SUMMER JAZZ HOUSE PARTY!
Concert-Fundraiser at Weatherwatch Farm, Saranac NY
Larry Ham-Paul Meyers Jazz Quartet
Larry Ham, piano ∣ Paul Meyers, guitar ∣ Matt Dunne, bass ∣ Tom Melito, drums
Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 4:00 pm (doors open 3:00 pm)
PLUS: Welcome Tom McNichols / Farewell Angela Brown
Please make your reservations by Tuesday, July 1st!
pre-paid reservations requested: find suggested contribution levels below
It’s a swingin’ jazz house party with some great music, fabulous food, and favorite friends! This celebration launches our 31st season where we welcome our new Executive Director Tom McNichols and say farewell to Angela Brown!
Larry Ham’s brand of jazz looks forward while staying firmly rooted in the traditions of great classical jazz. His group features the superb guitarist Paul Meyers with Matt Dunne on double bass and Tom Melito on drums. The concert features captivating arrangements of jazz classics and originals by all of the artists. Enjoy a couple of live performance videos below.
This special event is our summer fundraiser to help us bankroll of the superb artists and ensembles coming down the pike during 2025-2026. We aim to present a balanced and intriguing diversity of chamber music genres with artists who are internationally recognized and celebrated. We are terribly excited about ALL of the artists and ensembles who will perform on the new Hill and Hollow Music series!
Live jazz music will happen in the living room at Weatherwatch Farm and will also be piped outside. You are free to wander around the grounds and relax on the porches while enjoying abundant elegant hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Arrive any time after 3:00 pm; the music starts around 4:00 pm. This is a rain-or-shine event. No worries though – it’s a sprawling old house with plenty of porches!
Support Hill and Hollow Music
The Summer Jazz House Party is our principal fundraiser of the year to support our 2025-26 concert season, featuring outrageous talent in diverse genres of music.
Choose Your Amount!
suggested contribution levels per person:
$75 – $100 – $150 – $250 – $500 – $1000 – surprise us!
(but please, not a lower surprise!)
enjoy fabulous jazz along with lovely and plentiful refreshments in a casual scenic venue: a great way to connect with your friends and meet new ones!
Please know that all of the funds we receive from your donations go towards presenting concerts and meeting related overhead expenses. Your support is tax-deductible. Thank you for your support.
Receipt of your payment confirms your reservation: checks payable to Hill and Hollow Music, Inc. may be sent to Weatherwatch Farm, 550 #37 Road, Saranac, NY 12981. OR donate online via PayPal HERE.
Contact us at 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!
Meadowmount School of Music
Performance by Supremely Gifted Advanced Students
Our Annual Free Concert! (donations gratefully accepted for the Meadowmount Scholarship Fund)
Saturday, August 2nd at 7:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
We are privileged once again to be host for an off-campus concert by advanced string students of the Meadowmount School of Music. Founded in 1944 by the legendary Russian violinist and pedagogue Ivan Galamian, the school soon became – and continues to be today – a pre-eminent summer program for young musicians training for professional career in music. Located in Lewis-Westport, Meadowmount offers a bucolic environment with a balance between the enjoyment of nature and the pursuit of high art.
Alumni of Meadowmount have won every major competition worldwide and are among the very best of international soloists and chamber musicians, concertmasters and principal players of the world’s leading orchestras, and the distinguished artist-teachers in every major university and conservatory. Among hundreds of distinguished artists who attended the Meadowmount School in their youth are Joshua Bell, Soovin Kim, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zuckerman.
Martin Shamoonpour & Kenny Vymyslicky
Saturday, August 23 at 1:00 pm (approximately)
Margaret Street Bandshell (Strand Theater if raining)
We are participating in Downtown Plattsburgh’s Lake City Arts Fest 25!
Free and Open to the Public
Over the years we have had Martin Shamoonpour several times with several bands; every time the audience has loved him! Martin has appeared with Journey West, Dara Anissi Ensemble, Krakauer & Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion, and most recently his duo with Kenny Vymyslicky opened for ARKAI at the Strand. Everyone always wants to hear more!
Martin and Kenny will perform at the Lake City Arts Fest 25 in Downtown Plattsburgh on Saturday, August 23. The festival goes from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Streets will be closed to traffic. Martin and Kenny will perform at around 1:00 pm in the bandshell on Margaret Street next to the Betty Little Park. They will do one fabulous set, about 40 minutes. Listen to a representative song by Martin and Kenny HERE
Lake City Arts Fest is an annual celebration of art in the heart of Downtown Plattsburgh to showcase artists from all mediums and backgrounds. The Lake City Arts Festival is co-produced by the City of Plattsburgh and the Strand Center for the Arts and powered by local artists and community volunteers. Hill and Hollow Music is underwriting the performance by Martin Shamoonpour and Kenny Vymyslicky.
The Zodiac Trio
Sunday, September 21 at 3:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
Admission $20 (accepted at the door – no reservations, no printed tickets!)
Doors open 2:30 pm. Open seating.
More Info: 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
Recognized as one of the foremost clarinet-violin-piano ensembles performing today, the Zodiac Trio enjoys an international concert schedule that consistently spans three continents. The trio formed in 2006 at the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of renowned clarinetist David Krakauer and violinist Isodore Cohen of the Beaux Arts Trio. Shortly after, the Zodiac Trio was first brought to the attention of the international chamber music scene in a feature by the London-based international MUSO magazine, praising the Trio for “bringing a rare combination of instruments into the spotlight by unearthing old repertoire and commissioning new music.” During its early years as apprentice of the Ysaÿe Quartet at the Paris Conservatory, the trio made its mark on the international competition circuit, garnering multiple prizes in the U.S. and Europe and firmly launching their career.
The Zodiac Trio’s extensive touring schedule has taken them to many international premiere venues, such as Ottawa Chamberfest, Festival Radio France Montpellier, International Colmar Festival, Beijing Performing Arts Center, Izumi Hall in Japan, Lincoln Center in New York City, and Four Seasons Performing Arts Center in Toronto. They maintain a strong presence on the North American chamber music circuit, frequently presented on leading concert series such as Chicago Chamber Music, UCLA Clark Memorial Library, Tulsa Chamber Music, Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Schneider Series, Houston Friends of Chamber Music, Matinee Musicale. For their Hill and Hollow Music debut they will perform their program “The Masters” – iconic twentieth-century masterworks for clarinet, violin, and piano by Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky, Aram Khachaturian, and Bela Bartok.
