News Releases

For more information regarding any of the following news releases, please contact:
Cathy Kaplan
Phone: (603) 228-1196 ext 21 or
Email ckaplan@ccmusicschool.org

June 28, 2010 - Sing with us this summer! Concord Community Music School Presents Summer Sings and Voice Workhops in July

CONCORD, NH - Back by popular demand, the Concord Community Music School will once again offer its series of Summer Sings on Tuesday evenings, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, from July 8 through July 29. These community gatherings are open to all, no experience necessary, with no age limits. Picnic in Fletcher-Murphy Park next door, and bring the whole family! Featured during the four weeks (with words on screen for easy sing-alongs) will be:

July 7: Beatles Sing, led by David Tonkin, Kent Allyn and Carolyn Parrott;
July 13: “A Round is a Circle, a Circle of Sound,” led by Susie Burke and Carolyn Parrott;
July 20: African Drumming and Dance, led by Lindsey and Grace Schust; and
July 27: Broadway Night, led by Peggo Horstmann Hodes and Calvin Herst.

To register, call the Music School at (603) 228-1196 or visit www.ccmusicschool.org to download a registration form. Walk-in’s are most welcome to attend as well.

If a Tuesday night Sing whets the appetite for music making, Wednesdays in July are full of additional opportunities for singers of all ages and abilities to broaden their knowledge and skills. Voice department faculty will offer several workshop series covering such topics as: Beginning Voice (for kids and adults), All-state preparation, Mastering Dramatic Intent, and Beginning Yoga for Singers. Classes meet at the same time each week (start times are as early as 10 am and as late as 7:30 pm), for three or four weeks. Complete descriptions of these workshops as well as registration forms can be downloaded from the Music School’s website www.ccmusicschool.org or can be requested by calling the Music School at (603) 228-1196.

In addition to the Summer Sings and Voice Workshops, the Music School offers its ever-popular Jazz Camp running the week of July 12 – 16, for pre-teens through adults. The camp meets daily, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm, and includes ensemble, performance, recording technique, improvisation and instrumental master classes. The week is team-taught by members of the Music School’s jazz faculty. For the younger set (6-months – 7-years), Music and Movement classes, led by Heather Oberheim, director of the Music School’s early childhood program, meet Tuesdays through August 3rd.

Private lessons in most instruments and voice are offered on a flexible basis as are ensemble coachings (chamber music to garage bands), and music therapy sessions.

June 1, 2010 - Poems and Rhapsodies Close the 2009-10 Bach’s Lunch Series

CONCORD, NH – The 2009-10 Bach’s Lunch Series concludes in June with a lecture on Thursday, June 3rd by Daniel Beller-McKenna entitled “An American from Paris” and a concert the following Thursday, June 10th, entitled “Poems and Rhapsodies” featuring Stefani Burk, oboe; Harold Lieberman, viola; and Gregg Pauley, piano. Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

In his June 3rd lecture, Mr. Beller-McKenna will explore the shift in the source of stylistic inspiration for later 19th and early 20th century American composers from Germany to France. Charles Martin Loeffler--who was born German, trained in Paris, and settled in America--provides a microcosm of that development. His Two Rhapsodies (1901) for oboe, viola, and piano demonstrate the influence of French Impressionism while simultaneously paying their debt to German models from the mid-nineteenth century.

The following Thursday, June 10th, Stefani Burk, oboe; Harold Lieberman, viola; and Gregg Pauley, piano, will perform not only the Two Rhapsodies by Loeffler, based on poems by Maurice Rollinat, but also Schlilflieder (Reed Songs) by August Klughardt. Klughardt's Schlilflieder (Reed Songs) were patterned after poetry by Austria's leading lyric poet, Nikolaus Lenau. The reeds in this case are botanical, and refer to a lover mourning his lost love along the banks of a pond. Klughardt's music has been compared to Schumann's, with similar melodies, more heartfelt than mournful. Three of the five "songs" will be performed.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.”
The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies; The Couch Trusts, TD Banknorth, N.A., Trustee; and The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund. Call 603-228-1196 for information, or visit the website www.ccmusicschool.org

About the artists:

Daniel Beller-McKenna, speaker, teaches music history at the University of New Hampshire. He has published widely on the music of Johannes Brahms, including the recently published Brahms and the German Spirit, and (less widely) on John Lennon with the Beatles. He is currently writing a series of essays on aspects of social memory in German music of the nineteenth century. He holds degrees in Journalism and Music from Temple University where he studied classical guitar and music history, and from Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in musicology. Beller-McKenna serves on the Board of Directors of the American Brahms Society, of which he is President. He performs with various musical ensembles in the New Hampshire Seacoast area.

Stefani Burk, wind department chair and oboe, received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Iowa. A member of the Portland Symphony since 1982, she also performs with Portland's PORT Opera, Opera North, and the Portland Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed with the White Mountain Bach Festival, New Hampshire Music Festival, Hanover Chamber Orchestra, Kalistos Chamber Orchestra, and Atlantic Chamber Orchestra. She has performed as oboe d'amore soloist with Ray Cornils on the Friends of the Kotchmar Organ series at Merrill Auditorium. She is a member of Ensemble Lezcano, a trio specializing in Latin-inspired music which has performed throughout New England. Her free-lance playing has included everything from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Anne Murray concerts to performing the Brahms Requiem with the Dartmouth Glee Club Alumni at Carnegie Hall. She has studied privately with Fred Cohen and was formerly on the faculties of Bates and Bowdoin Colleges, as well as SYMS and Indian Hill, and currently teaches at St. Paul’s School. At CCMS, she teaches oboe and coaches ensembles, including the Scholarship Woodwind Quintet. Stefani has been an enthusiastic participant in chamber music programs throughout New England for over thirty years.

Harold Lieberman, viola, performs in many orchestras and ensembles around New England and is a founding member of the Boston Viola Quartet, for which many of his arrangements were prepared. Mr. Lieberman holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied viola with Asbjorn Finess and Lillian Fuchs.

Gregg Pauley, piano, joined the faculty of the Music School in the fall of 1999. A native of Southern California, he earned his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Southern California with pianist James Bonn. He earned a master’s degree at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts where he studied with Ilana Vered. In addition to many appearances at the Rutgers Summerfest, Pauley has performed in Alice Tully Hall in New York City, at Steinway Hall in Los Angeles and has been presented in recital by the Steinway Society of Princeton, the University of Southern California, the Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and the Music Teachers’ National Association Convention, among others. He has performed on WQXR radio in New York and on WKPM in Portland, Maine where he was the featured soloist in a live broadcast of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. Pauley has been a top prizewinner at many competitions, including the Johanna Hodges International Piano Competition, the Portland Symphony-Priscilla Morneault Piano Competition and the Hampton Summerfest Competition.

May 4, 2010 - Tales of Musical Friendships from Schubert's Vienna

CONCORD, NH – The Bach’s Lunch Series continues in May with a lecture on May 6th by Peggy Senter entitled “Schubert’s Vienna: Musical Friendships” and a concert entitled “An Impromptu Sonata: Music by Schubert the following Thursday, May 13th featuring Anita Yu, piano. Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

In her May 6th lecture, Ms. Senter will discuss the vibrant cultural environment that was thriving in Vienna in the early 19th century, with many writers, poets, painters and musicians drawn to this cultural center. Schubert is well-known for his gatherings of artistic friends, which became known as “Schubertiads.” At these salon gatherings, many musical premieres as well as first readings of literature were the draw for these Viennese artists. The mutual support that these artists provided to each other was important in many ways; for Schubert, these friendships enabled him to advance his career and produce a wealth of music in his short lifetime.

