concert has free admission and donations are gratefully accepted.
Rodrigo y Gabriela has announced a new run of dates in 2024, taking their thrilling live shows to cities in America that didn’t get a chance to see them on the first run. The tour will stop in Ithaca, Kingston, Tarrytown, and Buffalo.
Rodrigo y Gabriela recently kicked off the 49th season of the venerable television music series, Austin City Limits, as the premiere performers on episode one. The band was joined by an ensemble of over 30 musicians from the esteemed Austin Symphony Orchestra in an exhilarating hour; the unprecedented performance marked the first time ACL has collaborated with the world-class orchestra, one of Austin’s leading arts institutions.
In September, the duo shared their official music video for “In Between Thoughts…A New World,” featuring exclusive footage filmed earlier this summer on their North American tour. “In Between Thoughts…A New World” is the title track to Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest album, In Between Thoughts…A New World, available now via ATO Records.
“The perfect demonstration of their abilities…Rodrigo y Gabriela create a surging sonic display of cinematic goodness, using their guitars to represent rising and falling action. Each song feels like a mini-movie, containing stirring riffs, mesmeric backing strumming, and glorious, soaring strings that add extra tension to every piece…The duo harness the impressive ability to tell intricate stories without saying a word, and these songs are sure to conjure up rich images in listeners’ minds.”
FarOut Magazine
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s eagerly awaited follow-up to 2019’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Mettavolution and first full-length collection in four years, In Between Thoughts…A New World was self-produced by Rodrigo y Gabriela at their studio in Ixtapa, Mexico, the album includes such singles as “The Eye That Catches The Dream,” “Egoland,” “True Nature,” and “Descending To Nowhere.”
A #1 Most Added hit at Non-Com Radio outlets nationwide, “Descending To Nowhere” had its world premiere with an in-depth and illuminating “Origins” feature via Consequence and was quickly named by Paste as one of “The 10 Best Songs of February 2023,” hailing it as “an irresistible groove that builds and ebbs as it showcases delicious electric licks and the promised orchestral swells.”
Rodrigo y Gabriela marked the arrival of In Between Thoughts…A New World with a very special live session for Seattle’s KEXP as well as electrifying live performances of “Descending To Nowhere” and “Egoland” on BBC Two’s venerable Later… with Jools Holland. In addition, “Descending To Nowhere | A Take Away Show,” a live performance video filmed earlier this year at an empty Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, is streaming now exclusively via La Blogothèque.
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA’S IN BETWEEN THOUGHTS…A NEW WORLD 2024
APRIL
17- Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
18 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
19 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Parker Playhouse
21 – Charlotte, NC – Knight Theater
23 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
25 – Tysons, VA – Capitol One Hall
26 – Charlottesville, VA – The Paramount Theater
27 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
28 – Princeton, NJ – McCarter Theatre Center
30 – Ithaca, NY – State Theater of Ithaca
MAY
1 – Kingston, NY – Ulster PAC
2 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
4 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
5 – Nashua, NH – Nashua Center for the Arts
7 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
8 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
9 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall
11 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg University at XL Live
12 – Buffalo, NY – Asbury Hall at Babeville
14 – Cleveland, OH – TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic
15 – Columbus, OH – The Athenaeum Theatre
16 – Indianapolis, IN – The Egyptian Room
18 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
For more information on Rodrigo y Gabriela, visit their website.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra recently held auditions for section string positions and have announced seven winners, now members of the orchestra.
Distinguished by the designation of the “Official Orchestra of the City of Ithaca,” Cayuga Chamber Orchestra has been presenting exceptional live classical music to the region since 1976. The Orchestra was founded by Charles McCary when a group of local professional musicians debuted as the Finger Lakes Orchestra.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra has a strong commitment to serving its community in a variety of ways. Through its professional excellence, vibrant performances, community education, and passion for transformation through music, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra is devoted to fostering artistic life in the Ithaca and Finger Lakes regions of New York State.
