Program:

What Are We Waiting For? (Alyssa Reit). “By the yawning tree in the twilight, The King unbound his sword, Severed the harp of all his goods, And there in the cool and soundless woods, Sounded a single chord.” Frost (Aaron Fryklund) has settled onto the white horse, a single fleeting sliver of time. The White Horse Falling Asleep (Juan Maria Solare), “There is always a thing forgotten, When all the world goes well;” The White Horse dreams Lilikoi (James Sebring). “As he sang of Balder beautiful, Whom the heavens could not save, Till the world was like a sea of tears, And every soul a wave.” A Cloud (Pamela S. Marshall) hovers in the sky. “So plain in clouds and clods,..” Then, the First Snowflake (Ehsan Saboohi) falls. Soon more snows follows. "A dancing sparkle, a doubtful star,” One minute of Snow (Cardamom Stern). The last dancing snowflakes settles wistfully upon the folly of man, Flutterbye (Seth Custer) and the world around the White Horse is White, Blanco (Marissa DiPronio). “Tales that tumble and tales that trick…” the world is not stable around the White Horse, L’instable regne (Jashiin) and soon a Cyclone (Pat Duke) rises like “Like thunder in the spring”. Yet the White Horse dreams of joy “La Danse de la Lune ( Kezia S. Yap). But it is not to be just yet. “And all the while on White Horse Hill, The horse lay long and wan,” Intermezzo (Salim Dada). “The turf crawled and the fungus crept,” Album Leaf for Harp Solo (Stanley M. Hoffman). “And the little sorrel, while all men slept, Unwrought the work of man.” Instrument de Paix (Anthony W. Randolph).

Musicians

Bella Winds

Bella Winds, made up of flute, clarinet and bassoon blends each members extensive careers as professional musicians into a collaboration of full-bodied tones and musical artistry to present a varied and colorful repertoire of chamber music.

Originally formed as a woodwind trio performing from a classical music library tallying over 100 compositions that include styles from 1650 to the present, Bella Winds evolved their musical concept to include crossover music by performing jazz fusion compositions on classical instrumentation. Bella Winds also performs world music that includes Traditional Irish, Traditional Jewish, Ragtime and Broadway. More soon will follow to culminate with the group bringing more enchanting and multifaceted music for woodwind trio to todays audience.

Kirsten Economy

Kirsten Economy, our elegant flutist is a freelancer in the Hudson Valley. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM) and the New England Conservatory (MM). She pursued further studies at the Holland Music Sessions in the Netherlands and at West Dean College in Chichester, England. From 2005-06 she was the piccolo player for the Golden State Pops Orchestra in Los Angeles. She has also performed with the New World Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, and the Heidelberg Castle Festival Orchestra in Germany, among others. She has received fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Center and the National Orchestral Institute and a scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival. Her principal teachers include Bonita Boyd, Jacques Zoon, Paula Robison, and Geralyn Coticone.

Rachel Grasso

Rachel Grasso, our mesmerizing clarinetist, is a freelance clarinetist, chamber artist and clinician in the Hudson Valley area. Originally from the Houston Texas area, she moved to New York after winning an opening as a clarinetist in the prestigious US Military Academy Concert Band at West Point. Rachel served as principal Eb clarinetist, active in several chamber ensembles, a recitalist, and a frequent soloist with the band during her twenty years of service before retiring in 2009. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in music education from University of Houston and a Master’s degree in performance from Indiana University. Rachel has performed with the Texas Chamber Opera Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Pone’ Ensemble and numerous local chorale orchestras.

Elisabeth Romano

Elisabeth Romano, our groovin' bassoonist, has played as a member with Rochester Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra and Toledo Opera. Since moving to the Hudson Valley region of New York, she has performed with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Jupiter Symphony and many other freelance ensembles in New York and New Jersey. Elisabeth is a graduate of Eastman School of Music (BM) and SUNY College of New Paltz (BS in Music Therapy). Her reed making company, Reed Expertise, is a leading manufacturer of hand crafted bassoon reeds. Elisabeth is on the faculty of Bard College, Vassar College and the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School. Contact Elisabeth for Bassoon Lessons

Fima Chupakhin

Fima Chupakhin is Ukrainian jazz pianist, band leader and composer, whose music, influenced by European classical tradition, ethnic, modern rock and contemporary music, however remains within the confines of jazz, inseparably concerned with an improvisation as a way of spontaneous expression. Fima is known as a leader of bright and young Ukrainian jazz band - Acoustic Quartet. (myspace.com/acousticquartet) "For the first time I heard Acoustic Quartet four years ago in Kharkiv. I recollect liking their performance. Pianist Fima Chupakhin and his friends played brightly and enthusiastically. I wanted more…" Oleksiy Kogan, jazz reviewer of "Jazz in Kiev", Acoustic Quartet was Grand Prix winner at Usadba–Jazz Festival's competition for young jazz performers (Moscow 2010), where they played only tunes, composed by Chupakhin.

