Four Celebratory Concerts in Four Days

Community Music School Faculty 

 The Laid Back Jazz Quartet

Music lovers are in for a treat with 4 fabulous concerts scheduled from Thursday through Sunday.  On Thursday evening, November 7, maestro William Boughton will lead the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Yale Glee Club in a concert at Woolsey Hall titled Lyricism and Longing.  The orchestra will perform works by English composers William Walton and Ralph Vaughn Williams, German composer Kurt Weill and American composers Charles Ives and Samuel Barber.  Charles Ives, a Danbury, CT native holds the title of the Official Composer of the State of CT.  The concert celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. The Symphony’s performance of Walton’s Crown Imperial March and Symphony No.2 will be recorded live for a commercial CD to be released on Nimbus records.  NHSO will also perform Samuel Barber’s aching Adagio for Strings and works by William Walton; the Yale Glee Club will join the Orchestra for selections from Charles Ives, and Concertmaster Ani Kavafian will take on Vaughan Williams’ soaring Lark Ascending. 

Pre-concert activities are also scheduled including a pre-concert lecture from 6:30 -7pm with Jeffrey Douma, Director of Yale Glee Club at Sudler Hall; and a student showcase at 6:45pm in the Woolsey Hall Rotunda featuring the Music Haven Orchestra directed by Tina Lee Hadari.  In addition to these events program notes for kids and program notes and audio clips for adults are available on the New Haven Symphony Orchestra website.  Tickets for the concert are also available on the NHSO website.

This coming Friday, November 8, the Musical Art Society of Branford presents its annual scholarship fundraiser concert at 7:30pm in the First Congregational Church of Branford’s Pilgrim Hall.  For more than 90 years MAS has been bringing quality musical performances to the public and providing music scholarships to a senior student at Branford High School. This Friday’s concert will feature the Laid Back Jazz Quartet with special guests and vocalist.  The opening act will be the Walsh Intermediate School Jazz Band under the direction of Carol Titcomb.  Tickets are $15/$10 for students.

The Laid Backs include Sal Caruso on guitar, Keith Coakley on keyboard, David Mix on bass, Rich Calitro and Luke Rodney on drums and Julie Bjornberg, vocalist. This group regularly performs at Old Saybrook's Paperback Cafe, playing a casually sophisticated jazz with vocals that brings listeners from all over the Northeast. This will be a lively concert in the church hall with room to dance. Branford's own David Mix is also known locally as an experienced luthier specializing in double bass repairs.

Musical Art Society is a non-profit cultural arts group founded in 1920, presenting several free concerts in the community each year and awarding an annual music scholarship. New members and sponsors are welcome.  Information: musicalartsociety@snet.net or Barbara Shaw:  (203) 481-2819.

On Saturday, November 9th Greater New Haven Community Chorus will perform a concert of American Music - from Billings to Broadway, rounds to Rock 'n' Roll and more, featuring a commissioned work by award-winning composer Joshua Hummel.  This commissioned work entitled Beginnings is in celebration of the 50-year history of GNHCC and founding director Ronald Dean Konetchy.  Joshua Hummel is a sought-after composer and recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award and Frederick Fennel Prize.  The chorus will perform under the direction of Noah Blocker-Glynn at 7:30pm at Hamden Middle School.  Following the concert there will be a reception.  Join members of GNHCC, the Artistic Team, distinguished guests and sponsors to celebrate this silver anniversary at a lovely wine and cheese event. Concert tickets are $21.00; concert with reception tickets are $31.00.  Tickets may be purchased on-line here.

On Sunday, November 10, thirty years of music education and community will be celebrated when the Community Music School faculty takes to the stage for its annual concert at the Centerbrook Meeting House.  This year’s performance, which is open to the public and free of charge, promises to be unlike any before it.  More than 20 members of the esteemed group along with students will close the program with an ambitious musical piece commissioned by the school and composed by CMS Music Director Thomas Briggs.

According to Mr. Briggs, “The Community Music School has been a huge part of my life so this project is very special for me. I was given a blank score to musically reflect, dream, and explore. The challenge was to create music that was inclusive and summarized the history of the school yet was also interesting for the listener and our talented faculty musicians to play.  I also had to find a balance writing for a large chamber ensemble with very limited rehearsal opportunities.”

The end result is “Music For A CMS Celebration”, a one movement, three-part composition that begins with an ethereal section called “Reflection” featuring a multitude of wind chimes to be sounded by CMS vocal instructors stationed throughout the hall.  The second part titled “Dedication”, focuses on the history and foundation of the school, while the third and final section “Jubilation” appropriately ends the piece in a celebratory manner.  The concert is scheduled for 4:00 pm and also includes performances by various faculty ensemble groups and a post-performance reception.   At-will donations to Community Music School will gratefully be accepted. (CMS article reprinted from Valley News Now).

