WPCNR MUSIC. From Paul Bergins of Downtown Music at Grace. September 24, 2012:
The popular Downtown Music series at historic Grace Episcopal Church in White Plains will begin its 25th season of concerts at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, with a program featuring flutist Harold Jones and pianists Svetlana Gorokhovich and Irena Portenko playing music Debussy, Ravel and Prokofiev.
Its 25th Anniversary Concerto Celebration planned for Sunday, April 7, will bring together the young prize winners of the New York International Piano Competition with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to perform concertos of Mozart and Beethoven.
Yen Yu Chen and Kate Liu, who will be soloists for the concertos, are both students at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Already winning competitions and making a name for themselves, Downtown Music is delighted to introduce them to the New York area.
October 3 is the opening event in a series which offers world-class music each Wednesday at noon, several Thursday evening Jazz concerts, and five Sunday afternoon musical events. The Wednesday and Thursday programs are free; tickets for the Sunday events range from $15-$25.
Downtown Music’s schedule of weekly concerts is unique in central Westchester. The programs offer residents the opportunity to relieve the stresses of the day as they listen to world-class performances of fine music in a beautiful setting.
“The 2012-2013 season promises to continue the mixture of innovation and excellence which our friends have come to expect from Downtown Music,” said Timothy Lewis, artistic and managing director.
In addition to Downtown Music’s signature Wednesday lunchtime programs, the 25th season will feature:
A Family Friendly Concert, Sunday, November 4. WQXR radio personality Robert Sherman, will narrate “Peter and the Wolf” of Sergei Prokofiev. “This promises to be a fantastic concert,” said Mr. Lewis. “Bob Sherman has been a good friend to Downtown Music, and he will be joined by members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for a program which also includes a symphony written by Mozart when he was 14 years old, the beautiful Sigfried Idyll of Richard Wagner, and the premiere of a piece for orchestra and narrator commissioned by Mr. Sherman. Dina Pruzhansky, who is writing the music, is a Russian-Israeli composer based in New York. Her music has been premiered at the Jerusalem Music Academy and the Blumenthal Music Hall in Tel Aviv.”
Highlights of the spring season include: Abdoulaye Diabate and his band, Super Manden on Sunday, March 3. Traditional African instruments will be featured in a program which explores the unique musical heritage of West Africa, and its songs which recount history, genealogy, and praise of patrons.
The Thursday night Jazz events are presented in partnership with the Manhattan School of Music, one of the first conservatories in the U.S. to acknowledge to prime importance of Jazz as an art form. Details of these and all other Downtown Music programs are available at www.DTMusic.org or by calling 914-949-0384.
