"Arts In Depth" with WSKG Host Bill Snyder

An Inside Look at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

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A native of Waterloo, NY, mezzo-soprano Lindsay Kate Brown was one of nine finalists in the Grand Finals Concert, out of thousands of singers from around the world.  She talks to us by phone from Houston, where she is with the Houston Grand Opera, about the process, and about a dizzying week when she sang in the Metropolitan Opera Grand Finals Concert, and won another competition just two days before.  

Photo credit: Kristin Hoebermann

"Arts In Depth" with WSKG Host Bill Snyder

Creation of a World of Sound

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Two different presentations offer The World According to Sound and Cornell According to Sound at the Cherry Artspace.  We hear from sound artists Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett.  They explain these unique sonic experiences and how the recorded and winnowed natural sounds into aural performances.  

Photo credit: World According to Sound

Arts

Music at Fishs Eddy Announces Three Concerts this Summer

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Opening with a concert by a gamelan ensemble, Music at Fishs Eddy continues with music for guitar and harpsichord.  Artistic Director Joyce Lindorff talks about the history of the festival, and about its venue, the Old Pioneer Church.  

Photo credit: Music at Fishs Eddy

Arts

A Concert of Hope and Peace

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The Downtown Singers of Binghamton present ‘A Concert of Hope and Peace’ featuring music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir Edward Elgar, and Sir Michael Tippett. 

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A Rising Playwright Takes on Challenging Issues

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The Binghamton University Theatre Department presents Kirsten Greenidge’s play ‘Baltimore’. Director Godfrey Simmons joins us to talk about this drama that explores the fallout of a racial incident on a college campus that prides itself on having gotten “past racism”.

african american history

Lost Masterpieces Come to Light

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‘Gems Rediscovered’ is a concert of works for orchestra that were lost for a time.  Binghamton University Orchestra conductor and music director Timothy Perry joins us to talk about the re-discovery and performance of music by Franz Schubert and Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, and tells the remarkable story of composer Florence Price.  

Photo credit: Binghamton University Music Department

al williams

A Retrospective of Classical Pianists of the Future

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WSKG’s Andrew Pioch and Al Williams of Classical Pianists of the Future join us to talk about the two-part retrospective of six years of Expressions programs hosted by Ithaca College piano student Alexei Aceto, who also play some new pieces.  

Photo credit: WSKG

Arts

A Locally-formed Band Comes for a Visit

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The founding members of the roots music band, Donna the Buffalo, Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear, stopped by to talk about their new album ‘Dance in the Street’, the craft of songwriting, and touring.  They perform Friday, January 25 at 10pm in Ransom Steele Tavern in Apalachin.  

Photo credit: Donna the Buffalo

alex mendoza

A Family Mystery Resolved in a Musical Party

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SRO Productions presents the ABBA musical ‘Mamma Mia’ at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage.  Stage and Music Director Scott Fisher and Assistant Director and member of the ensemble Andrew Simek join us to talk about producing this lavish and fun-filled musical in an intimate space.  

Photo credit: SRO Productions

affiliated choruses of ithaca

Two Requiems by French Composers

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The Ithaca Community Chorus and Chamber Singers perform Requiems by Gabriel Faure and Maurice Durufle.  Conductor Gerald Wolfe joins us to talk about the similarities and differences between this two works, written 50 years apart.  

Photo credit: Affiliated Choruses of Ithaca

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Young String Players Present Their Winter Concert

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The Little Delaware Youth Ensemble presents their Winter Concert in two performances.  Conductor Uli Speth joins us to talk about the program and about the history of the ensemble, as well as an upcoming workshop for the group.  

Photo credit: Little Delaware Youth Ensemble

Beautiful Music to Welcome a New Year

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Pianist John Covelli presents his annual tradition of a New Year’s Eve concert. He joins us to talk about this year’s concert, ‘Memories.”  

Photo credit: codemac via Flickr

 

 

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From Haydn to Beethoven

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The Ithaca Community Orchestra presents a concert comparing Ludwig van Beethoven’s music with that of his composition teacher, Franz Joseph Haydn.

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Music for Autumn

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The Binghamton University Orchestra presents ‘All About Autumn”, with STMTA Youth Soloist Sophia Klin

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Part Poetry, Part Lamentation, Part Concert

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Author, teacher, storyteller and spiritual activist, Stephen Jenkinsen is joining with
Canadian musician and songwriter, Gregory Hoskins and his band for a 35-city North
American Tour of ‘Nights of Grief and Mystery’.  The Ithaca presentation will be on  Thursday, November 1st 7pm-9:30pm at the Hangar Theatre. Juan Lube, one of the people coordinating the even joins us by phone.  

