November 24th SZALON!

1.     Vibraphonist Oliver Mayman and vocalist Lora Sherrodd perform the music of Bob Dorough (composer of Schoolhouse Rock)

2.     Maria Thompson Corley performs selections from her solo piano music, including two arrangements of spirituals and an original composition inspired by a poem

3.     Guitarist/composer Robert Nuovo presents "American Folk Tale” from his Nuosphere Project with John Fugarino, trumpet and Jim Joustra, guitar 

4.     Erin Frances (voice) and Lonnie Jack Davis (guitar) perform acoustic versions of “Goodnight, My Someone” from The Music Man and “Being Alive” from Company

5.     Cookie Diorio, drag artist, performs "With Every Step" from Long Live The Queen: A Her-story of Drag with music by Andrea Clearfield and libretto by Cookie Diorio

6.     Pianist Clipper Erickson performs the first movement of the Sonata in E minor by Florence B. Price and Prelude 17by Laurie Altman

7.     Laura Kate Marshall and Laura Ward perform “Women Have Loved” and “Hyacinth” by Margaret Bonds, and “Ruth” from Women of Valor by Andrea Clearfield.

8.     Pianist Tania Stavreva will perform her original work, "Cleopatra" and Asturias (Leyenda) Op. 47, No. 5 by Isaac Albéniz 

9.     Baritone James Cottone and pianist Stephanie Watt will perform selected songs from the cycle The Hills of Dawnby Choctaw composer, Charles Shadle

10.  Avi Wisnia, jazz-pop singer/songwriter, will put his original twist on contemporary popular song

Oliver Mayman and Lora Sherrodd

From Ann Arbor, MI, and now based in Philadelphia, Oliver Mayman is a vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Beginning on the drums and piano, the vibraphone was an inevitable discovery – the instrument essentially fusing the mechanics of drumming with the harmonic capabilities of the piano. Since then, he has quickly become a distinguished voice on the instrument, redefining its role in music through an inventive technical approach and a discerning creative ear. In 2022, he was selected as a Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition jazz winner. He was also a member of the 2022 JM Jazz World Orchestra, which tours Europe each summer, and won the 2021 Italy Percussive Arts Society jazz vibraphone competition, the largest of its kind.

Downbeat award-winning jazz vocalist Lora Sherrodd has her eyes toward the future of jazz with her feet planted in tradition. The young vocalist, lyricist, improviser, and composer is a product of talent, hard work, exceptional teachers, and genetics. Based in Philadelphia, Lora brings new excitement to the vocal jazz scene, racking up an impressive list of credentials for her age. Although not many jazz musicians hail from Wyoming, Lora grew up surrounded by music. Lora is passionate about her role in encouraging women in music and emphasizes women empowerment with feminist themes in her compositions. With lyricism fit for the twenty-first century, Lora writes music that is relatable to young audiences while also upholding the jazz tradition.

https://www.lorasherroddmusic.com/store

 Videos:

Maria Thompson Corley

Maria Thompson Corley (BM, University of Alberta; MM, DMA, The Juilliard School) has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist in Canada, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Europe. Dr. Corley has recorded for Naxos, Albany, Parma, MSR Classics, and independent labels. Excerpts from her discs have been featured in movies and on television, radio and digital platforms, nationally and internationally. Her compositions have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by renowned artists and organizations in the USA and abroad.

Links:

www.mariacorley.com
https://www.instagram.com/mariathompsoncorley/
https://www.facebook.com/mtccomposer
https://www.facebook.com/mtcorley
https://www.albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy0857/
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9264313--soulscapes-2-piano-music-by-women-of-african-descent?srsltid=AfmBOoqrd4F31opTpVJx8L7v08OBX66YKlbPMwtkYLZ-xXHvZMYzkS_S
https://www.amazon.com/Soulscapes-Piano-Music-African-Descent/dp/B09KT5DZGT
https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6406/
https://www.albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy0639/
https://ciceronema.com/cma-streams-artists-maria-thompson-corley/

