ACCLAIMED FIREWORKS ENSEMBLE COMING TO MIDDLETOWN

Photo by Annabel Mehran

The flexible and high energy instrumental New York City based ensemble Fireworks will be performing as part of the Greater Middletown Concert Association’s 2013-2014 programming. Originally scheduled in Middletown last Feb. 10, Fireworks had to be cancelled because of heavy snow. This is its rescheduled appearance on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3:00 p.m. and will be held in the state-of-the-art Middletown High School Performing Arts Center, 200 Rosa Lane, Middletown.

An amplified chamber band known as “the bridge between the contemporary classical ensemble and the mainstream popular audience,” Fireworks ties together the richly diverse threads of our musical heritage with great American folk, rock, jazz, and classical music.  According to the New York Times this group is “classically trained but musically fearless!”

With a repertoire encompassing Frank Zappa’s instrumental rock, dance music from around the world, classic cartoon music, and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Fireworks presents a uniquely American vision of chamber music. The ensemble has appeared on many of the country’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, The Library of Congress, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Fireworks has participated in CMA’s Residency Partnership Program, Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections program, and is currently ensemble-in-residence at the Oregon Bach Festival. Fireworks records for Entertainment One.

The chamber ensemble of eight outstanding young string, woodwind and keyboard musicians of Fireworks will feature a program called American Tapestry. For a short excerpt from this program click here.  It is a journey through America’s vast and varied cultural landscape, and an exploration of the connections and influences that helped shape America’s greatest music. For example, Fireworks program moves from the bluegrass fiddles of Appalachia to the earthy hallelujahs of the Sacred Harp,  from Louisiana Zydeco to Chicago Blues, from composers Ives and Copland to rock and hip hop. This young “crossover” chamber group has electrified the entire music world! It is now known as the “hottest” chamber group in New York City!

Tickets are available to the public now at $30 (front seats) or $25 (rear seats), by calling 860 347-4887 or 860 346-3369. There are student, family and group prices upon inquiry.  Major credit cards are accepted. Also, checks for tickets can be sent to: GMCA, Box 2622, Middletown, CT 06457. 

 

Experience the Arts!

Though spring is usually associated with new beginnings – it is the fall season when so many of our Member Organizations regroup and launch their new seasons.  Many of these affiliates welcome new members at this time.  So, I thought I would highlight some and encourage you, our readership, to think about signing up to sing, play, draw, paint, write, act – whatever your passion might be or even better - try something new!

SINGERS:

Another Octave: CT Women’s Chorus-rehearsals in Hamden: non-auditioned women’s chorus.  New members welcome through September 10. Director- Lydia Smith-Franks. 
www.anotheroctave.org

Cappella Cantorum-rehearsals in Old Saybrook: a non-auditioned community chorus. Director-Barry Asch.
www.cappellacantorum.org

Con Brio-rehearsals in Old Saybrook: 50 person classical, auditioned chorus. Director-Dr. Stephen Bruce. www.conbrio.org

CT Gay Men’s Chorus-rehearsals in New Haven: Auditions September 24.  Director Brad Blake. 
www.ctgmc.org

CT Yuletide Carolers (seasonal chorus)-rehearsals in Branford: Auditions September 14 & 15 for soprano and alto (tenor & bass positions filled).  Director Mike Carnaroli.
www.ctyuletide.com

Greater Middletown Chorale-rehearsals in Middletown: an auditioned symphonic chorus. Director-Jospeh D’Eugenio www.gmchorale.org

Greater New Haven Community Chorus-rehearsals in New Haven: a non-auditioned 4-part, 100+ voice chorus.  Director- Noah Glynn www.gnhcc.org

New Haven Chorale-rehearsals in New Haven: auditioned, professionally conducted community of vocal musicians. Auditions September 7.  Director-Edward Bolkovac. www.newhavenchorale.org