The following Thursday, May 13th pianist Anita Yu will perform three works by Schubert including his Impromptus in c minor, Op. 90, No. 1 and A flat Major, Op. 90, No. 4, often referred to as the “waterfall” impromptu. In addition, Ms. Yu will play Schubert’s Sonata in A minor, D. 784, a masterwork of reflection, beauty and sadness.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies; The Couch Trusts, TD Banknorth, N.A., Trustee; and The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund. Call 603-228-1196 for information, or visit the website www.ccmusicschool.org

About the artists:

Peggy Senter, speaker, is founder and president of CCMS and a member of the piano faculty. She has received such honors as the Governor's Arts Award for Arts Education (1993), the University of North Carolina Distinguished Alumna Award (1999) and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year (2007). A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she also holds a M. Music degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with further study in arts administration, voice, and piano pedagogy at Harvard, Longy, New England Conservatory and CCMS. Her teachers include Michael Zenge, Howard Karp, and Victor Rosenbaum, and her previous faculty positions include the Rivers Music School, North Shore Community College, and St. Paul’s School. She has performed in recital and as concerto soloist and chamber musician in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and New England, including many premieres of new works with Composers in Red Sneakers, Nuclassix, and the Musicians of Wall Street.

Anita Yu, piano, holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of British Columbia, and a master of music degree in piano pedagogy and performance from Westminster Choir College. She studied with Louise Goss, Phyllis Lehrer, and Ena Barton, and currently studies with Michael Lewin at the Boston Conservatory. Ms. Yu has performed solo performances in Boston, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Vancouver. She is a former assistant musical director and accompanist for the Papermill Theatre, Lincoln, NH, and a former faculty member at the New School for Music Study and St. Paul’s School. She currently teaches at the Community Music Center of Boston, and the Concord Community Music School.

April 22, 2010 - New Hampshire All-State Music Festival Includes Thirty Concord Community Music School Students

CONCORD, NH – The Concord Community Music School is pleased to announce that thirty of its students were selected for participation in the 2010 NH All-State Music Festival which took place in Concord, April 8 – 10. Two of those students were selected to perform in the NH All-State Jazz Festival in February:

Band

Jameyanne Fuller, clarinet, Concord (Concord High School)

Lindsay Moulton, clarinet, Concord (Concord High School)

Frederick Sheehan, French horn, Concord (Concord High School)

Hillary Holmes, bass clarinet, Dunbarton (Bishop Brady High School)

Abigail Rienzo, piccolo, Grafton (Mascoma Valley Regional High School)

Chorus

Hannah List, soprano, Bow (Bow High School)

Jillian Bailey, alto, Bow (Bow High School)

Olivia Bergen, alto, Bow (Bow High School)

Miranda Watrous, alto, Concord (Concord High School)

Benjamin Patrier-Leitus, tenor, Concord (Concord High School)

Carolyn Kegel, alto, Concord (Derryfield School)

Rosie Ouellet, soprano, Dunbarton (Goffstown High School)

Zachary Ahmad-Kahloon, bass, Goffstown (Goffstown High School)

Jana Hieber, alto, Goffstown (Goffstown High School)

Amanda Harrington, alto, Goffstown (Goffstown High School)

Abigail Blake, soprano, Loudon (Merrimack Valley High School)

Rachel Pantazis, soprano, Manchester (Manchester Memorial High School)

Halie Proulx, alto, Manchester (Goffstown High School)

Orchestra

Allison Baier, violin, Bow (Bow High School)

Carolyn Cunningham, viola, Bow (Bow High School)

Kelsey Hochgraf, violin, Bow (Bow High School)

Thomas Philbrick, violin, Candia (Jesse Remington High School)

Anna Philbrick, viola, Candia (Jesse Remington High School)

Denise Richard, viola, Concord (Concord High School)

Eli Mills, double bass, Enfield (Kearsarge Regional High School)

Miriam Fiering, oboe, Hanover (Hanover High School)

Merike Youngs, French horn, Penacook (Merrimack Valley High School)

Christian Hoscheck, viola, Peterborough (High Mowing School)

Jazz All State

Cameron Duncan, saxophone, Bow (Bow High School)

Michael Sink, keyboard, Concord (Concord High School)

April 8.2010 - Exsultate, Jubilate: Celebrating Spring," a recital of vocal works, Friday, April 16

CONCORD, NH – On Friday, April 16, at 7:30 pm, the Concord Community Music School presents Musicians of Wall Street Hannah Schramm Murray, soprano, and Peggy Senter, piano, in “Exsultate, Jubilate: Celebrating Spring," a recital of vocal works by W.A. Mozart, Gabriel Fauré, Robert Schumann, and Leonard Bernstein.

The title of the program refers to Mozart's virtuosic motet, "Exsultate, Jubilate," K. 165, a well-known masterwork for lyric coloratura sopranos. The celebratory theme of the Mozart text continues throughout the program in such songs as Schumann's "Widmung" (Dedication) and Fauré's lively "Mandoline." Images of spring abound, from the opening Mozart song, "Das Veilchen," (the Violet) throughout the selections by Fauré and Schumann. There are many references to the natural wonders of spring, from lotus blossoms and arbutus trees, to nightingales and butterflies, to moonlit spring nights. The program ends with a nod to April Fool's Day, with the humorous "I Hate Music! A Cycle of Five Kid Songs" by Leonard Bernstein.

The Music School’s Musicians of Wall Street concerts, held in the CCMS Recital Hall on Wall Street in downtown Concord, showcase the talents of its 55 artist teachers. The 2009-10 Musicians of Wall Street Recital Series is sponsored by Harvest Capital. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors and may be purchased in advance by calling 603-228-1196.

March 31. 2010 - Gyan Riley, classical guitarist, at the Music School, Friday, April 9

CONCORD, NH – Gyan Riley’s music has been hailed by The Beat as “an engaging modern acoustic adventure, with classical, jazz, world, and otherworldly elements. Meditative or stirring, this is recommended for open ears.” And all ears are invited to hear Mr. Riley’s artistry when he performs in Concord Community Music School’s Recital Hall on Friday, April 9th at 7:30 pm.

His concert, entitled “Stream of Gratitude” will feature original works, including a selection based on the Suite for Lute, BWV 997, by J.S. Bach. In addition, Riley will perform Piedad (homage to Astor Piazzolla) composed by his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley. Originally from North Carolina, Riley is in the Boston area the weekend of April 9-11 as a featured performer for The Boston Classical Guitar Society (BCGS) and its presentation of Festival 21, a celebration of 21st century music and all that is new in the world of classical guitar. On Sunday, April 11th, he will give a master class at the Longy School. His appearance in Concord is in cooperation with The BCGS and Festival 21.

For more information, please visit http://www.gyanriley.com/ or the Music School’s website: http://www.ccmusicschool.org. Tickets for the April 9th concert ($15 adults/ $12 students and seniors) are available at Concord Community Music School. Please call (603) 228-1196 for more information or to purchase tickets.

March 30. 2010 - April Bach's Lunch: The Musical Faces of Ave Maria

CONCORD, NH – The Bach’s Lunch Series continues on April 1st with a lecture by Carlene Ruesenberg entitled “Sacred Spring: Choral Music of Easter.” On April 8th, Ellen Nordstrom Baer, mezzo soprano, and Kathryn Southworth, piano, will present “The Musical Faces of Ave Maria.” Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

On Thursday, April 1st, join Carlene Ruesenberg as she presents a survey of choral music for the Easter season from Palestrina, through J.S. Bach, to Randall Thompson, from the Passion to the Resurrection. The following Thursday, April 8th , voice department chair and mezzo soprano Ellen Nordstrom Baer, accompanied by piano department chair Kathryn Southworth, will present “Ave Maria” through the ages, 16th through 20th century interpretations.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies; The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund; and the Benjamin Couch Trust, TD Bank, N.A., Trustee. Call 603-228-1196 for information.

