The Collective Brass quintet returns to The Westport Library to perform an eclectic concert of music spanning the centuries and across continents. Featuring music by Bach, Monteverdi, Lutoslavski, Steven Sacco, and Kenny Wheeler.

Please register for this in-person event.

Raised in a musical household in California, Carl Stanley's trumpet career has taken him around the globe. After completing his bachelor's degree in music in 2008 from California State University, East Bay, Carl won a position with the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band in Hampton, Virginia. In his four years as Trumpet in the Concert Band and a member of the Heritage Brass Quintet, Carl toured throughout the United States, performing in concerts, recitals, ceremonies, professional sporting events, competitions, and conventions as an Air Force musician. Deploying to the Middle East, he was also able to perform in an outreach band, which utilized music as a partnership-building tool to better U.S. relations in war-torn regions. Carl left the Air Force in 2013 to complete his Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music. Upon graduating in May of 2015, he transitioned into the U.S. Army as a member of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point.

Bill Owens is currently the Associate Principal Trumpet of the West Point Band. Upon receiving his bachelor’s from the Juilliard School in 2005, Bill moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a free-lance chamber and orchestral musician. He quickly established himself by performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony, the Santa Barbara Symphony as well as  numerous other orchestras in Southern California. For six years, Bill was a member of the national touring ensemble, Presidio Brass. While maintaining a busy performing schedule with Presidio, Bill and organist Alison Luedecke performed recitals in venues throughout SoCal.  He continues to write, edit, and arrange music for his instrument within varying contexts to include original music for solo trumpet, electro acoustic compositions for trumpet and computer, and a series of arrangements for solo trumpet and organ.

Drew Mangus is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he began playing horn in public school. He was taught by his father, a horn player and band director. Drew joined the West Point Band at the United States Military Academy in 2014, but prior to that performed with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. Drew earned a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Oklahoma, studying under Eldon Matlick and a Master of Music Performance from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Gregory Hustis and Haley Hoops of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Trombonist Alaina Alster has been a member of the West Point Band since 2013. Prior to joining the West Point Band, Alaina was an active freelance musician in New York City, where she enjoyed a career performing a wide range of musical genres. Alaina continues to perform with several ensembles, specifically as a member of PitchBlak Brass Band, a 10-piece hip-hop brass band based out of Brooklyn. She is also a music educator and has worked as a teaching artist for the Phil Ramone Orchestra for Children, as well as a private music instructor. Originally from Long Island, Alaina began playing the trombone at the age of 9, but shortly after switched to euphonium. In 2002, she was accepted to the University of Michigan as a double major in trombone and euphonium performance, studying with David Jackson and Fritz Kaenzig. Alaina then received her master's in trombone performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2010 studying with Stephen Norrell.

Keith Kile, originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is the Principal Tubist of The West Point Band. Outside The West Point Band, Keith is an active freelancer and has performed recently with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Reykjavik, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Also a passionate educator, Keith is on faculty at The New School's Mannes Prep in New York City and the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. Prior to moving to New York, Keith performed regularly on both tuba and euphonium and appeared with The Mr. Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band, the Hal Leonard Studio Ensemble, numerous regional orchestras in the Midwest and Southeast, and served in the 129th Army National Guard Band for eleven years. As a successful soloist, Keith was selected the winner of the prestigious Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition and is now a regular performer at conferences around the United States.  Keith holds a degree in Music Education from Tennessee Tech University, an M.M. from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and is currently pursuing a D.M.A. at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Keith and his wife Katie got a little place in Harlem and are figuring it out.

History of Music
Contemporary Classical Music

Orchestra Lumos' Small Space Series presents concerts created and performed by their musicians and performed in our communities. Whatever the collective noun is for a quartet of double basses, this unique program showcases the captivating, unexpected collaboration of the Orchestra's double bass section.