Shoreline Community Chorale-rehearsals in Madison: non-auditioned mixed SATB choir.  Open rehearsal September 4.  Director-Rachel Allen. www.shorelinechorale.org

United Girls’Choir-rehearsal multiple locations: auditioned girls’ choir ages 5 – 17.  Director Rebecca Rosenbaum. www.unitedchoir.com

 

INSTRUMENTALISTS:

Branford Town Band-rehearsals in Branford: voluntary musicians.  Director Kathy Banca.
www.facebook.com/pages/Branford-Town-Band
Civic Orchestra of New Haven-rehearsals in New Haven: auditioned serious amateur/professional orchestra.  Director-Christopher James Hisey. www.conh.org

Greater New Haven Youth Ensembles-rehearsals in New Haven: auditioned ensembles for middle grade and high school students.  Auditions were Aug. 26-31.  Call for information 203-624-5189. 
www.neighborhoodmusicschool.org

Shoreline Youth Symphony Orchestra-rehearsals in Madison: auditioned and non-auditioned groups, ages elementary through high school. Director Ann & William Clemmons. www.syso.org

ACTORS:

ArtFarm-rehearsals in Middletown: open call auditions for aspiring circus performers 12 -18 years old September 10 for Circophony. Director-Dic Wheeler.
Adult Fall Workshop-Shakespeare Scenes. TBA www.artfarm.org

Ivoryton Playhouse-rehearsals in Ivoryton: auditions for equity and non-equity actors September 9 for production of The Seven Year Itch. Director-Jaqueline Hubbard. www.ivorytonplayhouse.org

Madhatters Theatre Company-rehearsals in Old Lyme: auditions for children September 7 for production of Babes in Toyland. Director-Francesca Webster www.ctkidsonstage.com/madhatterstheatrecompany.html

New Britain Youth Theatre-rehearsals in New Britain: auditions for children 6 -9 years old September 8 & 9 for production of Super Duck. Director-Brooke Ferguson & Christina LoBello
Auditions for 12 -18 years old September 8 & 9 for production of Any Dream Will Do-A Musical Revue. Director-Angela Klimaytis.
Auditions for 8-14 years old September 15 & 16 for production of Season of Light: A Winter Fairy Tale. Director-David Sousa. www.nbyt.org

Pantochino Productions, Inc-rehearsals in Milford: open call for musical theatre performers (adults & teens) September 10 & 11 for musicals, Porkenstein, The Great Cinnamon Bear Christmas Radio Show, Pirate Schmirate and The Divine Sister. Directors-Bert Bernardini & Jimmy Johansmeyer. www.pantochino.com

Tabor Arts Center-rehearsals in Branford: open call for students in 3^rd – 8^th grade September 14 for musical The Music Man, Jr. Director-Stephen Dest. Call 203-488-5668 or email: tabor_arts@yahoo.com to schedule.

CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS:

New England Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (NESCBWI)-meet in locations throughout CT and New England.
http://www.nescbwi.org

The following member organizations offer on-going classes in music, art, theatre and dance:

Art at Murray Pond Arts Center at Killingworth Community Music School (open house week September 9 – 13) Eastern CT Ballet Guilford Art Center Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Lyme Art Association Neighborhood Music School (open house September 8) New Haven Ballet Starship Dance Studio

Enjoy an arts experience!

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Alumni Exhibition

 Gaelyn by Tom Root

An Opening Reception for the 2013 Alumni Exhibition kicks off the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Alumni Reunion weekend on Friday, Sept. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.  All are welcome and refreshments will be served.  The exhibition will be on view in the College’s Chauncey Stillman and Sill House Galleries through Saturday, Sept. 28, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.