Mariam Machaidze

Mariam Machaidze, violinist is a prize-winner of numerous national and international competitions such as the International competition of Lithuania (2005), The Georgian State Philharmonic Hall (2006) and The II Open Contest of the Young Musicians and Players (2002). She was also the winner of the radio-festival “Muse” (2009). The international competition, “Nutcracker” (2005), in Moscow is of prominent importance, where she was awarded as a semi-finalist. In addition, Arin Komisarenko, chairman from “The Russian House in Nice“, invited her to participate in a festival dedicated to the Beslan tragedy. Mariam has also participated in many international festivals in Greece, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, United States and Georgia. Mariam is currently attending The Juilliard School for her Bachelor of Music e under Stephen Clapp.

Trevor Nuckols

Trevor Nuckols is an undergraduate at The Juilliard School where he studies on a full scholarship with R.J. Kelley. He began his horn studies at the age of 12 under the tutelage of Michel Corcoran, and later with Gene Berger at the Interlochen Arts Academy. In 2012, he won First Prize in the International Horn Society’s Premiere Soloist Competition, the Juilliard Concerto Competition, the Barry Tuckwell Award, and is the first recipient of the Jerome Ashby Memorial Scholarship. He has performed in leading roles with The Juilliard Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Sarasota Orchestra, to name a few. Trevor has participated in the Sarasota Music Festival, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.

Composers

Yuri Boguinia

Yuri Boguinia was born in Stavropol, Russia on April 5th 1991 and immigrated to the U.S. with aspirations to develop his skills as a composer, and violinist. He is in his second year the Juilliard School where he studies composition with Samuel Adler and Christopher Rouse. At Juilliard Yuri works as a Teaching Assistant for music theory. Before coming to Juilliard Yuri lived in Colorado and studied composition with Colorado University of Boulder professor Dr. Daniel Kellogg and violin with first violinist of the Moscow String Quartet, Eugenia Alikhanova. He attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan where he studied composition with Dr. John Boyle. Yuri has been awarded the 2011, 2008 and 2009 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, first place in the 2008 and 2009 Pikes Peak Young Composer Competitions. He has been commissioned by the Mannheim School of Music, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, the Boulder Youth Symphony Orchestra and others. He has participated in master-classes given by composers John Harbison, Steven Stucky, Julia Wolfe, Nico Muhly and Marilyn Shrude. In the summers of 2009 and 2010 he attended the Tanglewood Young Artist Composition Program where he worked with composer Martin Amlin. Two summers ago Yuri traveled to Washington DC with the Moscow String Quartet to take part in the performance of Sofia Gubaidulina’s String Quartet No. 4 and String Trio at the Smithsonian Freer Art Gallery. Yuri had a rewarding experience working side by side with Sofia Gubaidulina, being recognized by her as an “imaginative and talented young composer”.

Bill Douglas

Bill Douglas is a bassoonist-pianist-composer who toured and recorded for thirty years with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. As a bassoonist, he has played with the Toronto and New Haven Symphonies, and has recorded three RCA albums with Peter Serkin and Tashi. As a jazz pianist, he has toured and recorded with vibraphonist Gary Burton and bassist Eddie Gomez. In 1994, SOCAN, the Canadian equivalent of ASCAP and BMI, presented him with their classical composer of the year award. His compositions have been performed by major orchestras and chamber groups around the world. He taught at Cal Arts for seven years and Naropa University for thirty-three and a half years. Thirteen CDs of his music are available.

Claudia Montero

Claudia Montero started her musical education in Alberto Ginastera Conservatory, Buenos Aires, graduating in Musical Pedagogy/Composition. She has worked with the most prestigious orchestras in Argentina, Spain and the rest of Europe. Founder of "Women in Art" Association in Valencia, her aim is the promotion and diffusion of works carried out by women, giving concerts and conferences in the Music Palau in Valencia. Her latest project, a Tribute to Alfonsina Storni, has had a great response internationally, in New York, Buenos Aires, Valencia and Bremen. She works with violinist Yi-Fang Huang creating the O2 Platform of Cultural Exchanges, with performances at "From the End of the World" in Taiwan, Argentina and South Africa.

Jan Hus Church

Jan Hus Church - This is the place you were welcome, long before you arrived! www.janhus.org
Donations of food &clothing are greatly appreciated for the Homeless Outreach Advocacy Program (HOAP)

Remarkable Theater Brigade

Remarkable Theater Brigade founded by Christian McLeer, Dan Jeselsohn and Monica Harte, creates and produces new operas and musicals and takes children's versions out to special-needs and at-risk children free of charge. Remarkable Theater Brigade creates and produces new works including operas, orchestral pieces, ballets, musicals, and electro-acoustic works and co-produces the Composer's Voice Concert Series concerts. Remarkable Theater Brigade was founded in 2002 by Christian McLeer, Monica Harte, and Dan Jeselsohn.

Vox Novus

Vox Novus promotes contemporary music and its creators through concerts, recordings, publications, broadcasts, and online publicity. Vox Novus believes strongly in the intrinsic value of contemporary music, recognizing it as a force in the advancement of culture and art. Our goal is to keep music alive by strengthening the connection between composer and audience, providing greater exposure to new music.
www.VoxNovus.com