Slavic Soul Party
Sunday, October 12 at 3:00 pm
Strand Center Theater, Plattsburgh, NY
ticketing through Strand Center for the Arts; tiered pricing; reserved seating
“One of our all-time favorite NYC bands” (National Geographic Music)
“Of all the NYC dance bands that draw on Eastern European music, Slavic Soul Party! is the coolest. Its members seem acutely aware of the common principle that unites the traditions they borrow from: Music ought to move you.” (TimeOut NY)
“Anytime musicians study traditions deeply, and then free themselves to follow their own whims, it’s a beautiful thing. But when it comes to the brass band fusion of Slavic Soul Party! that’s just the beginning. With razor-sharp precision, juggernaut force, and a healthy dose of playfulness, these guys start out in overdrive and never let up… Slavic Soul Party! offers a gutpunch to preconceptions about traditional music, world music, pop music, dance music, but I’ll tell you, this is one gutpunch you’ll enjoy.” (Banning Eyre, NPR’s All Things Considered)
Fiery Balkan brass, irresistible beats, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! NYC’s official #1 brass band for BalkanSoul GypsyFunk. These nine musicians pump the sounds of New York life through a Balkan brass filter, making new music out of immigration, integration, and ingenuity. The band’s Tuesday night residency in Brooklyn – running for over 20 years – has become a destination for music fans from around the world, famous for “delivering a great time.” (New York Times) In two decades of touring North America, Europe, and beyond, SSP! has performed everywhere from Serbian schoolyards to prison courtyards, Turkish palaces to Russian baths, dive bars to Carnegie Hall, from Amsterdam to Zacatecas and Austria to Zimbabwe. The group’s recent record “SSP! Plays Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite” (Ropeadope) is their sixth album and was recorded live at Barbès; it “honors the tunes and spirit of the Ellington opus while adding their own flavor” (Chicago Reader), is “a pretty heavenly match” (TimeOut NY), and “a manifesto on cultural boundaries, historical lineage and how they play into individual creativity.” (Wall St. Journal) In November 2024 SSP! released their seventh album, a collection of original material titled “Extended Play” on the Diskonife label. Slavic Soul Party! is led by Matt Moran (tapan), and includes Peter Stan (accordion), John Carlson and Kenny Warren (trumpets), Peter Hess (saxophone), Adam Dotson and Tim Vaughn (trombones), Kenny Bentley (tuba), and Chris Stromquist (percussion).
Ensemble La Folia
Sunday, November 23 at 3:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
Admission $20 (accepted at the door – no reservations, no printed tickets!)
Doors open 2:30 pm. Open seating.
More Info: 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
A program of baroque music, entitled “The Still Point of the Turning World,” offers works by Vivaldi, Biber, Buxtehude, Bach, and Handel performed by Dorian Bandy and Catherine Cosbey, violins, and Hank Knox, harpsichord.
Canadian harpsichordist Hank Knox is a luminary on the international baroque music scene and has influenced generations of musicians as head of the Early Music Program at McGill University in Montreal for more than three decades. Knox is a founding member of Montreal’s Arion Baroque Orchestra and has released solo recordings devoted to Scarlatti, Bach and Frescobaldi, duos by J.S. Bach and Antonio Vivaldi. He’s made records with Arion, Les Barocudas, violinist Dorian Bandy, Infusion Baroque and Les Boréades. He conducted a slew of baroque operas at McGill and has led performances of the Atelier Lyrique of l’Opéra de Montréal in Early Music Voices Calgary. Knox was born in Philadelphia, started piano lessons as a youngster and later took up the organ. He fell in love with the harpsichord as a student at McGill. He thrives on the immediacy of performance and relishes risk-taking, always approaching music with ferocious intensity while leaving some things open to chance.
An energetic, dynamic multi-instrumentalist, Dorian Komanoff Bandy performs across the US, Canada, and Europe as a conductor, baroque violinist, and historical keyboardist. His repertoire stretches from the Renaissance through the solo and chamber works of Beethoven and Schubert, and his performances—praised for their “impressive emotional scope” and a “virtuosity [that is] relentless, precise, and, above all, dazzling” (The Whole Note)—have taken him to venues including London’s Wigmore and Cadogan Halls, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and New York’s Symphony Space. In addition to his activities as a performer, Dorian is active as a musicologist. He is the author of the book Mozart the Performer: Variations on the Showman’s Art as well as articles on Mozart, Beethoven, and other topics, and is the most recent recipient of the Marjorie Weston Emerson Award from the Mozart Society of America. He is associate professor of musicology and baroque violin at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.
Violinist Catherine Cosbey leads a varied career as a chamber musician and educator. She has been a member of the Cavani String Quartet since 2019, and has performed with the Cecilia String Quartet and the Linden String Quartet, in which she was a founding member. Her performances, described by the Strad Magazine as “polished, radiant, and incisive,” have taken her to venues and festivals across the US, Canada, and Europe, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Ottawa Chamber Fest, Detroit Chamber Music Society, Esterhazy String Quartet Festival, and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Catherine has been awarded the Gold Medal and Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the ProQuartet Prize at the 9th Borciani String Quartet Competition. She was the founder and co-artistic director of the Regina Chamber Music Festival from 2014 until 2023. She currently serves on the violin and chamber music faculty of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.
Adirondack Jazz Ensemble
This is a Mountain Lake PBS Event!
Saturday, December 13 at 5:00 pm
West Side Ballroom: New York Road, Plattsburgh
Hill and Hollow Music is underwriting the Adirondack Jazz Ensemble as part of Mountain Lake PBS’s gala celebration “Holiday in the Dales.” To learn more about attending this special event, please contact Maria Smith at msmith@mlpbs.org
More Dates Coming in 2026
Cordâme
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
Admission $20 (accepted at the door – no reservations, no printed tickets!)
Doors open 2:30 pm. Open seating.
More Info: 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
Cordâme is a Montreal-based ensemble formed in 2004 and led by composer and double bassist Jean Félix Mailloux. The group explores the fusion of classical music, jazz, and world influences, crafting evocative and richly textured soundscapes. Mailloux has curated a program blending his original compositions with reimagined works by Ravel, Debussy, and Satie, including Daphnis et Chloé, Gnossiennes, and Trois morceaux en forme de poires. His own pieces, such as À vol de colibri and Plante Caméléon, reflect Cordâme’s evolving sound while paying tribute to these great masters.
Cordâme has earned critical acclaim with 11 albums, international tours across Quebec, Canada, the U.S., and Asia, and awards including the 2025 Opus Prize, Concert of the Year in 2025 for Fabula Femina and Album of the Year in 2013 for Lieux imagines, and an ADISQ (Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries) nomination for Da Vinci Inventions. Their Satie Variations tour was a finalist for the 2018 Rideau Touring Award, was the winner of Accès Culture Award 2016-1017 and featured over 55 performances around the province of Quebec.
Tapestry
Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
Admission $20 (accepted at the door – no reservations, no printed tickets!)
Doors open 2:30 pm. Open seating.
More Info: 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
Tapestry made their debut in Jordan Hall with a performance of Steve Reich’s Tehillim, deemed “a knockout” by The Boston Globe. The trademark of the Boston-based vocal ensemble is combining medieval repertory and contemporary compositions in bold, conceptual programming. Critics hail their rich distinctive voices, their “technically spot-on singing” and their emotionally charged performances. The LA Times writes “They sing beautifully separately and together with a glistening tone and precise intonation” and The Cleveland Plain Dealer describes Tapestry as “an ensemble that plants haunting vibrations, old and new, in our ears.”
Tapestry will perform their celebrated program “Postcards from France.” Crisscrossing France from Auvergne to Provence, Brittany to Paris and beyond, Tapestry and friends bring together a rich blend of Impressionism, folk roots, and a touch of jazz. Along the way, they share Occitan folk songs that inspired Joseph Canteloube’s Chants D’Auvergne, paired with works of Gabriel Faure, Caesar Frank, Cecile Chaminade, French folk songs, dance tunes, Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf and more!
Concert appearances include the Utrecht Early Music and the Maastricht Musica Sacra Festivals, Regensburg’s Tage Alter Musik, the Flanders Festivals of Gent and Brussels, a Banco Republico tour of Colombia, Le Donne in Musica, Rome; Jordan Hall, Boston; Hildegard von Bingen Symposium at the University of Oregon, Eugene; Kalamazoo Medieval Conference, MI; Frick Collection and Rockefeller University, NY; Harvard University, Da Camera of Houston; Early Music Concert Series, Boulder; Denver’s Newman Performing Arts Center; Da Camera Society LA; Stanford University Museum Concert; Cleveland, festivals in Ottawa and Montreal, and many others. Tapestry also performed under the baton of Marin Alsop with the Colorado and Cabrillo Festival Symphonies. The ensemble toured Latvia and performed at the Moscow Conservatory. It performed American Dreams at the Library of Congress and New York City’s Frick Collection and Between Heaven and Hell at the Bucerius Foundation in Hamburg, which was broadcast by the Norddeutsche Radio. The ensemble was founded at the Longy School of Music and is in residence at First Church Congregational in Cambridge MA.
