Press contact: Sahoua Gboizo, (973) 395-5551, pr@lunastage.org
West Orange, NJ: Luna Stage opens the second season of its Music in the Moonlight Jazz Series on Sunday, October 14th at 7pm with a one-night only concert by acclaimed guitarist Dave Stryker. Mr. Stryker will be accompanied by Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter, Jr. on drums in a performance of The Incredible Jazz Guitar: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, NJ 07052.
Tickets are on sale now ($18 in advance, $20 at the door) and can be purchased in person, over the phone at (973) 395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website at lunastage.org. The concert is part of a six-concert series. Three or six-concert subscriptions can be purchased for $45 or $72. Other artists scheduled to appear in the series include trumpeter Claudio Roditi, tenor saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, saxophonist/flutist Don Braden, and drummer Greg Bufford.
Wes Montgomery played one of the most unique and exciting sounds in improvisational music. He continues to be the standard for modern jazz guitarists. It’s only natural that West Orange-based jazz guitarist Stryker would pay tribute to Montgomery, as he was one of Dave’s early influences.
Stryker is now considered a guitarist with his own voice as well. He has recorded 23 CDs where he was lead for his own group and has been featured as a sideman with Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff, among others. Gary Giddins of The Village Voice called Stryker “…one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” He was voted one of the Top Ten Guitarists in the 2001 Downbeat Readers Poll, and a Rising Star for the last 5 years in the Downbeat Critics Poll.
Jared Gold is a jazz organist who has performed internationally and recorded with some of the best jazz artists. In 2008, his first solo album, Solids & Stripes, was released by Posi-Tone records. Gold plays the Hammond B-3. He has been influenced by Larry Young, Jack McDuff, and Don Patterson, and believes in extending harmony and solidifying groove.
Percussionist McClenty Hunter, Jr. has performed in recording sessions with Grammy award winning artists Roy Hargrove, Richard Smallwood and Donnie McClurkin. He attended Howard University where his mentor was legendary drummer Grady Tate. In addition to performing in Washington, D.C. and New York City venues, he is the Musical Director for the KIPP charter schools in New York.
“There is inherent theatricality in the performance of jazz”, says Cheryl Katz, Associate Artistic Director of Luna Stage, “and a large number of outstanding jazz musicians reside in and around the Valley Arts District where Luna Stage is located. When jazz scholar Sanford Josephson approached us about doing a series of jazz concerts by local artists at the Theatre, it seemed a natural fit.” Mr. Josephson is the author of Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations and has written extensively about jazz musicians in a variety of publications ranging from the New York Daily News to American Way Magazine. As the curator of the Music In The Moonlight series at Luna Stage, Mr. Josephson has brought together a collection of renowned artists paying tribute to a host of jazz legends and styles.
The Incredible Jazz Guitar: a Tribute to Wes Montgomery is sponsored by Lawrence Kantor Inc., Wholesale Distributors of Plumbing, Heating and Industrial Supplies, based in Orange and serving the Northern New Jersey area for over 50 years. http://www.kantorsupply.com/
For information on The Incredible Jazz Guitar: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery and all events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website at lunastage.org. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. (973) 395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Chicago Jazz Orchestra
Chicago Jazz Orchestra
Announces
2012-2013 Concert Season filled with Variety and Surprise
Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg Proclaims, “Big Band Music Is Alive And Well In Chicago.”
Chicago, Sept. 18. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETHE CHICAGO JAZZ ORCHESTRA announces its 2012-2013 Season with guest artists MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, ERNIE
WATTS, MARK WOOD, RANDY BRECKER, ART DAVIS, KURT ELLING, PERRIAN JORDAN, DEE ALEXANDER,
YVONNE GAGE, and JOAN COLLASO.
Chicago’s oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO) with Artistic
Director Jeff Lindberg proudly announces its 2012-2013 concert season, with venues including the Auditorium Theatre,
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Evanston Township High School, Wentz Concert Hall, and Pick-Staiger
Concert Hall. The CJO, Chicago’s best and most prolific professional jazz orchestra (over 25 performances in each of
the past three years), has created a 5-concert season that covers everything from the American Songbook to an
exploration of the music of Frank Zappa.
Programmatic highlights include: a Tribute to the American Songbook with Michael Feinstein (Sept. 29 Auditorium
Theatre); The Grand Wazoo and Other Delights: A Tribute to Frank Zappa featuring Ernie Watts and Mark Wood (Dec.
29 Harris Theater); A Tribute to Art Farmer, featuring Randy Brecker and Art Davis (Feb. 9 Evanston Jazz Festival); A
Tribute to Ray Charles (Feb. 16 Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville); and Celebrating Cole Porter with Kurt Elling, at Pick-
Staiger Concert Hall (April 3, Evanston).
On Sat., Sept. 29, singer, pianist, and music revivalist Michael Feinstein will join the CJO to honor the Great
American Songbook. Performing classic songs that have delighted audiences throughout the decades, these two
musical sensations will guide audiences on a journey through some of the most beloved music of our time.
For tickets contact the Auditorium Theatre Box Office: 1-800-982-2787 or www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
On Sat., Dec. 29, just days after Frank Zappa’s 72nd birthday, the CJO presents an adventurous tribute to this
great American musical genius: The Grand Wazoo and Other Delights.
The show will feature the 15-piece CJO along with saxophonist Ernie Watts, who was in Zappa’s band for the original
recording of The Grand Wazoo, electric violinist Mark Wood (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), and electric bassist Dave
Morgan, who created the arrangements for this show.
For tickets contact The Harris Theater for Music and Dance: 312-334-7777, or www.harristheaterchicago.org.
The CJO, featuring trumpeters Randy Brecker and Art Davis, will highlight the Evanston Jazz Festival with A Tribute
to Art Farmer on Sat., Feb. 9. Art Farmer was one of the great pioneers of the jazz fluegelhorn, the mellow brass
instrument related to the trumpet. In the early 1960s Farmer recorded on the Mercury label a legendary recording: Art
Farmer and The Jazz Orchestra, featuring arrangements for large orchestra by Oliver Nelson. In this performance
Brecker, Davis, and the CJO will re-create the music from this original recording. This will be the first live performance of
the music from the entire album.
