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"We are so grateful to Nicholas Gordon and the board at Music Mountain for their generosity in loaning us their facilities," said Linda Sloane, chair of the Music on the Mountain committee and also an HYSB board member. "Music on the Mountain, like so much else that HYSB does, is really all about embracing the talents and potential of our youth by giving them access to community assets, one of which happens to be this spectacular, professional music venue in Falls Village."
The event has been made possible by a grant from the Arts Fund for Region One and major underwriting from Salisbury Bank & Trust and Sharon Hospital.
Over twenty youth in middle school through post graduate will perform in a variety of formats-solo, duet and combo. A wide range of genres, including classical and jazz, with instrumental and vocal chamber works, will be featured.
Ms. Sloane said many of the students who will perform at the Saturday event plan to make music a part of their future beyond high school, "and we want them to fully experience what a musician needs to do to prepare for and perform at an event like this." For others, she said, "It's really just an extension of our mission of supporting youth in the area and offering them opportunities to explore their strengths and passions and to try out new things."
Among the performers will be 2001 HVRHS graduate Allison Holst-Grubbe, who will sing William Bolcom's cabaret classic, "Amor." Ms. Holst-Grube has performed with the Ithaca College Women's Chorale in Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center and currently teaches music at Glastonbury Middle School. Another noteworthy talent will be 13-year old June Conti, a student at Indian Mountain School and a classically trained violinist and winner of the 2007 North American Fiddle Championship. She will play Vittorio Monti's traditional Hungarian folk dance piece, "Casardas." Lee Kellogg School's Ana Wynn Horowitz will play Pachelbel's Canon in D on piano, while her brother, Jacob, also a pianist, and a student at HVRHS, will perform Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." From The Hotchkiss School, graduating senior Juliet Knuth will perform a vocal work from her repertoire of gospel and blues songs. Ms. Knuth was the lead vocalist for the band Pretending to Read Shakespeare, which recently won runner-up at HYSB's annual Battle of the Bands. An original work by music teacher and composer David Poierer, "Ka Dooby Doo Dit Doo-Wah," will be performed by Kent Center School's Amanda Kitik (trumpet) and Shannon Zidack (alto saxophone).
Several ensembles will perform as well, including The Housy Jazz Combo and The Sweethearts. Other confirmed participants include, from Cornwall Consolidated School, Marina Matsudaira (flute), Matthew Matsudaira (piano), and Rachel Matsudaira (accompanist); Joselyn Besmer (flute), Julia Finkelstein (voice), Stephanie Kearns (flute), Kara Riley (voice), Becky Sawicki (voice) and Emily Van Valkenburg (alto saxophone); from North Canaan Elementary School, Jordan Long (alto saxophone) and Francesca Ghi (guitar/voice); and from Sharon Center School, Patricia McGuire (piano), Meghan Riley (violin), and Bianca Del Tufo (flute). Recent HVRHS graduates Russell Allyn and Aaron Freund will perform a trumpet duet.
The president of the HVRHS Tri-M Music Honor Society, Emily Van Valkenburg, will emcee the program and Sandy Kleisner, a Kent Center School music teacher, will be the accompanist.
The Saturday, June 6, event will run from 2 to 3 p.m., and includes a post-concert reception. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door for $15. Youth are $10 and the family maximum is $35. All concert goers are invited for non-alcoholic refreshments and hors d'oeuvres at the reception, which follows the performance. For tickets or additional information, contact HYSB at 860-824-4720.
