Bloomingdale School of Music 2022/23 Faculty Concert Series to Present SOUNDS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Bloomingdale School of Music has announced its 2022/23 Faculty Concert Series at the David Greer Concert Hall, 323 West 108th Street, NYC. The upcoming season will feature rarely heard classical and jazz music for various instruments and voices performed by Bloomingdale's outstanding faculty and guest artists. Concerts will be presented in Bloomingdale's state-of-the-art concert hall and will spotlight music from around the world including Italy, Puerto Rico, Hungary, Russia, and our very own New York City. The series continues with Sounds from the Neighborhood: An Evening of Songs Old and New on Friday, October 21, 2022 at 7pm, presented both in-person and on livestream.

For over 20 years Bloomingdale has presented its faculty, as well as guest artists, in concerts including classical music, jazz, and world music. Bloomingdale's Free Faculty Concert Series has established itself a vital part of the musical life of the Upper West Side, taking place most Fridays at 7pm in Bloomingdale's David Greer Concert Hall. These events are free and open to the public. Visit bsmny.org/events/ for more information and to RSVP.

Sounds from the Neighborhood: An Evening of Songs Old and New

Friday, October 21, 2022 at 7pm

bsmny.org/event/sounds-from-the-neighborhood-an-evening-of-songs-old-and-new

An evening of song inspired by the Upper West Side featuring composers George Gershwin, Ned Rorem and Paul Ziegler. Come enjoy vocal selections celebrating the beauty and creativity of our unique neighborhood.

Christine Browning, soprano
Ongama Mhlontlo, tenor
Sara Chiesa, piano

Program

"A Little Bit in Love" from Wonderful Town by L. Bernstein

"I'm a Poached Egg" by G. & I. Gershwin

"Someone to watch Over Me" by G. & I. Gershwin

"Kiss me Kate: Always True to You In My Fashion" by Cole Porter

"Act One, Scene Two: 'The House'" from The Beckoning Fair One by Paul Zeigler

"Vilja Song" from The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár

"Love's Philosophy" by R. Quilter

"The Lordly Hudson" by Ned Rorem

"To the Sky" by Jay Althouse

"Homeward Bound" by Jay Althouse

"The Green Dog" by Herbert Kingsley

"Dewain's Song of Liberation and Surprise" by John Adams

"You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein

"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Joe Davis & Osvaldo Farres

"I Get Along Without You Very Well" by Hoagy Carmichael

"I Wish You Love" by Charles Trenet & Albert A. Beach

The upcoming concerts in the series include:

The Music Of Michael Cochrane

Friday, November 4, 2022 at 7pm

A program of original jazz compositions by Michael Cochrane that were recorded in 2022 at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Michael will perform this special concert as part of the Bloomingdale Birthday Celebration and will be joined by his quartet as well as two BSM jazz colleagues.

Music Inspiring Music

Friday, November 18, 2022 at 7pm

A program of piano works that are inspired by other musical compositions. George Crumb's chimeric celebration of Thelonious Monk's 'Round Midnight and Leo Smit's take on dances from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story will be featured.

String Quartet Gems

Friday, December 2, 2022 at 7pm

This concert features two hidden gems for string quartet, the Quartet in G Major by Florence Price and the Lyric Quartet by William Grant Still. Paired with these works will be Claude Debussy's String Quartet, considered a cornerstone of the quartet repertoire.

Virtuosic Violin-Piano Collaboration: Two Sonatas and a Ballet

Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7pm

This concert features two Sonatas in which the violin and piano converse about many subjects and a ballet transcription in which both instruments give lively musical inspiration for storied dancing. Works will include Bach's Sonata in B minor, Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 for Piano and Violin and Stravinsky's Suite Italienne.

Internet Intermezzi II: Chamber Improv Rebooted

Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7pm

The events of the past two years have accelerated the development of remote collaboration technology. Zach Lapidus and Eli Asher will be joined by contemporary classical music specialist and improvisor Carrie Frey in a live concert bringing these innovations into the concert hall in an engaging set of interactive performances.

A Tribute Concert to Leontyne Price

Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7pm

Soprano Cheryl Warfield and pianist Olga Gurevich present a musical program of arias and spirituals with historical narrative about the life and career of legendary singer Leontyne Price, the first Black soprano to sing a lead role at the Metropolitan Opera House

New Beginnings

Friday, March 3, 2023 at 7pm

The music in this concert explores, through imagery and metaphor, the way universal themes of nature, inventiveness and past experience of all kinds create new beginnings.

Celebrating Roberto Sierra

Friday, March 17, 2023 at 7pm

Roberto Sierra (b.1953) was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico and is one of the most important composers of our time. This program features recent works for solo piano that explore the colorful and virtuosic range of the instrument.