Tickets on sale Dec. 1 through the Evanston Township High School Box Office: 847-424-7848 or www.ethsjazz.com.
The CJO returns to Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville on Sat. Feb. 16 for one of its most highly regarded
presentations: A Tribute to Ray Charles. The presentation features a vast array of Ray Charles’ music, including charts
from his famous Genius+Soul=Jazz album. In addition to the full big band, Perrian Jordan is featured as “Brother Ray,”
with Dee Alexander, Yvonne Gage and Joan Collaso as the Raelettes. The musicians, along with world-class
arrangements by Jeff Lindberg, bring to life the essence of Ray Charles’ unique contribution to American music.
Tickets available through the Wentz Box Office: 630-637-SHOW (7469) or www.finearts.northcentralcollege.edu.
Kurt Elling, the number one male jazz singer (2011 winner, Down Beat readers’ poll), joins the CJO on Wed., April 3
at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston for a remarkable evening of Cole Porter’s music. Titled Celebrating Cole
Porter, featuring Kurt Elling, the performance will include many of the classic Nelson Riddle and Claus Ogerman
arrangements recorded by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, among others. The CJO will be expanded to over 30
pieces, including strings.
Tickets on sale Nov. 16 through the Pick-Staiger Box Office: 847-467-4000 or www.pickstaiger.org.
Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra was founded in 1978 (Jazz Members Big Band) by Jeff Lindberg and the late Steve Jensen.
Composed of Chicago’s top musicians, the CJO is Chicago’s oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation and one of the
oldest jazz repertory orchestras in the country. Conductor and Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg is one of the foremost transcribers in jazz.
As a result, the Orchestra’s repertoire draws upon his vast library, which includes the works of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie,
Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Ray Charles and many others. Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra became the first
professional jazz orchestra in Chicago to present a yearly concert series (1998-99). The CJO’s 2005 compact disc Clark Terry and Jeff
Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra: George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (Americana Music) received widespread critical acclaim, including a
rare “FIVE STAR” rating in Down Beat magazine. The CD has been voted among the top CD’s of the decade by Down Beat magazine.
On Dec. 2 the Chicago Jazz Orchestra will make its 24th straight appearance as the house orchestra for The Kennedy Center Honors
Dinner/Dance in Washington, DC.
2012-2013 Concert Season filled with Variety and Surprise
Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg Proclaims, “Big Band Music Is Alive And Well In Chicago.”
Chicago, Sept. 18. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETHE CHICAGO JAZZ ORCHESTRA announces its 2012-2013 Season with guest artists MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, ERNIE
WATTS, MARK WOOD, RANDY BRECKER, ART DAVIS, KURT ELLING, PERRIAN JORDAN, DEE ALEXANDER,
YVONNE GAGE, and JOAN COLLASO.
Chicago’s oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO) with Artistic
Director Jeff Lindberg proudly announces its 2012-2013 concert season, with venues including the Auditorium Theatre,
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Evanston Township High School, Wentz Concert Hall, and Pick-Staiger
Concert Hall. The CJO, Chicago’s best and most prolific professional jazz orchestra (over 25 performances in each of
the past three years), has created a 5-concert season that covers everything from the American Songbook to an
exploration of the music of Frank Zappa.
Programmatic highlights include: a Tribute to the American Songbook with Michael Feinstein (Sept. 29 Auditorium
Theatre); The Grand Wazoo and Other Delights: A Tribute to Frank Zappa featuring Ernie Watts and Mark Wood (Dec.
29 Harris Theater); A Tribute to Art Farmer, featuring Randy Brecker and Art Davis (Feb. 9 Evanston Jazz Festival); A
Tribute to Ray Charles (Feb. 16 Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville); and Celebrating Cole Porter with Kurt Elling, at Pick-
Staiger Concert Hall (April 3, Evanston).
On Sat., Sept. 29, singer, pianist, and music revivalist Michael Feinstein will join the CJO to honor the Great
American Songbook. Performing classic songs that have delighted audiences throughout the decades, these two
musical sensations will guide audiences on a journey through some of the most beloved music of our time.
For tickets contact the Auditorium Theatre Box Office: 1-800-982-2787 or www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
On Sat., Dec. 29, just days after Frank Zappa’s 72nd birthday, the CJO presents an adventurous tribute to this
great American musical genius: The Grand Wazoo and Other Delights.
The show will feature the 15-piece CJO along with saxophonist Ernie Watts, who was in Zappa’s band for the original
recording of The Grand Wazoo, electric violinist Mark Wood (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), and electric bassist Dave
Morgan, who created the arrangements for this show.
For tickets contact The Harris Theater for Music and Dance: 312-334-7777, or www.harristheaterchicago.org.
The CJO, featuring trumpeters Randy Brecker and Art Davis, will highlight the Evanston Jazz Festival with A Tribute
to Art Farmer on Sat., Feb. 9. Art Farmer was one of the great pioneers of the jazz fluegelhorn, the mellow brass
instrument related to the trumpet. In the early 1960s Farmer recorded on the Mercury label a legendary recording: Art
Farmer and The Jazz Orchestra, featuring arrangements for large orchestra by Oliver Nelson. In this performance
Brecker, Davis, and the CJO will re-create the music from this original recording. This will be the first live performance of
the music from the entire album.
Tickets on sale Dec. 1 through the Evanston Township High School Box Office: 847-424-7848 or www.ethsjazz.com.
The CJO returns to Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville on Sat. Feb. 16 for one of its most highly regarded
presentations: A Tribute to Ray Charles. The presentation features a vast array of Ray Charles’ music, including charts
from his famous Genius+Soul=Jazz album. In addition to the full big band, Perrian Jordan is featured as “Brother Ray,”
with Dee Alexander, Yvonne Gage and Joan Collaso as the Raelettes. The musicians, along with world-class
arrangements by Jeff Lindberg, bring to life the essence of Ray Charles’ unique contribution to American music.
Tickets available through the Wentz Box Office: 630-637-SHOW (7469) or www.finearts.northcentralcollege.edu.