Tapestry has made 4 recordings with Telarc International: Angeli, Music of Angels; Hildegard von Bingen: Celestial Light; Song of Songs—Come into my Garden; and The Fourth River. To date Tapestry has made 2 recordings with German Label, Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG): Sapphire Night and Faces of a Woman. Sapphire Night won the Echo Klassik Prize, Germany’s highest honor for a recording, and The Fourth River is a past winner of Chamber Music America’s Recording of the Year.
Kiran Ahluwalia
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Strand Center Theater, Plattsburgh, NY
ticketing through Strand Center for the Arts; tiered pricing; reserved seating
Kiran Ahluwalia’s open-hearted vocals and contemporary compositions showcase the rich musical styles of India and Pakistan. Her musical roots delve deep into Sufi, Qawalli, Ghazal, and Punjabi Folk from which she crafts her own modern compositions – songs that effortlessly blend lyrical introspection with enticing rhythmic allure, while soulfully intertwining the sounds of West African Blues and Jazz, welcoming listeners with open arms, transcending cultural boundaries and creating a sound that is utterly captivating.
On stage Kiran’s instrumentation includes drum kit, tabla, accordion, and organ – at the helm of the group is virtuoso guitarist Rez Abbasi, a name synonymous with excellence, he consistently ranks among the top-ten Guitarists in Downbeat’s annual International Critics Poll. Kiran’s and Rez’s partnership is also a real-life love story – a union of two souls, one born in India and the other in Pakistan. Despite the historical strife between their respective homelands, they transcended ethnic and religious boundaries to forge a profound connection in life and music.
Lyrically, Kiran’s songs explore the vast spectrum of human experience, addressing themes as broad as cultural intolerance and as personal as the struggle to embrace female desire unburdened by shame. With seven albums and two JUNO Awards to her credit, Ahluwalia’s many accolades speak for themselves. This concert promises to be a special occasion – including the unveiling of the first single from her eagerly anticipated new album.
May 24 – Anthony Trionfo, flute + Ziggy & Miles, guitar duo – winners of the Young Concert Artists competition – classical & contemporary classical. Saranac Methodist Church
Anthony Trionfo + Ziggy & Miles
flute and guitar duo
Sunday, May 24 at 4:00 pm
Saranac Methodist Church – Route 3, Saranac
Admission $20 (accepted at the door – no reservations, no printed tickets!)
Doors open 2:30 pm. Open seating.
More Info: 518-293-7613 and ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
Anthony Trionfo, First Prize Winner of the 2016 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, has been praised by The New York Times for his “breezily virtuosic” playing. He is quickly establishing himself as one of today’s most dynamic musical talents.
Recent solo engagements include performances with the Edmonton Symphony, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Mobile Symphony. He has also appeared in recitals and chamber music performances at Clemson University, Festival de Ibagué in Colombia, The Kennedy Center, The Morgan Library & Museum, and Newport Classical. Notable collaborations include tours with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and performances with the Jupiter Chamber Players and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, alongside appearances with the Columbus, Knoxville, Princeton, and Seattle Symphonies.
In 2020, Anthony curated the panel discussion “Learning to Listen,” which addressed the nuances of the Black experience in classical music, and the “Illuminate!” series, exploring the intersections of allyship, ethnicity, pedagogy, queerness, and race in the music field. As a founder of the Umoja Flute Institute, he is committed to providing flutists of African descent with the tools needed to succeed at all levels of music-making. Anthony also serves on the Aspen Music Festival and School’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee and has taught at The Juilliard School and Interlochen Center for the Arts.
Anthony received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of James Walker and completed his high school studies at Interlochen Arts Academy with Nancy Stagnitta. His additional teachers include Nadine Asin, Timothy Day, Megan Lanz, Emmanuel Pahud, and Mark Sparks.
“a superb display of skill and shared musical intention”– CLASSIC MELBOURNE
“Australian guitarist brothers making history” (The Age), Ziggy & Miles are two of their home country’s finest young musicians forging an international career. Winners of the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, the brothers have become the first guitar duo and second guitarists to receive this prestigious award in the organization’s 63-year history.
Ziggy & Miles’ new album, Sidekick, was featured as one of WQXR’s (New York’s classical music radio station) “Best New Classical Albums of 2023.” Praised by Soundboard Magazine as having “[played] with perfect unanimity and admirable virtuosity,” it showcases new works written for the brothers and works that have shaped their musical identity from Spain, Latin America, and Australia.
In the 24-25 season they will make their Kennedy Center and Merkin Hall debuts and serve as musicians-in-residence at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. Graduates of The Juilliard School, Ziggy & Miles were the first Australians and first guitar duo accepted into the school’s prestigious Artist Diploma program. They studied under multiple Grammy Winner Sharon Isbin, who has shaped and inspired their artistic identities.
RECENT EVENTS
Alexander Quartet – June 8, 2025. Farewell concert by one of the great string quartets of our time, who are concluding their 44-year career at the end of this season. The Alexanders performed a memorable program of beloved works: Haydn’s String Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1 and Schubert’s String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden.” Kian Ravaei’s The Little Things, composed in 2023, was a revelation to our audience – they loved it! Apparently the Alexander Quartet plans to record it in the fall before disbanding.
Constantinople – May 4, 2025. Ancient Persian and traditional Senegalise music wedded together in a contemporary fusion had our audience transfixed during an amazing 75-minute performance by Mandinka griot Ablaye Cissoko on kora and setar virtuoso (and Constantinople artistic director) Kiya Tabassian with percussion magic by Patrick Graham. The sound of the plucked strings together was heavenly! Ablaye and Kiya also sang several numbers with beautiful mellifluous voices. The program was “Traversées” – in English, “Crossings: A Musical Journey from the Orient to the New World Through Africa.” Both sonically as well as visually, a veritable feast for the senses!
Lúnasa – March 9, 2025. The renowned Irish band performed at Plattsburgh’s Strand Theater for some 500 lively listeners. The flutist and story teller Kevin Crawford really got the crowd going – great audience participation! Some of our friends expressed that this was the best-ever show they’ve seen at the Strand; and the band expressed how much they appreciated the theater’s beauty and acoustics, as well as the audience’s warm response and engagement. The musicians were Kevin Crawford, Sean Smyth, Cillian Vallely, Ed Boyd, and Trevor Hutchinson on flute, whistles, fiddle, Uilleann pipes, guitar, and stand-up bass – each a phenomen in his own right. Truly an Irish music “dream team”!
Le Vent du Nord – February 9, 2025. The hottest, liveliest, most beloved Québécois traditional music band delighted more than 400 in the Strand Theater in Plattsburgh. The instruments of five virtuoso and charismatic artists included a pair of fiddles, two pairs of tapping feet, five voices with hurdy-gurdy, keyboard, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, accordion, bass, and jaw harp. The rousing show brought dancers into the aisles and the audience to its feet. We were especially pleased that the French language teachers from several area schools organized busses and brought their students to the show. What a tremendous experience for those kids! Everybody had a great time!!
