CFO’s ClaverackLanding, a new series of classical concerts resident at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY, presents its opening concert featuring the CFO strings and guest artist, Katie Hyun, violinist, performing Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.”  Program includes music of Osvaldo Golijov and Arvo Paert.

Click Here for information

3rd Annual Community Sing of Handel’s MESSIAH

Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 3:00 pm
St. James Church, Chatham, NY
(corner of Rtes 203 & 66)

Gwen Gould, conductor
with professional instrumental ensemble
Solos to be sung by entire sections!

What is a Sing? It’s when YOU, the members of the audience, become the performers. It’s what you dream about when you sing your favorite arias in the shower!  All who attend will sing the chorus parts and even the solos!  Listeners are welcome too!

“This is not a performance, it’s an event!” says conductor Gould, “and a joyful way to start the holiday season.” Scores will be provided and light refreshments will be served during the break.

Tickets are $10 at the door; $8 in advance (online only at columbiafestivalorchestra.org)

Columbia Festival Orchestra presents classical music and other concerts to the highest degree of excellence through diverse programming for smaller ensembles to full orchestra. Founded in 1988 by artistic director and conductor, Gwen Gould, CFO is comprised of outstanding professional musicians from the tri-state area. The successful student mentoring program “Take a Seat…in the Orchestra” cultivates the art of music in young people.

Summer Sings 2008
Mondays at 7:30 pm
Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (PS21)
Chatham, NY Directions
Tickets available at the door: $10, $8 (members of PS21)

Gwen Gould, conductor
Michael Clement, piano

WHAT IS A “SING?”
It’s when YOU, members of the AUDIENCE, sing the choruses of these magnificent choral works, under the stars at PS21 with professional soloists. Bring your voice out of the shower and join with your neighbors and fellow choral singers in these favorite masterworks. Music is provided and light refreshments are served at the break.

August 4: Bernstein Chichester Psalms
Zachary Pearson, boy soprano

August 11: Mendelssohn Elijah
Nancy Allen Lundy, soprano
Nina Fine, alto
tenor – sung by section
John Cheek, bass-baritone

August 18: Verdi Requiem
Sabina Kim, soprano
Mary Hack, alto
Jon Morrell, tenor
John Cheek, bass-baritone

August 25: Mozart Requiem
Nancy Allen Lundy, soprano
Nina Fine, alto
Ed Grossman, tenor
Steve Dahlin, bass

For information about the soloists click Artists

20th Anniversary Concert
A Classical Road Trip
Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (PS21)
Chatham, NY
Gwen Gould, founder and conductor
Chanel Wood, soprano, CFO Young Artists 2008
David Anderson, host
David Grunberg, composer

Program
Prokofiev – Symphony No. 1 “Classical”
Barber – Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Grunberg – Overture to a New Theatre (world premiere)*
Beethoven – Symphony No.7

for detailed program click HERE

*performed with student interns from Take a Seat…in the Orchestra! - a new education initiative in connection with this concert. Student interns will be in residence for three days with their CFO mentors, culminating in a joint performance of Overture to a New Theatre by Chatham graduate, David Grunberg. For more info about Take a Seat… CLICK HERE

West Village Chorale Summer Sing
Verdi’s Requiem
at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson Street, New York, NY
Monday, July 14 at 7:30 pm

Gwen Gould, conductor
David Ralph, piano

Amy Grable, soprano
Mary Hack, alto
Rob Zimmerman, tenor
Charles Perry Sprawls, bass-baritone

Gwen Gould founded the West Village Chorale in 1971 and established the WVC Summer Sings in 1972. She was Artistic Director/Conductor for 27 years. The chorale is resident at the historic Church of St. Luke in the Fields in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where Ms. Gould served as an organist in the church and teacher in the school.

For information about the West Village Chorale, CLICK HERE

WHAT IS A “SING?”
It’s when YOU, members of the AUDIENCE, sing the choruses of this magnificent choral work with professional soloists singing the solos. Bring your voice out of the shower and join with your neighbors and fellow choral singers in this favorite masterwork. Music is provided and light refreshments are served at the break.

A night of classical, popular and traditional music

ARTISTS ON FIRE!—a concert of popular, classical and traditional music—will be presented at 8 p.m. on June 6, 2008, at St. James Roman Catholic Church, Rte 66, Chatham, NY. A group of artists will offer their talents to help raise funds for an up-to-date fire station to serve the Malden Bridge, Chatham Center and Old Chatham areas.

