The final free concert of the 2009 Summer Noontime concert series at St. John's Episcopal Church will be held on Monday, August 20. Featured performers are New York-based violinists Emily Kalish and Abigale Reisman in a program of music by Bartok, Hindemith and traditional fiddle tunes.
Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert. St. John's will provide drinks and cookies. The concert has no admission charge, but donations to offset expenses are welcome.

Emily Kalish grew up in Great Barrington, where she was a student of Alla Zernitskaya. She holds a Bachelor's of Music in violin performance from The Hartt School, where she studied with Katie Lansdale, and a Master's of Music in violin performance from Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Burton Kaplan. An avid chamber musician, she has attended Charles Castleman's Quartet Program and worked with members of the Colorado, American, Ying, Brentano, Borromeo, Orion and Miami Quartets. She is a member of the Berkshire Symphony and the Westchester Chamber Orchestra, and is on the faculty of the Enchanted Garden Conservatory in Ridgefield, CT. This past summer she was a fellow at the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, CO. She is the first violinist in a string quartet that will spend next three months performing aboard the cruise liner Zaandam on its voyages to Alaska and Hawaii.

Abigale Reisman started her violin studies at age 5 in Atlanta. When she was 15 she joined the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra where she played for two years. She spent her senior year of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Abigale currently studies violin at the Manhattan School of Music with Burton Kaplan. She has recently become very interested in Klezmer music and all types of fiddling, and hopes to pursue these newfound passions.

This is the final concert on the 2009 series - we look forward to seeing you next year!

loadbang in concert!

Members of loadbang performing at St. John's Episcopal Church on Monday, August 10. The concert was part of the annual Summer Noontime concert series, held on Mondays in July and August. The concert included works by well-known composers John Cage and David Lang; new works by emerging composers Ya-Jhu Yang, Alexandre Lunsqui and Scott Worthington; free improvisation by the group members.

About loadbang:
Baritone Jeffery Gavett, trumpeter Andy Kozar, bass clarinetist Alejanro T. Acierto and trombonist Will Lang met as part of the first class of Manhattan School of Music's Contemporary Performance program, and have been playing together ever since. In the past year they have premiered more than 15 works for their unique instrumentation (bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, baritone voice), including several work written by members of the band, and a new arrangement by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. They also perform works for indeterminate ensemble, including such New York School classics as Brown's December 1952 and Cage's Four6.

Not content to dwell solely in the realm of notated music, loadbang is known for its searing and unpredictable improvisations, exploring the edges of instrumental and vocal timbre and technique. Most recently they made their first trip to Boston for a joint show with ai ensemble and to Philadelphia to perform as a part of the Sci-Fi Philly series. They have performed along side musicians and ensembles such as So Percussion, Lukas Ligeti, and Newspeak. Their recent performances in New York include appearances at The Tank, The Stone, The 1st Annual New York New Music Bake Sale, and an all John Cage evening at the Gershwin Hotel.

To hear samples of their music, and find out more about the group, visit www.myspace.com/loadbangmusic

Nick Revel, Violist

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Williamstown continues its Summer Noontime Concert Series on Monday, August 3 with a performance by New York-based violist Nick Revel and local pianist Scott Bailey of music by Bach, Vaughan Williams and Bruch. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are welcome.

Nick Revel is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he studied viola with John Graham and had chamber music coaching with the Ying Quartet. He lives in New York City where he is a freelance performer, teacher, composer and improviser. He has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Ozawa Hall, the Glimmerglass Opera House and many others. He is a member of the Allentown and Norwalk Symphonies.

Pianist Scott Bailey is staff accompanist/vocal coach at Westfield State College and Director of Choral Activities at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, MA. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

The concert series will continue on Mondays from August 3 – August 17. Featured performers include Loadbang, a contemporary ensemble from New York City; duo-violinists Emily Kalish and Abigale Reisman.

Trombone Tone!

Virtuoso trombonist Will Lang performs tomorrow (Monday, July 26) on the St. John's Episcopal Church Summer Noontime concert series. The concert is free, and audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert, which will end by 12:45. The church will provide drinks and cookies. The program consists of works for solo trombone by 20th and 21st century composers John Cage, Enrique Crespo, Aaron Cassidy, Walter Hartley, James Bergin, Abbie Conant, William Osbourne and Frederic Rzewski.

Trombonist William Lang is making a career in new music. As an active musician in both New York and Boston, he is dedicated to the performance of new music by established and emerging composers. He has performed new music in such venues as Carnegie's Zankel Hall, the Winter Garden, the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston, the Flea, the Tank, Secret Project Robot, the Gershwin Hotel, and the Stone. Lang has been involved in the premiere of over 45 new works in the last year alone.