The program will include Quartet for Double Basses 1947 by Gunther Schuller, Quartet by Joseph Lauber, Carmen Fantasy by Georges Bizet, and Saber Dance by Aram Khachaturian.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

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Performer Bios

Peter Weitzner, a graduate of the Juilliard School, has performed with Solisti New York, the Jupiter Symphony, EOS Ensemble, SONYC, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Stamford Symphony, Musicians Accord, and the New Jersey Symphony. As soloist, he has appeared with the Baltimore Symphony and performed the New York premiere of Sheila Silver’s Chant for bass and piano. Weitzner has been a frequent participant at international music festivals including Mostly Mozart, OK Mozart, Cape May, Festival of the Hamptons, Bratislava Music Festival, and the Bruckner Festival in Linz, Austria. Weitzner is currently the curator and host of the BPL Chamber Players at the Brooklyn Public Library. He has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orion, Ensō and Daedalus Quartets, Trio Solisti, New York Chamber Ensemble, Yale at Norfolk, Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival, New York Philomusica, Garden City Chamber Music Society, Sherman Chamber Ensemble, and the Berkshire Bach Society. He has also performed with dance companies and Merce Cunningham’s 80th birthday celebration. His work can be heard on several record labels. He is also a frequent contributor of concert recordings to NPR’s Performance Today.

Rick Ostrovsky is a member of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Stamford Symphony, other notable orchestras with which he plays include the American Composers Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.  He has also regularly played with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York City Ballet. He has toured extensively with a variety of ensembles, playing in major concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. Ostrovsky performs and teaches at the Eastern Music Festival, and also performs with the ASO at the Bard Music Festival. He can be heard on orchestral recordings of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and is the solo bassist on the recordings of the Gowanus Arts Ensemble. Ostrovsky was a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and was the solo bass with the Soviet Émigré Orchestra. He has also performed on Broadway for shows such as A Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Ostrovsky received both his B.M. and M.M. from the Juilliard School.

Troy Rinker has performed with the West Side Chamber Orchestra, New York City Chamber Orchestra, New York Symphonic Ensemble, Oratorio Society of New York, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, SONOS Chamber Orchestra, EOS Chamber Orchestra, SEM Ensemble, New York Pops, and the Stamford Symphony. Rinker teaches at the Third Street Music Settlement, the Noel Pointer Foundation, and Kinhaven. He is a graduate of Indiana University, the University of Central Arkansas, and The Juilliard School. His summer festival credits include OK Mozart, Tanglewood, Spoleto, the Naumburg Bandshell concerts, the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and Caramoor. Rinker can be heard on labels Sony Classical, Telarc, Naxos, North/South, and in studio recordings for television and film.

Andrew Trombley, hailed as a “stand-out performer” by the NY Concert review, holds the position of principal bass for the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal Bass for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and is a section member of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra. Trombley performs with the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera. He has also collaborated with international artists such as JP Jofre, Joseph Lin, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and members from Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As a recording artist, Trombley performed on soundtracks for A Dog’s Purpose, Hundred Foot Journey, and Noah, to name a few. A native of Monticello, New York, Trombley and his violinist wife, Akiko Hosoi, returned to his roots to establish The Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra in collaboration with local arts nonprofit, Nesin Cultural Arts. Trombley coaches students from his alma mater, the Monticello Central School District and the Wappingers Central School District. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music.

History of Music

IF YOU MISSED THE PROGRAM, YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.

The Fader-Gendron-Haas Trio presents an afternoon of romantic piano trios. All three members of the trio were born and raised in Connecticut, yet it wasn’t until they met in New York City (where they are currently based), and after they graduated from the Juilliard School, that they began making music together. Their ever-growing repertoire encompasses the hallmarks of the standard classical and romantic trio repertoire alongside newly commissioned works.

The concert will include Brahms Piano Trio no. 3 op. 101 and Mendelssohn Piano Trio no. 2 op. 66.  Both trios are in the key of C minor, and offer the full range of human emotion, from fury and passion, to tenderness, mischief and religious exaltation.