The artists for this benefit include: internationally and locally known performers Lincoln Mayorga, piano, and Franco Spoto, tenor; Sherry Bauer Mayorga, singer/song-writer; Madalyn and Cicely Parnas, two young virtuosi on violin and cello respectively; and Mary Deyerle Hack, mezzo-soprano, a resident of Hudson, NY, formerly of NYC. Rounding out the evening’s entertainers are Chatham resident Otto Gardner, bass player, and Eric Valdina, the evening’s emcee and a veteran of many stages.

Tickets can be purchased at The Chatham Bookstore in Chatham or contact Rose Ross at eddypond@fairpoint.net or phone 518 392-4614. A minimum donation of $35 includes a preconcert reception at 7 p.m. This is a tax-deductible donation. Additional donations are encouraged and welcome.

Chanel Wood, soprano, Columbia Festival Orchestra’s Young Artist 2008, will perform a short program and lead a masterclass with vocal students in the Chatham School District on Tuesday, May 20th, 8-10 am. The Chatham masterclass with Chanel Wood is an educational initiative of the Columbia Festival Orchestra. Ms. Wood is from the Graduate Program in Vocal Arts at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Students of Christian Ritter, vocal teacher in the Chatham High School, have prepared solos for the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Festival in May and will work on them with Ms. Wood in a masterclass setting. A tentative list of students and their repertoire includes the following:

Stacey Williams: Apres un Reve—Faure
Adam Harrison: O Del Mio Dolce Ardor from Paride ed Elena—Gluck
Brittney Gerber: O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi—Puccini
Isabelle Curran: Someone to Watch over Me – Gershwin
Katherine Minahan: Habanera (L’amour Est) from Carmen—Bizet
Michael Franklin: It Is Enough from Elijah—Mendelsohn
Dylan Kazmierowicztrimm: Lullaby from The Consul—Menotti
Kristen Bervy: Vittoria, mio Core–Carissimi
Erin Lanphear: On My Own – from Les Mis – Schönberg

Another new CFO mentoring program for student instrumentalists, “Take a Seat…in the Orchestra,” will take place during the CFO’s residency at PS21 (Performance Spaces for the 21st Century) in Chatham July 25-27, 2008. Instrumental teachers are encouraged to recommend students for this program who play orchestral instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, trumpet, percussion and all strings. The deadline for submitting an application is June 1st.

Ms. Wood will perform Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (text by James Agee) with the Columbia Festival Orchestra on July 26 at 6 pm and July 27 at 2 pm at PS21, conducted by Gwen Gould. Other works on the program are Prokofiev Classical Symphony, Grunberg Prelude to a New Theatre (world premiere performed with student interns from “Take a Seat…” and conducted by the composer) and Beethoven Symphony No 7.

Elizabeth Brown, C flute and energy chime, alto flute
Sheryl Henze, C flute, piccolo and energy chime, alto flute
Rie Schmidt, C flute and alto flute
Wendy Stern, C flute and bass flute

Additional Photos CLICK  HERE

Program:

Igor Stravinsky:  Pastorale
Friedrich Kuhlau :  Grand Quartet, 3rd & 4th mvts
Elizabeth Brown :  Baths of Caracalla
INTERMISSION
Samuel Barber:  Adagio for Strings (arr. Rie Schmidt)
Joseph Schwantner: Silver Halo

About Flute Force

Flute Force is a flute quartet, perhaps the first professional flute quartet to have formed in the United States.  Founded in 1981, Flute Force has maintained a presence on the chamber music scene offering innovative and varied programs with a dedication to virtuosic performances.  They have mined the existing original literature, created their own transcriptions, and commissioned and premiered a substantial number of new works. Each member of Flute Force plays all the flutes of the flute family: the piccolo, flute, alto and bass flutes-sometimes in a single concert.

Musical America has called Flute Force “an extremely persuasive advocate for the flute quartet medium: four top-quality players in a perfectly balanced and expressive ensemble.”

Flute Force performs chamber music programs for all types of audiences and presents educational concerts and masterclasses for students of all levels.  Recipients of grants from the National Endowment, Chamber Music America, the New York State Council on the Arts and Meet the Composer, the New York City based ensemble has been featured in venues throughout the United States and Canada as well as at the Australian Flute Festival in Melbourne, Australia.

2nd Annual Community Sing of Handel’s MESSIAH
Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 7:30 pm
St. James Church, Chatham, NY
(corner of Rtes 203 & 66)

Gwen Gould, conductor
with instrumental ensemble
Solos to be sung by entire sections!

