Mandolin Festival Concert Video - Concord Community Music School

David Surette Mandolin Festival – May 2023

On Saturday, May 6, 2023, mandolin festival participants and audience members gathered in the Music School Recital Hall for the David Surette Mandolin Festival Concert, featuring Marla Fibish, Skip Gorman, Keith Murphy and Steve Roy with special guests Susie, Isa and Julianna Burke.

Steve Cloutier from Concord TV captured the concert and we are happy to share the footage from their YouTube channel. Check it out below (be sure to watch both parts 1 and 2)!

Recent News

CCMS Ensembles Show How to “Be The Change”

by Jeff Selesnick For years, choral ensembles have been a flagship offering for Concord Community School. With concerts dotted intermittently throughout the performance calendar, there are regular opportunities to hear these groups perform, each with their own unique makeup and style. On June 1, as part of CCMS’ year-long celebration of its 40th anniversary, for the first time in school history, five different vocal ensembles will come together for the “Be the Change” collaborative choral festival at South Congregational Church in Concord. The quintet of choral groups features a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and musical styles. The Canterbury Singers, a teens and adults ensemble directed by Kathy Southworth, partners with nearby Canterbury Shaker Village to present authentic Shaker music, as well as American folk songs and early American music. Peggo Horstmann Hodes founded the Northern Lights Women’s Vocal Ensemble in 2018 and the group sings folk, jazz, classical, pop and beyond. The Purple Finches are the youngest of the groups with members ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade and Director Maria Isaak “searching to find balance in the repertoire with pieces that are accessible, will expand the students’ knowledge base, and also stretch them musically.” Jennie O’Brien will lead the Songweavers Women’s Chorus, which will be accompanied by the Songweaver Drummers led by Grace and Lindsey Schust. Sunset Singers, led by Kathy Burpee, rounds out the represented ensembles. “I love the fact that we are all gathering to have a special concert to sing together and to celebrate the 40 years that the school has been here,” says Burpee. Hodes believes “this will create deeper connections between people and voices that is very powerful. We will get to hear and see everyone sing in their own groups, which is something we have never been able to do.” The idea for the concert was born during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, when the CCMS vocal ensembles (along with the rest of the school’s students) were forced to find creative ways to come together. From finicky Zoom rehearsals to parking lot practice sessions, the ensembles persevered and rallied behind an anthem entitled “We Rise Again” (which will be performed at the concert) that Canterbury Singers director Kathy Southworth hand-picked for the moment. “I had a vision of all of our singing groups at CCMS performing it together once we were able to sing together again,” recalls Southworth. “I talked about the idea with Maria and Peggo and both agreed that this would be an exciting endeavor if we could pull it off given all the variables.” Each group has found its own unique way to prepare for this concert nearly four years in the making. Isaak’s Purple Finches, for example, will participate in a single combined rehearsal with the other groups ahead of the concert, but have made good use of practice recordings, Google classroom, and the mentoring structure within the chorus to prepare. “This is always an invaluable experience for many reasons,” notes Isaak. “That concert space will be filled enthusiastic, joyful adults who are rooting for these youngsters and sharing that hope and joy quite directly with them; through performing together and literally singing the same lyrics.” With all groups eager to share the stage in this celebratory event, the hope is for a shared joyous experience among singers and audiencemembers. “My hope is that the audience will smile broadly, be touched by the sweetness of the sound of all these singers, and feel connected to CCMS in a visceral way,” says Hodes. “And the singers will feel the same as the audience, plus the joy of celebrating CCMS and 40 years of music-making in our home away from home.” Members of the Northern Lights Women’s Vocal Ensemble prepare for the upcoming “Be the Change” Concert on June 1. Advance ticket purchase is recommended: learn more and order tickets here.