 

Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Lauded by the New York Times as a “brilliant soloist” and by Strad for her “marvelous and lyrical playing,” violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron enjoys a dynamic career based in New York City. She is a member of the Momenta Quartet (Artists-in-Residence at Binghamton University) and has been on the roster of the Marlboro Music Festival and Musicians from Marlboro since 2011. She also appears with A Far Cry, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Orpheus, Talea Ensemble, Sejong, and IRIS Orchestra (as one of its concertmasters). She is a founding member of  Ensemble Échappé, a new-music sinfonietta, and the Gamut Bach Ensemble, in residence at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Her international appearances have included festivals in Russia, Finland, Indonesia, South Korea, and Jordan; and major venues across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Ms. Gendron was trained at the Juilliard School where her teachers were Dorothy DeLay, Won-Bin Yim, Hyo Kang, David Chan, and
Axel Strauss. She holds a B.A. in Classics from Columbia University and a Master of Music degree and the coveted Artist Diploma from Juilliard.

Michael Haas, cello
Hailed as a “sterling musician” by the Washington Post, cellist Michael Haas engages audiences in New York City and around the world. As a member of the Momenta Quartet he enjoys performing new and adventurous works alongside those of the classical canon. He also appears with ensembles such as the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Symphony, Ensemble Échappé, Mark Morris Dance Group, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Trinity Wall Street's NOVUS NY.
He has performed at the Library of Congress and the National Gallery, and participated in the 2017 Ostrava Days Festival for new and experimental music in the Czech Republic. Momenta has worked with over 120 living composers and premiered over 100 new works. This season marks their debut at the chamber music societies of Philadelphia and Louisville. An experienced orchestra musician as well, Mr. Haas was a member of the New Haven Symphony and performs regularly with the New Jersey Symphony, IRIS Orchestra, and Princeton Symphony. Originally from Windsor, CT, he holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard School. His primary teachers include David Soyer, Peter Wiley, Joel Krosnick, Darrett Adkins, and Marcy Rosen.

Melody Fader, piano
Melody Fader enjoys a busy career as a soloist, chamber musician, vocal and dance accompanist. She has performed in such iconic New York venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and internationally in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Guatemala, Chile, Canada and Italy. Ms. Fader is the founder, artistic director, and pianist for her Melody and Company Chamber Series ensemble. Her first commercial album, Music of Frederic Chopin, was released in February 2012 and she is currently working on her second album. For two seasons Ms. Fader served as company pianist and soloist for Dance Theatre of Harlem and is the resident pianist with New Chamber Ballet for their annual performance cycle at New York’s City Center, and has also performed with Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Buglisi Dance Theater and the New York Theater Ballet and Stars of American Ballet. Ms. Fader was a prize winner at both the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition and the Aspen Concerto Competition, leading to solo as well as chamber music performances throughout the U.S. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at the Juilliard School, where she studied with Margo Garrett.

Contemporary Classical Music
History of Music

Clipper Erickson, the distinguished American pianist and a recognized scholar of Nathaniel Dett and his music, will serve as Artistic Advisor to the Heida 2022 and give a lecture on Nathaniel Dett. The 2022 Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition will spotlight the unjustly neglected music for solo piano of the important African-American composer, Nathaniel Dett. Born in Canada, Dett studied and made his career in the United States, and is one of the great American composers of the 20th century and a trailblazing figure in the history of Black composers of classical music. 

Please register to attend.

Hosted by MoCA Westport, the 2022 Heida Hermanns Music Competition will bring four of the world’s top young pianists to Westport, Connecticut to compete over the course of three days in one of America’s most celebrated cultural communities. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000, and each of the other finalists will receive a prize of $2,500. All four finalists will also receive meals and lodging in Westport during their stay, with access to a grand piano for their use. In addition to a cash prize, the Winner shall receive an invitation to perform a solo recital at MoCA Westport, at a later date.

Prior winners include celebrated pianists who have gone on to perform in the world’s most important halls, such as Spencer Myer, Frederic Chiu, Josh Wright, Timur Mustikimov, and Yue Chu.

History of Music
Vinyl Record Collecting

The four 2022 Heida Competition Finalists will give Masterclasses at the Westport Library as a component of the three-day competition. Each Finalist will be required to demonstrate their coaching skills to a young pianist studying in the Westport area. The Masterclasses are free and open to the public.