Wan-Chun Hu – violin – Bloomsfield, New Jersey
Originally from Taiwan, Wan-Chun Hu is a classically trained musician and music teacher. In 2020, Wan-Chun won the second prize at the American Protege International Competition and was chosen to perform in Carnegie Hall. Additionally, Wan-Chun has won several orchestra positions, including first violin with the Annapolis Symphony, second violin with the Binghamton Philharmonic, and substitute violin with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Allentown Symphony.
William Knuth – violin – Liverpool
William Knuth, violinist and Fulbright Scholar, has earned recognition for his artistry as a solo and chamber musician. He is Assistant Professor of Violin and string department coordinator at the Syracuse University Setnor School of Music with a private teaching studio in Syracuse, NY. As a member of Duo Sonidos with guitarist Adam Levin, Knuth has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America.
Asher Wulfman – violin – Ithaca
Asher Wulfman, violinist, is a performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral works for violin currently based in Ithaca NY. He is a member of Symphoria and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with Opera Ithaca and Cornell University’s Ensemble X. He is also a guest lecturer at Cornell University, and is on the faculty of Opus Ithaca School of Music, where he also coordinates and coaches chamber music.
Bryce Bunner – viola – Penfield
Bryce Bunner, violist currently serves as principal violist of the Erie Philharmonic, and performs as an extra musician with the Rochester Philharmonic & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. He also performs in the DC area with the Post Classical Ensemble, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, and the Washington Concert Opera. He spent 21 years as a violist with the Air Force Strings/USAF Band in Washington, D.C., and taught and coached the DC Youth Orchestra program for many years.
Peter Dudek – viola – New York City
Peter Dudek, Violist, completed his Bachelor’s degree in The Juilliard School, where currently he is pursuing his Master’s degree under the tutelage of Molly Carr. He is an alumn of Itzhak Perlman’s Perlman Music Program as well as Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program. Peter is under agreement to perform for the final time as a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland this upcoming summer.
Grace Ho – cello – New York City
Taiwanese-American cellist Grace Ho, praised by South Florida Classical Review “…the warmth and flexibility of Grace Ho’s cello solos were standouts”, is an active soloist and chamber musician in the United States and Asia. Ms. Ho has appeared as soloist with the Vienna Ensemble, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra, Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, and many more.
Zachary Sweet – cello – Ithaca
Zachary Sweet, Cellist, is a registered Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He is currently an instructor of cello at Nazareth College, Binghamton University, and on the faculties of Ithaca Talent Education and Music Together of Ithaca. Nationally, he is in demand as a clinician having lead workshops, masterclasses and institutes across the United States and Canada.
Auditions were held behind a screen and were evaluated by a panel of our musicians and Interim Music Director, Grant Cooper. Look for these new musicians onstage in the coming months.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra will hold its second Orchestral Series Concert of the 2023-24 season at Ithaca College this October. Called “Beethoven’s Eighth,” the program is led by Music Director Finalist Guillaume Pirard and features Cellist Guy Johnston.
The CCO was founded in 1976 and is officially designated “Ithaca’s Orchestra.” Each season for the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra includes an Orchestral Series, Chamber Music Series, a Holiday concert, 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, which offers a high quality symphony orchestra experience for youth in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra’s concert will open with Arvo Pärt’s meditative In Spe, followed by Shostakovich’s haunting Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, and the evening will be closed with Beethoven’s jubilant Symphony No. 8. There is also a free Pre-concert chat with the conductor and soloist at 6:30 pm.
With a deep belief in the power of collaborative music making to create transformational experiences for musicians and audiences alike, Guillaume Pirard has become a highly respected artist and educator of his generation. Since making his debut with the Orlando Philharmonic, Pirard has conducted the New York University and Cornell University Orchestras, Ensemble X, Opus Ithaca, the Philharmonic of Moravia, the Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra, the Lviv Philharmonic, the Mannes School of Music Opera and the Mannes Orchestra, and served as Assistant Conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic and Ensemble 21.