The College welcomes back many of its alumni for the Reunion and Exhibition.  More than 85 alumni are participating in the exhibition ranging from 2012 BFA graduates to artists who studied at the College when it was still an Academy in the 70s and 80s.  Ann de Selding, Director of Alumni and Volunteer Relations, comments, “This exhibition celebrates the foundation skills our alumni mastered here while recognizing the individual paths they‚ve since taken.”  She continues, “Submissions are accepted from all media, not simply the College‚s four majors of Painting, Sculpture, Illustration, and Drawing.  The exhibition is a real snapshot of where our artists are now, in part because they once studied here.”  Although a majority of works in the exhibition are paintings, other media are represented as well, including sculpture, prints, drawing, mixed media, and fiber art.


The 2013 Alumni Exhibition reveals the variety of contrasting career paths students take after graduating from the College.  Professional quilt artist, Barbara Barrick McKie resides in Lyme, Conn. in the solar home she designed and built.  Although McKie has had many careers throughout her life including research microbiologist, bridal gown designer/manufacturer, and personal computer consultant, over the past 15 years she has focused on fiber art and jewelry.  Her art quilts and wearable art have been juried into many national and international quilt and art quilt shows, receiving many awards and honors while her works have been shown in museums, galleries and universities throughout the country.  McKie studied at the College from 1996-98, when it was still an Academy.


Alumnus Ronnie Rysz is now a prosthetic artist traveling across the continental U.S. to create custom silicone prosthetics for civilians and soldiers alike.  After receiving his BFA in Painting from the College in 2006, Rysz initially taught block printing, intaglio and lithography.  His work has been exhibited extensively in Connecticut, and received numerous awards including a Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism grant and a full fellowship from Vermont Studio Center.  Rysz continues to make art and his work is featured in several public and private collections.  He currently lives and works in New Haven, Conn.


Alumna Sherrie Parenteau, who obtained a BFA in Painting in 2009, is currently helping urban youth become successful adults as a creative arts instructor at ‘Our Piece of the Pie,’ a youth development agency in Norwich, Conn.  In addition, Parenteau teaches painting and clay building classes for students with special needs at her Creative Arts Studio.  A busy woman, she is not only President of Connecticut Women Artists Inc., an organization that provides a forum for women‚s artwork while emphasizing the importance of art in today’s society, but also a public school art teacher in Plainfield, Conn
For more information about the 2013 Alumni Exhibition or Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, contact Olwen Logan, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at 860-434-3571, ext. 135 or ologan@lymeacademy.edu.

Playing for Peace

On September 10 a very special event will be taking place at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall as the World Peace Orchestra performs its inaugural concert.  Founded in New York in 2013, the World Peace Orchestra is a unique nonprofit organization that convenes young musical talent from around the world in an annual concert in New York City to demonstrate how the unifying power of music transcends all social and cultural boundaries.  This concert will celebrate the unity and diversity of global culture by featuring 134 young musicians from more than 50 countries playing both ethnic and classical instruments.  As the only truly global youth orchestra, its mission is to promote peace and understanding through the unifying power of music.  It is their desire to cultivate a new, compassionate generation of leaders who understand that borders, oceans, languages, and cultures cannot break the fundamental bonds of humanity.  Through music education and opportunities, WPO seeks to inspire hope, open up new horizons, and create a generation fluent in the universal language of music.

In order to send a strong message about collaborating for world peace, world-class singers and instrumentalists will perform with young singers and performers from all over the world at this premiere.  Young people of many cultures, languages and ethnic backgrounds will participate in this performance and many local and ethnic instruments will be featured in order to enrich the harmony – musically and culturally.  Some of these ethnic instruments include: hindewhu, nose flute, umuduri, begena, kissarwashintkwitra, zurnamandole, simsimiyya to name a few.  WPO’s classical and ethnic instruments will perform both monophonic and polyphonic works with its choir of young performers ages 15 – 22.  A star-studded evening is planned at the Lincoln Center - during the concert, the musicians will be led by guest Lithuanian conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius and will be joined by world renowned violinist Alexander Markov.  Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey will also be in attendance to introduce the orchestra.  For tickets click here. 