Please register to attend. 

Hosted by MoCA Westport, the 2022 Heida Hermanns Music Competition will bring four of the world’s top young pianists to Westport, Connecticut to compete over the course of three days in one of America’s most celebrated cultural communities. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000, and each of the other finalists will receive a prize of $2,500. All four finalists will also receive meals and lodging in Westport during their stay, with access to a grand piano for their use. In addition to a cash prize, the Winner shall receive an invitation to perform a solo recital at MoCA Westport, at a later date.

Prior winners include celebrated pianists who have gone on to perform in the world’s most important halls, such as Spencer Myer, Frederic Chiu, Josh Wright, Timur Mustikimov, and Yue Chu.

History of Music 
Contemporary Classical Music

 

The four 2022 Heida Competition Finalists will give Masterclasses at the Westport Library as a component of the three-day competition. Each Finalist will be required to demonstrate their coaching skills to a young pianist studying in the Westport area. The Masterclasses are free and open to the public.

Please register to attend. 

Hosted by MoCA Westport, the 2022 Heida Hermanns Music Competition will bring four of the world’s top young pianists to Westport, Connecticut to compete over the course of three days in one of America’s most celebrated cultural communities. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000, and each of the other finalists will receive a prize of $2,500. All four finalists will also receive meals and lodging in Westport during their stay, with access to a grand piano for their use. In addition to a cash prize, the Winner shall receive an invitation to perform a solo recital at MoCA Westport, at a later date.

Prior winners include celebrated pianists who have gone on to perform in the world’s most important halls, such as Spencer Myer, Frederic Chiu, Josh Wright, Timur Mustikimov, and Yue Chu.

History of Music 
Contemporary Classical Music

 

Did you know September is Classical Music Month? Explore the musical work and creative process of Arturo Toscanini through the eyes of first violinist, Samuel Antek. His daughter and co-author, Lucy Antek Johnson, will be in conversation with Mary-Lou Weisman about these two men and the powerful impact they made on her life and the world of classical music.

Johnson's new book, This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father and Me, is an expanded edition of her father’s original, intimate, behind-the-scenes musical memoir about his 17 years playing under the baton of the legendary conductor, Arturo Toscanini – once considered the most famous man in the world.

Register to attend in person or online. Books are available for sale!

Samuel Antek's book takes us behind the scenes during hundreds of rehearsals, concerts, tours and often grueling recording sessions as though we’re actually sitting among the players. Illustrated by Robert Hupka’s iconic candid photographs of Toscanini in action, the reader is witness to Toscanini’s painstaking and often explosive process of making beautiful music.

Johnson’s newly written essays introducing her father’s original chapters highlight his own musical rise from first violinist to conductor and musical director of major American orchestras, while sharing her own reflections of what it was like to grow up with such a gifted father and the impact that Toscanini had on their family and her father’s career, creating a remarkable contemporary look into a unique era in classical music history.

Read a review of This Was Toscanini.

Lucy Antek Johnson, Samuel Antek's daughter, was born and raised in New York City. After studying music, fine art, and ballet, she was drawn to the world of television production and spent her entire career in the entertainment industry, working with such producers as Martin Charnin, Harry Belafonte, David Susskind, and Roone Arledge. When she moved to Los Angeles in 1978, she produced movies for television, then joined NBC as a network executive. She soon worked her way up to senior vice president of daytime and children's programs for CBS, a position she held for 14 years. She paints, writes, and every so often gets up the nerve to sit at the piano and play a favorite Bach or Chopin prelude.

Mary-Lou Weisman has written four memoirs (Playing House in Provence, Intensive Care and Traveling While Married); a biography (Al Jaffee's Mad Life); and a bestselling humor book (My Middle-aged Baby Book). As an adjunct professor, she has taught writing, both memoir and personal essay, at The New School, New York University, Manhattanville College, and at both Westport and Norwalk Continuing Education programs.

 

Arturo Toscanini

Contemporary Classical Music

History of Music