As co-concertmaster and founding member of The Knights, Pirard toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe with performances at the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Muziverein in Vienna, and major festival appearances at Tanglewood, Ravinia, Caramoor, Skaneateles, the Festival-de-Paques in Aix-en-Provence and the Salzburg Festpiele. Pirard is serving as Visiting Professor of Violin at Ithaca College for the 2023-24 academic year.
Guy Johnston is one of the most exciting British cellists of his generation. His early successes included winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year, and significant awards, notably the Shell London Symphony Orchestra Gerald MacDonald Award, Suggia Gift Award and a Young British Classical Performer Brit Award. He has performed with many leading international orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Britten Sinfonia, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Moscow Philharmonic and St Petersburg Symphony.
The concert will take place Saturday, October 21 at 7:30pm in Ford Hall at Ithaca College.
For more information and “late edition” subscriptions or single tickets, visit CCOithaca.org.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra will launch its 2023-24 Season, “Beethoven and Beyond,” with Beethoven’s Sixth; a program led by Music Director Finalist Jeffrey Meyer and featuring Pianist Xak Bjerken.
The September 23 concert opens with Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers,” followed by Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, and finally with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 to finish the evening. There is also a free pre-concert chat at 6:30 pm for anyone who wishes to attend.
Jeffrey Meyer has captivated audiences throughout North America, Europe, Russia, and Asia, with his passion for championing contemporary orchestral music and groundbreaking collaborations. His programming has been awarded multiple prizes including three ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and two Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Awards in Orchestral Programming. Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic for two decades, his work with the orchestra was noted for its breadth and innovation.
Praised as “one of the most interesting and creatively productive conductors working in St. Petersburg” by Sergei Slonimsky, the orchestra’s American debut with three performances at Symphony Space’s Wall-to-Wall Festival in New York City was described by The New York Times as “impressive,” “powerful,” “splendid,” and “blazing.” He also led the acclaimed conducting program at Ithaca College for ten years.
Pianist Bjerken has appeared as a soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Glinka Hall in St. Petersburg, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and St. Cecilia in Rome. He was for many years a member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, and has held chamber music residencies at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Spoleto Festival and the Olympic Music Festival. Bjerken is a Professor of Music at Cornell University where he co-directs the international chamber music festival Mayfest with his wife, pianist Miri Yampolsky.
For more information and subscriptions, or for tickets, visit this link or contact the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Box Office at 607-272-8981 or info@CCOithaca.org.
For more than a quarter century, Damn Sam Productions has held Harvest Festival and Freedom Fair in locations throughout Eastern New York and the Catskills. Now, the festival has found a home in Trumansburg, just outside of Ithaca, giving solid ground for the October 6-9 celebration of music and cannabis culture.
The 2023 lineup features Skeleton Keys, Dogs in a Pile (2 sets Friday), Immortal Technique, The Garcia Project, and Sophistafunk, but as promoter Rob Robinson notes, “The headliner of Harvest Fest has always been cannabis.”
Add to the music lineup plenty of pro-cannabis speakers and vendors – among them, Tim Tyler, sentenced to life in prison for possession/distribution of LSD under a federal three-strikes law, and later saw his life sentence commuted by President Obama.
Also speaking at this year’s Harvest Fest and Freedom Fair is Donnie Greenthumb, who has been growing medical marijuana for decades, starting out working in a greenhouse at 13 years old, where he learned organic tricks, compost teas, and the importance of soil ph. At 20 years old he wrote for High Times Magazine with John Holmstrom and from the years 1989-2015, he assisted with writing 187 articles about basic questions, problems with growing, and how to get started in the great outdoors. He also wrote about pests and diseases in the Horticulture Medical Growers Bible by Jorge Cervantes. Donnie has had various discussions with many different cultivators throughout the region and brings a great deal of knowledge to a state that is now allows citizens to grow their own.
With these speakers, Harvest Festival and Freedom Fair continues a legacy of music and activism that is now more than a quarter century strong.