There are certain familiar elements on any given afternoon when classes are in session at Concord Community Music School. Parents navigating the Fayette Street lot to drop off or pick up their kids, students ducking into practice rooms to prepare for an upcoming lesson, and a unique blend of melodies emanating from the hallways. Familiar faces are a key part of this fabric as well, and one of the most familiar is that of singer/songwriter Sarah Cooley. Along with being a music therapy student since 2015, Cooley has performed her music at multiple CCMS-sponsored events, started taking piano lessons this past fall, and has been a constant voice for disability awareness in the community. She also regularly volunteers her time to assist in the Music School’s community outreach and is joined in her efforts by her parents Seddon Savage and current CCMS trustee Carl Cooley, who have been CCMS supporters for years. Music Therapist Tony Varga started working with Cooley in the fall of 2023 and immediately took note of her artistic sense and passion for writing lyrics. While he takes the lead on developing melodies and chord progressions for their co-authored songs, Cooley crafts the lyrics, which she often uses as an outlet for emotional release, self-advocacy, and to promote disability awareness. “Sarah is always appreciative of the time and work that we put into her music, and it is gratifying to witness those special moments when she feels totally empowered by the art that she has created,” says Varga. Piano department co-chair Kathy Southworth notes that “(Sarah) understands the power of music for self-expression and for sharing with others. It’s always a happy moment to see her walk through the door!” Sarah was inspired to share her thoughts about her music, her lessons, and her time at CCMS in a piece she titles, “My Experience.”My Experience by Sarah Cooley It has been great being a part of the Concord Community Music School. I have been going there for nine years as a student and have gotten to know the faculty and staff. I have had some traumatic experiences in my life including bullying when I was young and several complicated hospital experiences, so music therapy has been a great way for me to work through my feelings about those experiences. I like to write song lyrics, and my music therapists have helped me set those lyrics to music and occasionally perform. My first music therapists were Julieann Hartley and Matt Roy, and I went on to work with Katy Gibney and Keady Kanelos. I am currently studying with another music therapist named Tony Varga. He’s an amazing guy, and I am enjoying my time with him. Tony has been helping me address my feelings through music including singing, rapping, and recording.For a long time, I had been wanting to take piano lessons in addition to music therapy. Fortunately, I was able to begin lessons this fall with Alex Tkaczevski, a new teacher at the Music School whom I met at the CCMS open house in September.I also enjoy volunteering at Music School events and helping the staff with special projects. Finally, I am proud to be a donor to the school. I love being a part of this organization and sharing my love of music with others who love music.Within the next few months, Sarah will be starting what she calls “a new chapter” in her life: moving to Sarasota, Florida. Although Sarah has lived mostly independently in her Concord apartment for years, this will be the first time she’s living so far from her family and friends. She admits to being equal parts excited and nervous at the prospect. She hopes that her current NH employer will allow her to transfer to its Sarasota store; otherwise, she’ll look for a job elsewhere. Sarah looks forward to staying in touch with her CCMS musical family.###

Hot jazz and cool temperatures have always been a successful formula for Concord Community Music School. For decades, local enthusiasts and aficionados made their way to CCMS’s Wall St., Concord building for an annual “Jazz in January” event highlighting the Music School’s Jazz faculty and celebrating the genre. Following a brief pandemic-induced hiatus, the tradition of winter-time jazz relaunched at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in downtown Concord. It continues next month with the second annual Jazz Night on March 7 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage (part of the Capitol Center for the Arts; CCA). Bassist Matt Hogan, who will be performing at the upcoming event, was one of many community members who expressed his fondness for the event and has been instrumental in the rebirth of the beloved tradition. “I remember seeing CCMS staff onstage at some of the early “Jazz in January” events almost 25 years ago and feeling inspired that my teachers were able to jump in and play such great music while having fun doing so,” he says. CCMS Executive Director Daniel Acsadi, who first learned of Jazz in January from both faculty and community members like Hogan, who expressed how much they enjoyed having a dedicated event showcasing the school’s jazz programming. Ascadi looks forward to building on the “Jazz in January” legacy and continuing to bring Jazz music to the Concord community. “The Bank of New Hampshire Stage is an ideal venue for a jazz show and is located very close to CCMS,” he says. “We are lucky to have a number of extraordinary nonprofit organizations in Concord like the Capitol Center for the Arts; I know we’ll continue to create beautiful artistic moments and complement Concord’s cultural landscape.” This year’s event features “The CCMS Jazz All-Stars”, a quartet comprised of Music School faculty and alumni. Group leader and CCMS faculty member Eric Klaxton (saxophone) is joined by Jazz Night veterans Hogan (bass) and fellow faculty member Jared Steer (drums), while Music School alum Mark Shilansky (piano) will be making his event debut. The program is dedicated to the music of drummer Max Roach; a bandleader, composer, and social activist who shared the stage with the likes of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, and who helped shape the civil rights era with his music. “CCMS has a long history of offering excellent jazz education and has always had jazz faculty known both for being great educators and performers,” says Klaxton. “It’s important for students, families, and the community at large to see that jazz and improvised music remains part of our culture and is a contemporary art form, not just a thing of the past.” “It’s one thing to show up play a gig, but to put on a proper concert always requires a little creativity to keep your audience engaged,” notes Hogan. For example, at last year’s event, dedicated to the music of famed jazz record label Blue Note Records, Klaxton and Hogan made use of Bank of New Hampshire Stage’s audio/video capabilities and large screen to project the album artwork behind the musicians as they played. They plan to do something similar this year. “We’re fortunate to get to play such an inspiring room and owe it to everyone to try and make something special happen,” added Hogan. And while the Jazz Night performers won’t divulge the full scope of the program, they’re hoping to include a handful of surprise elements for the audience to enjoy. “We hope to have a few tricks up our sleeve,” notes Hogan. “Stay tuned!” – Jeff Selesnick Join us for the Max Roach Centennial Celebration on March 7, 2024 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage. Tickets on sale through the Capitol Center for the Arts here. Your admission ticket includes a pre-show reception featuring food by local favorites Hermanos and Constantly Pizza.