March 30. 2010 - Public Invited to Voice Workshops

CONCORD, NH – The Concord Community Music School’s Voice Department invites the public to take part in its annual series of workshops on vocal technique and performance, April 5 - 8. All sessions are free, open to the public, and designed to reach all ages and levels of singers, including members of high school and community choruses and theater groups, voice students and teachers. All workshops take place at the Concord Community Music School at 23 Wall Street in downtown Concord.

The workshops cover a variety of topics including Yoga for Singers, Performing with Dramatic Intent, Jazz Vocals, Choral Tune-ups and working with an Unfamiliar Accompanist. All sessions are led by voice department faculty.

Workshop Weeks, free and open to the public, are held throughout the year by the Music School’s faculty. The String Department will hold a workshop series April 19 - 21. Call the Music School for more information, 603-228-1196.

March 18. 2010 - Songweavers Sing Songs from the Water Spirits

CONCORD, NH - The Songweavers 125-voice women’s chorus will present its annual spring concert entitled "Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie: Songs from the Water Spirits" at South Congregational Church, 27 Pleasant Street, Concord, on Sunday, April 11 at 4 pm.

Founded by director Carolyn Parrott 20 years ago for women who thought they couldn’t sing, Songweavers is a non-auditioned chorus of women of all ages who learn music by rote in the African-American tradition. It is the largest of the choral programs of the Concord Community Music School.

This year's Songweavers' concert, "Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie: Songs from the Water Spirits" features Leadbelly's song by the same name as well as "Oh Mary Don't You Weep," "God Moves in a Wind Storm," and the usual mix of chants and Southern gospel songs. Songdrummers, led by Grace and Lindsey Schust, will drum the Songweavers onto the risers and be featured in a West African drumming piece during the concert.

The Songweavers concert is sponsored by Northeast Delta Dental. Tickets may be purchased in advance, $15 for adults and $12 for seniors/students, by visiting or calling the Concord Community Music School at 23 Wall Street in Concord. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door, $18 for adults and $15 for seniors/students. Seating at the South Church is general admission. For more information, call the Music School at (603) 228-1196.

March 9. 2010 - Schumann Miniatures for Voice, Cello and Piano

CONCORD, NH – On Friday, March 26, 7:30 pm, the Concord Community Music School presents Musicians of Wall Street Andrea Veal, soprano; Matthew Laughlin, cello; and Kathryn Southworth, piano, in “Schumann Miniatures.”

The evening’s repertoire, chosen for its charm, brevity, and its relationship to other works on the program, include selections from Schumann’s lieder, his piano collection “Scenes from Childhood” and his “Five Pieces in Folk Style” for cello and piano. Andrea Veal, in describing the creative programming the ensemble has designed, said, "This is not an old-fashioned chamber music recital! Our goal was to present these beautiful short pieces in a new way, for a fresh listening experience." Groupings of mixed genre (piano music, song, cello music) will be presented in such a way as to explore the themes of love, play, springtime, and sleep.

The Music School’s Musicians of Wall Street concerts, held in the CCMS Recital Hall on Wall Street in downtown Concord, showcase the talents of its 59 artist teachers. The 2009-10 Musicians of Wall Street Recital Series is sponsored by Harvest Capital. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors and may be purchased in advance by calling 603-228-1196.

March 5, 2010 - Musical Alumni return to celebrate Anniversary Weekend with a Chamber Music Concert featuring Alumni and Faculty Artists

CONCORD, NH – Join the Concord Community Music School as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary in a celebratory weekend of faculty, alumni and student performances. The weekend begins with a gala chamber music concert on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 pm, in which alumni will perform alongside their CCMS teachers in a concert featuring alumni and faculty artists. On Saturday, March 20th, the Music School presents the Performathon—a community open house with back-to-back student recitals, an instrument “petting zoo,” and birthday cake. The weekend is sponsored by Merrimack County Savings Bank.

The March 19th chamber music concert features works for piano, strings, voice and woodwinds, including the Dvorak Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op. 44, performed by Stefani Burk and Ursula Sahagian Mills, oboe; Stephanie Ratté and Gabe Merton, clarinet; Maria Isaak, AJ Coppola, and Anne Raymond, bassoon; Brian Gardell, Carolyn Cantrell, and Sarah DeTurk, French horn; Donna Denniston, cello; and John Hunter, bass. This impressive gathering of 19 faculty members, alumni, and former faculty represents musical friendships and mentorships reaching throughout the school's 25 years. Matthew Laughlin, cello, is not only an alumnus of the Music School, but a current faculty member as well. He will perform selections from Schumann’s “Pieces in Folk Style” with Kathryn Southworth, chair of the piano department. Also on the program is Catharine Dornin of the piano faculty, who will perform Rachmaninoff duets with her former student, pianist Elizabeth Blood. Another ensemble that matches former student and teacher will feature soprano Stephanie Kruskol, currently a graduate student at the Peabody Conservatory, who will sing with Ellen Nordstrom Baer, mezzo soprano and faculty chair of the voice department, accompanied by Peggy Senter, who was Kruskol's piano teacher from 1st-5th grade.

A full day of public activities Saturday, March 20, revolves around the annual Performathon – non-stop solo and ensemble performances by more than 200 of the Music School’s 1,400 students, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Performathon is an annual fund-raiser for the CCMS Financial Aid Fund, which this year is budgeted at $110,000; last year contributions to the Performathon accounted for more than 15% of the funding needed to support the annual Financial Aid Fund. Simultaneous concerts take place in the Community Room and the Recital Hall all day, and feature special recitals by the Jazz Department as well as an hour-long recital devoted to performances by adult students.

Saturday is also a "community open house," with family activities all day, including refreshments and an instrument “petting zoo,” which gives prospective students of all ages an opportunity to try out different instruments. All open house events are free and open to the public, thanks to support from Merrimack County Savings Bank.

Tickets for the Chamber Music Concert are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students. Call the Music School for more information, 603-228-1196.

February 18, 2010 - March Bach’s Lunch: Jazz Generations

CONCORD, NH – The Bach’s Lunch Series continues on March 4th with a lecture by Mark Shilansky entitled “Six Degrees of Jazzification: Generations of Jazz Artists.” On March 11th, Tom Robinson, piano; John Hunter, bass; and Tim Gilmore, drums, will present “A Tribute to the Ahmad Jamal Piano Trio.” Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

On Thursday, March 4th, join Mark Shilansky as he diagrams his take on the popular “six degrees of separation” theory. He will play a recording by a particular artist, describe it and give historical perspective on the piece, and then play something more recent by an artist featured in or strongly influenced by the original recording. Mr. Shilansky will showcase the collective of musicians we think of as “modern masters” and their artistic ancestry: John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Peter Erskine, Michael Brecker.

The following Thursday, March 11th will mark the nearly-springtime return of lunchtime jazz to the Bach’s Lunch Series. This year, the trio of Tom Robinson, piano; John Hunter, bass; and Tim Gilmore, drums, will offer a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, one of the pioneering greats of the jazz piano trio tradition. Jamal was a primary influence on the great jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, and also set the stage for the piano trio as a jazz genre, so that jazz pianists like Bill Evans and Fred Hersch could join the lineage and follow in the piano trio tradition.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.”

The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies; The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund; and the Benjamin Couch Trust, TD Bank, N.A., Trustee. Call 603-228-1196 for information.