History of Harvest Fest
Starting out in Beacon, Damn Sam Productions held an initial event in 1991 dubbed ‘HempSplash’ at Arrowhead Ranch in the Catskills, and after four years, an offshoot festival, Harvest Fest, was held in Modena, NY at an apple orchard.
The festival would move around over the last two decades, holding the event in the small towns of Earlton, Warrensburg, Afton, Bainbridge, hill towns near Oneonta, Camp Minglewood (which would later host Catskill Chill for five years), Monticello, New Berlin, the Washington County Fairgrounds in Saratoga Springs, and finally, Trumansburg, at the home of Grassroots Festival.
Being that this was the 1990s, a drug culture festival being held at a time when cannabis was not nearly as prevalent as it is today, nor legal anywhere in America, was a risky move, but this was part of founder Rob Robinson’s vision – to rally cannabis allies together for a ‘protestival.’
At these early festivals, the speakers now amount to a ‘who’s who’ of cannabis culture – Jack Herer, Ask Ed Rosenthal, “Saint” Steven and Ida May Gaskin (the modern day mother of midwifery in America, also ran a commune in Tennessee), and Pete Seeger all took part in Harvest Festival and Freedom Fairs over the last 25 years. Seeger in particular was a tough sell to play the event – Robinson knew him from growing up in Beacon, and Pete always declined. But after 16 years, Pete said to Rob “You don’t belong in jail, I’ll play your event.” And with that, the legend who wrote “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Which Side Are You On?” took his well worn voice and shared it at Harvest Fest.
Harvest Festival even attracted national attention with Peter Jennings from ABC news arriving at the second annual event to film a segment that would be aired as “Pot of Gold.” Featuring footage from Cannabis Cup, you could see scenes from Harvest Fest, yet there were no interviews or faces seen in the episode. When Robinson and his team reached out to ask why the footage wasn’t used, they said simply that they didn’t want to be the reason they went to jail. The mid-1990s were a time when New York State still held cannabis as a criminalized drug and Rockefeller Drug Laws were in effect, meaning Robinson and others could have faced 15-25 years in prison.
All over the use of a plant that has killed no one.
The Musical Legacy of Harvest Fest
The last 25 years of Harvest Fest has seen an amazing number of musicians make their way to the event: Cabinet, Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, Melvin Seals and the Persuasions, Ghostface Killah, George Clinton & the 420 Funk Mob, Hamilton Morris, Immortal Technique, dead prez, Alex & Alison Grey, The Wailers, Bluestar Radiation, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dead Milkmen, Levon Helm, Particle, High Times Cannabis Cup Band, Col. Bruce Hampton, Fishbone, John Kadlecik, Ike Willis, Ed Mann, Napoleon Murphy Brock, DJ Logic, The Real Radio Rahim, Frankie Bones, DANK, Queen Mother (wife of Baba Olatunji), Max Creek, ecoustic hookah, Moonalice, The David Nelson Band, Tony Vacca & World Rhythms with Massamba Diop, Garth Hudson & The Dharma Bums, Vassar Clements, Buddy Cage, Steve Hagar, Dogs in a Pile, Deep Banana Blackout and many, many more.
Add to the list this year’s headliner, Skeleton Keys, the keyboard centric electronic exploration of the Grateful Dead, will feature founder Alex Mazur (Gratefully Yours), Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits, Billy and the Kids), Chris J. English (Sam Grisman Project, FUNKNUT) and Tom Pirozzi (Ominous Seapods, Lo Faber), plus sets by Immortal Technique, The Garcia Project, Sophistafunk and many more, and the full music festival aspect is locked down and continuing to deliver memorable sets and join a pantheon of past performers.
Never Straying from the Original Mission
The original goal of Harvest Festival was to raise money for lobbying in favor of hemp and cannabis legalization. This being in the 1990s, the pitch to legalize cannabis, let alone hemp, was a tough sell and would lead to decades of activism by the New York Cannabis Action Network, later renamed the New York Cannabis Alliance. This continual activism led Rob Robinson to serve as NORML state chair for 5 years in the 1990s, and being twice named High Times Freedom Fighter of the Year.