Kurt Elling, the number one male jazz singer (2011 winner, Down Beat readers’ poll), joins the CJO on Wed., April 3
at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston for a remarkable evening of Cole Porter’s music. Titled Celebrating Cole
Porter, featuring Kurt Elling, the performance will include many of the classic Nelson Riddle and Claus Ogerman
arrangements recorded by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, among others. The CJO will be expanded to over 30
pieces, including strings.
Tickets on sale Nov. 16 through the Pick-Staiger Box Office: 847-467-4000 or www.pickstaiger.org.
Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra was founded in 1978 (Jazz Members Big Band) by Jeff Lindberg and the late Steve Jensen.
Composed of Chicago’s top musicians, the CJO is Chicago’s oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation and one of the
oldest jazz repertory orchestras in the country. Conductor and Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg is one of the foremost transcribers in jazz.
As a result, the Orchestra’s repertoire draws upon his vast library, which includes the works of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie,
Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Ray Charles and many others. Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra became the first
professional jazz orchestra in Chicago to present a yearly concert series (1998-99). The CJO’s 2005 compact disc Clark Terry and Jeff
Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra: George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (Americana Music) received widespread critical acclaim, including a
rare “FIVE STAR” rating in Down Beat magazine. The CD has been voted among the top CD’s of the decade by Down Beat magazine.
On Dec. 2 the Chicago Jazz Orchestra will make its 24th straight appearance as the house orchestra for The Kennedy Center Honors
Dinner/Dance in Washington, DC.
Yale Jazz Ensemble 2012-2013 Concert Schedule
Concerts are free unless otherwise noted. Posters and press releases will be put up as they become available.
All concerts in Morse Recital Hall are streamed LIVE on the web -- click here on concert night to tune in.
• Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 7:30pm, Morse Recital Hall
Tuning Up (Toshiko Akiyoshi), Tiptoe (Thad Jones), Gaining on You (Gordon Goodwin), Send in the Clowns (Stephen Sondheim/arr. Dave Barduhn), Twelve-Seventeen (Greg Hopkins), Ruby, My Dear (Thelonius Monk/arr. Bill Holman), The Stakeout (Scott Arcangel), and David Mann's In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, featuring Dominic Coles CC '16, guitar.
• Sunday, December 2, 2012 at 3:00pm & 7:00pm, GPSCY (204 York St, New Haven)
Two concerts of cabaret jazz, with small and large ensembles.
•Monday, February 25, 2013 at 7:30pm, Morse Recital Hall
The band plays terrific arrangements of Cole Porter music, celebrating the centennial of Porter's graduation from Yale University.
• Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 2:00 PM, Yale Law School (127 Wall St, New Haven)
Sixth Annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert, featuring the
Yale Jazz Ensemble and the Reunion Jazz Ensemble
The two ensembles pay tribute to late Yale Law School Professor Stanton Wheeler, who was an early member of the Yale Jazz Ensemble in the 1970s. Professor Wheeler continued to play with the YJE until his death in 2007. Co-presented by Yale Law School and Yale University Bands. Levinson Auditorium, Yale Law School, 127 Wall Street, New Haven.
The two ensembles pay tribute to late Yale Law School Professor Stanton Wheeler, who was an early member of the Yale Jazz Ensemble in the 1970s. Professor Wheeler continued to play with the YJE until his death in 2007. Co-presented by Yale Law School and Yale University Bands. Levinson Auditorium, Yale Law School, 127 Wall Street, New Haven.
For a rehearsal schedule, click here.
THE CITY OF MIAMI GARDENS ANNOUNCES THE MUCH ANTICIPATED
THE CITY OF MIAMI GARDENS ANNOUNCES THE MUCH ANTICIPATED
8TH ANNUAL "JAZZ IN THE GARDENS" MUSIC FESTIVAL
MARCH 16 & 17, 2013, AT SUN LIFE STADIUM
Celebrating a magical mix of music, friends, exotic food and fun: 8 years and counting!Miami Gardens, FL – The City of Miami Gardens and its newly elected Mayor, Oliver Gilbert, and the City Council, proudly announce the highly anticipated dates for the 2013 "Jazz in the Gardens" Music Festival. On March 16th & 17th, the 8th Annual "Jazz in the Gardens", held at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, promises to be the best edition yet of the festival, featuring a 2-day star-studded line-up of adult urban contemporary's most beloved performers, soon to be announced. Tickets go on sale November 2012, and will be sold through Ticketmaster.
Created in 2006, "Jazz in the Gardens" was the brainchild of former Mayor Shirley Gibson, and has consistently delivered a dynamic mix of urban musical genres including Jazz, R&B, Classic and Neo Soul and World Beat. Past Jazz in the Gardens alumni include Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, En Vogue, Boys II Men, Kenny G, Chaka Khan, Robin Thicke, the late Teena Marie, Wyclef, Babyface, Doug E. Fresh, George Duke, Stanley Clarke and George Benson… just to name a few.
Click here to read more or to view the actual press release
View Black PRWire
2012-2013 Class of Artists in Residence
2012-2013 Class of Artists in Residence
Here are the performing artists:
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Daisy Castro
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Owen Danoff
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2012-2013 Class of Artists in Residence
Program expands with more workshops for artists; welcomes Emmylou Harris sideman as mentor; first electric cello, first female drummer, first Gypsy jazz violinist
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Fila
(301) 581-5194
mfila@strathmore.org
Strathmore Presents
2012-2013 CLASS OF ARTISTS IN RESIDENCEProgram expands with more workshops for artists; welcomes Emmylou Harris sideman as mentor; first electric cello, first female drummer, first Gypsy jazz violinist
NORTH BETHESDA, MD – Strathmore continues to grow its celebrated Artist in Residence (AIR) program in its eighth season by expanding its number of professional development workshops, welcoming nationally-recognized Emmylou Harris sideman Rickie Simpkins as a mentor and introducing the program’s first electric cellist, female drummer and Gypsy jazz violinist. Since its inception in 2005 the AIR program has helped to nurture the careers of 40 talented emerging musicians, and this year welcomes progressive soul singer Deborah Bond, Gypsy jazz violinist Daisy Castro, singer-songwriter Owen Danoff, jazz drummer Isabelle De Leon, jazz singer Integriti Reeves and electric cellist Wytold. Danoff is son of music Bill Danoff, who penned such hits as “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Afternoon Delight” (the latter earning him two Grammy awards in 1976), while Reeves appeared as a member of Afro Blue during its storied run on NBC’s “The Sing Off” and De Leon appeared on “America’s Got Talent.” AIR also includes mentors drummer Nasar Abadey and composer and bandleader Charlie Barnett.