Bring your voice out of the shower and jumpstart the Holiday Season by singing Handel’s Messiah with your family, friends, and neighbors!

Tickets are $10 at the door; $8 in advance (online only)
Info: gwen@gwengould.com

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Chatham, NY] – You are invited to join with your neighbors and fellow music lovers in a Community Sing of Handel’s Messiah on Saturday, December 20th at 7:30 pm at St. James Church in Chatham, at the corner of Rtes 66 and 203.

What is a Sing? It’s when YOU, the members of the audience, become the performers. It’s what you dream about when you sing your favorite arias in the shower! All who attend will sing the chorus parts and even the solos! Listeners are welcome too.

Supported by an instrumental ensemble of strings and conducted by Gwen Gould, you will have the opportunity to sing the Christmas Portion of Messiah and end with the Halleluia Chorus. Ms. Gould has been conducting “Sings” of major choral works since 1972, when she started the West Village Chorale Summer Sings in Greenwich Village and conducted Sings for the New York Choral Society for many years. In 2006, she started a series of Summer Sings at PS21 (Performance Spaces for the 21st Century) in Chatham. Ms. Gould has been an active performer around Columbia County since 1983, when she and her family bought a house in the Town of Claverack. In 1988, she founded the Columbia Festival Orchestra, a professional orchestra now resident at PS21.

“This is not a performance, it’s an event!” says conductor Gould, “and a joyful way to start the holiday season.” Scores will be provided and light refreshments will be served during the break.

Tickets are $10 at the door; $8 in advance (online only) Info: gwen@gwengould.com.

The Performing Arts Collective of Columbia County is a group of Chamber members, both professional and community-based performing arts businesses, that have come together to promote and nurture the performing arts as essential to a healthy economic and cultural life in Columbia County. Any interested organizations are highly encouraged to contact the Chamber to become a member of PACCC.

The Business Expo will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 pm in the Gallery at Stageworks and will feature tabletop exhibits and hors d’oeuvres along with a beer and wine tasting. The Business Expo will give the business community the opportunity to learn more about the performing arts community and what’s coming up for the season. Brochures, information about their upcoming seasons and more will be available.

At 6:00 pm following the Business Expo a special presentation will be given in the Stageworks theater by keynote speaker Philip Morris of Proctor’s Theatre who will address the audience about the economic impact of the arts. Morris was recently named New York State Tourism Executive of the Year by the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association. Morris was honored for his contributions to Schenectady’s downtown arts district which includes a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of the historic Vaudevulle theater, revamped programming at Proctors’ multiple venues, and a power plant that provides low-cost energy to the city’s downtown. Morris is credited with helping to bring 350,000 visitors to Schenectady in 2007.

The program is pleased to welcome Assemblyman Marc Molinaro as the guest emcee for the event. Assemblyman Molinaro was elected to the Tivoli Village Board of Trustees in 1994. He is the youngest person ever elected to office in New York at the age of 18. The very next year, he became the youngest mayor in the United States. He was re-elected mayor five times and elected four times to the Dutchess County Legislature. Assemblyman Molinaro has many priorities as he enters his first term in state office. His main goal can be easily summarized by the statement that he wants to make New York – and especially the Hudson Valley – a better place to live, work, and raise a family. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2007 and represents the 103rd District which includes parts of Columbia and Dutchess Counties.

Stageworks/Hudson is located at 41 Cross Street in Hudson. Parking directions for Stageworks/Hudson are to access parking through the municipal lot opposite Amtrak. Handicap parking is at 41 Cross Street.

There is no charge for this event, but attendees are encouraged to contact the Chamber for a reservation at 828-4417. There is also a special opportunity to bring along your children to this event. Tracy Schober, owner of Imaguration will be on hand to provide children’s activities while you attend the event. Imaguration is a full-service event company offering themed parties and events that promotes the imagination, experimentation, social interaction, creativity and physical activity in children. They provide themed events for children’s birthday parties, children’s parties during weddings or adult events bridal showers, baby showers and more. Tracy is trained in adult infant and child CPR and standard first aid. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, an Associate’s Degree in Recreation Leadership and is a student at Russell Sage in the Gerontology Masters program. This service is free for the event, but reservations are required by April 25.

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, with its 850 members, is the leading voice of business in Columbia County, providing advocacy, promotional and benefit solutions for its members. Those seeking more information concerning the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and membership can contact the Chamber at (518) 828-4417 or visit the website at www.columbiachamber-ny.com.