The Orchestra of Northern New York (ONNY), the North Country’s only professional orchestra, and the Secret Sits Pro Musica Ensembles (TSS, Inc.) is hosting its 2024 Summer Chamber Music Series in Childwold, Wanakena, and Lake Clear. All performances are on Thursdays at 7pm, and are free, although donations are welcome.
Opening the series on July 11 at Childwold Memorial Presbyterian Church will be Brian Dunbar performing Wandering: Flute Music from Baroque to Jazz, accompanied by Keilor Kastella on piano. Selections range from Flute Sonata in B minor by Johann Sebastian Bach to a contemporary piece, Hypnosis, by Ian Clarke.
Dr. Brian Dunbar is the Assistant Professor of Flute at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Dr. Keilor Kastella is currently adjunct instructor of piano and an active collaborative pianist at Crane.
Returning by popular demand on July 18 is Paul Meyers and Sebastian Buhts. They will perform a program of music of Bela Bartok, Maruice Ravel, and original compositions at the Childwold Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Meyers is a free-lance jazz guitarist who has performed nationally and internationally and has produced several CDs. He is "one of the most eloquent jazz guitarists since Kenny Burrell”, according to James Gavin, NY Times.
Sebastian Buhts is a conductor and percussionist based in St. Louis, MO. He is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Lindenwood University and serves on the percussion faculty at Washington University in St. Louis.
Jamcrackers will bring a rare blend of humor, history, and musical spirit to their performance at the Wanakena Presbyterian Church on August 8. Featuring seasoned solo performers, Dan Berggren, Peggy Lynn, and Dan Duggan, Jamcrackers is named in honor of the river drivers who broke up log jams.
Dan Berggren is recognized as one of the finest songwriters in the Northeast and has released six recordings of original songs. Peggy Lynn is a nationally known singer who puts her soul into her voice. She too has released six recordings. Dan Duggan also has a national reputation for his wizardry on Hammered Dulcimer and Flat-Picking Guitar. He has recorded nine albums.
Closing the summer series on August 29 will be international opera singer Margaret Chalker and her granddaughter, Mekayla Fountaine, with Julie Miller, piano. They will present FAMILY TIES, a program of favorite songs, duets and arias ranging from light opera to modern Broadway at the Adirondack Presbyterian Church in Lake Clear.
In her 25 years with Opernhaus Zuerich, Chalker sang nearly 900 performances of over 60 different roles. She has been on the faculty of the Crane School of Music since 2017. Fountaine is a 2024 graduate of the Crane School of Music and favorite of Community Performance Series productions.
For more information, visit onny.org/Childwold or call 315-212-3440.