WPO was founded on a simple, yet often overlooked, premise: The idea that despite our cultural, political, and economic differences, we are all fundamentally the same, and, in a way, we all speak the same language – music. Regardless of what country you’re from, regardless of your age, ethnicity, or background, music plays a role in all our lives. Rhythm, harmony, synchronization – these fundamental elements span borders. The primary focus is to stimulate harmony between people by tapping in to their love of music. The instruments and the music created by these young people are the symbols of shared values and a source of pride. It is through this passion for music that one can aim to overcome ignorance and prejudice that too often fuel violence.

WPO is an international social solidarity organization that promotes tolerance, peace and dialogue to address problems around the world such as war, hunger, poverty and prejudice.  World Peace Orchestra Foundation carries out social responsibility projects and relief society activities/humanitarian relief activities.

Vintage Beatles Guitars

When The Beatles launched the British Invasion era of rock ‘n’ roll by appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964, thousands of young people were captivated by their sound. Carlo Cantamessa ’83 (CLAS) was one of them.

He remembered the reaction of his older sister to the band’s appearance on television and decided he wanted to learn to play the guitar. He started taking guitar lessons near his home in Waterbury, Conn., and eventually formed a band with friends, playing a variety of rock and pop songs, but always going back to playing songs by The Beatles.
For nearly 35 years, Cantamessa has continued to play The Beatles’ songs, performing on stage as John Lennon in “The Neatles,” “Beatle Magic: The Show,” various touring incarnations of “Beatlemania,” and his current show, “The Cast of Beatlemania,” with other veteran musicians who have specialized as the Mop Tops in various tribute bands over the years.

Along the way he has compiled a collection of vintage and replica instruments used by the band in order to authenticate the sound of The Beatles. An exhibition from his collection of 1960s instruments, “Vintage Beatles Guitars,” opens in the Plaza Gallery of the Homer Babbidge Library on Aug. 1 and continues through Oct. 25. It is the first time the instruments will be exhibited.
“I’ve got friends who are musicians who never got into the Beatle thing,” Cantamessa says. “I get two comments that kind of irk me, but I understand where they come from: ‘Are you playing music or just The Beatles?’ Another invariably says: ‘If I had your talent, I’d do more with it.’ I say: ‘I have this talent and this is what I chose to do with it, and I think I did OK.’ I still listen to Beatles music. It sounds just as fresh as when I first heard it on the radio.”

Sounds authentic
The ability of Cantamessa and his band of musicians – Lenie Colacino as Paul McCartney, Jim Filgate as George Harrison, John Delgado as Ringo Starr, and musical director Mark Templeton off-stage on keyboards – to re-create the sound of The Beatles on stage is aided by having the same models of instruments as those used by the original band. The Beatles used guitars made in the late 1950s and early 1960s by American-based guitar manufacturers Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Fender, and Gibson, along with British-made Vox amplifiers. McCartney’s left-handed playing made the German-made Hofner violin bass famous. Starr used an American-made Ludwig drum kit.

Carlo Cantamessa portrays John Lennon in the tribute show ‘The Cast of Beatlemania.’ (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Cantamessa says he and his group have worked diligently over the years to maintain the authenticity of the original Beatles recordings, not only by playing the same instruments, but by trying to get closer to the original vocal arrangements. He adds that the “Beatles Anthology,” a three part, double-CD volume released in the 1990s, contained many previously unreleased versions of the group’s recordings that offered new insights into the music.
“You hear different harmonies where Lennon takes one part, jumps to another part, and then jumps back down,” Cantamessa says. “Then you do it with the band and, wow, it makes a big difference. [With Paul] on ‘I Saw Her Standing There,’ I remember specifically Lenie looked over and said: ‘I’ve been singing it wrong for 20 years.’ We do it. I sing my part, it sounds really good. Suddenly the hairs on your neck go up.”