AIR concerts in the Mansion begin on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. with mentor Charlie Barnett featuringOwen Danoff and Integriti Reeves. All AIR concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for the general public and $13.50 for Strathmore Stars.
Founded in 2005, Strathmore’s AIR program cultivates musical talent in the Washington, D.C. area. The AIR program helps emerging talents hone their craft and build business acumen through performance, composition, teaching, professional development and networking opportunities. Each Artist in Residence is a featured performer in the Mansion at Strathmore for one month, during which they perform four times. The AIR experience culminates in the premiere of a new work commissioned by Strathmore. Participants also create and implement outreach activities at local schools. AIR graduates include Grammy nominated hip hop artist Christylz Bacon, urban jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet, Laura Burhenn of the mynabirds, jazz singer Lena Seikaly and charming vocal duo The Sweater Set.
About the 2011-2012 AIR musicians:
Deborah Bond: Soul diva Deborah Bond has released three studio albums, DayAfter, AfterDay and Madam Palindrome. Her latest disc is a range of psychedelic funk, soul and R&B tracks, grabbing the #1 spot on the UK Soul Chart for three consecutive weeks. The music video for the album’s debut single “You Are the One” is currently featured on VH1Soul and MTV.com.uk. Bond has shared the stage with noted soul stars Eric Roberson, Floetry, Kindred the Family Soul, Raheem DeVaughn, Mint Condition, Ledisi, YahZarah, Frank McComb and Sy Smith. In 2010, Bond was featured on the famed Capital Jazz SuperCruise’s Underground Soul Lounge.
Daisy Castro: Daisy Castro started playing violin at the age of 6. Starting out with the Suzuki method and classical training, she quickly learned to play by ear what her classical instructors could not teach her. That same year, she took a trip to France with her parents, where she was first introduced to the style of music known as “Jazz Manouche” or “Gypsy Jazz.” Intrigued as a listener from the start, over the years she has found this music to be a perfect genre for her playing style. Her ability to embody this passionate and beautiful music at such an early age has charmed audiences both in the U.S. and abroad, and has landed her on stage with some of the finest players in Europe and the U.S. She recorded and released her first solo CD, Gypsy Moth at the age of 13, and fittingly, it bears a strong Gypsy jazz influence.
Owen Danoff: An up-and-coming Washington, D.C. singer-songwriter, Owen Danoff was born into a musical family—his father, Bill Danoff, is a Grammy-winning songwriter and musician with his ensemble Starland Vocal Band—and has grown up surrounded by accomplished musicians. Danoff released his debut EP Never Trust A Man at Strathmore in 2012, incorporating influences of pop, folk and country. A skilled singer, writer, bassist and composer, Owen has made the rounds at notable local music venues, having performed at the Kennedy Center, Black Cat, The Birchmere, 9:30 Club and The Hamilton. At age 16 he wrote his first song, and at 20 he decided to dedicate his efforts toward crafting a career as a full-time musician. He is a 2011 graduate of the Berklee College of Music.
Isabelle De Leon: Isabelle De Leon first picked up drum sticks at age 7, and has honed her skills on drumset by performing with such ensembles as Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras and the Archdiocese of Washington Honors Band. Now a senior at the University of Maryland, she studies both jazz drums performance and pre-medicine. De Leon is recipient of the Washington Post Music and Dance Scholarship Award and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s Stanley Kay Scholarship, which sent her to the New York Summer Festival. In 2012 she was selected to be the drummer for the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, an honors college band comprised of students from schools along the East Coast.
She still performs regularly with her family band, Ivy Rose, which opened for Weezer and Ben Folds at the University of Maryland’s Byrd Stadium and also placed second at the Next Big Thing Tour Battle of the Bands at the 9:30 Club. They recently staged a two-month tour in the Philippines and appeared on the 2012 season of NBC's “America's Got Talent.”
Integriti Reeves: Jazz singer Integriti Reeves is a graduate of D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she perfected her craft under the tutelage of world renowned Jay Clayton and in private lessons with Connaitre Miller, Howard University Jazz Professor from 2006-2010. Her relationship with Miller landed her a spot as a member of Afro Blue, appearing on NBC’S “The Sing Off” and in concert with legend Smokey Robinson. She has also performed alongside contemporary jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Geri Allen, Bobby McFerrin and Ernie Andrews. In 2010 Integriti co-wrote lyrics and recorded with the renowned vibraphonist/pianist/drummer Warren Wolf. She strives to incorporate jazz and violin improvisations during her performances.
Wytold: Wytold layers percussive bowing and melodic finger-picking on the cello. Two extra strings on his electric cello allow him to capture the depth and power of a stand-up bass, the rich tonal timbre normally associated the acoustic cello and the bright crispness of violin solos and harmonies. Wytold records these sounds live on both electric and acoustic cellos to create his own rock-orchestral accompaniment on stage. He also received a Young Artist Grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) to help fund his first solo album, When Fulvio Finds Celeste.
About the 2011-2012 AIR mentors:
Nasar Abadey: Drummer and composer Nasar Abadey is the founder, leader and driving force of SUPERNOVA. Abadey began playing drums at age 5 and received his first drum set at age 16. Inspired by Tony Williams, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones and his cousin Frankie Dunlop, Nasar Abadey creates jazz music steeped in modal, free form, fusion and avant-garde styles. He is Professor of Jazz Percussion at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.
His latest album, Diamond In The Rough, was released in 2011. Abadey has performed with many jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Rouse, Gary Bartz, David Sanchez, Cyrus Chestnut, Sonny Fortune, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Kenny Kirkland, Gary Thomas, Stanley Turrentine, Frank Morgan, Bobby Hutcherson, Pharaoh Sanders and Malachi Thompson. Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA were selected by the U.S. State Department and Jazz at Lincoln Center as Cultural Ambassadors, embarking a one month tour to with the American Music Abroad Rhythm Road to Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Mozambique.