Clayton Stephenson, piano – December 1, 2024 at the Saranac Methodist Church. The exceptionally gifted young pianist gave a virtuoso performance (entirely from memory) of a challenging program of very big, significant works: Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109; Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004; Stravinsky Trois mouvements de Petrouchka; Gershwin-Say “Summertime Variations,” and Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue. It was a brilliant idea to begin the concert with Scarlatti Sonata in E Major, K. 380, a brief little gem to capture and focus the audience’s attention before launching into late Beethoven. As an encore he offered Art Tatum’s version of “Tea for Two” – perfectly charming! Clayton Stephenson performed a similar program, slightly pared down, for the residents of Lake Forest Senior Living Community.
ARKAI – November 3, 2024. The classically trained electroacoustic duo that is taking the world by storm made another conquest at the Strand Theater, Plattsburgh on their debut album release tour. Their recording “Crossroads” speaks to the point of departure from a strict classical music background into unknown new sonic territory. Whether a cover or an original composition ARKAI’s performances are unique and spellbinding. Multi-instrumentalists Martin Shamoonpour and Kenny Vymislicky opened with a mesmerizing set blending Middle Eastern folk with electronic and ambient sounds.
Tim Collins & Quadro Nuevo – October 13, 2024 at the Strand Theater, Plattsburgh. Such excitement for the homecoming concert by Tim Collins! Tim now resides in Munich and has a thriving career performing Jazz throughout Europe. He brought his favorite ensemble Quadro Nuevo from Germany with whom he frequently performs and tours, who are renowned in their own right – delightful, scintillating personalities and outstanding artists. They all gave a sensational performance at the historic Strand in downtown Plattsburgh!
Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio – September 22, 2024 at the Saranac Methodist Church. An “off-the-charts” stellar program featured three significant works for piano, violin, and cello: Pierre Jalbert’s Piano Trio No. 2 (2014); Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63 (1847); and Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minorn(1914). Pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Soovin Kim, and cellist Paul Watkins gave a magnificent performance for a full house just shy of 200. These renowned artists are at the height of their powers and the fact that they are good friends only adds to their dynamic energy and magnetism.
Off-Campus Meadowmount Concert – August 3, 2024 at the Saranac Methodist Church. A classical chamber music concert performed by 13 students and faculty from the iconic summer training program. The talent and dedication of the young artists are truly extraordinary; this annual concert never ceases to amaze and delight. Free concert but donations are gratefully collected and then rounded up to $1000 by Hill and Hollow Music for Meadowmount’s scholarship fund.
Larry Ham-Woody Witt Quartet – July 14, 2024 – A swingin’ jazz house party at Weatherwatch Farm featured straight-ahead mainstream jazz by four superb players, each one a name in his own right: Larry Ham, piano; Woody Witt, sax; Matt Dunne, bass; Tom Melito, drums. Old friends from way back, they were a tight ensemble. About 100 guests crammed into the living room to listen, wandered the grounds, ate and drank. This celebration launched our 30th anniversary season!
Alan Blackman Jazz – May 19, 2024 – Five superb players gave a stunning performance of Alan Blackman’s 2014 award-winning work The Coastal Suite: Jeff Antoniuk, saxophones; Rogério Boccato, percussion; Max Murray, bass; Frank Russo, drums; and Alan Blackman, piano. Images of Shetlands artist Ruth Brownlee’s gorgeous seascape paintings were projected on a large scrim behind the musicians.
Ensemble Scholastica – April 14, 2024 – Montreal-based and Canada’s only female vocal ensemble specializing in the performance of medieval plainchant and polyphony gave a stellar performance in Redford’s Church of the Assumption that will be remembered for a very long time. The name Hildegard von Bingen was a draw for an audience of 150; however, the music of all the other composers – mostly female and anonymous – was absolutely glorious, too! Rebecca Bain, Director of Scholastica and a leading medievalist, gave a fascinating pre-concert talk at 2:00 pm.
For more info about the program or menu please call Hill and Hollow Music at 518-293-7613 or email ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com
Rob Schwimmer – March 10, 2024 – Theremin, Haken Continuum, and jazz piano extraordinaire, all at the Saranac Methodist Church. This event was more of a lecture-demonstration than a formal concert, because there were so many questions from the audience. There was genuine curiosity and fascination and Rob enjoyed the interaction. Rob is a very funny guy – he could almost be the Victor Borge of the theremin!
ARKAI – January 28, 2024 – Award-winning electroacoustic violin-cello duo of stunned our audience with a tour-de-force performance at the Saranac Fire Hall, fusing progressive classical, pop, rock, jazz, folk, and global music with contemporary technology. They played their own signature arrangements of songs by Michael Jackson, Leonard Cohen, Charlie Chaplin, the Beatles, A-Ha, and Joji, plus several originals; all combining the beauty of classical virtuosity with the electricity of a rock band and the spontaneity of a jazz combo. An additional concert was presented in collaboration with Lake Flower Landing in Saranac Lake. Both shows completely sold out! ARKAI also spent a day with string students at Peru Central School giving workshops and a performance.
INTERWOVEN – November 12, 2023 – Six virtuoso artists from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan performed captivatingly beautiful contemporary soundscapes of Asia and Europe on traditional Asian instruments koto, erhu, piri, and saenghwang alongside violin, viola, and cello in compositions by Daron Hagen, Thomas Osborne, Theodor Wiprud, gamin, Yang Yong, Liu TianHua and Chen YaoXing. The amazing ensemble is the vision of Grammy Award-winning violinst Keiko Tokunaga. Interwoven performed concerts at Lake Forest Senior Living and Peru Central School and held discussion and workshops with string students at PCS.
Dogtober with Cattitude! – October 29, 2023 was the brain- and heart-child of violist Patricia McCarty, who rallied friends to create a touching program inspired by the love of animals. Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, performed spectacularly by Rose Chancler and Jennifer Moore, with Ogden Nash verses narrated by Benjamin Pomerance, was a highlight. Other excellent regional performers include Janice Kyle, oboe; Janine Scherline, clarinet; Michael Emery, violin; Bill Zito, guitar; and Patti McCarty. The concert raised $1,495 for the Elmore SPCA – such a worthy cause!
Alexander String Quartet – October 15, 2023: The eminent string quartet from San Francisco was brought back by popular demand for a second year in a row – and a very good turnout of 130+ heard them perform an unusual program: Gradual of Tarik O’Regan, String Quartet in D minor, Op. 56 “Voces Intimae” of Sibelius, and Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 68 (1944) of Shostakovich. As a “palate cleanser” for an encore, they offered a brisk scherzo movement from one of Haydn’s opus 33 quartets – magnificent!
Paul Winter Consort – September 4, 2023: From points far and wide throughout the Adirondacks, 450 gathered under a large tent at Weatherwatch Farm on a sultry Labor Day afternoon to see and hear the much-beloved Paul Winter Consort perform their latest signature program “This Glorious Earth.” Iconic favorite pieces included “Sun Singer,” “The Well-Tempered Wood Thrush,” “The Voyage Home,” “Wolf Eyes,” and of course, “Icarus.” The seven-time Grammy Award winning ensemble did not stint. The concert lasted almost three hours!
Meadowmount School of Music Off-Campus Concert – August 5, 2022: What a special joy and privilege to hear the Young Artists and Artist Faculty of the revered, intensive summer music “camp” perform two very substantial works: Dohnany’s Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op.10 and Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet in D minor, Op.70 “Souvenir de Florence.” About 70 attended the concert. Generous free-will donations totaling $1000 were made to the Meadowmount scholarship fund.
Dara Anissi Ensemble – November 19 and 20, 2022: Dara Anissi on the oud joined with Nikolai Ruskin and Martin Shamoonpour on frame drums (daf and riq) and dumbek, as well as violin, ney, recorder, and pipes. The trio from Ithaca gave two fabulous fascinating shows at the Saranac Fire Hall, playing mostly original music written by Anissi, whose influences are drawn from Persian, Arab, and Turkic music, as well as some iconic traditional tunes.
