QPORIT

Sadly, yesterday, at the age of 93, the world lost a distinguished artist and writer and an incredible human being, Faith Ringgold.  

Several years ago, the JCC Thurnauer School of Music commissioned Rob Kapilow, a composer, music lecturer and their Artist in Residence, to compose a major work for orchestra and chorus inspired by Faith Ringgold’s children’s book We Came to America and by the spirit of her words, “We Came to America, every color, race, and religion from every country in the world.” 

We Came to America in Faith’s words is dedicated to all the children who come to America, may they find peace, freedom and prosperity in their new home. May we welcome them and inspire them to sustain a love and dedication to peace, freedom, and justice for all.

The breadth of the Thurnauer “We Came To America”  project integrates community outreach, explores and celebrates diversity, and strives to promote inclusive and equitable educational opportunities through the transformative power of music. 

The official launch of the project was the World Premiere performances of this work in January at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and Ember Choral Arts joining the Young Peoples Chorus at Thurnauer and the New Jersey Symphony.

The project includes concerts, as well as an educational curriculum and music that has components for students at every level.

Today, Sunday April 14, as part of Thurnauer’s “We Came to America” themed year, there will be a chamber music concert (in-person & online), with Sharon Roffman and other distinguished chamber music artists, featuring music by composers Dvorak, Weill, Berlin, and Stravinsky. who immigrated to America.

This concert will be dedicated to Faith Ringgold and the extraordinary accomplishments of her life.

Here are some links to Faith Ringgold’s story:

FAITH RINGGOLD – THE NEW YORK TIMES

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/arts/faith-ringgold-dead.html

FAITH RINGGOLD – WIKIPEDIA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Ringgold

MORE FAITH RINGGOLD LINKS

https://www.google.com/search?q=FAITH+RINGGOLD

Links to the Thurnauer “WE CAME TO AMERICA” project:

THURNAUER CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT April 14, 2024:

IMMIGRANT COMPOSERS

https://www.jccotp.org/event/chamber-music/

THE THURNAUER “WE CAME TO AMERICA” PROJECT

https://www.jccotp.org/event/we-came-to-america-2024/

THURNAUER “WE CAME TO AMERICA” PROJECT VIDEO

https://vimeo.com/895906383/

Labels: Berlin, Dvorak, Faith Ringgold, immigration, Sharon Roffman, Stravinsky, Thurnauer School of Music, We Came To America, Weill