With legalization, the mission of the festival has evolved. For an event that was started under prohibition and continued to be run that way, Robinson admits “it’s not the best way to judge cannabis, but it is the funnest way to judge cannabis.” Over the years, production value has risen as the event has evolved into being a true festival, putting the focus on the music and celebration, and not just legalization and activism, although the latter still exist in this American cultural event.
Every person wants to change their conscientiousness – some do it through religion, some through exercise, some through substances, some through all three.
Rob Robinson
With prohibition ending in many states (24 have fully legalized), and the medical value becoming clear (38 states allow medical use) the mission encourages folks to explore and embrace the benefits of cannabis.Yet lobbying wise, there is still a black market and mis-management of the dispensary license process has held back progress for the cannabis industry in New York. The new focus is on other drugs being decriminalized, with a focus on this being a land of the free.
The 26th year of Harvest Fest and beyond
One of the only festivals in 2020 to be held during Covid, Robinson notes there were no infections and the festival held like a ‘Drive In’ event, which helped the festival sustain that year and led to continued growth, unabated.
The 2022 location, the Washington County Fairgrounds, was looking to have Harvest Fest return, but with Cannabis being illegal federally, the location had some issues that led to the event needing to be moved to Trumansburg, out of necessity.
“The Ithaca scene is totally different, and a part of NY Harvest Fest has not visited yet. The cannabis part of the Finger Lakes is huge and always has been (likewise the Catskill Mountains), so we’re bringing Harvest Fest to cannabis activists and growers who have been ‘in the closet’ for 30 years.”
Cannacup at Camp Minglewood
Harvest Fest will take place in Trumansburg, NY over October 6-9, 2023, offering a way for people to commune over a shared love of cannabis and all it has to offer. As Robinson puts it, cannabis is the “non-lethal alternative to alcohol and tobacco,” and when joined by the music lined up for the festival, a momentous celebration of freedom is on tap this fall in the Finger Lakes.
From the moment you stepped foot into the Grassroots Festival grounds, you were transported to a world of creativity, community, and culinary delights. This year’s festival, held in Trumansburg, NY, was a true testament to the power of music and the arts in bringing people together for an unforgettable experience.
Families of all ages were greeted with a plethora of arts and crafts activities that sparked creativity and imagination. From face painting and tie-dye workshops to interactive art installations and collaborative mural projects, there was something for every member of the family to enjoy. The festival organizers went above and beyond to ensure that kids and adults alike could engage in enriching and entertaining experiences, fostering an atmosphere of togetherness and joy.
Of course, the heart of Grassroots Festival was the music, and what a lineup it was! Spread across multiple stages, bands from all corners of the US delivered electrifying performances that left the audience in awe. The Thursday night performances set the bar high, with explosive sets by performers and bands like Laila Belle, Sophistafunk, Donna the Buffalo, Maddy Walsh and Blind Spots, Laila Belle, Gunpoets, and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. Their energy and passion set the tone for an unforgettable weekend of musical journeys.
Sophistafunk
Friday’s lineup continued to impress, with dynamic performances by the Fall Creek Brass Band, Kevin Kinsella, Jupiter & Okwess, The Rollin Rust, Motherwort, The Mavericks, Jimkata and Double Tiger. Each act brought their unique sound and style to the stage, ensuring that every musical taste was satisfied.
Jimkata
Saturday was a highlight of the festival, featuring sensational performances from Rising Appalachia, Watchhouse, Sona Jobarteh, Ryan Montbleau Band, and The Comb Down. The eclectic mix of genres, from folk to world music, had the crowd dancing, singing, and swaying in harmony, creating a unified atmosphere of joy and celebration into the late night underneath the stars.
Watchhouse
As the festival approached its closing day, Sunday, the anticipation was palpable. A highlight moment was the Happiness Parade that made its way through the grounds. The Legendary Ingramettes delivered a powerful and soulful performance. Sim Redmond Band, DahkaBrakha, Driftwood, and the All-Star Jam with Donna the Buffalo were the perfect conclusion to a weekend filled with musical magic.