Video:

Robert Nuovo, John Fugarino, and Jim Joustra

Robert Nuovo is a composer and guitarist in New York City. Rob has been performing and composing in the Northeastern US for several decades. He’s received accolades for aplaying “with purpose in every note” and for his “natural musical intuition for phrasing”. Praised for his brilliant ear and creativie melodies, he’s built a strong presence by performing at NYC’s jazz hot-spots as a guest artist with ensembles as well as a soloist, premiering many original compositions. Robert Nuovo’s vision for his Nuosphere Project was conceived 30 years ago as a collaborative platform for artists across various media to connect and create together. The composition being presented, titled "American Folk Tale," is inspired by Robert's exposure to diverse cultures after arriving in New York City. His influences include Brazilian, Italian, and African-American jazz, particularly the works of Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, and Luis Bonfa.

https://www.robertnuovo.com/

Instagram:
@robonuos
@nuosphereproject 

Trumpet player John Fugarino received his Bachelor's degree in Music Composition from the  University of Wisconsin Madison and his Masters degree in Music Composition from the  New England Conservatory of Music. He has been active as a performer, composer  and educator for  over 30 years in the New England area. He has performed often in NYC with Robert Nuovo. Most recently his trumpet and multi-brass playing can be heard with Dave Peck’s Leap of Faith and various other ensembles on Dave’s Evil Clown Label. His orchestral music “Riding on a Cloud” was recorded on MMC New Century Volume 2 by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Currently he teaches music in Lowell Public Schools and is the Trumpet/Brass instructor at both the Real School of Music/ Burlinton and the Brooks School in North Andover Ma. 

Jim Joustra is a NYC-based guitarist and composer. He’s a Berklee College of Music alumnus, holding a BA in Jazz Composition. Since 2010, Jim has been a regular in the New York City scene as a member of such groups as, “The Fine Machines”, “WestSide House Rockers”, “Forever Grateful”, and his own groups; “Jim Joustra Band” and the “Jim Joustra Quartet”. Most recently, he received his first Producer & Musical Direction credit for solo artist Eitan Sellinger’s debut album “Sunflyer”, recorded at Cocoon Studios in Jersey City, NJ. Outside of his own performances and studio recordings, Jim has had the honor of sharing the stage with such elite musicians as James Cotton, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and R.L. Boyce. Jim is also very excited to release his first solo venture titled “Art for Adults” in late 2024/early 2025!

Videos:

Erin Frances and Lonnie Davis

Erin Frances is a New York City-based singer, actor, and songwriter. She is originally from Woodland, California and graduated from Temple University with her BFA In Musical Theatre. Some of her favorite and recent theatre credits include understudying Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Arden Theatre Company) and a lead in the recent industry/staged reading of a new musical, The Mountains Are Burning, in New York. Erin is drawn to interpreting pieces of great writers and composers, as well as writing her own songs, in which she is set to release a full-length album in 2025. 

https://erinfrances.com

Lonnie Davis is a Philadelphia composer, multi-instrumentalist, and audio engineer. He is primarily a percussionist, but also spends considerable time playing guitar and other stringed instruments. As a composer, he specializes in contemporary classical percussion music and singer/songwriter style music. As an audio engineer, he records and mixes for various artists, and will often contribute as a producer or songwriter. Notably, he is the co-producer and musical partner of Grace Gardner, indie folk singer from Texas, now based in Philadelphia. 