# posted by QPORIT @ 2:22 AM 0 comments

The Thurnauer Chamber Music Series featuring artistic director, violinist Sharon Roffman opens its 26th season with a program "A Musical Celebration of Black History Month". The program features music by Florence Price, Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. Georges, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Harry Burleigh, J. Rosamund Johnson, William Grant Still, George Walker, and Margaret Bonds and lyrics by Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and James Weldon Johnson.   The performance features guest artists Jasmine Wilson, mezzo-soprano; Doori Na, violin; Melissa Reardson, viola;Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Thomas Sauer, piano.  ABOUT THE ARTISTS Violinist Sharon Roffman, prizewinner in the 2003 Naumburg Foundation International Competition, made her solo debut with the New Jersey Symphony in 1996. Since then, Ms. Roffman has forged a unique career distinguished by her versatility; she is equally sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader and music educator. In February 2018, Ms. Roffman was appointed concertmaster of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Ms. Roffman made her Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with Itzhak Perlman playing and conducting in 2004; she has performed all over the world as a guest concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony, the BBC Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre d’Auvergne, Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, principal 2nd of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Estonian Festival Orchestra, and as a frequent guest member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Roffman was “Violon Solo” of Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse from 2016-17 and a member of Orchestre National de France from 2009-2011. As a chamber musician, Ms. Roffman has collaborated with members of the Guarneri quartet, Juilliard Quartet, Brentano Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Avalon Quartet, and Miami Quartet among others, was a member of the critically acclaimed contemporary music ensemble counter)induction, and spent several summers performing at the Marlboro Music Festival. Passionate about combining performance and education, Ms. Roffman is the founder and artistic director of ClassNotes, a chamber music ensemble and non-profit organization dedicated to introducing public school students to classical music through interdisciplinary school residencies and performances. In 2015, Ms. Roffman premiered a new concerto by Bruce Adolphe (I Will Not Remain Silent) with the IRIS Orchestra and Michael Stern conducting, and created The Prinz Project – an online interdisciplinary curriculum and outreach initiative to accompany the concerto. In 2018, Ms. Roffman performed Bernstein’s Serenade with the Kansas City Symphony and created an accompanying website for audiences to explore the work in more detail. Ms. Roffman also created an online elementary school curriculum about the relationship between music and art for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and regularly teaches in elementary schools across Australia both live and via video conferencing. Ms. Roffman is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music; her former teachers include Itzhak Perlman, Donald Weilerstein, Peter Winograd, Robert Lipsett, Patinka Kopec and Nicole DiCecco. Cellist Raman Ramakrishnan is a member of the Horszowski Trio with violinist Jesse Mills and pianist Rieko Aizawa. The trio has performed across the United States, India, Japan, and in Hong Kong, and records for Bridge Records.  For eleven seasons, as a founding member of the Daedalus Quartet, he performed around the world.  Mr. Ramakrishnan is an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and is on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.  Grammy nominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. As a member of the Ensō String Quartet since 2006, Melissa has toured both nationally and internationally.  (This is the final season for the quartet, with its last performances scheduled for the summer of 2018.) Melissa is also a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), and is a sought-after collaborative musician.  . Jasmine Wilson is an American vocalist, poet, and educator based in New York.  She trained in classical vocal performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she also hosted and produced several Canadian radio programs. She has also taught music and English as a Second Language in France and Canada. Jasmine enjoys combining her international experience in music and media production into thoughtful educational exchanges in the arts.  In New York, Jasmine regularly performs classical works by underrepresented female composers and composers of color as a vocalist with The Dream Unfinished (TDU), an activist orchestra. Through TDU, she has collaborated with Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the DiMenna Center. Internationally, Jasmine has appeared with Canadian funk/R&B bands What It Is, the Morphtet, Freak Motif, and Kalmunity.  While in Montreal, Jasmine hosted SOUL PERSPECTIVES on CKUT 90.3 FM, as well as produced multiple radio programs for CJAD 800 Radio and the Kelly Alexander Show. She currently is a Community Engagement Specialist at New York's PBS Station, WNET. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, violinist Doori Na has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Riverside Symphony, New Music Project of Argento Chamber Ensemble, New Chamber Ballet, and Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach. Pianist Thomas Sauer is highly sought after as soloist and chamber musician in a wide range of repertoire. With his long-time duo partner Colin Carr, Mr. Sauer has appeared at the Wigmore Hall (London), the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Bargemusic (New York City), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston), and Princeton University, among many other venues. He has performed with members of the Juilliard String Quartet at the Library of Congress and given numerous concerts with the Brentano String Quartet. Mr. Sauer has performed at many of the leading festivals in the United States and abroad, including Marlboro, Caramoor, Music@Menlo, Chamber MusicNorthwest, and Taos, as well as Lake District Summer Music (England), Agassiz (Canada), Festival des Consonances (France), and Esbjerg Chamber Music Festival (Denmark). Mr. Sauer serves on the faculties of Mannes and Vassar Colleges, and was the founder and director of the Mannes Beethoven Institute, a highly regarded summer program that ran for fifteen seasons. 3 Questions with Sharon Roffman What inspired you to create a concert featuring Afro-American and Afro-European composers? There are a lot of great composers out there who, historically, have not always gotten the recognition that they deserve. With this concert and our spring concert of all female composers, I wanted to shine a light and share some fantastic music written by people who reflect the diversity of the communities we live in.  How did choose the repertoire for the program? Like always, I listened and listened and listened to lots of music and picked the pieces that I loved the most and would personally want to listen to. I had to make some really tough choices because there is so much interesting music out there! What can you tell us about the pieces or composers featured? Our singer Jasmine Wilson is singing two songs by two different composers based on texts by Langston Hughes, so it’s always interesting to see what choices composers make with their music to bring out the meaning of the texts. One of the pieces that I absolutely HAD to program was the Lyric for Strings by George Walker, who died only a few months ago, and was the first African American to win a Pulitzer prize for music. It is one of the most beautiful pieces you will ever hear. There is a piece by Harry Burleigh who worked closely with the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak when he lived in New York, and inspired Dvorak to use more African-American themes in his music. The piece we are playing for string quartet is based on songs he heard being sung in the plantations, in the era of slavery. And finally we will end the concert with a classic arrangement of Lift Every Voice and Sing by William Grant Still. When I ordered the music, I called the phone number of the publishing company and was excited to realize that I was speaking with William Grant Still’s daughter! The Chamber Music Series is made possible by generous contributions from Eva Holzer and the Konikow Chamber Music Fund For tickets or more information about the Thurnauer School of Music please call 201-408-1465. http://jccotp-px.learning.school/music-instruction
Sat, Jan 26 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM	$16.00 Member $20.00 Public