Alexander String Quartet – October 2, 2022: The super-duper San Francisco-based ensemble performed a memorable program at the Methodist Church featuring Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K589 (1790); Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 (1889); and Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893). They drew a good crowd of 100 who were hungry for and deeply appreciative of their highest level of artistry. They play on a matched set of instruments made by Francis Kuttner, known as the Ellen M. Egger Quartet.
Paul Meyers’ World on a String – September 5, 2022: Brazilian-inspired jazz trio warmed up a chilly day at Weatherwatch Farm. Three friends who form the core of World on a String – Paul Meyers on nylon string guitar, Leo Traversa on electric bass, and Vanderlei Pereira on drums and percussion – created a cozy atmosphere inside the tent with expressive music grounded in intricate Brazilian rhythms. About 100 turned out for a totally mellow and satisfying show.
The Will Patton Ensemble – August 21, 2022: Over 100 gathered for an afternoon of lively and poignant music by the Will Patton Ensemble, a seasoned band of six amigos, crème de la crème of Vermont virtuosos playing classic Gypsy jazz hits Café Manouche, Le Marais, and Chez Tchavolo; Brazilian choro favorites Parana, Nao Me Toques, Caro Raul, and Choro for Rachel; Jazz standards like Sweet Lorraine; Québécois trad tunes Ste. Béatrice and Ste. Anne; and the nostalgic bittersweet Upper Valley Waltz. And much more!
Meadowmount School of Music Concert – August 9, 2022: Eight wonderfully talented and accomplished students performed a beautiful and challenging program that included Beethoven’s String Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 9; Ysaÿe’s Sonata for Solo Violin, No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27 Pastorale; and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80. These young virtuosos are so dedicated and full of promise – we wish them well!
Alon Goldstein, piano with the Fine Arts Quartet – July 24, 2022: The celebrated Israeli-American pianist Alon Goldstein joined with the venerable Fine Arts Quartet and the rising double-bass phenom Lizzie Burns in an exciting concert collaboration featuring two piano concerti of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Ignaz Lachner): Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K459 and Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503. And to shake things up midway through – a palette cleanser – the Fine Arts Quartet performed String Quartet No. 2 “Company” of Philip Glass. Definitely a WOW event!
Calmus – April 24, 2022: The award-winning, world-traveling vocal quintet from Leipzig, Germany performed “Faith and Madness” at the Church of the Assumption in Redford. There were many glowing moments in the program that included sacred works by Palestrina, Schütz, C.P. Bach, J.S. Bach and Altnikol (J.S. Bach’s son-in-law) and secular madrigals by Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Janéquin, and Flecha. There was not a dry eye in the house when Calmus offered Lysenko’s “Prayer for Ukraine” as an encore.
Infusion Baroque – March 13, 2022: The prize-winning Montreal all-gal early music ensemble gave a pre-concert talk and performed their signature program “Virtuosa” featuring the music of women musicians of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), Anna Bon (1738-1769), Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709-1758), Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818), Élizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729).
Le Vent du Nord – February 6, 2022: The crème de la crème of Québécois bands gave a smoking performance to a full house of 185 enthusiasts at the Assumption of Mary School in Redford. It was one of the premiere performances launching Le Vent du Nord’s 20th anniversary tour – entitled “20 Printemps” or “20 Springs” – of all new material (traditional and originals). The band rocked the house!
November 21, 2021: Patricia McCarty, viola and Bill Zito, guitar and lute – The duo’s rich program featured music from the Renaissance to the 21st century, including works by Dowland, Telemann, Giuliani, Nin, Villa-Lobos, Granados, de Falla, Gunter Braun, and Roberto Sierra. The concert was held in the historic Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel on the former military base, and was produced by Hill and Hollow Music for the benefit of the chapel.
November 14, 2021: Horszowski Trio – Jesse Mills, violin; Ole Akahoshi, cello; and Rieko Aizawa, piano performed Dvorak’s “Dumky” Trio, No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 90; Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio; and Schumann’s Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63 for a full house of 140. This concert had to be cancelled and rescheduled twice because of the covid pandemic. It was well worth waiting for – they are an extraordinary ensemble.
October 3, 2021: Dana Muller and Gary Steigerwalt, four-hands piano – The duo were with us for a week’s residency that included community outreach events and preparation for the premiere of a new work written for them by Pulitzer composer Lewis Spratlan. Spratlan gave a pre-concert talk about both of his works being performed by the duo that day – Fantasia and Dreamworlds – for which Muller and Steigerwalt demo’d key passages. Other works performed were Debussy’s Prélude de l’après-midi d’un faune; Mendelssohn’s La Valse.
September 6, 2021: Cantrip – Scottish Traditional Music – Dan Houghton on border pipes, flutes, whistles, and vocals; Alasdair White on fiddle; and Eric McDonald on guitar and vocals. Their music cast a spell over a large crowd and time stood still while the trio wove together stories and tunes on a rainy afternoon under the canopy. When the sun finally broke through, folks burst into spontaneous combustible dancing!
August 7-8, 2021: Tim Collins Jazz Quintet – An ad hoc ensemble of old friends from grad school and early professional days in New York City who nowadays all have high-octane international careers: Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; John Ellis, tenor sax; Tim Collins, vibes; Marcos Varela, bass; Jon Wikan, drums. They played two outdoor shows – Curbside at Harborside in Plattsburgh and Weatherwatch Farm in Saranac – of mostly original compositions of Christine Jensen and Tim Collins. Some unusual colors and sonorities there – over-the-top beautiful!
July 17-18, 2021: Mazel Tov Cocktail Party, clarinet-wizard David Krakauer’s newest band, gave premiere performances at Curbside at Harborside in Plattsburgh and Weatherwatch Farm in Saranac. Members of the international all-star ensemble include Kathleen Tagg, keys and cello; Sarah MK, vocals and rap; Yoshie Fruchter, guitar and oud; Jerome Harris, bass and vocals; and Martin Shamoonpour, daf and jaw harp. Klezmer-infused traditional square dance, polka, hornpipe, calypso, and hora got everyone up dancing in the parking lot and on the lawn!
June 19, 2021: Kathryn Sloat, harp, performed her signature “Moon and Stars” program of 20th- and 21st- century works under a tent on the lawn of Weatherwatch Farm. It was a glorious evening paired with glorious music! Works performed included those of Tournier, Salzedo, Debussy, Britten, Aspinall, Lizotte, Salazar, Schmidt, and Mancini.
November 28-29, 2020: Gretchen Koehler and Daniel Kelly performed a virtual house concert celebrating the release of their new album “LIVE from Hill and Hollow.” There were three streams during Thanksgiving weekend. The house concert and CD feature traditional fiddle tunes as well as originals by both Gretchen and Daniel.
October 16, 17, and 18, 2020: Alon Goldstein performed three solo piano recitals at Weatherwatch Farm. Attendance was limited to only 12 masked guests at each performance, owing to safety concerns during the pandemic. It was truly amazing to have such an intimate musical encounter with this powerful artist who has performed in major concert halls around the globe. Programs included J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Florence Price, Bernstein, Chopin, and Scarlatti .
September 6, 2020: Patricia (Patti) McCarty, viola and William (Bill) Zito, guitar performed a beautiful outdoor concert at Weatherwatch Farm on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon. We pitched a canopy on the east lawn and audience (masked) mostly brought their own chairs and were scattered around to maintain safe distancing. Sonatas of Locatelli and Paganini were offered, with short works by Beethoven, Ravel, Ibert, Albeniz, and a premiere of a work composed for the duo by John Hawkins.