The Centerbrook Meeting House is located at 51 Main Street in the Centerbrook section of Essex.  For more information on this or other Community Music School events, go to www.community-music-school.org or call 860.767.0026.  The Community Music School is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the community through outstanding private and public music instruction and performances for all ages since 1983

Opera Theater of CT Presents Rigoletto

Galen Scott Bower as Rigoletto
(Photo provided by StephenArtists.com)

This summer’s presentation, launching Opera Theater of Connecticut’s 28th season, is Verdi’s Rigoletto, a tragic tale of love, seduction, betrayal and revenge—all converging in the sad and moving story of the court jester caught in courtly debauchery. Performed in celebration of the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth, and highlighted by some of the most powerful and stunningly beautiful music that Verdi composed, this production is not to be missed.


Performances are Tuesday, August 6, Thursday, August 8 and Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, August 11 at 6 pm at the Andrews Memorial Theater, 54 East Main Street, Clinton.

Under the leadership of General Director Kate Ford, Opera Theater of Connecticut’s artistic team of Production Director Alan Mann and Music Director Kyle Swann will work with one of the finest musical and dramatic ensembles brought together in the state for this special presentation.

Since its founding, over twelve singers and two conductors performed with Opera Theater just short years before their Metropolitan Opera debuts. This season the pattern reverses as Metropolitan Opera artist Galen Bower debuts with Opera Theater in the title role of the complex and compelling character of the tormented jester and yet loving father.


Returning to OTC’s summer MainStage as Gilda, Rigoletto’s lovely and innocent daughter who is seduced and betrayed by the Duke of Mantua, City Opera singer Amanda Hall will thrill the audience as surely as she did performing Lucia last year in Opera Theater’s acclaimed Lucia di Lammermoor.

International rising-star Alok Kumar makes his debut both with OTC and in the role of the venal and salacious Duke of Mantua. The Indian-born tenor has been heard in many of the most romantic lead roles in opera from Tel Aviv, Israel to Rome and Spoleto, Italy, and, here in the United States, from Massachusetts to Colorado to Santa Fe to New York.

Also appearing in this Verdi blockbuster are Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions National Finalist and Connecticut native, Nicholas Masters as the assassin Sparafucile; National Opera Association finalist and Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions Encouragement Award winner Jennifer Feinstein as the sultry siren Maddalena; and, as the powerful nobleman Monterone whose curse sets the tragic wheel in motion, Alexander Hahn. Christopher Lucier and Laurentiu Rotaru sing the roles of the courtiers Borsa and Ceprano, supporters and sycophants of the decadent Duke.

The performances begin on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 7:30 pm (followed by the traditional opening night reception) and continue on Thursday, August 8 and Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 pm, with a final performance on Sunday, August 11 at 6 pm. Tickets are $45.00 for Regular; $40.00 for 65 and over, and $35.00 for Under 18.
As a response to recent seasons’ sold-out performances, Opera Theater of Connecticut will again present four performances of affordable opera in an intimate setting at the air-conditioned Andrews Memorial Theater, 54 East Main Street, Clinton to ensure that no one is turned away for this not-to-be-missed production! The opera will be sung in Italian with projected supertitles to fully appreciate all the dramatic facets of this masterpiece.

The performances begin on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 7:30 pm (followed by the traditional opening night reception) and continue on Thursday, August 8 and Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 pm, with a final performance on Sunday, August 11 at 6 pm. Tickets are $45.00 for Regular; $40.00 for 65 and over, and $35.00 for Under 18.  For more information and to reserve your tickets, call Opera Theater of Connecticut at 860-669-8999 or download an order form.

Opera Theater also features Opera Talk, an informal, informative talk about the evening’s opera and composer, by Artistic Director Alan Mann starting one hour and a half before each performance. Opera Talk tickets are $5.00.
Boxed Suppers Al Fresco Style from Chips Pub III are available through the Opera Theater of Connecticut office for $15.00 and need to be reserved 48 hours in advance.

Considering the opera’s popularity today, it is hard to believe that it was once thought to be dangerous and shocking. The first readers of the libretto, the censors of Venice, found it so scandalous that they insisted on a series of changes—including the changing of the original title, The Curse, to Rigoletto. Some years before, the play on which the opera is based was closed down by the French government after only two performances.  Despite its early difficulties, Rigoletto holds one of the top positions in the opera repertoire today. Its well known arias include the Duke’s flirtatious Questa o quella and La donna è mobile, Gilda’s moving Caro nome and Rigoletto’s dynamic Cortigiani as well as one of the most recognized ensemble pieces—the stirring Rigoletto Quartet.
Click here to download a ticket order form.

Compiled from Opera Theater of CT website.