Mark Shilansky has been playing the piano and writing songs since the age of 8. Now, 28 years later (after studying with Dave Tonkin and Michael Annicchiarico at the Concord Community Music School, then going on to UNH and New England Conservatory), he teaches ear training, improvisation, and arranging at Berklee College of Music, and his alma mater, UNH. He also keeps himself busy writing music and producing CDs (over 40 at last count) for himself and others, on which he plays keyboard instruments and sometimes sings. Some of these CDs are the piano trio date "First Look" (1997), the collection of original pop songs "Different Songs" (2000), the suite of extended jazz compositions "Other Voices" (2003) and "Join the Club" (2007). Shilansky also counts as his achievements 3 performances at the IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) annual convention, and performances and recordings with such artists as Luciana Souza, Rebecca Parris, Kenny Wheeler, Jerry Bergonzi, and the New York Voices, as well as two recent tours of Japan and a performance at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival with the vocal jazz group "Syncopation."

Tom Robinson, jazz piano, saxophone, received his B.M. in Jazz Studies from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, where he studied saxophone with Michael Cox and piano with Mark Flugge. He has a busy performance schedule throughout New England with several jazz groups as well as leading and writing for his own trio. Tom has been a featured artist at the Catamount Arts Center. The trio has been featured in concerts at the Paul Creative Arts Center, The Silver Center for the Arts and the Mountaintop Music Center. The trio's recording “Skylight” features original music. Tom is also on the faculty at Plymouth State University where he teaches jazz piano and directs the jazz ensembles.

Bassist John Hunter has enjoyed a busy freelance and teaching career for thirtyfive years. He has performed in concerts and television appearances from Maine to San Francisco while accompanying such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Sheila

Jordan, Lennie Breau, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Eddie Daniels, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, James Williams, Steve Smith, Jane Ira Bloom, Art Farmer, Louis Bellson, Milt Jackson, Joe Williams, Paquito d'Rivera, Marian McPartland, and Mike Metheny. He has also appeared with such diverse groups as the Broadway touring company of "Chorus Line" and the Los Angeles Opera a la Carte. He is a frequent performer with the Granite State Symphony, Portland Symphony Pops,

Clearlakes Chorale, and the Hanover Chamber Orchestra. His teaching credits include faculty

positions since 1979 at the University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth College, the University of Maine at Augusta, the N.H. Summer Youth Music School, and numerous clinics and workshops at colleges and public schools throughout the Northeast. John has toured and recorded albums with Andy Happel, the Barbara London Quartet, David Demsey, the Brandywine Singers, and he is often heard in concert with the Shaw Brothers, with whom he was recently featured on a National PBS television special.

Tim Gilmore, percussion, received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Ed/Music from Salem State College and studied further in composition and performance programs at Berklee College of Music. He currently teaches at Plymouth State College and the Concord Community Music School. He is a member of the Harry Skoler Jazz Quartet with Brownstone Recording Artists and has performed with such groups as the Cape Ann Symphony, the Symphony by the Sea, the Paul Madore Chorale, the Boston Percussion Ensemble and the Cambridge Harmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with Lester Bowie, Marion McPartland, Tower of Power, Tiger Okoshi, and Warren Vache. Some of his recordings include “A Work of Heart,” “Reflections on the Art of Swing” and “Conversations in the Language of Jazz” on Brownstone Records.

February 15, 2010 - March Mandolin Madness

CONCORD, NH – Four nationally-known multi-instrumentalists will headline the eighth annual March Mandolin Festival at the Concord Community Music School. This year, the festival features Mike Compton, Will Patton, Glen Loper and David Surette, with special guest Susie Burke. The festival concert, open to the public, takes place in the Music School’s Recital Hall on Saturday, March 6th, at 7:30 pm. The Concord concert follows a festival concert at The Stone Church, Newmarket, NH, on Friday, March 5th at 7:30 pm.

Festival sponsors include the NH State Council on the Arts Traditional Arts Program, www.MandolinCafe.com, and the Concord Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

In addition to the public concert on Saturday evening, the festival offers two days of participatory group lessons, workshops, and jam sessions (pre-registration is required and sells out early; there are only 50 spots available for participants). Workshops on Saturday, March 6th include Irish, Old-time and contra dance sessions, as well as classes for beginners on music theory, basic bluegrass and open-string chords. Learn some “cool new tunes” with Glen Loper or experience a “Monroe-style right-hand workout” with Mike Compton. Sunday morning will offer a chance to consolidate Saturday’s events, compare notes and play through the group tunes together. The festival closes at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

David Surette, festival organizer and recording artist, is widely known for his work on the mandolin, guitar and bouzouki, his frequent solo appearances, as well as performances with Susie Burke, Rodney Miller and the group “Airdance.” Surette is coordinator of the Music School’s folk program.

For more information on the festival and to pre-register for the weekend’s workshops, or to purchase general admission tickets for the Saturday evening concert, call the Concord Community Music School, 603-228-1196, or drop by the school at 23 Wall Street in downtown Concord. Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults; $12 for students and seniors. To register for the festival, send a check for $110 made out to: Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord, NH 03301.

With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music…for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School for more information, 603-228-1196.

March Mandolin Festival artists:

Mike Compton
John Hartford once said that Mike Compton knows more about Bill Monroe style mandolin than the Father of Bluegrass himself. Born in 1956 in Meridian Mississippi, Mike was exposed to old-time music at an early age, and received his first mandolin at the age of 15. He moved to Nashville in 1977, and since then has been carving out an enviable niche for himself in the worlds of bluegrass, old-time, country, and popular music. Mike has been a long-time member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and also performed and recorded as part of John Hartford’s band for over 10 years. Mike received Grammy Award acknowledgement for playing the mandolin on two award winning projects, "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" and "Down From the Mountain". Most recently he has been recording and touring with legendary pop/rock singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. However, for mandolin players and listeners, what really sets Mike apart is his devotion to the style and repertoire of the old-time and bluegrass mandolin music of Bill Monroe. Mike is an acknowledged master of this style, and uses his extensive knowledge and background to create a fresh new approach to Monroe-style mandolin.

Will Patton
Will has been playing music since the age of 6, starting on piano and taking up guitar at age 12. Mandolin and bass soon followed, and he's been leading bands since he was thirteen. Based in VT, his travels have taken him to Rio, Paris and the Caribbean as well as all over the U.S. and Canada, playing rock and roll, folk, bluegrass, Brazilian music, and jazz. His bands have opened for Van Morrison, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, Earl Scruggs, Maynard Ferguson, John McLaughlin and Toots Thielemans. He has shared the stage with Roy Eldridge and Mose Allison and is featured on many recordings as a bassist and mandolinist. During the last ten years he has been visiting and playing in Paris, and his collaborations with legendary gypsy guitarist Ninine Garcia as documented on his recordings have received critical acclaim both in the U.S. and abroad. His recordings, made with his long time working ensemble as well as guest artists such as Ninine, have all been very well reviewed nationally and have been heard on folk, World and jazz radio shows all across America, as well as on NPR.

Glen Loper
Glen Loper is well-known throughout the New England contra dance world for his work on both the mandolin and the tenor banjo. He is a member of several popular contra dance bands (Rumblestrip and Frigate), and is also a core teacher at the Maine Fiddle Camp. Glen has a great style geared towards playing fiddle tunes, and has a diverse repertoire of tunes, including many cool and unusual newly-composed tunes. He describes his dance repertoire as a mix of Irish, Scottish, Old-Time, French Canadian, Scandinavian, rock and roll, swing tunes, funk, blues, or anything else that the dancers like. Glen is a patient and experienced teacher, and teaches regularly in Portland, ME, where he lives.