Abadey has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the D.C. Commission for the Arts, Creative Arts Performance Services (CAPS), the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Prince George's Arts Council, and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.
Charlie Barnett: As a film composer, Charlie Barnett’s scores have appeared in more than 400 television projects and theatrical films. He has written music for “Saturday Night Live,” “The Cosby Show,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “Weeds.” His score for the PBS series “The Appalachians” was released by Sony records and his score for Dreamer,a documentary about C.S. Lewis produced by Walt Disney Productions, was released as part of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe boxed set.
Mr. Barnett is also a musician whose orchestral and chamber works have been performed worldwide. Personal favorites include Serenade for Double Bass, which was recently performed in London and has been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra; the release of Concerto in Fourths, The Brooklyn Affair and the symphony The Blue Chevrolet on Big Kahuna Records; the recent recording by Osman Kivrac of the viola concerto From Istanbul; and his symphonic suite, The Tarot, which received its premier in 2010 by the Capital City Symphony in Washington, D.C. Barnett was commissioned to write a spoken word piece in collaboration with Dr. Maya Angelou for the Pageant of Peace in Washington, D.C.
He continues to proudly tour with the eclectic lounge band, Chaise Lounge. Barnett can also be heard as an occasional commentator on NPR.
Rickie Simpkins: Best known for the syncopated lyricism of his fiddle playing, Rickie Simpkins is a lifelong musician, building a catalog of recordings and appearances that testify both to his creative flexibility and to his roots in the classic bluegrass of his native Virginia. He has appeared on numerous artists recordings such as Nils Loftgren, Ralph Stanley, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Charlie Waller, Tony Rice, Chris Hillman, Herb Pedersen, Eddie from Ohio, The Isaacs and Mike Auldridge. He is currently performing internationally with Emmylou Harris and Her Red Dirt Boys.
Simpkins has won many awards including the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America's Fiddle Player of the Year, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Instrumental Group of the Year and Bluegrass Now's Fan's Choice Award for Fiddle Player of the Year. In 2008 Simpkins was inducted into the Virginia Folk Music Hall of Fame, which includes other notable native Virginians such as Patsy Cline, Mother Maybelle Carter and Roy Clark.
About Strathmore
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The hallmark of the arts center is the Music Center at Strathmore, a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. The Music Center at Strathmore, located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda, MD, is immediately adjacent to the Grosvenor-Strathmore station on Metro’s Red Line and a half-mile from the Capital Beltway. For those attending a ticketed performance at the Music Center at Strathmore, parking in the Metro garage is complimentary. All Music in the Mansion concerts are held in the Dorothy M. and Maurice C. Shapiro Music Room in the Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD. Parking is available on site for all Mansion performances. For more information, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
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Strathmore is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities.
Strathmore is also supported in part by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
Strathmore AIR Concerts
Charlie Barnett with
Owen Danoff & Deborah Bond
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA with
Isabelle De Leon and Integriti Reeves
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Deborah Bond, progressive soul
Wednesdays, January 16 & 30, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Sponsored by the Potomac Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Foundation
Wytold, electric cello
Wednesdays, February 13 & 27, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Integriti Reeves, jazz vocalist
Wednesdays, March 13 & 27, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Isabelle De Leon, jazz drummer
Wednesdays, April 10 & 24, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Sponsored by Visionary Ophthalmology
Daisy Castro, Gypsy jazz violin
Wednesdays, May 8 & 22, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Rickie Simpkins
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Owen Danoff, singer-songwriter
Wednesdays, Jun 5 & 19, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 (Stars $13.50)
Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD 20852
For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.strathmore.org or call (301) 581-5100.
The National Association for Music Education announced the 2012-2013 Season
RESTON, VA (September 26, 2012) –The National Association for Music Education announced the 2012-2013 Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter of the Year. The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the international music honor society for middle/junior high and high school students. It is designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements, reward them for their accomplishments and service activities, and to inspire other students to excel at music and leadership. Through more than 5,500 chartered chapters, Tri-M has helped thousands of young people provide years of service through music in schools throughout the world. Tri-M is a program of the National Association for Music Education.
Senior Division
Chapter of the Year
Piper High School – Kansas City, KS
Shelly Cole, advisor
First Runner Up
WT Clarke High School – Westbury, NY
Adrianna Donovan, advisor
Second Runner Up
International School, Kulaha Lampur – Malaysia
Jeff Reynolds, advisor
Junior Division
Chapter of the Year
Ranney Middle School, Salina KS
Lillianne Torrente, advisor
First Runner Up
Lakewood Middle School – Salina, KS
Lindsey Modin, advisor
Second Runner Up
Western Heights Middle School – Hagerstown, MD
Heather McEndree, advisor
For more information about the National Association for Music Education call 1-800-336-3768, or visit http://musiced.nafme.org.
National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century.
###
Senior Division
Chapter of the Year
Piper High School – Kansas City, KS
Shelly Cole, advisor
First Runner Up
WT Clarke High School – Westbury, NY
Adrianna Donovan, advisor
Second Runner Up
International School, Kulaha Lampur – Malaysia
Jeff Reynolds, advisor
Junior Division
Chapter of the Year
Ranney Middle School, Salina KS
Lillianne Torrente, advisor
First Runner Up
Lakewood Middle School – Salina, KS
Lindsey Modin, advisor
Second Runner Up
Western Heights Middle School – Hagerstown, MD
Heather McEndree, advisor
For more information about the National Association for Music Education call 1-800-336-3768, or visit http://musiced.nafme.org.
National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century.
###
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Little Orchestra Society Opens The 2012-2013 Season with The Orchestra - A Happy Family
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Press Releases
The Little Orchestra Society Opens The 2012-2013 Season with The Orchestra - A Happy Family
The Little Orchestra Society (The LOS) inaugurates the 2012-2013 season with an audience favorite from its acclaimed Lolli-Pops™ series, The Orchestra – A Happy Family. Performances will take place on Saturday October 27 at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and Sunday, October 28 at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th St. between Park and Lexington Aves.). The musicians of The LOS, led by guest conductor Philip Mann and joined by the colorful Lolli-Pops™ characters, introduce their musical families to yours, where the drums Bang, the strings Bow, the brass Buzz and the winds Toot.