Videos:

Cookie Diorio and Andrea Clearfield

Cookie Diorio is a Philadelphia-based drag performer, a classically trained vocalist, a songwriter, an activist, a husband, mother of the House of Diorio, a music teacher and lover of all things sparkly. She mastered walking in 5 inch stilettos in the night clubs of Boston, achieved her hair fantasy by studying vintage videos of Grace Bumbry and founded the giving project Art of the Heel. Cookie grew up in historic Auburn, NY with gospel in her ears, civil rights in her blood and a song in her heart. She trained at Ithaca College in the voice studio of Angus Godwin and learned the many different skills of western classical music from master teachers such as Carol McAmis in vocal pedagogy, Lawrence Doebler in choral arts, Dana Wilson in composition and Patrick Hansen in opera coaching. She has produced many solo shows including the off-broadway production Fire In My Bones: A Gospel Jubilee (Kraine Theater, NYC), given a TEDx talk at Rosetree, had a musical takeover at The Barnes Foundation, is a 14 year company member at Opera Philadelphia, premiered the role "Oracle" in Andrea Clearfield's Beyond the Binary, and is an ASSociate Artist of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Cookie is also a staple in the Philadelphia drag performance scene and community.

Website: www.cookiediorio.com
All Social Handles: @cookidiorio

Creating deep emotive musical languages that build cultural and artistic bridges, the music of Andrea Clearfield is performed widely in the U.S. and abroad. She has been praised by the New York Times for her “graceful tracery and lively, rhythmically vital writing”, the Philadelphia Inquirer for her “compositional wizardry” and “mastery with large choral and instrumental forces”, the L.A. Times for her “fluid and glistening orchestration” and by Opera News for her “vivid and galvanizing” music of “timeless beauty”. She has written 175 works for opera, chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance and multimedia including 17 cantatas. She is currently working on Long Live the Queen (a her-story of drag), an hour-long cantata with librettist/drag artist Cookie Diorio, Symphony & Stix for orchestra and drumline, a string quartet if each day falls inside each night for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, a classical guitar quartet for the Canadian Guitar Quartet and work for chorus and strings for the University of Michigan Chamber Chorus, directed by Eugene Rogers. Kabo Omowale, with renowned storyteller/librettist Charlotte Blake Alston, was commissioned and premiered by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Documenting Tibetan music in the Nepalese Himalaya inspired a decade of new work including Lung-Ta, presented to the Dalai Lama as an initiative for world peace, Tse Go La cantata on rites of passage, and MILA, Great Sorcerer, opera to libretto by Jean-Claude van Itallie and Lois Walden on the transformative story of Tibetan saint Milarepa, presented by Beth Morrison’s NYC 2019 Prototype Festival. She has been awarded a Pew Center International Residency Award, a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, two Independence Foundation Fellowships, two Fellowships at the Rockefeller's Bellagio Center and Fellowships at the American Academy in Rome, MacDowell, Yaddo, Copland House, and The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico among others. She is active as a public speaker and visiting composer. Dr. Clearfield served on the Composition Faculty at The University of the Arts from 1986-2011. As a pianist, she performed with the Relâche Ensemble for 25 years and held the honor of performing with the Court of the Dalai Lama. Passionate about creating community around arts, she founded and hosts her Salon series now celebrating 38 Years, featuring a diverse programming and reaching local and international audiences. She served on the Grammy Board of Directors, Philadelphia Chapter, and currently serves on the Executive Board of Wildflower Composers, highlighting voices of young female, nonbinary, genderqueer and transgender composers. She is represented by Black Tea Music.

Links:

www.andreaclearfield.com
@andreaclearfield
https://www.facebook.com/andrea.clearfield/
https://www.facebook.com/andreaclearfieldcomposer

Clipper Erickson

Described as “one of the finest pianists of his generation…a consummate musician” by Fanfare, Clipper Erickson has dedicated much of his long career to bringing new works to life as an enthusiastic musical explorer. Erickson made his debut at age 19 in Los Angeles as soloist with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra, followed by studies at The Juilliard School, Yale University, and Indiana University. While at Indiana, Clipper trained with the great British pianist John Ogdon, whose dedication to the performance of new music and lesser-known works of the past inspired Clipper to follow in his footsteps. His artistry continues to win international critical acclaim through recordings and performances as soloist in major concert halls including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Carnegie Hall, and Symphony Space in New York. Clipper’s two-disc set of piano music of Laurie Altman, From Somewhere, was released in September and is already attracting critical acclaim. His album of the complete piano music of the great African-American composer R. Nathaniel Dett, My Cup Runneth Over, has been a favorite on radio worldwide since its release in 2015, including on our own WRTI. It was honored by Gramophone UK in 2016 as a critic’s choice and best album of the year. Many of Clipper’s performances of Dett and much more may be found on his YouTube channel, Spotify, and other streaming venues.