David Surette
David Surette is highly regarded throughout New England and beyond for his work on the mandolin, guitar (both flatpick and fingerstyle), and bouzouki; Sing Out Magazine wrote that "Surette's playing is always inventive, and sets a new standard for traditional instrumentalists." As part of a duo with his wife, singer Susie Burke, they have performed regularly together for 20 years, recording several albums and building a reputation as one of New England’s top folk duos. Surette was a founding member of the Airdance band with fiddler Rodney Miller, with whom he recorded four albums and toured nationally. He has also released four critically-acclaimed solo CDs; his most recent solo release, The Green Mandolin, is a collection of Celtic tunes for mandolin and cittern. He is also an experienced teacher, and coordinates folk music programming and teaches regularly at the Concord Community Music School.

January 19, 2010 - A Jazzy January Night

CONCORD, NH –The Musicians of Wall Street Jazz Ensemble will present their annual Jazz in January cabaret-style evening with two shows on Friday, January 22, at 7 pm & 9 pm. As the audience savors food courtesy of Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, they will hear Marsalis, Monk and more, including a few originals by the band..

Named for its downtown Concord location, the Musicians of Wall Street Jazz Ensemble is comprised of the Concord Community Music School’s jazz faculty: David Tonkin, guitar; Richard Gardzina and Matt Langley, saxophones; Tom Robinson, keyboards; Don Williams, bass; and John Faggiano and Tim Gilmore, drums. All have performed, individually and together, throughout New England, in New York City and at jazz festivals around the nation.

The Music School wishes to thank Hermanos Cocina Mexicana for food and beverages. Tickets may be bought in advance for $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. The shows take place at the Concord Community Music School’s Community Room, with entrances on Fayette and Wall streets. For tickets and more information call 603-228-1196.

THE ARTISTS:

John Faggiano (percussion) trained at Acadia University and Berklee College of Music with further studies in Orff-Schulwerk at University of Lowell and in African and Afro-Latin music with Nuru. A student of Ed Nicholas, Gary Chaffee and Alan Dawson, he has performed at the Blue Note in NYC and the Saratoga and White Mountain Jazz Festivals. A member of the Musicians of Wall Street Jazz Ensemble, he is a founding member of the performance group “Applehead.” A twenty-year veteran of the band “The Knights,” John has performed shows with the Drifters as well as Gary Chaffee and Pat Metheny. He can also be heard on many recordings recently, with the Dave Tonkin Group, Steve Schuch and on Peggo and Paul’s award-winning CD, Patchwork Quilt.

Richard Gardzina (saxophone) received his B.A. in Music Composition from North Texas State University and his M.A. in Music Composition from UNH with further study at the Berklee College of Music. He is a producer, recording engineer and owner of Sound Experience recording studio and has composed works for various film companies in Los Angeles and NY, NYC choreographer Dianne Eno, NH Theater Project, Pontine Movement Theatre, Arthur Hall Dance Company, and NH Dance Alliance. Richard has composed and produced over 125 songs for children, and composed and produced 50 Songs for Social Dance as well as recorded two CDs of original jazz compositions, Play This and Imaginings. With forty years of performing experience in NH, Texas, Los Angeles. Richard is on the faculty of New England College as well as the Music School.

Tim Gilmore (percussion) received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Ed/Music from Salem State College and studied further in composition and performance programs at Berklee College of Music. He is a member of the Harry Skoler Jazz Quartet with Brownstone Recording Artists and has performed with such groups as the Cape Ann Symphony, the Symphony by the Sea, the Paul Madore Chorale, the Boston Percussion Ensemble and the Cambridge Harmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with Lester Bowie, Marion McPartland, Tower of Power, Tiger Okoshi, and Warren Vache. Some of his recordings include “A Work of Heart,” “Reflections on the Art of Swing” and “Conversations in the Language of Jazz” on Brownstone Records.

Matt Langley (saxophone) has studied with Lou Marini of Saturday Night Live, David Baker, Ted Dunbar, and Stan Strickland. Since 1988, he has been a member of the Charlie Kohlhase Quintet (CKQ), recording three CDs on the Accurate Label. CKQ has toured the United States extensively, performing in jazz festivals from the Boston Globe Festival to the Rutabega Jazz Jam in Knoxville, Illinois, and giving clinics, master classes and individual lessons. CKQ’s fourth CD, Dancing on my Bedpost, showed up on the top ten lists of many jazz critics in 1999 and their fifth CD is currently awaiting release on the NADA label. Matt’s recording sessions have included ones with Ron Carter, John Medeski, Billy Martin, Chris Wood, Roswell Rudd, and many others. Matt performs regularly with Tonkin Toys and teaches at the Music School.

Tom Robinson (piano) received a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. He has studied saxophone with Michael Cox, and piano with Mark Flugge and Joe Hunter. He was selected for Ohio Music Educator's All-State College Jazz Ensemble in 1992-1993. Tom performs throughout New England as a sideman with several jazz groups as well as leading and writing for his own trio.

David Tonkin (guitar) has studied jazz guitar with Ed Cory, Jay Azzolina, and Randy Roos. Chair of the Music School’s Jazz Department, he has worked with the NH Artists in the Schools Program, led workshops at the Lincoln Center Institute at Dartmouth College, and taught at UNH Manchester. He performs throughout New England as a soloist, studio musician, and as a member of Straight No Chaser. He is also the founder of the David Tonkin Group and Tonkin Toys. Tonkin performed in two sold-out performances with Straight No Chaser at the well-known New York City jazz club, The Blue Note, and at the Saratoga Jazz Festival. An active composer, his work has been heard on radio and television throughout the area.

Don Williams (bass) received a B.S. in Music Education at Plymouth State College, with further study in the M.F.A. program in music at the University of New Hampshire. He performs often with Raccoon Beach, Tonkin Toys, Plymouth State College Faculty Quartet, and the Loli Sterling Group. He has appeared at The Blue Note, Rainbow Room, and Saratoga Jazz Festival, and has performed with the Platters, Randy Brecker, Jack Wilkins, and Bob Guilotti. He is also on the faculty of SAU#48 and Plymouth State College.

December 21, 2009 - January Bach’s Lunch Celebrates Old-time Music

CONCORD, NH –The Bach’s Lunch Series, running from November through June, offers free, informal lunch-hour lectures the first Thursday of every month and a related concert the following Thursday in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord. On January 7th, David Surette, folk department chair, will present a lecture entitled “Times Ain’t Like They Used to Be: The Evolution of Old-time Music.” The following Thursday, December 14th, David will be joined in concert by his daughter Isa Burke for “Fine Times at Our House: Old-time Music with David Surette and Isa Burke.” Both the lecture and concert begin at 12:10 p.m. and end by 12:50 p.m.

On January 7th, David will explore the roots and branches of traditional American folk music taking the audience on a tour of the highways and byways of old-time music, with scheduled stops in the 1920s for the birth of the recording industry, the 1960s for the folk revival, and the 2000s for the current state of affairs. Expect detours along the way. Crooked tunes, cross-tuning, ballads and blues, with fiddle, guitar, mandolin, cittern, ukulele, and banjo will be the order of the day when David is joined by his fiddling daughter, Isa Burke, for a batch of fiddle tunes and a few songs on the 14th.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch Series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies and The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund. Call 603-228-1196 for information.