August 28 and August 30, 2020: Television Broadcast of Breath & Hammer on Mountain Lake PBS. The extraordinary program of David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg was beautifully filmed and edited by Mountain Lake PBS in the Saranac Methodist Church. The 70-minute program is a passionate, eclectic musical journey pushing beyond the boundaries of the traditional clarinet and piano duo, with Debussy’s “Première Rhapsodie,” John Zorn’s “Parzial,” Kinan Azmeh’s “November 22,” Johnny Green’s American Songbook classic “Body and Soul,” as well as traditional klezmer tunes and original compositions by Krakauer and Tagg. See close-up their unorthodox playing unplugged and totally acoustic: CLICK HERE
July 18, 2020 – Koehler & Kelly: Hall of Fame champion fiddler Gretchen Koehler with jazz pianist Daniel Kelly performed a drive-in concert in downtown Plattsburgh, part of the “Curbside at Harborside” series. The duo blends the raw energy of traditional fiddle and dance music with the nuanced lyricism and irresistible rhythms of jazz piano to create their unique soundscape. Audience liberally honked their appreciation after each number.
June 7, 2020 – David Krakauer, clarinet and Kathleen Tagg, piano performed their extraordinary signature program “Breath & Hammer” to a live audience of 13 at the Saranac Methodist Church. This performance was filmed by Mountain Lake PBS and subsequently streamed online. It is still available for viewing here: Breath & Hammer
January 10, 2020 – Alexis Chartrand and Nicolas Babineau with dancer Mélissandre Tremblay-Bourassa gave an exciting performance on fiddles, guitar, and foot-percussion of French-Canadian traditional music to a sell-out audience at the Saranac Fire Hall. This was a celebration to launch their new CD “un beau p’tit son” (“a beautiful little sound”) which had been developed and recorded during two residencies at Hill and Hollow Music during 2019. A great big fun event!
November 3, 2019 – Chamber Music for Strings with Arturo Delmoni, violin; Patricia McCarty, viola; Julia Lichten and David Geber, cellos. Four superb artists at the peak of their powers came together to play Arensky’s monumental 1894 String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 3 for single violin, viola, and two cellos. Also on the program was the North American premiere of Seven into Eight (2008) by British composer John Hawkins, Beethoven’s String Trio in G major, Op. 9, No. 1 (1797), and Jean Francaix’s String Trio in C major (1933).
September 29, 2019 – Vera Quartet – Currently Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the rising young ensemble has won numerous chamber music competitions, including Astral Artists. They performed Haydn’s String Quartet op.76 no.1 in G major, Ravel’s String Quartet in F major, plus individual movements from string quartets by Schubert, Schnittke, Beethoven, and Auerbach (which hung together amazingly well as a cohesive quartet!)
August 10, 2019 – 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration featuring Inora Brass and Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble – Great music, great food, great people all came together at Weatherwatch Farm to launch our 25th season. Over 200 attended the FUNdraiser. Party of the Summer!
July 25, 2018 – Meadowmount School of Music Off-Campus Concert – We were privileged once again to be host for an off-campus concert by advanced students of the renowned Meadowmount School of Music. Eleven musicians performed Trio No.1 in g minor, Élégiaque of Rachmaninov, Caprice, Op. 52, no.6 of Ysaye, Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62 and Scherzo in d minor, Op.6 of Tchaikovsy, and String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 of Schubert. So inspiring to see and hear these talented, dedicated young people.
April 28, 2019 – Ensemble Caprice – This amazing ensemble lived up to its reputation as one of the pre-eminent baroque music ensembles performing today. The Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice is Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière on recorders, Susie Napper on cello; and Ziya Tabassian on percussion. They performed a fascinating and beautiful program “i Love baroque!” that was brim-full of drama, pathos, and virtuosity. Featured music of the 17th and 18th centuries included works by Purcell, Handel, Bach, Schmelzer, Falconieri, and Vivaldi.
March 9-10, 2019 – Ray Vega Latin Jazz Sextet – The atmosphere sizzled with two spicy shows on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon by Ray Vega’s first-rate ensemble featuring some of Vermont’s finest jazz musicians: Brian McCarthy on alto saxophone, Mike Hartigan on piano, Giovanni Rovetto on bass, Caleb Bronz on drums, Scott Dean on congas and percussion, and Vega himself on trumpet, flugelhorn, and percussion. The program was combination of standards and originals by Vega and members of the band. One standout moment, particularly poignant, was their remembrance of Rick Davies, a beloved friend, colleague, and member of the greater jazz community who passed two years ago, followed by a performance of one of Rick’s tunes. And yes, indeed, there was dancing in the aisles!
February 2-3, 2019 – Nicolas Babineau and Alexis Chartrand – Two marvelous shows by French-Canadian traditional music duo, comprising two fiddles, guitar, and foot-percussion, performing an extravagant array of reels and traditional fiddle music they collected from Francophone communities in the far reaches of eastern Québec and Canada’s Maritime provinces, including Chicoutimi, Gaspésie, Cape-Breton, and Newfoundland, as well as some of their own original music. The duo was joined by the remarkable Québecois step-dancer Mélissandre Tremblay-Bourassa. All three artists put a distinctive contemporary spin on their traditional roots music and dance – really exciting stuff!
November 18, 2018 – Arturo Delmoni, violin with Li-Pi Hsieh, piano – The program included Pugnani’s Sonata in E Major, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, “Spring,†Grieg’s less frequently played Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Robert Russell Bennett’s Hexapoda: Five Studies in Jitteroptera, and a set of favorite short works: Hungarian Dance in f minor (Brahms-Kreisler), Song Without Words, “Sweet Remembrance” (Mendelssohn-Heifetz), Legend of the Canyon (Cadman), Claire de Lune (Debussy), Mazurka, “Dudiarz†(Wieniawski), and Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34 (Tchaikovsky). Prighiera of Heifetz was offered as an encore. We can only agree with Glenn Dicterow, long-time concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, who said, “Delmoni’s playing always goes right to the heart, and his charisma is irresistible.”
October 28, 2018 – New York Polyphony – The program “Faith and Reason” featured two very different and significant works: the 16th-century Mass for Four Voices by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), sung in Latin; and the contemporary secular mass, Missa Charles Darwin, composed by Gregory Brown (b. 1974) on texts from Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, and sung in English; plus a few other contemporary works that were composed especially for the ensemble.
New York Polyphony’s concert was all that we hoped for, and more! Presenting them in Redford’s Church of the Assumption was spot-on. The darling old stone church with its cathedral-like resonance allowed the voices to ring out and float in the air. The vocal blend was miraculous, while each of the singularly beautiful four voices remained distinctive and strong. It is clear why New York Polyphony enjoys a reputation as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world.
August 19, 2018 – Emerald Trio – The New York City-based musicians were with us for an intense week of work and fun. They broke in a new pianist, James Sheppard, who was also commissioned to compose a new work for the trio. The work was written on-site and rehearsed in close collaboration with the players (an ideal situation), and subsequently given its premiere at the concert August 19, where the audience greeted it warmly. Indeed, the entire program was fascinating and engaging, with a beautiful suite by Mel (née Mélanie) Bonis (1858-1937), a little known contemporary of Ravel, and works by T.O. Sterrett (b. 1953), Howard Cass (b. 1989), and Alessandro Annunziata (b. 1968), demonstrating their commitment to uncovering lost gems from the past, as well as contemporary chamber music and building the repertoire for their ensemble’s instrumentation of flute, violin/viola, and piano.