In addition to the outstanding music, the Grassroots Festival treated its attendees to a diverse array of delectable foods from vendors representing different cuisines from around the world. From Caribbean delights to pizzas, mouthwatering Thai dishes to comforting pasta plates, there was an endless variety of flavors to satisfy any craving.
In conclusion, the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg was an unparalleled celebration of arts, music, and culinary delights that left a lasting impression on all who attended. The remarkable performances, the engaging arts and crafts, and the mouthwatering food options came together to create an experience that celebrated the richness of human creativity and connection. As the festival came to a close, attendees left with full hearts, new friendships, and an enduring appreciation for the magic of music and community. Until next year, Grassroots Festival – thank you for an unforgettable experience!
Nick Balzano of the LI Jam Scene has announced his new venture Watkins Jam, taking place July 28-30 at various places in the state, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the famous Watkins Glen Summer Jam.
Nick Balzano has performed in many bands over the years, with his love for music starting at a young age with drums and piano. For the past ten years, he has been the vocalist and performed multiple instruments in LI Jam Scene. He has also put on many events over the years with companies and venues like Liquid Shadows Entertainment, 89 North, and more, and has always strived to give artists the fair shake and audience they deserve. His newest project, Pine Barrens Jam, hopes to showcase Long Island’s creative talent for years to come.
Now, Balzano is celebrating the anniversary of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam, which featured The Band, Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers Band. On creating the tribute shows, he said “[they] have been some of my biggest inspirations and I’m sure the rest of the members of this project can say the same. The songs, drumming styles, and even the communities they’ve created have had a huge influence on the path I’ve chosen as a musician.” When putting together the lineup, he specifically chose bands and artists who were also inspired by the three legendary acts.
The tribute shows take place on July 28 at Deep Dive in Ithaca, July 29 at Courtyard in Rosecoe, and July 30 at LI Glass in Holtsville. The lineup is comprised of various supergroups taking on each band’s eclectic catalog. Whaley will be presenting a set of The Band with the help of Damien Pagan of Funkin A’/Albums We Love on Long Island. The Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead sets will feature John & Rob from Ernie & The Band, as well as Damien & other guests. The original drummer from Balzano’s time in A Band In Ship, Ryan McCloskey, will be joining for The Allman Brothers set for the Upstate dates and Jager Soss of Baked Shrimp will be holding down the second kit on Long Island.
The original Summer Jam.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Dead & Company, continuing the legacy of the Grateful Dead’s Barton Hall show at Cornell University, has raised $3.1 million in proceeds from their recent show for their now-complete Final Tour. These proceeds will be donated to the Recording Academy’s MusiCares organization and the Cornell 2030 Project, each non-profit receiving over $1.5 million.
Cornell University’s Barton Hall. Credit: Steve Malinski
Dead & Company is made up of former members of the Grateful Dead, with guitarist and vocalist Bob Weir, drummer Mickey Hart, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann. The latter did not join the final tour. They are joined by guitarist and vocalist John Mayer, bassist and percussionist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti of Further and RatDog, as well as drummer Jay Lane of RatDog and Primus.
The show on May 8 was the 46th anniversary of the May 8, 1977 Grateful Dead Show. Part of the Spring Tour of 1977, considered one of the Grateful Dead’s best tours, the May 8 show at Cornell’s Barton Hall was released on a a three-disc CD and as a five-disc LP for the 40th anniversary of the show. The recording is a part of the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Cornell ’77 Poster designed by Cornell alumnus Jay Maybrey
MusiCares is a non-profit organization founded in 1989, intended to act as a safety net for the music community, supporting the health and welfare of industry professionals through preventative, emergency, and recovery programs. More information can be found on their website.
Cornell University’s 2030 Project is a campus-wide initiative that works to develop technological solutions and to advance policies for businesses and individuals, seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change. More information can be found on Cornell University’s website.
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.