David Surette, folk music department chair, is highly regarded for his work on the guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. He is nationally known as a top player of Celtic fingerstyle guitar. His diverse repertoire includes original compositions, blues and ragtime, traditional American roots music, and folk music from a variety of traditions. He and his wife, singer Susie Burke have performed regularly together for 20 years and recorded several albums. Surette was a founding member of the Airdance band with fiddler Rodney Miller, with whom he recorded four albums and toured nationally. Surette has taught at workshops and camps throughout the US and in the UK. He is folk music coordinator at the Concord Community Music School. In 1994, Surette was awarded a travel grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to study the traditional music of Brittany, and has published a collection of Breton folk tunes. He was the recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship award from the NH State Arts Council, and in the fall of 2008 was designated a Traditional Arts Master by the Maine Arts Comission. Two CD’s were released in 2008 - When the Small Birds Sweetly Sing with Susie Burke, and The Green Mandolin, a solo release of traditional Celtic tunes for mandolin and cittern.

December 21, 2009 - Frank Wallace opens the CCMS Faculty Recital Series January 8

CONCORD, NH –The Musicians of Wall Street Recital Series opens this year with a program featuring Frank Wallace, classical guitarist and newest member of the Music School’s faculty. Mr. Wallace will present “Centenary,” in honor of composers Tárrega and Albeniz who both died in 1909. The concert will take place Friday, January 8th at 7:30 pm in the Music School’s Recital Hall, located at 23 Wall Street in downtown Concord. The evening’s musical selections will open with Preludes of Villa-Lobos, and include works by Turina, Tárrega, Albeniz, as well as a number of original compositions. Nancy Knowles, mezzo-soprano, who performs with Mr. Wallace as Duo LiveOak, will join her husband for a performance of The Chimes, composed by Mr. Wallace in 2008, to close the program.

Recognized for his extraordinary talent not only as a player of the classical guitar and its ancestors, Mr. Wallace is also as a master of self-accompanied song. His works for solo classical guitar and his songs for voice, guitar and lute have a popular appeal, reflecting his colorful career, drawing on influences ranging from avant garde to medieval to the blues. The richness and complexity of his song accompaniments and his compelling vocal melodies highlight the influence of his mentors, from Britten to Schubert to Dowland. In fall 2007 he released a new seasonal guitar CD, JOY: songs and carols for a season of light on Gyre. Other recent solo CDs include, Delphín, music for vihuela de mano, and Sketches, his second disc featuring his own works for classical guitar. For more information on Mr. Wallace and his music, please visit his website at http://www.duoliveoak.com.

On Friday, January 15th, the Musicians of Wall Street concert series continues with an Evening of Rachmaninoff, performed by Bozena O’Brien, violin; Matt Laughlin, cello; and Abigail Charbeneau, piano. Named for its location in downtown Concord, the Music School’s Musicians of Wall Street concerts showcase the talents of its 59 artist teachers. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased in advance by calling 228-1196.

Frank Wallace, composer, guitarist, baritone

American Record Guide calls Frank Wallace’s compositions “exciting, unpredictable, and fresh”. Fanfare magazine has dubbed him a composer with “an authentic expressive voice” and a “high standard of musical interest” who performs with “flawless technical proficiency”. New music reviewers have also honored Wallace’s work: Frank Oteri of NewMusicBox.org calls it “contemporary musical emancipation”. Wallace’s works showcase the classical guitar in solo, duo and trio, as well as in chamber works with voice, flute, cello, English horn, mandolin, and piano. His compositional style has many influences, from the blues and jazz to medieval and avante garde. Great passion and a sense of humor infuse both his compositions and his performances.

On stage, Wallace is known for his “elegant virtuosity” (Classics Today) on the solo guitar as well as being a master of self-accompanied song. He tours internationally, performing music of the 21st century both as a soloist and as Duo LiveOak with mezzo-soprano Nancy Knowles. Wallace and Knowles originally founded LiveOak in 1976 (while he was on the guitar faculty at New England Conservatory) as an early music ensemble with the late John Fleagle.
Frank Wallace is the director of Boston Classical Guitar Society’s Festival 21, celebrating all that’s new in classical guitar. He recently served a two-year term as artistic director of the Society. In New York City Wallace co-directs the Second Sundays Classical Guitar Series at Roger Smith Arts. He is currently on the faculty of the Concord (NH) Community Music School and Two Rivers Music School. He has taught at the New England Conservatory, Plymouth State College, Emmanuel College, Keene State College and Franklin Pierce College and has a B.M. degree from San Francisco Conservatory. Wallace’s complete works and recordings are available at www.gyremusic.com. He has recorded for Gyre, Titanic, Centaur, and Musical Heritage Society, which re-released a number of LiveOak and Frank Wallace recordings in 2008.

Nancy Knowles, mezzo-soprano and poet, has a longstanding reputation for her skillful interweaving of song, poetry and drama both in concert with LiveOak and in her own solo shows. "Knowles' exceptionally beautiful soprano carried the evening in song and declaimed poetry..." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Knowles also performs as a soloist in a series of her own theatrical memoirs. In The House of Fools (2001) she combines her own masks and poetry with unaccompanied songs from many traditions. She is currently working on a sequel to that show, Syzygy, notes from a far hill. Knowles is also known for her performances of the music of medieval Spain.

Bozena O’Brien, violin, received her training at Boston University where she was a student of Walter Eisenberg and later studied with Marylou Speaker Churchill of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She holds a certificate for Suzuki pedagogy and Book 1 and teaches at Concord Community Music School, where she is string department chair. Ms. O’Brien has taught at St. Paul's School for 20 years and also at the Holderness Preparatory School and Kimball Union Academy. O’Brien performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, NH Music Festival, Hanover Chamber Orchestra and is a freelance violinist throughout New England.

Matthew Laughlin, cello, holds a B.M. in cello performance, Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and an M.A. in Music through UNH. He studied with Emilio Colon and Emmanuel Feldman and has played in Master Classes for Yo-Yo Ma and Janos Starker. His performance credits include the Vermont Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Evansville Symphony, Camerata Symphony, Concord Chorale, Boston College Opera Theatre, Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra and New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. A former string teacher in Bloomington, IN public schools, Matthew teaches at the Concord Community Music School.

Abigail Charbeneau, piano, holds a B.A. in music from Skidmore College, and an M.M. in piano performance and piano pedagogy from the University of Illinois. She has studied with Pola Baytelman, William Heiles, Arkady Aronov, Adaleina Krivosheina, Kenneth Drake, and Reid Alexander, and has been on the faculty of Millikin University and the University of Illinois. Abigail teaches at St. Paul’s School and the Concord Community Music School.

December 16, 2009 - Music School Piano Recital honors memory of Angela Annicchiarico

CONCORD, NH – The Concord Community Music School will present its semi-annual Integrated Arts Piano Recital, entitled "Of Foreign Lands and People," on Friday, December 18 at 7:00 pm in the Music School's Recital Hall, located at 23 Wall Street in downtown Concord. This will be the first of an ongoing series of Integrated Arts Recitals performed by piano students that will be dedicated to the memory of pianist and teacher Angela Annicchiarico. A reception immediately preceding the recital, at 6:00 pm in the School's Community Room, will feature brief remarks about her life and legacy. The recital and the reception are free and the public is invited and welcome.

The Music School's piano department has chosen Schumann as one of its "composers of the year," to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth in 2010. The theme "Of Foreign Lands and People" is a nod to one of his most famous pieces. An Integrated Arts Recital challenges students to not only perform their selection, but to also present a complementary original work in another arts discipline, such as a painting or a poem, with the goal to develop the habit of approaching any musical performance with as much broad understanding and personal expression as possible. At the recital, the artworks will be on display and the literary works will be read from the stage.