Going solo
“The Cast of Beatlemania” show continues to keep Cantamessa busy throughout the year, making it an enjoyable second career. He operates a family business in Wolcott, Conn., PSI-New England Storage Products, a shelving and storage products firm specializing in shelving, lockers, and library furnishings. The exhibition resulted from conversations with staff at the Babbidge Library, a client he has worked with for many years. He also has developed a solo performance, “In My Life: The John Lennon Tribute,” after requests from some promoters to have a solo Lennon show.
“I like the band thing, but [the solo], it’s fun,” he says. “It solved a couple of internal conflicts: Am I good enough to do it alone? Can I do it alone? Yeah. When I do my solo show, I get to do songs [the audience] might not remember, or how they became something else, like ‘If I Fell’ later became ‘Woman.’ But I would rather have the other guys up there, and hear the other parts of the song.”
Cantamessa has a busy summer performing with “The Cast of Beatlemania,” and has several fall dates scheduled, with more sure to come. With a new Beatles musical, “Let It Be,” arriving in New York, “Beatles LOVE” thriving in Las Vegas, and other Beatles tribute shows touring around the world, there continues to be an enthusiastic audience for the music.
“There is something magical about the Beatles’ music,” Cantamessa says. “You don’t have to be a fan of the entire catalog. At a show we have people come up to say [they’re] fans of the early music. Then a husband or wife will say: ‘I love the Sgt. Pepper stuff,’ or ‘I love the later stuff, that’s my favorite part of the show.’ There is just something magical that not only we feel, but the audience feels and we get to integrate together. We have this collective, emotional bond when you’re doing the show that you are touching this music that is ethereal and great and will never be captured again.”

Listen to Cantamessa discussing the broad appeal of the Beatles’ music, and demonstrating how they rewrote one of their songs. 

“Vintage Beatle Guitars” by Carlo Cantamessa will be on display through Oct. 25 in the Plaza Gallery of the Homer Babbidge Library. A reception will be held on Sept. 29 from 3 to 5 p.m.

This article was posted by Donita Aruny. It was reported and written by Kenneth Best and originally appeared on the UConn Today Web site on July 29, 2013.

Celebrating Visual Artists

With Autumn just around the corner we start to think of the beautiful vistas as the fall foliage season begins.  Each year nature’s pallet produces those rich hues of red, gold, yellow and orange and decorates our hillsides with artistic inspiration.  It is also a season to celebrate the region and its plethora of innovative, talented, and creative artists.  The opportunity to visit artists in their studios, to explore the art form and its creation, and to better understand the artist’s vision has become a fall staple along the Shoreline.  Art Center Killingworth’s Annual Outdoor Arts Festival and Open Studio Trail over Columbus Day weekend followed in mid-November by Shoreline Arts Trail Open Studios invites the public to immerse themselves in the creative processes.  One can visit potters, painters, photographers, jewelers, quilters, glass blowers, sculptors, weavers for example - each with their unique talent and style.

Art Center Killingworth will be accepting artists’ applications through August 24.  The prospectus and application is available for download.  Shoreline Arts Trail has already juried its 2013 artists.  For the brochure and list of studios click here.

In addition to these very special ‘inside the artist’s studio’ weekends Shoreline Arts Alliance also offers visual artists the chance to display their work throughout the year.  Shoreline ArtSpace Series is a collaborative arts exhibition program created to showcase the creativity, expression and voices of Shoreline artists in a local gallery or public setting…for free!  Artists are provided with a unique opportunity to display their work for public viewing, host a private reception and receive marketing and promotional support to publicize the exhibition.  In a collaborative effort with other nonprofit organizations, businesses and municipalities the Shoreline Arts Alliance ArtSpace Series brings talented visual artists into public spaces, celebrating the creativity, expression and voice of local and regional visual artists and encourages visitors to explore and experience the local communities.  Additionally, it promotes the mission and programs of Shoreline Arts Alliance as well as that of our collaborative partners.

We are continually seeking visual artists, including emerging artists, who would like to showcase their work in public spaces.  Exhibitions may be solo shows or part of a themed group show.  Interested visual artists should contact Shoreline Arts Alliance – office@shorelinearts.org or 203-453-3890.  These exhibitions are on-going year round.