Labels: Black History Month, music, Sharon Roffman, Thurnauer Chamber Music Series, Thurnauer Music School

# posted by QPORIT @ 9:54 PM 0 comments

Labels: classical music, composer, conductor, Leonard Bernstein, Michael Stern, pianist, Serenade for Violin and Orchestra (after Plato's Symposium), Sharon Roffman

# posted by QPORIT @ 4:04 PM 0 comments

Labels: Bernstein's Serenade, Kansas City Symphony, Leonard Bernstein, Michael Stern, Plato, Plato;s Symposium, Sharon Roffman, Thurnauer School of Music

# posted by QPORIT @ 5:34 PM 0 comments

Labels: Bruce Adolphe, Joachim Prinz, Memphis, Michael Stern, Sharon Roffman, The Prinz Project. IRIS Orchestra

# posted by QPORIT @ 7:29 PM 0 comments

McGraw-Hill

CarnegieKids:

ClassNotes

Labels: Carnegie Hall, CarnegieKids, ClassNotes, McGraw-Hill, Performance Project, Sharon Roffman, University Settlement

# posted by QPORIT @ 5:29 PM 0 comments

Sharon Roffman

Labels: Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Cape May, Four Seasons, Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, Sharon Roffman, Spring String Fling, Violin Concerto, Vivaldi

# posted by QPORIT @ 10:45 PM 0 comments

Songs by Brahms, Schubert, Spirituals
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano
Webern Six Bagatelles for String Quartet
Schoenberg Ode to Napoleon
Original poetry by Gramercy Arts High School Students


Jasmine Lin and Sharon Roffman, violins
Max Mandel, viola
Clancy Newman, cello
Melvin Chen, piano
Charles Mays, Jr. bass-baritone
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Please join Class Notes and Gramercy Arts High School on December 12th at 7:00 pm for a beautiful evening of chamber music and poetry featuring works by Brahms, Ravel, Schoenberg and Webern and original poetry by Gramercy Arts Students.

This concert is the culmination of a residency at Gramercy Arts High School, where ClassNotes artists will have spent the preceding week leading students in an exploration of the relationship between music and poetry.

Three topics will be covered: the poetry of Langston Hughes as it relates to the blues, the music of Anton Webern and its commonality with the Haiku, and an examination of how composers set poems to music.

Students will create their own original poetry; selections of their work will be presented, along with chamber music pieces performed by ClassNotes' artists at the final concert on December 12th.

We are very proud of our partnership with Gramercy Arts High School and look forward to what will surely be a moving evening. Please come -- general admission tickets are only $10!