July 26, 2018 – Meadowmount School of Music Off-Campus Concert – We were privileged to be host for an off-campus concert by advanced students of the renowned Meadowmount School of Music. The program began with Weilu Zhang playing two movements of the Sonata for Solo Violin in A minor, BWV 1003 by J.S. Bach. Then followed the exquisite Ravel Trio in A Minor with Liam Kaplan, piano; Nanao Yamada, violin; and Jeremy Tai, cello. After intermission Jeremy Tai performed a movement Kodaly’s wild and virtuosic Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8. The glorious culmination was Schumann’s Quartet for Piano and Strings, Op. 47, with Matthew Harikian, piano; Weilu Zhang; violin; Aaron Rosengaus, viola; and Luiz Venturelli, cello. Founded in 1944 by the legendary Russian violinist and pedagogue Ivan Galamian, the school soon became – and continues to be today – a pre-eminent summer program for young musicians training for a professional career in music. Alumni of Meadowmount have won every major competition worldwide, and are among the very best of international soloists and chamber musicians, concertmasters and principal players of the world’s leading orchestras, and the distinguished artist-teachers in every major university and conservatory.
June 23, 2018 – Jonathan Aceto, MIDI violin, with the McLean Mix – His solo electric violin program offered SAMPLER: Everything Goes When the Whistle Blows, a riveting work by Salvatore Martirano about the 1985 terrorist hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro and Desert Voices by Priscilla McLean with a slideshow of photos of the Sonoran Desert, where many of the sounds on the background tape were recorded. Following the performance was a screening of Rainforest Images II, an evocative music-video by Barton and Priscilla McLean based on their adventures in Malaysia and Borneo. Additionally, in a side room, the McLeans created an audience-interactive installation that drew from world music, sounds of nature, and intriguing experimental techniques, and invited folks to experience and participate in the creation of music and sound. Great fun!
May 6, 2018 – Lise de la Salle, piano - The extraordinary French pianist Lise de la Salle offered “Bach Unlimited,†her current signature solo recital program, conceived as a profound and shining tribute to the timeless genius of J.S. Bach. The concert began with Bach’s Italian Concerto and moved through three centuries of composers inspired by Bach: Liszt (Fantasy & Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H), Bach/Busoni (Chaconne), and pithy shorter works of Roussel, Poulenc, Kempf and Enhco. Lise’s outstanding performance demonstrated not only her powerful virtuosity, but also her extreme delicacy and touching devotion to this music.  It is clear why Lise is one of the most celebrated artists of her generation – she recently turned 30!
April 6-8, 2018 - Tim Collins USA Jazz Group - Vibes virtuoso Tim Collins teamed up again with Robinson Morse on double bass and Gabe Jarrett on drums, inviting guitarist/vocalist Davy Mooney as featured guest artist.  The quartet converged in Saranac for a run of three shows at the Fire Hall, which was transformed into a funky little jazz club such as might be found in Alphabet City in the East Village.  The guys did a mellow mix of standards and originals by Tim Collins and Davy Mooney, with periodic bursts of energy and fireworks – overall a perfect balance of cool and hot. Goldilocks would say “just right.â€Â All shows were well attended; standing room only at both Saturday and Sunday shows.
Sunday, March 4, 2018 – Rhythm Future Quartet – Keeping the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe, the virtuoso acoustic jazz foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound, influenced by the classic Hot Club of France, yet wholly contemporary. Led by violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, the quartet performs dynamic and lyrical arrangements of both Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions that draw upon diverse international rhythms and musical idioms. With Max O’Rourke on second guitar and Greg Loughman on bass, Rhythm Future is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of a vital musical genre.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 – Lavrova-Primakov Piano Duo – Two extraordinary Russian pianists Natalia Lavrova and Vassily Primakov formed as a duo in 2010 after graduating from Juilliard. They come to Saranac with some regularity to work and perform, and we always look forward to their lively visits. The Duo tried out an exciting new program to a full house at Weatherwatch Farm: Danse macabre, Op. 40 of Saint-Saëns, Night on Bald Mountain of Modest Musorgsky, Andante and Allegro Brillant, Op. 92 of Felix Mendelsson, and Blue Danube Fantasy of Greg Anderson. It was a dazzling performance and the audience roared with delight!
Saturday and Sunday, November 18-19, 2017 – Journey West – Seven virtuoso multi-instrumental artists of diverse nationalities and ethnic backgrounds performed world music on violins, saxophone, clarinet, flute, mandolin, guitar, oud, bass, accordion, and all manner of percussion. The fascinating musical travelogue chronicles the migration of melody and changing instrumentation from the Middle East, through Eastern and Western Europe, and finally arriving in the United States. Two excellent concerts were for the benefit of Plattsburgh Cares, an organization that provides humanitarian aid for asylum seekers and refugees traveling through our community on their way to Canada.Â
Sunday, October 8, 2017 – Soovin Kim and Gloria Chien, violin-piano duo – One of the most dynamic couples on the classical scene today did not fail to thrill and astound. Featured works were Robert Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, op. 105 ; Charles Ives’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 2 ; and Richard Strauss’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major, op. 18. The audience could not go home without hearing some favorites by one of the greatest all-time masters of the violin, Fritz Kreisler. No surprise, best attendance ever!
Friday, September 15, 2017 – Olympus Piano Trio – violinist Regi Papa, cellist Ben Capps, and pianist Konstantine Valianatos had a retreat to prepare a rather hefty program for upcoming concerts and competitions – trios of Brahms (No. 1 in B Major, op. 8), Ravel (A Minor), and Greek-Canadian contemporary composer Christos Hatzis (Odd World) – which they tried out in the living room at Weatherwatch Farm.  We had a great turnout because folks remembered how superb the trio was last year – and again several audience members pronounced it the best concert they have ever heard! There is indeed something extra-special about experiencing live music in such close proximity to the artists.
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Passepartout Duo – Nicoletta Favari, piano, and Christopher Salvito, vibraphone, were in residence to rehearse a new commission by Molly Joyce and to record videos of it and other works in their contemporary repertoire, which were subsequently posted on YouTube. At the conclusion of their residency they gave a live audio-visual performance with additional percussion, some electronics, and lights, besides piano and vibraphone. Works included the premiere of Molly Joyce’s Less is More, works by George Aperghis and Andy Akiho, and an animated film short by Mayke Nas with music composed by Salvito.  Our audience found the challenging program quite a stretch, but Favari and Salvito won them over with their competence, precision, passion, enthusiasm, humor, and charisma.
Sunday, April 9, 2017 – the Davydov-Fanning Duo – Cellist Dieuwke Davydov and pianist Diana Fanning, both Affiliate Artists at Middlebury College, performed their 40th Anniversary Concert before taking it on tour in Europe. The meaty and moving program featured Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, op. 5, Hindemith Fantasiestück, Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, op. 38 and Camille Saint-Saëns Allegro Appassionato, op. 43; plus Chopin “Berceuse” and two Debussy études for solo piano.Â
Sunday, January 22, 2017 – Lilac 94 - The contemporary harp duo performed a program devoted entirely to the music of Carlos Salzedo, very likely the greatest harpist of the 20th century and possibly the greatest-ever composer for the harp. Before performing Salzedo’s ground-breaking (and challenging) work Pentacle, they gave an illuminating lecture-demonstration of the extended techniques he developed and applied copiously therein. Other lighter works Lilac 94 performed were “Chanson dans la nuit” and “Tango” and “Rumba” from Salzedo’s Suite of Eight Dances.  An audience of 90+ responded enthusiastically to the Q & A and, of course, the music!