He is a member of NotaRiotous, the chamber ensemble of the Boston Microtonal Society www.bostonmicrotonalsociety.org and has performed with such ensembles as the TACTUS Ensemble, Zero Gravity, the SEM Ensemble, the Claremont Ensemble, the Guidonian Hand (a trombone quartet he started,) Grocery Store Sushi, Wet Ink, and Loadbang, a new music group of which he is a founding member.

Lang is an active performer in New York City's freelance orchestra scene, and has toured across New York State with the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble as a soloist, performing Richard Peaslee's Arrows of Time. He recently received a Masters degree in the Contemporary Performance Program (of which he is a flagship member) from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Herrington.

Don't miss this stunning concert! Families, bring your young musicians so they can see just how amazing a trombone can be!

Youth Band concert!

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Williamstown continues its Summer Noontime Concert Series on Monday, July 13 with a program of contemporary gospel music presented by the St. John’s Youth Band. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch, and the church will provide lemonade and cookies. Admission is free, but donations to help offset expenses are welcome.

Members of the band are all students at Mt. Greylock and include Dylan Sikelianos, lead guitar; John Kolesar, bass guitar; Evie Mahan and Tyra Nurmi, vocals; St. John’s Special Events coordinator Jimmy Bergin directs the band and plays keyboard. The program will feature selections from the musical Godspell and other high-energy contemporary gospel songs.

The Youth Band was formed two years ago, rehearses weekly and has played regularly at the bi-weekly “Worship Outside the Box” services held at St. John’s on Sunday mornings, as well as at other church functions.

Summer Concert Series begins!

The St. John's annual Summer Noontime FREE concert series begins this Monday, July 6 with a program of vocal music by Webern, Ives and Finzi. Featured performers are New York-based baritone Avery Griffin and local pianist Scott Bailey. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch. Admission is free, but donations to help offset expenses are welcome.

Families are welcome!

Avery Griffin is a freelance singer who performs regularly with both New York- and Boston-based groups including the Trinity Choir at Trinity Church, Wall Street; the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys; the NotaRiotous ensemble of the Boston Microtonal Society. He teaches theory annually at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. His most recent local performance was with Roomful of Teeth at Mass MoCA.

Pianist Scott Bailey is staff accompanist/vocal coach at Westfield State College and Director of Choral Activities at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, MA. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

The concert series will continue on Mondays from July 13 - August 17. Featured performers include:
July 13 St. John’s Youth Band
July 20 Trio Café Budapest
July 27 Will Lang, trombone
August 3 Nick Revel, viola; Scott Bailey, piano
August 10 Loadbang (contemporary music ensemble)
August 17 Emily Kalish, Abigail Reisman, violins

Beat the Winter Blues this Saturday!

Beat those winter blues by coming to a FREE concert at St. John's Episcopal church this Saturday, January 31 at 7:00 pm. Five (count' em, five!) widely varied musical groups will offer a wide variety of lively music.

Families are encouraged to bring children!

The performing groups include:

- St. John's Youth Band (Tyra Nurmi, Evie Mahan, John Kolesar, Dyland Sikeleanos)

- Trio Brevalo, comprised of local singers Doug Paisley, Paul McFarland and Silvio Eberhardt, who sing traditional folk and liturgical songs from Caucasus Georgia

- Trio Cafe Budapest (Bill Wootters, piano; Ted Gilley, guitar and Jimmy Bergin, violin)

- Cantilena Chamber Choir, directed by Andrea Goodman, a 24-voice acapella group.

- The Shoes, a local teenage world music group (including Patrick Madden and Sato Matsui, who performed on January 11 at the 10am service)

Come have a great time and beat them blues!

MLK Day event

St. John's Episcopal Church, Williamstown, will celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Sunday, January 18 at 4:30 p.m., when folksingers Charlie King and Karen Brandow will present "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn me 'Round", a performance piece that offers a history of the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1997. The presentation, which highlights activists such as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker, will include PowerPoint images, dramatic readings and powerful songs.

Charlie King and Karen Brandow are musical storytellers and political satirists who have released six CD's since they began performing as a duo in 1998. In addition to a fulltime career of concert touring, King and Brandow have sung in support of numerous groups working for peace, human and labor rights, environmental sanity and alternatives to violence.

This event, co-sponsored by the Williams College Chaplains' Office, is free and open to the public. St. John's Church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA. Further information about Charlie King and Karen Brandow can be found at www.charlieking.org