A Special Program for Children & Families: The Sword in the Stone

Shoreline Arts Alliance celebrates its 12^th season of FREE to the public Shakespeare on the Shoreline program with an additional special production for children by Shakesperience Productions, Inc.  T.S. White’s  classic, directed by Emily Mattina, Shakesperience's Artistic Director, The Sword in the Stone is sure to entertain children and their families with its engaging story.  There will be two performances.  The performance in Guilford will take place at Jacobs Beach at 10am on August 7 with a second performance at the Madison Surf Club at 1pm on the same day.  The program is approximately 50 minutes in length.  The public is invited to join the Guilford Parks and Recreation summer camp participants or the Madison Beach & Rec campers for these performances (Beach passes or gate fees apply). Bring blankets and chairs and gather under the tent at Jacobs Beach, Seaside Avenue, Guilford or on the deck at the Madison Surf Club, Surf Club Road, Madison. 

Already traveling to venues all over New England, this adaptation of the T.S. White classic encourages reading, imagination, critical thinking, and character development.  With anti-bullying messages framed in the six pillars of character, Shakesperience Productions, Inc.  employs a giant soma cube set with paintings inspired by J.M.W. Turner to show Arthur’s (Curtis Dunn) journey from obscurity to monarchy.  Sorcerer Merlin (Rebecca Brown) and brother Kai (Emily Philio) help and guide him along the way as Arthur meets his destiny.  Join us for this magical and imaginative journey packed with exciting action and wonderful dialogue as it both entertains and educates.  Interactive pre-show discussion and post-show talkback session with the audience will emphasize the lessons and concepts in the story, including honesty, integrity, and treating others as you would like to be treated.

Shakesperience Productions, Inc. is the standard bearer for Shakespeare, as well as theater and literature based outreach in Connecticut.  Over the past fifteen years, Artistic Director Emily Mattina and Managing Director Jeffrey Lapham, have guided Shakesperience to quietly and confidently become a highly valued arts-in-education provider, annually performing over 650 workshops and performances for more than 70,000 students in over 70 communities in Connecticut.

Mark your calendars for August 7 at either 10am or 1pm and join the cast of Shakesperience Productions, Inc. for this special family daytime theatre performance.  Support for this program is provided by Liz & Niall Ferguson.  Then plan on heading to the Guilford Green August 7 – 11, 7:30pm nightly for this summer’s Shakespeare on the Shoreline production of Much Ado About Nothing.  Performances are family-friendly and free to attend.  Bring blankets, chairs and picnic dinners and enjoy an evening of ‘theatre under the stars.’

Shoreline Arts Alliance receives a CT Humanities Grant

Do you find Shakespeare’s language difficult to understand at times?  Do you find his story lines a bit difficult to follow in some plays?  Do you sometimes wonder what message he is trying to convey in the play?  These are often comments heard during the summer Shakespeare productions on the Guilford Green.   Shoreline Arts Alliance has been awarded a grant of $999 from CT Humanities to add pre and post show talk backs during this summer’s production to address some of these questions. The Shakespeare Talk Backs will take place on two of the five nights of the main stage performances of Much Ado About Nothing.  The show will run from August 7 – 11 with the Talk Backs occurring on opening night, August 7 and on Friday night, August 9 (or Saturday, August 10 in the event of rain).

Admission to the Main Stage production as well as to the talk backs is free and open to all who wish to have a better understanding of the play and its history. Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that funds, creates and collaborates on hundreds of cultural programs across Connecticut each year. Connecticut Humanities brings together people of all ages and backgrounds to express, share and explore ideas in thoughtful and productive ways. From local discussion groups to major exhibitions on important historical events, CTH programs engage, enlighten and educate. Learn more by visiting www.cthumanities.org.

Much Ado About Nothing demonstrates the humanity in all of us and the range of human emotions that we face daily.  The themes of honor, righteousness, faithfulness are countered by deceit, jealousy, social status and dishonesty.  The play also delves into the position and role of women, which provides a strong platform to encourage discussion.  Obvious throughout the performance is the ‘battle of the sexes’ as depicted in the characters of Beatrice and Benedick, and will provide additional talking points. Though, classified as a comedy, this play has a darker side and the consequences of this will be explored in the pre and post discussion Talk Backs.  The presenters will also address artistic decisions made for this production, i.e. adapting the script to fit into the allotted time frame, casting, costumes, set design, and challenges faced in creating a production for multiple outdoor venues.

The Shakespeare Pre & Post Show Talk Backs will provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the language, themes, plots and characterization in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to enhance the comprehension and enjoyment of the main stage production.  The format will be informal ‘round table’ discussion between artistic staff and audience pre and post show with Q & A encouraged especially at post show forum.  Pre show discussion will take place at 6:30pm and the post show talks are immediately following the performance.  To participate in the Shakespeare Talk Backs just come to the tent adjacent to the stage from 6:30 – 7pm and enjoy the show!

Founded in 1980, Shoreline Arts Alliance is the “go to” source for the best arts, entertainment, and cultural activities for people of all ages along the central coastal region of Connnecticut.  As a Local Arts Agency of the  Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Shoreline Arts Alliance is responsible for serving the broad cultural sector within the region and making the arts a part of the daily fabric of community life.