Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Mozart: Requiem Distinguished Concerts Singers International; Distinguished Concerts Orchestra Mark Hayes, Composer/Conductor for Kindness (World Premiere) and The Field Penelope Shumate, Soprano; Teresa Bucholz, Mezzo-Soprano; Chad Kranak, Tenor; Christopher Job, Bass-Baritone David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, NY May 26, 2024 In a Memorial Day weekend program billed as Mozart’s Requiem, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented not only that masterpiece, left unfinished by Mozart ..read more

“Waldeinsamkeit” (Forest Solitude) Xiaofu Ju, piano Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY May 19, 2024 Writers and composers have celebrated nature and its salubrious effects for many centuries, but the concept of the forest might seem out of keeping with the routine of a metropolitan-dwelling musician, who often spends six hours a day imbibing the solitude of four walls and a piano. To be clear, this recital was neither confined nor ordinary. Xiaofu Ju, a cosmopolitan prizewinner with a burgeoning career in China and across the globe, does not play like a hungry competito ..read more

New England Symphonic Ensemble; Preston Hawes, Artistic Director and Concertmaster Peter Tiboris, Jason Sabino, and Jason Strunk, Conductors Katherine Henly, Soprano; Anna Kelly, Mezzo-Soprano; Hayden Smith, Tenor; Jason Zacher, Bass-Baritone Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY May 11, 2024 With characteristically grand style, MidAmerica Productions presented a Saturday night concert at Carnegie Hall that included monuments of music by Haydn and Schubert, with a Mozart Overture added for good measure. In a program divided into a chorus-with-orchestra first half and a ..read more

New England Symphonic Ensemble; Preston Hawes, Artistic Director and Concertmaster Peter Tiboris, Jason Sabino, and Jason Strunk, Conductors Katherine Henly, Soprano; Anna Kelly, Mezzo-Soprano; Hayden Smith, Tenor; Jason Zacher, Bass-Baritone Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY May 11, 2024 With characteristically grand style, MidAmerica Productions presented a Saturday night concert at Carnegie Hall that included monuments of music by Haydn and Schubert, with a Mozart Overture added for good measure. In a program divided into a chorus-with-orchestra first half and a ..read more

Ian Hobson, piano; Andrés Cárdenes, violin; Jun Iwasaki, violin; Csaba Erdélyi, viola; Ko Iwasaki, cello Tenri Cultural institute, New York, NY May 10, 2024 The energy was buzzing tonight at the Tenri Cultural Institute – pianist Ian Hobson is back this evening and has once again curated a program of works by composer Robert Schumann, this time featuring exciting chamber works. The house was packed, and the supportive audience was in for a thrilling performance. The program started with a piano trio titled Phantasiestüke, Op. 88, which featured violinist Jun Iwasaki and cellist Ko Iwasaki. Thi ..read more

Rupert Egerton-Smith, piano The Kosciuszko Foundation, New York, NY April 30, 2024 This evening’s concert is part of an exciting season for pianist Rupert Egerton-Smith where, on his first East Coast tour, he has performed at The Church in Sag Harbor, The Lambs, and tonight at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City presented by the Alexander & Buono Foundation. The program, which looked appealing to all kinds of audiences, was in six sections, each meant to represent an important part of the evolution of keyboard writing – from the harpsichord to the jazz idiom. One would probably need ..read more

Ian Hobson, piano Tenri Cultural institute, New York, NY May 3, 2024 This evening’s performance showcased pianist Ian Hobson performing a program featuring music exclusively by Robert Schumann (1810-1856). The program, titled Counterpoints, presented works that were composed between 1836 and 1853. The first piece was Scherzo, Gigue, Romanza, und Fughette, Op. 32. Each movement was portrayed with a clear and distinct character by Mr. Hobson, and he maintained unity by emphasizing the continuous dotted rhythms throughout the work. Particularly notable was the third movement, Romanze, which embod ..read more

Long Island Concert Orchestra Enrico Fagone, conductor; Frank Huang, violin; Tim Cobb, double bass DiMenna Music Center, New York, NY April 30, 2024 The Long Island Concert Orchestra (LICO) has filled a unique role in the New York City and Long Island areas for eight years, including some of the roughest (pandemic) years for the performing arts. It is thus a pleasure to report, based on a concert at the DiMenna Center this week, that they appear to be thriving. Established in 2016 by composer David Winkler, who continues as Executive Director and Composer-in-Residence, the orchestra fills a ni ..read more

Modus Operandi Orchestra Justin Bischof, conductor Aydan Ferraro, piano Modus Singers St. Mary Church Long Island City, NY April 27, 2024 On April 27, 2024, the Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) under the direction of Justin Bischof presented their annual spring Modus@Mary concert (Mary being the venue, the St. Mary Church in Long Island City). Pianist Aydan Ferraro was to make his MOO debut as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414, and the Modus Singers were to join MOO in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, K. 626. The full hall (or more properly, church) was treated to an ..read more

Mark Cannon, piano Westchester Conservatory of Music White Plains, New York  April 17th, 2024 Mark Cannon offered a demanding program at his piano recital April 17, 2024, at the Westchester Conservatory of Music in White Plains, New York. The works played were Haydn’s Sonata No 62 in E-flat major (Hob. XVI/52), Scriabin’s Sonata No. 10, Op. 70, and Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58.  Who might play such a program? One could imagine a young, energetic virtuoso with plenty of time to practice these musically and pianistically challenging works. Well, Mark Cannon is, indeed, an e ..read more