Regaled with sweet treats of musical bonbons -- from candy canes and chocolates to sugarplums and cakewalks – kids love to visit their friends Bang the Lion, Buzz the Bee, Toot the Bird and Bow the Panda. With music by Tchaikovsky and Debussy, the program is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles. Children, with complimentary fun batons, help the conductor close the show.
THE ORCHESTRA – A HAPPY FAMILY (recommended for ages 3-5) PHILIP MANN, GUEST CONDUCTOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012, 10:00 A.M. AND 11:30 A.M. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2012, 1:00 P.M. AND 2:30 P.M.
Program includes (subject to change): Victor Herbert - “March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - Waltz from Serenade for Strings Claude Debussy - “Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner Suite Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - “Turkish” Rondo Jacques Offenbach - “Can-can” from Orpheus in the Underworld Traditional - “Turkey in the Straw” Gioachino Rossini - Overture to William Tell John Philip Sousa - Stars and Stripes Forever
Performances are at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues). Single tickets: $15 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $45 (front balcony/front orchestra); Six-concert subscriptions $90 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $180 (front balcony/front orchestra); 3-concert series from $45 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $99 (front balcony/front orchestra); available by calling 212/971-9500 or at littleorchestra.org.
Join the Conductor’s Circle to receive exclusive privileges. Benefits include: best seating in the concert halls, concierge ticketing, invitations backstage to meet the guest conductors and artists, and two complimentary tickets to a LOS performance. Conductor’s Circle member support helps to keep music in the lives of thousands of New York City public school students through The LOS’s music education and public service programs.
About the Lolli-Pops™ Series In the Lolli-Pops™ series (recommended for ages 3-5) the programs introduce young children to the basic elements of music, and incorporate dance, music and visual art with the help of characters who each represent one of the four families of the orchestra. At each Lolli-Pops™ concert children actively participate in the program and also receive musical instruments or educational materials to take home. Preparatory and follow-up activities are sent via email to all concert attendees. The Lolli-Pops™ series was originally created by the Orchestra’s late Music Director, Dino Anagnost.
About Philip Mann, Guest Conductor Hailed by the BBC as a “talent to watch out for, who conveys a mature command of his forces,” American conductor Philip Mann is quickly gaining a worldwide reputation as an “expressively graceful yet passionate” artist with a range spanning opera, symphonic repertoire, new music, and experimental collaborations. Beginning his third season as Music Director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, both previous years shattered attendance records and were accompanied by unprecedented artistic growth, new energy, and financial health. Formerly as the San Diego Symphony’s Associate Conductor, he conducted hundreds of performances of Jacobs Subscription Masterworks, Symphony Exposed, family, young people’s concerts, Kinder Konzert, pops, and other special programs and projects. As an American Conducting Fellow, the San Diego Union Tribune raved, “Mann was masterful… a skilled musical architect, designing and executing a beautifully paced interpretation, which seemed to spring from somewhere deep within the music rather than superimposed upon it.”
As winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Karajan Fellowship at the Salzburg Festival, Mann has relationships with orchestras and operas worldwide: including the Cleveland Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Georgian State Opera, and the National Symphony of Cyprus, with appearances at New York’s Avery Fischer Hall and London’s Barbican Center. His recent Beethoven 9 was described as “Titanic” and his Canadian debut with l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec was dubbed by Le Soleil as a “Tour de Force,” and led to an immediate reengagement in 2013. Other upcoming engagements include the Grand Rapids Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Georgian State Opera. Previously, the music director of the Oxford City Opera and Oxford Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, he also held positions with Music in the Mountains and the Indianapolis Symphony. Mann has worked with leading artists Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Dmitri Alexeev, Midori, Marvin Hamlisch and given premiers of composers John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Torke, and Franco Donatoni.
Elected a Rhodes Scholar, Mann studied and taught at Oxford, and has served as assistant conductor to Franz Welser-Möst, Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, Jaime Laredo, Mario Venzago, Bramwell Tovey, Pinchas Zukerman, Jahja Ling, and others. At Oxford, he won a competition for principal conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia where under his leadership, its performances and tours received international acclaim. Mann studied with Alan Hazeldine of London’s Guildhall School, Colin Metters at the Royal Academy of Music, and worked with Leonard Slatkin at the National Symphony’s Kennedy Center Conducting Institute and Michael Tilson Thomas at the New World Symphony. Mentorship followed with Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jorma Panula at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Robert Spano with the Atlanta Symphony. Mann was also appointed visiting lecturer in orchestral conducting at Indiana University and worked with the renowned opera theater. Additional studies came under the Bolshoi Theater’s music director, Alexander Vedernikov at the Moscow State Conservatory, Gustav Meier, Kenneth Keisler, and with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Robert Ward. He is the recipient of numerous awards including commendations from several cities, and the state of California.
About Annette Jolles, Director/Choreographer Annette Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director, writer and producer for stage and television. She has developed and directed numerous new works including the Off-Broadway premieres of That Time of the Year and Little By Little (The York Theatre Company), Wallenberg (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Passion of the Hausfrau (Portland Stage Company), The Jerusalem Syndrome (NYMF), Suddenly Hope (Denver Civic Theater, Garfield Theater, & Rich Forum Theater), Manhattan Madcaps of 1924 (Symphony Space “Summer Stock on Broadway” Series) and Big Red Sun (Theatreworks Palo Alto’s New Works Festival). As a founding partner of KTW Productions, she produced, co-wrote and directed Keeping the Word and The Handshake, which toured nationwide.
Since 1992, she has been Director/Choreographer for The Little Orchestra Society, staging their acclaimed Lolli-Pops™ Series for young children at Florence Gould Hall and the Kaye Playhouse, as well as productions of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Berezowsky’s Babar the Elephant, and a new adaptation of Peter and the Wolf, all at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.
Theatrical concert credits include the 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series, Grind (The York’s Musicals in Mufti), and New Voices Concerts at London’s Southbank Centre and Symphony Space, where she also staged Broadway and Beyond with host Rob Fisher, and their monumental Wall to Wall Sondheim tribute.