Links: 

Website: https://www.clippererickson.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clipperericksonpiano
YouTube: www.youtube.com/clipperericksonpiano
Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/cad1c65b9f66/newsletter-signup

******Donations are gratefully accepted at:
PayPal******

Laura Kate Marshall and Laura Ward

Mezzo Soprano and actress Laura Kate Marshall’s multi-faceted career is a reflection of her deep love for and commitment to the sung and spoken word in all its forms. A performer from the earliest of ages from a family of creatives, she recalls her first roll as Rosa Parks (surprisingly) in a kindergarten school assembly honoring the lives of great women leaders. She has always been a drawn to and cast as strong and often complex women characters as her last three- Queen Alonsa in The Tempest (Delaware Shakespeare), Truvy Jones (Stagecraft’s) in Steel Magnolias and Madame in Cinderella (The Walnut Street Theatre) respectively, can attest. In June of this year Laura performed a solo recital entitled Let Us Garlands Bring, inspired by two more exceptional women artists; the beloved contralto Kathleen Ferrier and the maverick Shakespearean Actress Charlotte Cushman. Laura crafted the program of texts from artists such as Margaret Bonds, Richard Strauss and Edna St. Vincent Millay, to William Shakespeare and Steven Sondheim, following the methods used by Philadelphia art collector founder of the Barnes Foundation, Albert C. Barnes. Laura is a recipient of the Barnes-DeMazia certificate for her scholarship in this two-year immersion program studying the Barnes Method and other interpretive approaches. Like Dr. Barnes, Laura believes that art has the power to improve minds, open hearts and transform lives. It is her goal to bring the highest level of performance to audiences through traditional models as well as unique programming in beautiful spaces at home and all over the world. Laura is deeply honored to be performing the music of Margaret Bonds and Andrea Clearfield on this evening’s Szalon with her esteemed collaborator Laura Ward. 

Links:
https://laurakatemarshall.com/
Paypal: lkmmarshall@gmail.com
Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/laura-marshall-32 

Laura Ward is pianist and Artistic Director of Lyric Fest. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Teatro Colon, the Spoleto Festival (Italy), the Colmar International Music Festival and Saint Denis Festival in France. She has served on the faculty of AlpenKammermusik, The CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, The Academy of Vocal Arts, Temple University, Ravinia Festival Stean’s Institute, Washington Opera, University of Maryland, Music Academy of the West and as the official pianist for the Washington International Competition, the Astral Artists Auditions and for the Marian Anderson Award. Laura is pianist on the recently released Daron Hagen 21st Century Song Cycles on the Naxos label and Lineage with her frequent collaborative partner, Randall Scarlata on the Albany label. Laura is also recording artist and editor of song accompaniments for publisher Hal Leonard having co-edited: Richard Strauss: 40 Songs, Gabriel Fauré: 50 Songs, and Johannes Brahms: 75 Songs and recorded over 2000 song accompaniments for Hal Leonard Publishing. These volumes help countless singers and pianists experience, learn and enjoy the art song repertoire and also help introduce a world of art song to many who have had little exposure to classical song. A native of Texas, Laura received her Bachelor in Music degree from Baylor University, holds a Masters in Piano Accompanying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Doctorate in Accompanying from the University of Michigan where she was a student of Martin Katz.

Donate: https://lyricfest.org/donate/
https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest

Videos:

Tania Stavreva

"Edgy, knockout, Tania Stavreva’s got rhythm" says The Huffington Post about Billboard Top 10 international multi-award winning "Bulgarian-born piano dynamo" (Time Out NY) Tania Stavreva who is one of the most versatile young classical artists of her generation, performing actively at top venues and receiving critical acclaim all over the world. Her latest album RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT reached Billboard Classical Top 10 and won 19 international music awards.