Angela Annicchiarico (1911-1963) was a Concord native and one of its most active professional musicians. She graduated from the New England Conservatory and returned to Concord to teach and perform. She performed often in 2-piano concerts with her friend and fellow Conservatory graduate Mitzi Berman, in chamber music ensembles, and as the pianist for the Concord Community Players. She taught piano at St. Paul's School and in her home studio—one of her students who reaped the benefits of her teaching was her grandson Michael, who is now a music professor and pianist at the University of NH. She was a musical mentor to her younger brother Joe, taking him to concerts in Boston. Joe became a professional clarinetist, playing in the NH Symphony and in jazz gigs when not running the family business, United Shoe Repair.

"We are honored to have a small part in continuing the legacy of this inspiring pianist and piano teacher through our Integrated Arts Recitals, which will be dedicated to Angela's memory every year. Our piano faculty members share her devotion to high musical standards of teaching and performing and we are privileged to be part of a long musical tradition in Concord that she advanced in a wonderful way," remarks Peggy Senter, president of the Music School and a member of its piano faculty. "We hope members of the public will join us for the recital and the reception to greet the Annicchiarico family, share stories, and meet some young pianists at the beginning of their musical journeys."

November 25, 2009 - Week of Piano Workshops, December 7-11

Concord, N.H. –The annual Piano Workshop Week, Dec. 7-11, at the Concord Community Music School will include free, public sessions for all ages and levels, including sessions on The Art of Pedaling, Voicing, Musical Form, and “Parents and Practice.”

In addition to workshops designed to explore a particular component of piano technique, like pedaling, there will be a “Great Scale Bee” – a chance to demonstrate on the keyboard just how much you know about the language of music. “Piano Games” will give younger students the opportunity to build musicianship through ear training, improvisation, reading and movement; and “Nervous Nellies,” for adult students, gives beginning to intermediate students a chance to play for one another in a small group setting. A workshop specifically for parents of piano students of any level – “Parents and Practice” – will explore the challenges of the learning that happens between lessons, and provide parents with ideas to help their child/children practice effectively.

Many performance classes will be held throughout the week, designed to reach all ages and levels of piano students, including adults and children at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Performance classes are conducted in a master class format, or “public lesson,” in which the teacher works with pre-selected performers on stage in a way designed to provide learning for observers in the audience.

Click here to view the Piano Workshop daily schedule (PDF format).

Workshop Weeks, free and open to the public, are held throughout the year by the Music School’s faculty. Upcoming weeks include the Wind Department, January 18-20, Voice Department, April 5-8, and the String Department, April 19-22. Call the Music School for more information, 603-228-1196.

November 25, 2009 - December Bach’s Lunch Celebrates the Season of Light

Concord, N.H. –The Bach’s Lunch Series, running from November through June, offers free, informal lunch-hour lectures the first Thursday of every month and a related concert the following Thursday in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord. On December 3rd, Hannah Schramm Murray, a member of the Music School’s voice faculty, will present a lecture entitled “American Christmas Traditions in Song.” The following Thursday, December 10th, Jane Berlin Pauley, Peggo Horstmann Hodes, and Hannah Schramm Murray, members of the voice faculty, who perform together as Trillium, will present “In Dulci Jubilo,” celebrating the season of light. Both the lecture and concert begin at 12:10 p.m. and end by 12:50 p.m.

On Dec. 3rd, Ms. Murray will take the audience on a tour of the great musical Christmas traditions of the United States. This lecture will explore Christmas music from several American regions and traditions, including music from Appalachia, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Southern gospel tradition. Audience members will discover the roots of this music and where it is headed, as well as foster a new appreciation for the great tapestry of American traditions. The vocal ensemble Trillium will present works of Praetorius, Rutter, and many others during a mostly a cappella concert on December 10th.

November 25, 2009 - Music School’s Annual Christmas Folk Concert, Dec. 12

Concord, N.H. – In what has become a favorite tradition, the Concord Community Music School invites you to usher in the holiday season with its annual Christmas Folk Concert featuring David Surette, Susie Burke and Kent Allyn. The concert is scheduled for 7:30 pm, Saturday, Dec 12, in the Music School’s Recital Hall at 23 Wall Street in Concord.
The concert includes new, and often humorous, renditions of traditional holiday tunes. Burke and Surette perform regularly throughout New England and have toured nationally. They have more than half a dozen CDs between them and have collected numerous awards.
Surette’s technique on guitar, banjo and other instruments is “impeccable, and his touch and phrasing are immediately recognizable,” according to Acoustic Guitar. Burke “possesses one of the finest, purest ballad sopranos heard in folk music today,” reported The Boston Globe. Allyn, called “everyone’s favorite sideman,” has played piano, bass and guitar in numerous recordings and with a host of performing artists from around the country.
Surette and Allyn are members of the Concord Community Music School faculty. This year’s folk department concerts are sponsored by Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.
Get your tickets soon, as this performance frequently sells out. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be bought at the door or in advance at the Music School. For more information, call (603) 228-1196.

November 18, 2009 - Concord Community Music School Welcomes New Faculty Member

Concord, N.H. –The Concord Community Music School is pleased to welcome Frank Wallace to its guitar faculty this fall. Mr. Wallace is current Artistic Director of the Boston Classical Guitar Society as well as founding member/performer and co-director of Duo LiveOak, and has over 35 years experience teaching and performing classical guitar.

Mr. Wallace received his B.M. in classical guitar performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with further studies in early music performance. He has studied voice with Marleen Montgomery, Marcy Lindheimer, and most recently, with Roland Seiler of Würzburg, Germany. He is the recipient of two Artist Fellowship Awards from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts for composition and performance, in 2001 and 2006, and with Duo LiveOak partner, and wife, Nancy Knowles, has performed in over 500 concerts throughout Europe, and North and South America.

November 1, 2009 - Public Invited to Jazz Workshops at Concord Community Music School

Concord, N.H. –The Concord Community Music School’s Jazz Department invites the public to take part in its annual workshop series on jazz technique and performance, November 16 -18. All sessions are free, open to the public, and designed to reach all ages and levels. Workshops take place at the Concord Community Music School at 23 Wall Street in downtown Concord.

The workshops cover Jazz Vocals, Percussion, and Acoustic Guitar, and include a three-day Beatles Orchestra experience, open to all instrumentalists – no matter your instrument or genre. This year, the Beatles Orchestra will focus on recreating and adding to the Beatles hit “I Want You” and concludes on day three with a recording session. Other workshops include a Rhythm Slam and Build a Band. All sessions are led by jazz department faculty. The Jazz Vocal Workshop is led by Peggo Horstmann Hodes of the Music School’s voice faculty with Tom Robinson, piano.

Click here to view the Jazz Workshop's daily schedule (PDF format).

Workshop Weeks, free and open to the public, are held throughout the year by the Music School’s faculty. Piano Department Workshops take place the week of December 7th. Woodwind Department Workshops are scheduled for the week of January 18, 2010 and the String Department will hold its workshop series the week of April 19, 2010. Call the Music School for more information, 603-228-1196.

October 8, 2009 - Scholarship Vocal Ensemble to Perform in 50th Annual Festival of Barbershop Harmony at Concord City Auditorium

Concord, N.H. –Concord Community Music School announces that the 2009-2010 Scholarship Vocal Ensemble will appear as guests at the 50th Annual Festival of Barbershop Harmony on Sunday, November 1st at the Concord City Auditorium, Concord, NH. Members of the Ensemble, who were chosen by audition this fall are:

Soprano - Hannah List (Bow High School)
Soprano - Halie Proulx (Goffstown High School)
Alto - Jana Hieber (Goffstown High School)
Tenor - Pat Richards (Concord High School)
Bass - Zach Ahmad (Goffstown High School)

The Ensemble is coached by Emily Jaworski, a member of the Music School’s voice faculty. Ms. Jaworski also coaches the Teen Chorus and offers individual instruction at the Music School.