Photo credit: Orphan Wisdom

Arts

Vocal Music at the Kilmer Mansion

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Music in the Kilmer Mansion presents singers Thomas Goodheart and Jean Goodheart, flutist Jeanne Sperber, and pianist Pej Reitz.  The Goodhearts join us to talk about this varied program, which includes music of Copland, Saint-Saens, Liszt, Mozart, Chaminade, Romberg, and Rossini.  

Photo credit: Jonathan Cohen

Arts

Celebrating 100 Years of a Musical Work and Premiering a New One

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The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes presents the next concert of its Musicians’ Choice Series, as a septet organized by violinist Avner Finberg performs Stravinsky’s ‘Soldier’s Tale’. He tells us about that work, as well as about the premiere of his composition ‘The Miracle of Hanukkah’ coming up on December 9.  

Photo credit: Grasya Orbon

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Music by Palestrina, Soriano, and Victoria from a New Choral Group

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The Southern Tier Singers’ Collective is a new ensemble comprised of choral musicians from across the region. They present their premiere concert with music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Francesco Soriano, and Tomas Luis de Victoria.  Conductor William Culverhouse joins us to talk about the program and the ensemble.  

Photo credit: Binghamton University Music Department

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‘Great Cities’ in Music at Binghamton University

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The Binghamton University Symphony Orchestra will open its final season under the long-time direction of Professor Timothy Perry with “Great Music for Great Cities” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Osterhout Concert Theater at Binghamton University. The program celebrates in sound the life of four of the world’s greatest cities, New York, Paris, London and Rome, with music by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Edward Elgar and Ottorino Respighi. Dr. Perry joins us to talk about the program and about the orchestra, which is mainly made up of non-music majors.  

Photo credit: Binghamton University Music Department

Arts

Re-examining a Tragedy Twenty Years Later

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Studio 271 Productions along with Identity Youth Center are performing the award winning play; “The Laramie Project” by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. With a cast of almost thirty performers this production shows the life of the residents of Laramie Wyoming during the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard.

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They’re Taking It Off in Owego!

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The Ti-Ahwaga Community Players present the Terence McNally/David Yazbek musical ‘The Full Monty’. Director James Osborne joins us to talk about this Americanized musical version of the British film about how a group of unemployed steel workers get back their self-esteem and reconnect with their families with an unusual solution.  

Photo credit: Stephanie Jump

Arts

A New Season for a New Orchestra

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The Binghamton Baroque Orchestra begins its second season with a program of music by Vivaldi, Telemann, Gluck, and J.S. Bach.  Conductor and recorder player Jeff Wahl joins us to talk about the program, the soloists, and why trumpet concertos are so short.

Arts

A Two-character Musical About First Love

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Director Bevin O’Gara joins us to talk about the story and the actors in ‘Girlfriend’, a story about first love between two teenagers who don’t have the words to express their feelings, so they use mix-tapes.

alexander hahn

Opera Ithaca Performs at the Cherry Artspace

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Opera Ithaca presents Ambroise Thomas’ opera version of Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Hamlet’ at the Cherry Artspace.  We hear from conductor Keith Chambers about this very French version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, which is no less powerful than the original. And the conductor gets into the action too in this innovative production.  

Photo credit: Opera Ithaca

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The 26th Anniversary of SummerMusic

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The Magic Mountain Music Farm presents the 26th Anniversary of chamber music concerts in the First Presbyterian Church of Gilbertsville, NY.  Violist Noralee Walker and clarinetist Dan Ferreira talk about their performances and what brings them back to Morris, NY every year to study with Burton Kaplan.

Arts

Pairing Shakespeare and Gardening

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Master Gardener Eve Berman joins us to talk about ‘Much Ado in the Garden’, a Shakespeare-themed event taking place in the Cutler Botanic Garden at the Cornell Cooperative Extension grounds on Front Street in Binghamton.  There will be music, food, readings, and costumed characters.

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‘The Time Element’ is Part of the 2018 Serling Fest

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Rod Serling researcher Amy Boyle Johnston found a script for a radio play by Rod Serling from 1954 and brought it back to Binghamton.  Director Kate Murray and actor Joe Bardales talk about re-creating this drama, which was a precursor to Serling’s ground-breaking series ‘The Twilight Zone’. It is part of the 2018 Serling Fest taking place July 6 and 7 in downtown Binghamton.  