The New Latin American Guitar

Friday, March 31, 2023 at 7pm

This program celebrates the diversity of Latin American guitar music from the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring connections composers have made with the rich variety of cultures and musical styles.

Music for Piano & Guitar: Bach, Carulli, and Giuliani

Friday, April 21, 2023 at 7pm

This program will feature Trio Sonatas by J.S. Bach arranged for piano and guitar by José Maldonado as well as early 19th century works by Mauro Giuliani and Ferdinando Carulli.

Kaleidoscope of Moods

Friday, May 5, 2023 at 7pm

Violist Aundrey Mitchell joins faculty pianist Judith Olson in a program of evocative character pieces by Robert Schumann, Rebecca Clarke, Nino Rota, and Astor Piazzolla.

Into the Future! A Modern Jazz Odyssey of Woodwind Music

Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7pm

Saxophonist Daniel Bennett presents a concert of Modern Jazz for all ages including music by Daniel Bennett, Lennon and McCartney, Gustav Holst, Harold Arlen and Joni Mitchell.

The Piano Music of Bartok

Thursday, June 2, 2023 at 7pm

Judith Olson and her students perform solos and duets by 20th century Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, whose 400-plus works for piano include two landmark educational collections: For Children and Mikrokosmos. The centerpiece of the concert, Musiques nocturnes, is an impressionistic and magical evocation of a Hungarian landscape at night.

Masks are required for everyone when entering performance and event spaces in the BSM building.

About the Artists

Christine Browning, soprano, was raised in Beavercreek, OH. She is based in NYC and performs and teaches locally and around the USA. Most recently she sang the role of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in Garden State Opera's revised premiere of The Silk City and Dama (Lady-in-waiting) in OperAvant's Macbeth preview. In the summer of 2020 she collaborated with New York composer, Paul Zeigler, on selections from a new opera The Beckoning Fair One. Ms. Browning performed in several concerts as the role of Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with the Eurasia Festival in 2019. As a semi-finalist in the Southhold Opera Aria Competition, she made her Carnegie Hall Debut in December 2018 and her European debut earlier that year with the Canto Festival in Zagreb, Croatia. In summer 2017, she was a Festival Artist with Utah Festival Opera where she covered the title role in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, the soprano soloist in Verdi's requiem, and portrayed Maud Dunlop in The Music Man. She has also performed with Opera Maine, Center for Contemporary Opera, Janiec Opera Company at The Brevard Music Center, Opera Susquehanna, Garden State Opera, and One World Symphony. Other favorite roles include Liù in Turandot, Merry Widow (Hanna) in The Merry Widow, Mother in Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel, and Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro. Ms. Browning received her Master's Degree in classical voice from The Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Wright State University.

Detroit-native Sara Chiesa is routinely sought after as a Music Director, Pianist, Coach, and Educator. She is thrilled to join the music faculty this year of the Wanda Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University as an Instructor of Vocal Coaching. Previously, she served on the music faculties at Utah State University and Molloy College. Sara has been the Resident Guest Artist Coach with l'Opéra de Montréal, Fort Worth Opera, and Detroit Opera.Recently, Sara was the rehearsal and orchestral pianist for I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams with Resonance Works in Pittsburgh. Earlier in 2022, she was the Pianist/Coach with the same company for her fourth production of Rigoletto. She was also on faculty of the Vienna Summer Music Festival, where she was the Pianist/Coach/Continuo Player for Le nozze di Figaro. In April 2022, Sara was the Assistant Music Director and Head Coach for the world premiere of Uncovered, a feminist and LGBTQ+ opera, written by Lori Laitman and Leah Lax that tells Leah's story of leaving Hasidism after nearly 30 years. As a vocal coach, Sara works with singers who sing at the Metropolitan Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and on Broadway. Sara holds degrees from Oakland University (B.M.), Bowling Green State University (M.M.), and Florida State University (D.M.A.). Throughout her extensive travel, she is always most thrilled to return to her favorite city in the world, New York!

Versatile South African Tenor and Composer Ongama Mhlontlo enjoys singing both Opera and Musical Theatre. He recently performed the lead role of Leopold Bloom in Sarah Norcross Hough's world premiere of Ulysses Missa at the New York Theatre Festival. He is also a choral scholar with the Oratorio Society of New York. His YouTube channel The Class of Opera has over 30 thousand views.

Founded in 1964, Bloomingdale School of Music is dedicated to the belief that music changes lives and everyone should have access to high-quality music education regardless of economic status, race, religion, ability level, or gender. Bloomingdale is a music-driven community center where all are welcome to join and learn about music from top faculty. We are dedicated to our mission - to make music education accessible to all who want to learn - and remain focused on supporting this mission through our values. www.bsmny.org

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