Last Sunday, December 8th, was a really special day. The performance with Parlando on their “Sidewalk Tango” concert was a ton of fun to put together, and will go down as one of the more memorable performances. I am growing to believe that Erwin Schulhoff is an underrated composer who deserves quite a bit more attention! Unsuk Chin’s Gougalon was an epic piece to put together, and I really enjoyed the percussive elements, including those that were contributed by the woodwind and brass players. It was also a great joy getting to perform with JP Jofre on this concert, and it was the first time getting to perform with him since sometime around 2008 or 2009, when we were both fairly new on the New York City scene! If you want to read one of the reviews from the concert, feel free to check one out here!
Looking ahead, I have two fun performances this weekend that I am gearing up for! The first concert is with The Bogmen, who are a fun rock group that got their start on Long Island in the 80s and 90s, and are putting on a performance at the Tilles Center (on the campus of LIU Post), which will include a chamber ensemble! They are a talented group and I have really been enjoying collaborating with them. If you want to check them out, I encourage you to come join us on Saturday, December 14th, at 8pm.
On Sunday, December 15th at 4pm, I will be performing with the Queens College Choral Society in the Colden Auditorium. It is always a treat to perform with this group of talented singers, accompanied with an awesome chamber orchestra. We are performing Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, and Frank London’s Anthem from the work 1001 Voices (in which Judith Sloan is the librettist). To find out more about this performance, please feel free to check out their website.
Shifting gears for a second, I want to take the opportunity to get the word out for the 4th Annual Aaron Copland School of Music Viola Day, taking place at Queens College on Wednesday, February 19th from 10am-4:30pm. This will be an exciting viola extravaganza open to students Grades 7-12, College Students, Professional Musicians, Music Educators, and Adult Amateurs! Please help us get the word out about this! I will be sharing more details as they come up, and will be reaching out to many people about this individually in the weeks ahead!
Gregory K. Williams 