Photo credit: 271 Productions

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WindSync Performs for Stamford Friends of Music

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The Friends of Music of Stamford present the wind quintet WindSync on Sunday, June 17 at 3 in the Stamford United Methodist Church, 88 Main Street, Stamford.  We hear from Kara LaMoure, the bassoonist of the Houston-based ensemble, about music that has been written especially for them, and the great amount of touring and educational work they do.  

Photo credit: WindSync

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Three One-Act Plays by Tennessee Williams

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Know Theatre presents three rarely-performed plays by Tennessee Williams: ’27 Wagons Full of Cotton’, ‘The Pretty Trap’, and ‘Interior: Panic’. Director Tim Gleason talks about the poetry of Tennessee Williams’ dialogue and how these plays pull back the curtain to reveal more about Williams’ craft of creating characters.

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Fresh Air’s Maureen Corrigan on Being a Book Critic

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‘Fresh Air’ book critic Maureen Corrigan will be speaking at the 2018 Women’s Fund Breakfast hosted by the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation for South Central New York. She joins us by phone to tell how she became book critic for ‘Fresh Air’, how many books land on her front porch every week, and what it is like to discover a great book by a previously unknown author.

Arts

Music of Johannes Brahms is Featured with the Downtown Singers

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The Downtown Singers, led by Kristina Ruffo, present their Spring Concert.  This year it features the music of Johannes Brahms.  We hear from conductor Kristina Ruffo about the works, as well soloists Timothy LeFebvre, Michelle Thompson, and Erik Thompson.  

Photo credit: Downtown Singers

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It’s a Life-or-Death Situation in a Comedy in Owego

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Harry Segall’s comedy ‘Heaven Can Wait’ takes the stage performed by the Ti-Ahwaga Community Players.  Director Linda Fenescey and actor Kerry Kane are on hand to talk about the prize-fighter who refuses to believe he has died.  It turns out that it was just a clerical error, but putting things right proves difficult…and hilarious.

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A Jazz Legend Carries on his Father’s Legacy in Geneva

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The Geneva Music Festival presents a wide range of music and various venues in and around Geneva. We hear from jazz legend, drummer T.S. Monk, who will be performing with his sextet at the Smith Opera house. The son of Thelonious Monk, he tells the amazing story of how he first approached his father about wanting to become a drummer — and what happened next.  

Photo credit: courtesy Geneva Music Festival

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Brooklyn Artists Find Room and Inspiration in Deposit

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The Harrington Gallery in Sidney presents work by artists Shelley Krapes-Mackinnon and Don MacKinnon, along with work by Daniel J. Harrington at the Harrington Gallery in Sidney. Originally from Brookly, Shelley still lives there part-time, but Don’s work has needed more space, so he is living full time in Deposit. Photo credit: Shelley Krapes-Mackinnon

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Celebrating the Birthday of a Famous Horse

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The Exterminator Extravaganza celebrates the famous racehorse Exterminator, at one time Binghamton’s most famous resident.  Bill Gorman joins us to talk about the First Friday event at Cooperative Gallery 213, and the Sunday, June 3 event at Temple Concord/Kilmer Mansion featuring music and a theatrical reading of ‘Old Bones the Wonder Horse’ by Southern Tier Actors Read. For reservations at the Sunday event, call 607/723-4620.

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The ‘King of Instruments’ Shows Off in Binghamton

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The Binghamton Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and Binghamton’s United Presbyterian Church present organist Jean Herman Henssler in concert on Sunday, May 20. John Holt joins her as we talk about the difference between church and concert repertoire, and the multi-tasking it takes to perform on such a complicated and powerful instrument.  

Photo credit: John Holt

Arts

Drama is on the BPO Program

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The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra presents music of Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in a concert on May 19th in the Forum on Washington Street in downtown Binghamton.  The new Music Director, Daniel Hege, joins us to talk about this dramatic program featuring trumpet soloist Frank Campos.  

Photo credit: Alice G. Patterson

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The Binghamton Philharmonic Celebrates the Variety of Music by ‘Magnificent Mozart’

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The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Hege presents ‘Magnificent Mozart’ on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 in the Forum, on Washington Street in downtown Binghamton.  Maestro Hege talks about the great variety of music that Mozart wrote and one astonishing harmonic discovery he made while preparing this concert.  

Photo credit: Alice G. Patterson

Arts

Two Lost Musical Treasures are Rediscovered

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Conductor Gerald Wolfe joins us to talk about the two rarely-performed choral masterpieces that will be on the program of the next Ithaca Community Chorus and Chamber Singers concert on May 12th at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

Arts

The Catskill Choral Society celebrates ‘The Seasons’

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We hear from Catskill Choral Society music director G. Roberts Kolb who is leading them in two performances of Franz Joseph Haydn exuberant oratorio ‘The Seasons’. Maestro Kolb has produced a new English edition of the work.  