The Scholarship Ensemble program at the Concord Community Music School is for highly motivated high school students who would like an intensive small ensemble experience, and who are willing to make a serious commitment to weekly rehearsals and frequent performances around the state. Scholarship Ensembles, in voice, jazz, woodwinds and strings, have performed in New York, Boston, and at high schools and community events across New Hampshire, including governor’s inaugurations and national showcase concerts.

Students who are selected will be on full scholarship through the generosity of area businesses and foundations. Over the past 25 years, students have represented many towns in NH, including Enfield, Bow, Plymouth, Groveton, Berlin, Nashua, Dover, and Keene. Scholarship Ensemble alumni are teaching, performing and recording in New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and elsewhere locally and nationally. For more information on this event, please contact the Concord City Auditorium at 603-228-2793. For more information about the Concord Community Music School, please call (603) 228-1196.

October 8, 2009 - Bach’s Lunch Series at Concord Community Music School opens with The Soloist in word and music, in partnership with Concord Reads 2009

Concord, N.H. –The Bach’s Lunch Series offers free, informal lunch-hour lectures the first Thursday of every month, and a related concert the following Thursday in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, November – June. The series opens this year in partnership with Concord Reads 2009, for which one of the selected books is The Soloist, by Steve Lopez. On November 5th, Karen Wacks, Professor of Music Therapy and Clinical Training Coordinator at Berklee College of Music, will present a lecture entitled “Music and the Mind.” Music School faculty members Matt Laughlin, cello, and Abigail Charbeneau, piano, will perform works featured in the soundtrack from The Soloist the following week on November 12th. Both the lecture and concert begin at 12:10 p.m. and end by 12:50 p.m.

The Music School is pleased to offer these events in partnership with Concord Reads 2009, a community reading program organized by the Concord Public Library Foundation and the Concord Public Library. The Soloist is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a prodigy who develops schizophrenia during his second year at Julliard where he studies violin and cello. Ayers becomes homeless in the streets of downtown Los Angeles while still playing both instruments and is discovered by Steve Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, who subsequently writes about Ayers.

On Thursday, November 5th, Karen Wacks will present a lecture entitled “Music and the Mind.” In speaking about her upcoming talk, Wacks relates, "the power of music to elevate the human spirit and bring a level of joy and ease is profound. Music can relieve depression and anxiety and help people cope with difficult life situations." She will speak to the healing power of music and its implications for mental health, as both a preventive practice to sustain mental wellness and as a therapeutic tool. Themes from "The Soloist" will be discussed and participants will be able to experience music therapy in action.

The following Thursday, November 12th, Music School faculty Matt Laughlin, cello, and Abigail Charbeneau, piano, will present “Inspirations: Masterworks by Bach, Beethoven, and Elgar.” The program is drawn from the soundtrack of the Dreamworks/Universal Pictures release of “The Soloist,” including selected movements of the Beethoven Sonata in A Major, Op. 69; the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, and the Bach Cello Suite in C Minor.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund and The Duprey Companies. Call 603-228-1196.

October 8, 2009 - Peggo Horstmann Hodes, M.Ed., M.Mus., offers Vibrant Voice Workshop at Concord Community Music School

Concord, N.H. – Vibrant Voice, a workshop for men and women who wish to explore and revel in the core of their creativity, will be held on Friday, November 13 from 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm, Saturday, November 14 from 10:00 am – 5:30 pm, and Sunday, November 15 from 9:00 am – noon. Peggo Horstmann Hodes will offer this Vibrant Voice Workshop entitled “Joy is a Song of the Soul” at the Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall Street, Concord, NH.

Vibrant Voice is an intimate and inspiring opportunity to explore the voices of our hearts and to tap into a level of creativity perhaps as yet unknown. This workshop, “Vibrant Voice: Joy is a Song of the Soul,” will offer participants the chance to explore the body as a divine instrument, find one’s inner voice through journaling, and sing joyfully together in a warm and supportive environment. Vibrant Voice will help participants open channels of air, sound, thoughts, dreams, wishes, emotions and creativity.

Whether you sing in the shower or on stage or just want to experience more playful creativity, this workshop will make your inner voice sing. According to a participant in past Vibrant Voice workshop, “We were shy, tender strangers at the beginning of the workshop. By the end, we were people bonded by our experience and dazzled by the wonder of what had poured forth from us during that time together.”

Registration for this workshop, co-sponsored by the Concord Community Music School, is $185 per participant and can be mailed to: 23 Wall Street, Concord, NH 03301. For more information about this workshop, please call (603) 228-1196.

September 9, 2009 - New Suzuki Violin Program at Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – The Music School is pleased to announce the addition of a Suzuki Violin Class to its Musical Bridge curriculum -- music instruction for children ages 4 – 8, linking early childhood classes with individual instruction and ensemble participation. Suzuki Violin classes will be taught by Lissa Thomas, a member of the Music School’s string faculty, and are offered to children ages 4 and up. Other Musical Bridge classes include percussion, recorder and chorus.

The Suzuki curriculum is based on the mother tongue method; most children learn to speak their native tongue with fluency and comfort, and music is a language that can be learned in the same manner. Musical ability is developed though listening and imitating the teacher and parent, so that students become comfortable with the instrument before learning to read music. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of this method, was the first to suggest that pre-school age children could begin to play the violin given the right environment, a combination of individual and group instruction, and appropriately-sized instruments.

Lissa Thomas, who joined the faculty in 2008, earned her Bachelor degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from Northern Arizona University, studying with Dr. Louise Scott with whom she completed her long term Suzuki teacher training in 1998. Ms. Thomas has performed with the Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona Opera Company, Allegro Sinfonia and most recently with the Bloomington Symphony in Minnesota. While leading the elementary and middle school orchestras in the Wayzata Public Schools in Plymouth, MN, in 2001 she started Dolce Studios, LLC, a Suzuki Talent Education studio in the Minneapolis area. Ms. Thomas has served as an adjudicator for solo and ensemble festivals and has served as a member of the Suzuki Association of Minnesota (SAM) Board of Directors as membership coordinator, graduation committee member, and president-elect. She is a faculty member of the summer Chiziibii Suzuki Institute in Bemidji, MN.

Located between Wall and Fayette Streets in downtown Concord, the Music School employs a faculty of 58 artist teachers who teach 1,400 students from more than 100 communities each week. With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music… for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196.

September 9, 2009 - Concord Community Music School Welcomes New Faculty Member

CONCORD, NH – The Concord Community Music School is pleased to welcome Jacqueline Morin to the piano faculty this fall. Ms Morin joins eleven other members of the piano department. Registration for fall instruction is underway for piano, and over 20 additional instruments and voice. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196 to arrange an orientation.

Ms. Morin received her MM in Piano Pedagogy from West Chester University and her BA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Plymouth State University. She has taught both privately and in group settings in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. For several years, Jacqueline has worked at the Plymouth State Piano Monster Camps, teaching theory, history, voice class, sight-reading, and coaching the ensembles.

While completing her Master’s degree at West Chester University, Jacqueline served as a graduate assistant for the Applied Music Department, participated in the 2008 Oxford Summer Program in-residence at Lincoln College of Oxford University, and was the 1st place winner of the West Chester Sight-reading Competition. Jacqueline has been an active member of the Music Teachers National Association since her teaching career began. She served four years as a collegiate chapter officer, including two consecutive years as president.

For more information, call the Music School, 603-228-1196.

To read earlier Music School news releases, please click here.