Sunday, November 20, 2016 – The Delmoni-McCarty-Thomas String Trio performed mature Mozart (Divertimento in E-flat Major, K563), early Beethoven (Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3), and youthful Ernst von Dohnanyi (Serenade in C Major, Op. 10). The players’ warm friendship plus their deep respect and love for the music animated and illuminated the exquisite program of monumental masterpieces.
Sunday, October 16, 2016 – Gloria Chien, piano – A superb solo recital featured Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, several of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, a Chopin Nocturne and Barcarolle, Liszt’s Venezia e Napoli, and a Scriabin Nocturne for left hand. About 120 attended the feast of favorites from Romantic and Impressionist periods.
Sunday, September 11, 2016 – Diderot String Quartet – Performing on period instruments, Johanna Novom and Adriane Post, violins; Kyle Miller, viola; and Paul Dwyer, cello offered Mozart’s String Quartet in G Major, K387, “Spring†and Burgmüller’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, op. 4. Elegance, passion, sensitivity, exuberance, daring and precision all came together. Annual free concert was attended by 100+
Sunday, August 21, 2016 – Olympus Piano Trio – violinist Regi Papa, cellist Ben Capps, and pianist Konstantine Valianatos performed trios of Rachmaninoff (No. 1 in G Minor “Élégiaque), Brahms (No. 2 in C major, op. 87), and Tchaikovsky (A Minor, op. 50). A rich, substantial program richly delivered. The Tchaikovsky moved one to tears, Several audience members pronounced it the best concert they have ever heard!
Saturday, June 25, 2016 – Balkanville – Balkan music by Montreal ensemble featuring Richard Simas, clarinet; Sean McCutcheon, accordion and winds; Cathy Inouye, tuba; Becky Lazarovic, tapan, and special guest Max Fass, accordion. House concert at Weatherwatch Farm with an informal concert on the deck followed by dancing on the lawn. Al fresco drinks and dinner, too, on a perfect summer evening overlooking the Adirondacks.
April 3, 2016 РRebel Ensemble for Baroque Music РJ̦rg-Michael Schwarz and Karen Marie Marmer, violins; John Moran, cello; Donsok Shin, harpsichord performed Barocco: Musical Treasures of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Our audience flipped over the energy and style these artists brought to the music, not to mention sheer virtuosity. We won the lottery on this one!
February 12-14, 2016 – Tim Collins USA Jazz Quartet – The North Country’s home-grown luminary Tim Collins on vibes traveled from his now-home in Germany for three exciting shows at the Saranac Fire Hall “Jazz Club.” Special guest star was New York City jazz piano phenom Ayako Shirasaki and rhythm by Vermont jazz notables John Rivers on bass and Gabe Jarrett on drums. This was the real deal. Wish we could hear great jazz like this around here more often!
November 22, 2015 – Concert of Piano Quartets – Superb violist and Adirondack resident Patricia McCarty was joined by three renowned colleagues: Jung Lin, piano; Arturo Delmoni, violin; and Ronald Thomas, cello. Their thrilling and deeply satisfying program included Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E flat, K. 493; Faure’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45; and Brahms’s Piano Quartet in A major, Op. 26. The audience responded to a unique musical happening with multiple standing ovations!
October 25, 2015 – Johannes String Quartet – The acclaimed ensemble opened with Homunculus, an exciting 15-minute work written expressly for them by the world-renowned Finnish composer-conductor Esa Pekka Salonen. Also featured was Mozart’s String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421 and Brahms’s String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, op. 67. Playing at the highest level and the house was packed – a love-fest, for sure!
August 23, 2015 – Emerald Trio – New York City-based Karen Bogardus, flutes; Orlando Wells, violin and viola; and Matt Castle, piano and composer performed a concert of new works written especially for them by hot-on-the-scene NYC composers Carolyn Steinberg, Matt Castle, Joseph Pehrson, Gene Pritsker, Dan Cooper, Milica Paranosic, and Davide Zannoni.  Our annual free concert. Fascinating, challenging, and well received – kudos to intrepid artists and audience alike!
July 19, 2015 – Gretchen Koehler and Daniel Kelly Duo - by New York State Hall of Fame fiddler Gretchen Kelly partnered by NYC-based jazz pianist Daniel Kelly offered a beautiful and diverse selection of tunes, both traditional and original, in a unique and fascinating performance of many styles of fiddling and improvisation. 13-year-old Syl step-danced into the hearts of all!
June 28, 2015 – Red Hedgehog Trio – Boston musicians Marina Krickler, horn; Marjorie Gere, violin; and Daniel Sedgwick, piano performed works for solo keyboard (Bach) and violin-piano duo (Brahms), as well as for horn-violin-piano trio (Harbison). They premiered their new commission “10 x 10” - a huge hit!
May 3, 2015 – Ricochet Duo – Jane Boxall on marimba and Rose Chancler on piano performed “DANCES,” a delightful array of short dance-inspired works, including ragtime, tango, and more.
March 22, 2015 – Duo FAE – Violinist Charlene Kluegel and pianist Katherine Petersen performed a traditional recital featuring three sonatas by Beethoven, Faure, and Ives. Nourishment for the soul.
February 8, 2015 – The Guidonian Hand – Four virtuoso trombones juxtaposed art music of the past (Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Debussy) with contemporary works of living composers (Galen Brown, Jeremy Howard Beck, Conrad Winslow). Totally wonderful!
November 16, 2014 – Patricia McCarty and Cary Lewis – Two superb artists at the top of their game offered a deeply satisfying and memorable viola-piano duo recital featuring works Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and the contemporary American composer David Avshalomov.
October 12, 2014 – Russian Duo – Balalaika artist Oleg Kruglyakov and pianist Terry Boyarsky guided a rapt audience on a fascinating journey across the span of Russian culture with folk music, lyrical romances, rhythmic dances, classical music favorites, gypsy melodies, and popular songs.
August 24, 2014 - The Allant Trio astounded a full house at the Methodist Church with elegant, energetic virtuosity. This was our now-annual free concert and about 140 attended. They gave a perfectly paced performance of Hadyn’s Trio No. 39 in G Major (Gypsy), Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy’s Give Me Phoenix Wings to Fly, and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49.
July 11Â and 13, 2014 – The Rocky Hill Ramblers gave two delightful shows at the Saranac Fire Hall. The three-member band of fiddle, guitar, bass, with sophisticated vocal harmonies performed 60s and 70s folk, rock, jazz, and blues, along with some ancient traditional tunes plus originals. Sweet memories and smiles!
June 22, 2014 – The Lavrova-Primakov Piano Duo performed music for one piano, two-, four-, and six-hands on our nine-foot Steinway at the Methodist Church. Approximately half of the program featured works by South African composer Braam van Eeden, including two solo sonatas and the premiere of Allegory, dedicated to Hill and Hollow Music. Van Eeden was present to receive a standing ovation after each (three SOs!). Also performed were Twelve Pieces, op.66, of Anton Arensky and Six Morceaux, op. 11, of Sergei Rachmaninoff. As an encore, van Eeden joined Lavrova and Primakov at the keyboard to play Rachmaninoff’s charming Valse for six hands!
May 24-25, 2014 - The Bonfiglio Trio gave two performances of Harmonica America – Classical to Blues featuring the towering harmonica virtuoso Robe
Patti McCarty and Friends – Sunday, November 3 at 3:00 pm at the Saranac Methodist Church on Route 3 – Arturo Delmoni, violin; Patricia McCarty, viola; and Julia Lichten and David Geber, cellos – Instead of two violins, this is a string quartet with two cellos!