For the past three years, she produced and directed Restoring Honor at the Lincoln Memorial, Restoring Courage in Jerusalem’s Davidson Center, and Restoring Love at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, as well as their supporting events at the Kennedy Center, the Caesarea Amphitheatre and Jerusalem’s Old Train Station. As a producing partner in Bard Theatricals, she was represented on Broadway with Looped, starring Valerie Harper, and Scottsboro Boys, for which she received a 2011 Tony nomination for Best Musical.
For twenty years, Ms. Jolles has produced, directed and associate directed for Bard Entertainment, a television production company specializing in live multi-camera events and entertainment specials. Her extensive work in television has earned her three Emmy Awards as producer of the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero and producer/writer for Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! (PBS), and six additional Emmy nominations. Highlights of broadcasts include Holiday in Bryant Park and Broadway Under the Stars (CBS), Celebrate Israel Parade (WWOR/My9), Egypt Week Live (Discovery), Homecoming (ESPN), The Dr. Joy Browne Show (Discovery Health), Company and Camelot (PBS, Live from Lincoln Center), (Romance/Romance, Nunsense 1, 2 & 3, Stop the World… (PBS, A&E, TNN), This American Life Live 1 & 2 (movie theater simulcasts), the New York Giants and New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parades, and eight years of the world feed of the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she currently teaches musical theater performance and direction.
ABOUT THE LITTLE ORCHESTRA SOCIETY/ORPHEON, INC. The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon, Inc. (The LOS), now in its 65th season, performed its inaugural concert at The Town Hall on October 20, 1947, and has since been devoted to presenting music and educational programming that inspires audiences of all ages to encourage a lifetime of participation in the arts. The LOS honors both the past, by presenting ensemble pieces created by the great early composers, while also “orchestrating the innovation” in classical music through world premieres of new works -- more than 65 throughout its history. The Orchestra performs dynamic repertoire using multiple art forms to create meaningful experiences for today’s audiences.
The LOS’s mission to present music in engaging, educational contexts was refined under the direction of the late Maestro Dino Anagnost, who led the orchestra from 1979 to 2011. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has given many important premieres and launched the careers of major musical talents in its concert programming for adult audiences. In addition to its concert performances, its music education and community engagement programs educate and entertain New York Metropolitan Area children and their families, as well as senior citizens, through the Musical Connections, Live In Concert! and Project 65Plus programs.
Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program, a year-long music education program, teaches students the basic elements of music by engaging them in the process of composing their own works. Live In Concert! seeks to instill a lasting love of music in children and their families and to create new audiences for classical music. New York City public school students and children from publicly-funded daycare centers and social service agencies attend The Little Orchestra Society’s dress rehearsals and concerts without charge. Project 65Plus recognizes the importance of life-long learning and provides senior New Yorkers with free admission to the Orchestra’s concerts. The LOS also works to serve grandparents who are caregivers. More than 12,000 people participate in LOS music education and public service programs each year.
The Little Orchestra Society’s concert series includes the Peabody Award-winning Happy Concerts for Young People for children ages 6-12, the Lolli-Pops™ for children ages 3-5, and the concerts for adults, which have included Vivaldi’s Venice, Cathedral Concerts – Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome® and Sound Discoveries®. For more information, please visit littleorchestra.org or call 212-971-9500.
---END---
Regaled with sweet treats of musical bonbons -- from candy canes and chocolates to sugarplums and cakewalks – kids love to visit their friends Bang the Lion, Buzz the Bee, Toot the Bird and Bow the Panda. With music by Tchaikovsky and Debussy, the program is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles. Children, with complimentary fun batons, help the conductor close the show.
THE ORCHESTRA – A HAPPY FAMILY (recommended for ages 3-5) PHILIP MANN, GUEST CONDUCTOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012, 10:00 A.M. AND 11:30 A.M. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2012, 1:00 P.M. AND 2:30 P.M.
Program includes (subject to change): Victor Herbert - “March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - Waltz from Serenade for Strings Claude Debussy - “Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner Suite Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - “Turkish” Rondo Jacques Offenbach - “Can-can” from Orpheus in the Underworld Traditional - “Turkey in the Straw” Gioachino Rossini - Overture to William Tell John Philip Sousa - Stars and Stripes Forever
Performances are at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues). Single tickets: $15 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $45 (front balcony/front orchestra); Six-concert subscriptions $90 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $180 (front balcony/front orchestra); 3-concert series from $45 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $99 (front balcony/front orchestra); available by calling 212/971-9500 or at littleorchestra.org.
Join the Conductor’s Circle to receive exclusive privileges. Benefits include: best seating in the concert halls, concierge ticketing, invitations backstage to meet the guest conductors and artists, and two complimentary tickets to a LOS performance. Conductor’s Circle member support helps to keep music in the lives of thousands of New York City public school students through The LOS’s music education and public service programs.
About the Lolli-Pops™ Series In the Lolli-Pops™ series (recommended for ages 3-5) the programs introduce young children to the basic elements of music, and incorporate dance, music and visual art with the help of characters who each represent one of the four families of the orchestra. At each Lolli-Pops™ concert children actively participate in the program and also receive musical instruments or educational materials to take home. Preparatory and follow-up activities are sent via email to all concert attendees. The Lolli-Pops™ series was originally created by the Orchestra’s late Music Director, Dino Anagnost.
About Philip Mann, Guest Conductor Hailed by the BBC as a “talent to watch out for, who conveys a mature command of his forces,” American conductor Philip Mann is quickly gaining a worldwide reputation as an “expressively graceful yet passionate” artist with a range spanning opera, symphonic repertoire, new music, and experimental collaborations. Beginning his third season as Music Director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, both previous years shattered attendance records and were accompanied by unprecedented artistic growth, new energy, and financial health. Formerly as the San Diego Symphony’s Associate Conductor, he conducted hundreds of performances of Jacobs Subscription Masterworks, Symphony Exposed, family, young people’s concerts, Kinder Konzert, pops, and other special programs and projects. As an American Conducting Fellow, the San Diego Union Tribune raved, “Mann was masterful… a skilled musical architect, designing and executing a beautifully paced interpretation, which seemed to spring from somewhere deep within the music rather than superimposed upon it.”
As winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Karajan Fellowship at the Salzburg Festival, Mann has relationships with orchestras and operas worldwide: including the Cleveland Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Georgian State Opera, and the National Symphony of Cyprus, with appearances at New York’s Avery Fischer Hall and London’s Barbican Center. His recent Beethoven 9 was described as “Titanic” and his Canadian debut with l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec was dubbed by Le Soleil as a “Tour de Force,” and led to an immediate reengagement in 2013. Other upcoming engagements include the Grand Rapids Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Georgian State Opera. Previously, the music director of the Oxford City Opera and Oxford Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, he also held positions with Music in the Mountains and the Indianapolis Symphony. Mann has worked with leading artists Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Dmitri Alexeev, Midori, Marvin Hamlisch and given premiers of composers John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Torke, and Franco Donatoni.
Elected a Rhodes Scholar, Mann studied and taught at Oxford, and has served as assistant conductor to Franz Welser-Möst, Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, Jaime Laredo, Mario Venzago, Bramwell Tovey, Pinchas Zukerman, Jahja Ling, and others. At Oxford, he won a competition for principal conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia where under his leadership, its performances and tours received international acclaim. Mann studied with Alan Hazeldine of London’s Guildhall School, Colin Metters at the Royal Academy of Music, and worked with Leonard Slatkin at the National Symphony’s Kennedy Center Conducting Institute and Michael Tilson Thomas at the New World Symphony. Mentorship followed with Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jorma Panula at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Robert Spano with the Atlanta Symphony. Mann was also appointed visiting lecturer in orchestral conducting at Indiana University and worked with the renowned opera theater. Additional studies came under the Bolshoi Theater’s music director, Alexander Vedernikov at the Moscow State Conservatory, Gustav Meier, Kenneth Keisler, and with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Robert Ward. He is the recipient of numerous awards including commendations from several cities, and the state of California.
About Annette Jolles, Director/Choreographer Annette Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director, writer and producer for stage and television. She has developed and directed numerous new works including the Off-Broadway premieres of That Time of the Year and Little By Little (The York Theatre Company), Wallenberg (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Passion of the Hausfrau (Portland Stage Company), The Jerusalem Syndrome (NYMF), Suddenly Hope (Denver Civic Theater, Garfield Theater, & Rich Forum Theater), Manhattan Madcaps of 1924 (Symphony Space “Summer Stock on Broadway” Series) and Big Red Sun (Theatreworks Palo Alto’s New Works Festival). As a founding partner of KTW Productions, she produced, co-wrote and directed Keeping the Word and The Handshake, which toured nationwide.
Since 1992, she has been Director/Choreographer for The Little Orchestra Society, staging their acclaimed Lolli-Pops™ Series for young children at Florence Gould Hall and the Kaye Playhouse, as well as productions of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Berezowsky’s Babar the Elephant, and a new adaptation of Peter and the Wolf, all at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.
Theatrical concert credits include the 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series, Grind (The York’s Musicals in Mufti), and New Voices Concerts at London’s Southbank Centre and Symphony Space, where she also staged Broadway and Beyond with host Rob Fisher, and their monumental Wall to Wall Sondheim tribute.
For the past three years, she produced and directed Restoring Honor at the Lincoln Memorial, Restoring Courage in Jerusalem’s Davidson Center, and Restoring Love at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, as well as their supporting events at the Kennedy Center, the Caesarea Amphitheatre and Jerusalem’s Old Train Station. As a producing partner in Bard Theatricals, she was represented on Broadway with Looped, starring Valerie Harper, and Scottsboro Boys, for which she received a 2011 Tony nomination for Best Musical.
For twenty years, Ms. Jolles has produced, directed and associate directed for Bard Entertainment, a television production company specializing in live multi-camera events and entertainment specials. Her extensive work in television has earned her three Emmy Awards as producer of the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero and producer/writer for Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! (PBS), and six additional Emmy nominations. Highlights of broadcasts include Holiday in Bryant Park and Broadway Under the Stars (CBS), Celebrate Israel Parade (WWOR/My9), Egypt Week Live (Discovery), Homecoming (ESPN), The Dr. Joy Browne Show (Discovery Health), Company and Camelot (PBS, Live from Lincoln Center), (Romance/Romance, Nunsense 1, 2 & 3, Stop the World… (PBS, A&E, TNN), This American Life Live 1 & 2 (movie theater simulcasts), the New York Giants and New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parades, and eight years of the world feed of the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she currently teaches musical theater performance and direction.
ABOUT THE LITTLE ORCHESTRA SOCIETY/ORPHEON, INC. The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon, Inc. (The LOS), now in its 65th season, performed its inaugural concert at The Town Hall on October 20, 1947, and has since been devoted to presenting music and educational programming that inspires audiences of all ages to encourage a lifetime of participation in the arts. The LOS honors both the past, by presenting ensemble pieces created by the great early composers, while also “orchestrating the innovation” in classical music through world premieres of new works -- more than 65 throughout its history. The Orchestra performs dynamic repertoire using multiple art forms to create meaningful experiences for today’s audiences.
The LOS’s mission to present music in engaging, educational contexts was refined under the direction of the late Maestro Dino Anagnost, who led the orchestra from 1979 to 2011. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has given many important premieres and launched the careers of major musical talents in its concert programming for adult audiences. In addition to its concert performances, its music education and community engagement programs educate and entertain New York Metropolitan Area children and their families, as well as senior citizens, through the Musical Connections, Live In Concert! and Project 65Plus programs.
Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program, a year-long music education program, teaches students the basic elements of music by engaging them in the process of composing their own works. Live In Concert! seeks to instill a lasting love of music in children and their families and to create new audiences for classical music. New York City public school students and children from publicly-funded daycare centers and social service agencies attend The Little Orchestra Society’s dress rehearsals and concerts without charge. Project 65Plus recognizes the importance of life-long learning and provides senior New Yorkers with free admission to the Orchestra’s concerts. The LOS also works to serve grandparents who are caregivers. More than 12,000 people participate in LOS music education and public service programs each year.
The Little Orchestra Society’s concert series includes the Peabody Award-winning Happy Concerts for Young People for children ages 6-12, the Lolli-Pops™ for children ages 3-5, and the concerts for adults, which have included Vivaldi’s Venice, Cathedral Concerts – Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome® and Sound Discoveries®. For more information, please visit littleorchestra.org or call 212-971-9500.
---END---
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