ClassNotes relies on donations to provide these outstanding programs to students. If you can, please consider supporting ClassNotes. Your donation directly makes it possible for public school children across America to experience high quality live performances and innovative music education. Any amount is much appreciated. Sponsor a workshop ($250) a half day of workshops ($500) or a full day of workshops ($1000) and join us for a VIP champagne reception with the artists following the December 12 concert. To donate or buy tickets to the concert, please send checks to the PO Box address below, with your name, contact info, and number of tickets requested. (All donations $250 and up include 2 concert tickets.) General admission tickets will also be available at the door.


Check out our website for videos, musicians' bios and more info about ClassNotes. http://www.classnotesinfo.org/
We hope to see you at the concert!


All best,
Sharon Roffman
founder/artistic director ClassNotes


ClassNotes
PO Box 1753
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
info@classnotesinfo.org
216-759-0095


ClassNotes is a non-profit organization committed to introducing public school students to classical music through interactive workshops and concerts led by critically acclaimed young musicians.

By presenting teaching musicians who are exemplary artists, articulate speakers, and charismatic personalities, ClassNotes seeks to inspire enthusiastic and engaged new listeners.

Labels: Charles Mays, Clancy Newman, ClassNotes, Jasmin Lin, Max Mandel, Melvin Chen, Sharon Roffman

# posted by QPORIT @ 10:22 PM 0 comments

The road leading to Stone Barns

This July, two Long Island wineries will serve up FOOD OF LOVE, a light-hearted look at love with words by William Shakespeare and wine by the glass.

Produced by Spitfire Theatre, this unique theatrical experience is created and directed by Abigail Anderson, an English director who has worked at Shakespeare's Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Anderson has been described by The Oxford Times as "one of the most exciting and eclectic young directors in the UK."

Laugh with Benedick and Beatrice, sigh with Romeo and Juliet, get steamy with Petruchio and Kate! FOOD OF LOVE brings together some of Shakespeare's most romantic love scenes, songs, and poems in a specially created show for some of Long Island's most picturesque outdoor locations.

Audiences will have the chance to sample the local wines as part of a relaxed summer evening, in addition to exploring the vineyards and enjoying the show.

Director Abigail Anderson says, "The beauty of Shakespeare's language is perfectly complemented by the beautiful surroundings of Long Island's wineries. We're delighted to have the chance to perform here and, in doing so, throw the spotlight on to the flourishing wine-growing community on the North and South Forks."

The 50 minute performance showcases the talent of four professional actors, all experienced Shakespearean performers, who will move in and around the audience to create an unforgettable and intimate theatre experience. The cast is: Khris Lewin, Adam Mastrelli, Amy Prosser, and Laura Rikard.

FOOD OF LOVE is the beginning of a long term project by Spitfire Theatre to bring high quality, accessible and inspiring Shakespeare performances to Long Island.

Performances will take place rain or shine as follows:

Friday, July 11 at 7:00pm
Palmer Vineyards in Aquebogue, Long Island
Located at 5120 Sound Avenue Aquebogue, NY 11931

Directions: Take the LIE to last exit (exit 73). Continue east on RT 58 to Osborne Ave. Turn left. Drive to end (Sound Ave). Turn right. Drive 6 miles to Palmer Vineyards, on the left.

Wine writer Howard Goldberg once described Palmer as, "Long Island's most important winery." Palmer wines are sold in many states across the country and can be found in many top restaurants such as Gallaghers Steak House, Fultons Crabhouse, The View Restaurant, and many more.


Saturday, July 12 at 7:00pm
Castello di Borghese in Cutchogue, Long Island
Located at 17150 County Route 48, Cutchogue, NY 11935

Directions: Take the L.I. Expressway I-495 to Exit 73 toward Greenport/ Orient. This is CR-58. Follow for 2 miles until reaching roundabout. Take 2nd exit off roundabout, continuing on CR-58. Turn left onto Northville Turnpike/CR-43 at traffic light. Turn right onto Sound Ave. at stop sign. Castello di Borghese will be approximately 9 miles on your right.

