I hope that if you are reading this, that you have been having a great summer! I have been in the thick of things this summer, having been a part of several rewarding performances. I apologize for being a bit quiet, but part of me has been trying to be present in the moments around me! I also wanted to share a few upcoming concerts that I will be a part of later this month (and getting into September).
Last month, I had the distinct pleasure of performing with MOSSO (Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra) Springfield Chamber Players at Sevenars, in Worthington, Massachusetts, on July 27th. It was a really fun concert, performing two movements of Borodin’s String Quartet (the Scherzo, and legendary Nocturne), two movements of Paul Chihara’s Duke Ellington Suite, Bernard Herrmann’s Clarinet Quintet, along with Vaughan Williams’s Six Studies in English Folksong. We also ended with an encore of “By the Sea,” from Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, that I arranged for Clarinet Quintet. I will share a link to the recording of Herrmann’s quintet when it is available online.
On July 31st, I had the honor of performing with The Dream Unfinished, on their 10th anniversary concert titled “Keep Cathedrals High!” This concert took place at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. It was a really moving performance with several really phenomenal musicians! I had the opportunity to perform Julia Perry’s Pastoral, and two movements of David N. Baker’s Refractions: a suite for String Orchestra.
Today, I will be performing with Belle Voci, performing Reena Esmail’s I Rise: Women in Song. Our first performance will be taking place this afternoon, Sunday August 10th, at Christ Church in Oyster Bay, NY (at the home church of former President Theodore Roosevelt). We will be performing again on Friday, August 15th, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington, NY.
I am also excited to be performing as part of the Ninnet Trio! We will be performing on a few upcoming performances, including one on August 24th, where we will be part of a Chamber Brunch concert at Ninnet, 342 New York Avenue, in Huntington, NY. If you haven’t been to Ninnet, it is a magical performance venue in Huntington. The Ninnet Trio, will also be performing on September 28th, returning to the “Music at the Gate” series, at St. Mary Gate of Heaven in Ozone Park, NY. What is special about these performances is that it will include performances with the Golden Williams Duo (particularly with Caroline Shaw’s Limestone and Felt), and I will be performing on both violin AND viola!
I will have more details to share about the upcoming season soon, as more events reveal themselves!
Gregory K. Williams 