Photo credit: Catskill Choral Society

Arts

The Binghamton Community Orchestra Premieres New Work

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Music Director Timothy Perry and composer Kristen Gilbert talk about the next concert by the Binghamton Community Orchestra. The concert is called ‘Our Town’, and features the ‘Triple Cities Suite’ commissioned by the orchestra.  

Photo credit: Binghamton Community Orchestra

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The Singers of the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton ‘Celebrate Singing’

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Bruce Borton, conductor of the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton joins us to talk about ‘Celebrate Singing: Madrigal Choir Favorites of the Past 40 Years’ and the task of winnowing down all of those favorites into a concert.  The choir has also commissioned a new work, and founder Anne Boyer Cotten will be at the concert conducting the last three works on the program.  

Photo credit: Madrigal Choir of Binghamton

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Ithaca’s Multicultural Chorus Raises VOICES in ‘Songs of Hope’

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The VOICES Multicultural Chorus performs ‘Great Expectations: Songs of Hope’ on Saturday, May 5 at 4pm in Ithaca’s First Baptist Church.  Music Director Lorrene Adams joins us to talk about the great range of sources and languages for this inspirational concert.  

Photo credit: Affiliated Choruses of Ithaca

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A New Play Explores the History of a Binghamton Landmark

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Playwright and director Elizabeth Mozer joins us to talk about her play ‘Castle on the Hill’, about the history of the Binghamton State Hospital, the residents, and the staff.  With her is actor Natalie DeBoer, who plays several roles in the play. It premieres this weekend in Watters Theatre of the Fine Arts Building on the Binghamton University campus.  

Photo credit: Binghamton University Theatre Department

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Corning Community College Celebrates 60 Years with Poetry and Music

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The Cantata Singers and the Corning Community College Vocal Ensemble join forces for a concert celebrating 60 years of Corning  Community College with poetry of Edward Dougherty set to music by conductor Will Wickham, who joins us to talk about this free concert at the Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium.  

Photo credit: Bob Haggard for the Cantata Singers

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The Sultans of String Combine Many Musical Threads in their Concerts

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Violinist Chris McKhool joins us to talk about his band, the Sultans of String, who will be performing at the Hangar Theatre on May 11.  The band members come from many musical traditions and present a wide range of styles in their concerts. For this concert, they welcome sitarist Anwar Khurshid.  

Photo credit: Sultans of String

andrew surrena

Tri-Cities Opera Sheds New Light on a Familiar Story

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In 1981 director Peter Brook created a pared-down version of Georges Bizet popular opera ‘Carmen’, incorporating elements from the original opera-comique version, and from the novella on which is was based. WSKG’s Sam Goodyear talks with the singers playing Carmen and Don Jose from Tri-Cities Opera’s production of ‘La Tragédie de Carmen”, Tascha Anderson and Andrew Surrena.  

Photo credit: Randy Cummings, Bunn Hill Photo

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An Ithaca Filmmaker Tackles a Current Issue

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Dehanza Rogers is a filmmaker and assistant professor in the Performing and Media Arts department at Cornell University.  She joins us to talk about her interactive video and sound installation at The Cherry Artspace in Ithaca. She explores the personal side of the plight of undocumented immigrants in a time of crisis.  

Photo credit: The Cherry Artspace

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Composer Hugh McElyea Uses an Ancient Form to Portray Heroism and Sacrifice

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Composer Hugh McElyea talks about his work ‘Tenebrae: The Passion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’. This theatrical work uses the ancient service of Tenebrae to tell the story of the last hours of Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who could have fled Germany during the Nazi regime, but whose faith compelled him to stay and face imprisonment and eventual execution just days before the war ended.  

Photo credit: www.tenebraelive.com

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‘A Feast for the Ears’ Showcases a Variety of Musical Styles

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Binghamton University Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor Timothy Perry joins us to talk about ‘Symphonic Smorgasbord II: A Feast for the Ears’. Dr. Perry has essentially created a ‘new’ symphony by selecting the first movement of Cesar Franck’s Symphony in d minor, the second movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in e minor, the “Hunt” Scherzo from Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No.4, “Romantic”, and the fourth movement of Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No.4 in e minor. He talks about the challenges to the students of playing in very different styles of symphonies all written at about the same time.  

Photo credit: Binghamton University Music Department