Winner of "Best Winery" Editor's Choice Award from Long Island Press. Borghese Vineyard has the oldest vines producing the finest wines in this winemaking region. Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are their signature wines, along with many award winners including Meritage and Chardonnay.



All tickets are $55.00 in advance and $60 at the door. Tickets are available at http://www.theatermania.com/ or toll-free 1-866-811-4111.

Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

For more information visit http://www.spitfiretheatre.com/.

Labels: Blue Hill, Shakespeare, Sharon Roffman, Stone Barns

# posted by QPORIT @ 2:16 AM 0 comments

A note from Sharon Roffman:

=>On Tuesday, March 18 at 8:00 my new music group, counter)induction will be performing world premieres of composers' Anthony Coleman and Douglas Boyce, as well as other works by contemporary masters at Merkin Concert Hall. For more info:

http://www.kaufman-center.org/tc/mch0708/ff_031808.php


=>On Saturday, March 22, I will be performing the Brahms Piano Quintet with Itzhak Perlman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
http://www.metmuseum.org/tickets/calendar/view.asp?id=2084

(Mar 24, 2008-- Bloggers Note: See the picture and review of this concert in the NY Times Mon, Mar 24, p E3!)

=>Back to the Met again on Thursday, March 27 at 7 PM for Vivaldi concertos with the fabulous flutist Paula Robison. Don't miss this as it is the last concert ever of Paula's series in the Temple of Dendur at the Met!!!

http://www.metmuseum.org/tickets/calendar/view.asp?id=2127


=>For all you downtown hipsters, I am playing two very cool shows at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn on March 28 and 29. I will be performing two brand new works by Elizabeth Brown with the Momenta quartet. One piece is for string quartet and theremin. This is the most fascinating instrument, manipulated through radio waves, and sounding eerily like a human voice. The music will be performed with a video installation by artist Lothar Osterberg. The other piece is for string quartet and shakuhachi, a Japanese recorder-like instrument with a deep, rich sound. It is very cool, and even worth the shlep to Brooklyn. (Just kidding, brooklynites!)

http://www.issueprojectroom.org/events.html


=>Finally, on April 13 I will be playing a recital with pianist Thomas Osuga presented by the Puffin Foundation in Teaneck, NJ. Works by Prokofiev, Schubert, and Bach.

http://www.puffinfoundation.org/forum/forum_new/calendar/April.html

Labels: Itzhak Perlman, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paula Robison, Sharon Roffman, violin

# posted by QPORIT @ 3:26 PM 0 comments

The restaurant: Blue Hill at Stone Barns

"A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND FOOD"

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Concert - 6:30 pm
Dinner - 7:30 pm

Celebrate the Food and Music of Spain with Blue at Stone Barns and Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns welcomes Michelin star Chef Fernando del Cerro of Casa Jose. For generations Casa Jose, a family owned tavern in Aranjuez, has relied on the ingredients from the town’s surrounding orchards and farms. Fernando and the chefs of Blue Hill at Stone Barns will create a 4-course dinner and Spanish wine paring that melds Stone Barns’ abundant summer offerings and Aranjuez’s regional cuisine.

The evening will begin with a concert in Stone Barns’ Hay Barn featuring award-winning violinist Sharon Roffman

Sharon will be joined by a stellar group of musicians performing music of Spain from 1685 to the present, including the world premiere of Galician Folk Dances by contemporary Spanish composer, Octavio Vasquez.

The cost for the 4-course dinner and wine paring as well as the concert is $125.00 per guest exclusive of tax and gratuity.

Admission for the concert is $10 per person.

For reservations, please call 914.366.9600.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
630 Bedford Road
Pocantico Hills, NY 10591
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BlueHill/6f8e969ad5/92498455fa/3a8da34084

Labels: Blue Hill, Fernando del Cerro, Sharon Roffman, Stone Barns

# posted by QPORIT @ 5:20 PM 0 comments