Springfield Chamber Players Will Perform JOHNNY APPLESEED This May

The Springfield Chamber Players perform Clifton J. Noble, Jr.'s folk cantata Johnny Appleseed on Sunday, May 12, 3PM, at First Church of Christ, 763 Longmeadow Street (Route 5), Longmeadow, MA. This family-friendly program also includes Peter (PDQ Bach) Schickele's The Boston Wonder, The Swan from Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals for cello and piano, and Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf with music by Alan Rideout.  The ensemble includes composer Clifton J. Noble, Jr. as music director and pianist; Marsha Harbison, violinist; Boris Kogan, cellist; Ellen Redman, flutist; Michael Nix on banjo; the First Church of Christ's Children's Choir; and narrator Patrick Berry.

Clifton J. “Jerry” Noble, Jr. composed Johnny Appleseed for the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society, which premiered the work in 2008. The Westfield native served as a collaborative pianist at the Smith College Music Department from 1987 until his retirement in 2020.  Many of his compositions, including Pastorale, A Tonic of Wilderness, Windows of the Morning, and A Shakespeare Set, and others were written for Smith (treble) choirs. Ensembles that have commissioned Noble include the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus,  the Holyoke Civic Symphony Orchestra, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, Music in Deerfield, the Canticle Singers of Baltimore, the Bel Canto Singers of Nevada, Young Singers of Greater Westfield, and the Western MA Young People's Philharmonia.Among the acclaimed solo artists who have commissioned Noble are saxophonist Lynn Klock, baritone Donald Boothman, violinist Joel Pitchon, cellist Anup Kumar Biswas, guitarist & banjarist Michael Nix, and pianist Monica Jakuc-Leverett. He became the Music Director at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement in Westfield in January 2023.  

Marsha Harbison, Assistant Concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO), and a founding member of the Springfield Chamber Players, curated the concert. She joined the SSO in 1977 and later co-founded the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society. Ms. Harbison received a B.A. from Carleton College, Northfield, MN and an M.M. from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Ivan Galamian. In New York, she performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Pro Arte Orchestra, the Bach Cantata Series, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In Montreal, she performed in the Montreal Symphony, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, and the Radio, TV, and Ballet Orchestras. She has taught numerous music courses at Westfield State University, Bay Path University, and violin students at Mount Holyoke, and continues to teach private violin students.

Boris Kogan, cellist, was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Russia. He began studying the cello at age 5, attending the School for Musically Gifted Children. He then received his Bachelor's degree from the Leningrad College of Music and his Master's degree from the Leningrad Conservatory of Music. He served as Assistant Principal Cellist with the Leningrad Symphony, and with the television and radio symphony orchestras. Mr. Kogan moved to the United States in 1991, and was the principal cellist with the New England Symphony, the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, and the Central Massachusetts Symphony. He currently plays in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, teaches at the Springfield Community Music School, and has a private cello studio.

Michael Nix performs on classical guitar, Banjar, banjo, and mandolin, throughout the United States and Asia. He has recorded for the PBS series, American Experience, several independent documentaries, and numerous CD projects. His compositions are performed internationally and have been heard on Weekend Edition and other NPR programs. His new solo Banjar album of compositions and commissions, Aperçu, was released on PARMA Recordings Big Round Record.  A banjo innovator, Nix designed the Banjar; a modern seven nylon-string banjo combining elements of the five-string banjo and classical guitar; bringing the classic finger-style banjo of the late 18th century into the 21st century. Nix performed his compositions for New Classic Banjo at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC. For details: https://nixworks.com/

Ellen Redman received her training with renowned teachers and performers such as John Krell, Carol Wincenc, Harvey Sollberger and Thomas Nyfenger. She has been the piccoloist with the Springfield (MA) Symphony since 1985 and has twice appeared as soloist with them. Miss Redman has also concertized extensively in Italy, including appearances in Rome at the American and British Academies, the American Embassy and the Vatican. A resident of Westfield, MA she has worked with various ensembles, including the Boston Symphony, Berkshire Bach, Boston Classical Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony and the Nashua Symphony. She teaches flute and Irish flute at Smith College, directed the Smith College Wind Ensemble from 2006-2019 and has a thriving private teaching studio. As a performer on the Irish Flute, she qualified to compete in the 2006 and 2007 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland. Miss Redman is the founder and director of The Wailing Banshees at Smith College, teaches Irish flute and tin whistle at the Connecticut Academy of Irish Music, and co-hosts a weekly Irish session at the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England. Her current band, Last Night's Fun, is fast becoming a favorite of the local trad music scene. 

Patrick Berry, narrator, has introduced the ensemble at many performances since their debut, but this performance marks his first appearance with the Springfield Chamber Players/MOSSO as narrator of the classic story of Johnny Appleseed. Patrick has been co-host and producer of the lifestyle television show Mass Appeal on WWLP-TV22 for four years. As former owner of The Westfield News Group, Patrick produced and hosted The Westfield News Radio Show on 89.5fm/WSKB and WCPC ch.15 Westfield Community Programming. Throughout his career he has worked with numerous national and local TV outlets, and has served on many non-profit boards as part of his commitment to community service.

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