More Summer Shakespeare

Parker Wallis as Macbeth (Photo by Brianna DeNegris)

Summer and Shakespeare Festivals/Performances seem to go hand in hand and are widespread across the country.  Though the end of summer is right around the corner there is still plenty of Shakespeare to see.  Most of these festivals are outdoors and free to attend.  If your schedule did not permit you to see Shoreline Arts Alliance’s Much Ado About Nothing performed by Shakesperience Productions, Inc. last week or CT Free Shakespeare’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or ArtFarm’s presentation of Much Ado About Nothing you can still pack you picnics, blankets and chairs as the local scene continues to bustle with outdoor Shakespeare productions and a couple of indoor performances as well.

For a unique experience check out Breakdancing Shakespeare!  Begun in 2006, in conjunction with the Greater Hartford Arts Council Neighborhood Studios program, Breakdancing Shakespeare casts approximately twenty teenagers from Hartford and the surrounding area for a six-week long summer apprenticeship that culminates in the performance of a classic Shakespearean play with a modern hip-hop twist.  This summer these talented youth will offer performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona on August 13, 14, 15 at 7pm at Hartford Stage.  Tickets are $5.00. Click here for tickets and information.

Elm Shakespeare Company begins its 18^th summer season with a three-week run of Julius Caesar in Edgerton Park, New Haven.   This epic tale of political intrigue and assassination is co-directed by Elm Shakespeare’s Artistic Director James Andreassi and American theatre icon Alvin Epstein.  The political and the personal collide as Brutus (played by Andreassi), Shakespeare’s moral compass in the play, and the rest of the Roman Senators debate whether Caesar (played by Tracy Griswold) is a reformer or a despot.  Demagoguery abounds as the ‘elimination’ of Caesar sparks a partisan struggle as timely as today’s headlines.  Come to Edgerton Park to see if the perpetrators of Caesar’s assassination are honorable and patriotic or irrational extremists! Performances are Thursday, August 15 through Sunday, September 1, Tuesday-Sunday@8pm.  Performances are free with suggested donation.  Founded in 1995, and located in New Haven, The Elm Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company committed to establishing a discourse with Connecticut’s communities and schools through the medium of Shakespeare’s plays.  In addition to these free performances in Edgerton Park the company presents innovative educational programs throughout the year that are designed to teach students, through practical application, the poser of Shakespeare’s language and the magic of the theatre.   For more information click here.

The Shoreline Actors Collective (SAC) started at KidzKonnection of Clinton will be presenting two performances of Macbeth on Saturday, August 17 at 5pm (rain date Monday, August 19 at 5pm) and Sunday, August 18 at 2pm (rain date Tuesday, August 20 at 5pm).  SAC is made up of actors from the age of 13 and up who enjoy performing and expanding their knowledge and ability in the art of theater.  Throughout the year, SACtors perform different types of service-related programs including the Clinton Historical Society’s Graveyard Tours, Chamard Vineyards for Theater in the Barn events and Christmas in Clinton.  Each summer the troupe comes together to perform a Shakespeare play.  The performances will take place in the gardens of the Clinton Historical Society, 103 Main Street, Clinton. Click here for information or call 860-227-2363.

And finally, Long Wharf Theatre presents Shake-It-Up-Shakespeare Summer Youth Ensemble on Stage II in a production of Romeo & Juliet. Directed by Annie DiMartino and musical direction by Carol Taubl Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers gets a new twist this summer!  Set in the juxtaposing worlds of Great Gatsby-esque glamour of weath and privelege versus the poverty and grime of Appalachian life, the Capulets and the Montagues come to blows once again.  Contemporary songs and classic folk music add to the lush story-telling as the cast sings through beautiful arrangements of Fun., Civil War, Taylor Swift, Mumford and Sons, The Dave Matthews Band, and more. For tickets click here.