Links:

Official Web Site: www.TaniaStavreva.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/taniastavreva
Youtube: www.youtube.com/taniastavreva
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaniaStavreva.Official
Instagram: @tania_stavreva

Subscribe to Tania's Patrons Premium Newsletter:
https://buy.stripe.com/3cs5mgc7B3oWb5ufZ3

Donations:

PayPal:  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TaniaStavreva (to friends and family only at this link)
via Stripe with any credit card: https://buy.stripe.com/6oEeWQc7B8JgddC9AC (people choose what to pay under the default amount)
for more donation options please, visit: https://www.taniastavreva.com/make-a-gift.html

Videos:

James Cottone and Stephanie Watt

Baritone James Cottone is currently the choral and classroom music teacher at P.S. 376Q in the New York City Department of Education and a member of the NY Philharmonic Chorus and Ember Choral Arts Ensemble. James recently performed the role of the Lord Chancellor in Bronx Opera’s production of IOLANTHE by Gilbert and Sullivan. James is the second place winner of the 2024-2025 Concert Artists International. As a result of this win he will be performing at Kurt Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall. James can be seen singing in the telecast for the Opening Night of David Geffen Hall Gala. He has also recently made his NJ Symphony Orchestra debut in the brand new cantata by Rob Kapilow “We Came to America”. James has performed as soloist in the Handel’s Messiah, Handel Cantata As Pants the Hart HWV 251b, Bach Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, Cantata BWV 82 Ich Habe Genug,  Cantata BWV 72 Alles Nur nach Gottes Willen, Schubert Tantum Ergo, Faure Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Brahms Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, Vivaldi Magnificat, and the Mozart Vespers. James is the baritone staff singer/soloist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor and each summer at The Church at Point O’ Woods on Fire Island. He recently sang the baritone solo in the newly commissioned cantata BEYOND THE BINARY by award winning composer Andrea Clearfield. He next sings as soloist in the Bach Magnificat with the Richmond Choral Society and the Five Mystical Songs of Vaughan Williams with Hamptons Choral Festival. James is also this year’s Big Apple Teacher of the Year 2024-2025. 

For donations: James’ Zelle is under the email jcottone918@gmail.com 

Hailed as a “Master Artist” in Vas Népe, Hungary, pianist Stephanie Watt has performed as a soloist, collaborative, recording and chamber artist in major concert halls throughout the U.S. and in five continents. Her recordings of Allen Brings’ works, most notably Duo for Piano and Flute and Duo for Cello and Piano were released on Navona Records and Capstone Recordings with critical acclaim. Ms. Watt is the recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and her biography has been published in Marquis Who’s Who in America, American Women, and Who’s Who in the World. She has received degrees in Performance, Composition and Computer Science from LIU Post and holds an honorary degree from Academia Nacional del Tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is a certified Reiki and Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. She is Professor of Music, Director of Piano and Theory Studies and has also served as Chair of the Department of Music at the Post Campus of Long Island University.

Avi Wisnia

Singer-songwriter Avi Wisnia tours in support of his newest album of jazz/pop compositions, "Catching Leaves," performing in venues around the world – from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to The Kennedy Center in Washington DC to concert tours in Poland, Japan, and Brazil. Avi Wisnia has given a TED Talk and performed with The Moth storytellers, and he is featured in the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary "How Saba Kept Singing." Avi currently hosts the local concert series "Philly Songwriters In The Round" at The Royal in Glenside PA and can also be seen performing monthly at the Philadelphia Rittenhouse Hotel.

Links:

Donations & Contributions accepted with Venmo: @AviWisnia or PayPal: paypal.me/aviwisnia
Link to listen/stream/buy music on any platform: www.aviwisnia.com/music
Sign up for upcoming concert alerts & mailing list: https://tinyurl.com/AviWisniaMailingList
Connect on Social Media, Facebook & Instagram: @AviWisnia

More Info at www.aviwisnia.com

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