Juno: This World

Juno Orchestra and its Music Director Zon Eastes present a program for string orchestra titled “This World” on Sunday, February 8, at 2:30 p.m. at the BMC. The concert premieres a new work by noted Vermont composer Erik Nielsen. The composition by Nielsen, “In the Midst......More

Juno Orchestra and its Music Director Zon Eastes present a program for string orchestra titled “This World” on Sunday, February 8, at 2:30 p.m. at the BMC. The concert premieres a new work by noted Vermont composer Erik Nielsen. The composition by Nielsen, “In the Midst of It All,” aligns with the program’s overall focus on recurrence, says Eastes. “It opens with four downward-stepping notes resting atop somber chords. The four-note cell reappears throughout the work and seems to stand as an emotional marker.” Eastes explains that the entire program features structural elements that circle and reiterate or, like the Earth, rotate and orbit, passacaglias, chaconnes, and minimalist cells, “a fascinating platform for all sorts of improvisatory exploration, akin to jazz.” Three Juno musicians will be featured as soloists for this concert, performing works by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Violinists Ryan Shannon and Kathy Andrew will perform “Passacaglia” and cellist Jennifer Morsches will present “Fratres.” Ryan Shannon is a freelance violinist based in Boston. He performs widely throughout New England and has shared the stage with Celtic Woman, Il Divo, and Johnny Mathis as well as such masters as Yo-Yo Ma and Andrea Bocelli. He studied at the New England Conservatory under Lucy Chapman and Nicholas Kitchen and is the Artistic Director of Heartspur Arts Festival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as a core member of Juventas New Music Ensemble in Boston. Kathy Andrew, Juno concertmaster, is also the Assistant Concertmaster of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA). She performed with Opera North, the New England Bach Festival and has performed with the Dartmouth, Albany, Berkshire, and New Hampshire Symphonies, as well as with the Arcadia Players. She has taught violin and viola at Bennington College and Keene State College, and chamber music at Dartmouth College. She is also currently teaching violin, viola and chamber music at the BMC. Cellist Jennifer Morsches is Co-Artistic Director of Sarasa Ensemble, based in Cambridge, MA, acknowledged for its outreach in youth detention centers in the Boston area. She is a founding member of Richter Ensemble and a longtime member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Siècles, and Orchestre des Champs-Élysées. Morsches graduated from Smith College with degrees in Music History and German Literature, and was awarded the Ernst Wallfisch Prize in Music. She received her Master’s and Doctorate in Cello Performance at the Mannes College of Music and SUNY at Stony Brook. “I am so grateful for the cultural richness that is Brattleboro and the surrounding area,” says Eastes. “We are all so much richer for the many fine musicians who have made this their home.” Juno will also perform an orchestral arrangement of Philip Glass’ “String Quartet No. 5,” composed in 1991 as well as Henry Purcell’s Chacony in G minor, written around 1680 in London.

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Chamber Series: Musicians From Marlboro Group 2

The BMC Chamber Series continues Sunday, February 15, with Musicians from Marlboro Group 2. The program will include Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor, Op. No. 2 and Septet in F-flat Major, Op.20, and “Untitled” by Tyshawn Sorey, the recipient of both the 2024 Pulit......More

The BMC Chamber Series continues Sunday, February 15, with Musicians from Marlboro Group 2. The program will include Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor, Op. No. 2 and Septet in F-flat Major, Op.20, and “Untitled” by Tyshawn Sorey, the recipient of both the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Music and a MacArthur Fellowship. The concert is set for 3 p.m. at the BMC. The ensemble includes Claire Bourg, Stephanie Zyzak, violin Cara Pogossian, viola Marcy Rosen, cello Javier Morales-Martinez, clarinet Carys Sutherland, horn Natalya Rose Vrbsky, bassoon and Nina Bernat, double bass.

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

February Recess

The BMC front office is closed for this week. Please check with your instructor to find out if you have a lesson. Enjoy your holiday!

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Portland String Quartet: Point of Departure

The BMC welcomes the Portland String Quartet for the first time Sunday, February 22, at 2 p.m. The program, titled “Point of Departure,” explores moments when composers stepped beyond the familiar to chart new artistic territory. Each performed piece reflects a turning ......More

The BMC welcomes the Portland String Quartet for the first time Sunday, February 22, at 2 p.m. The program, titled “Point of Departure,” explores moments when composers stepped beyond the familiar to chart new artistic territory. Each performed piece reflects a turning point — a departure from the expected — inviting listeners to experience the spirit of creative risk and reinvention. Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz reveals a lyrical, late-Romantic voice rarely associated with his later atonal work. Ken Benshoof’s Sweeter Than Wine blends classical form with American folk and jazz, creating music that feels both intimate and fresh. Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2 bursts with rhythmic drive and bold contrasts, drawing on African-Caribbean roots. Finally, Sergei Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 2, written during wartime exile, transforms folk melodies into something strikingly original. The Portland String Quartet includes Callie Brennan, Sophia Szokolay, violins Brianna Fischler, viola and Kelly Knox, cello. .

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Sarasa: alla Bolognese

Sarasa Ensemble explores the musical influence of Bologna, Italy, Friday, February 27, at the BMC. The program, titled “alla Bolognese,” notes that Bologna is not only renowned for its famous Ragù, but it was also a hot spot for many pioneering 17th-century musicians wh......More

Sarasa Ensemble explores the musical influence of Bologna, Italy, Friday, February 27, at the BMC. The program, titled “alla Bolognese,” notes that Bologna is not only renowned for its famous Ragù, but it was also a hot spot for many pioneering 17th-century musicians who paved the way for the flowering of instrumental music in Europe. The 7 p.m. concert will include works for cornetto, violin, cello and organ by Isabella Leonarda, Cazzati, Arresti, Gabrielli, Bononcini, Torelli, Antonii & Montalbano. A collective of extraordinary international instrumentalists and vocalists, the Sarasa Ensemble performs classical music of outstanding quality, spanning the 17th to the 21st centuries, on both period and modern instruments, and brings this music to diverse communities. The Sarasa Ensemble includes Elicia Silverstein, violin Nathaniel Cox, cornetto/theorbo/guitar Jennifer Morsches, cello and John McKean, organ.    

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Joyous Fire String Quartet: Spring Forward with Haydn and Mozart!

Franz Joseph Haydn:String Quartet in G major, opus 33, no. 5 HOB III:41String Quartet in d minor, opus 76, no. 2 HOB III:76 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:String Quartet in Eb , KV 428 Kathy Andrew, violinMichelle Liechti, violinGregory Diehl, violaSabine Rhyne, violoncello Su......More

Franz Joseph Haydn:String Quartet in G major, opus 33, no. 5 HOB III:41String Quartet in d minor, opus 76, no. 2 HOB III:76 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:String Quartet in Eb , KV 428 Kathy Andrew, violinMichelle Liechti, violinGregory Diehl, violaSabine Rhyne, violoncello Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 pmBrattleboro Music Center Tickets: General Admission$20 In Advance, $25 at the Door

Chamber Series: Recital with Bella Hristova & Anna Polonsky

Bach Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in C minor,      BWV 1017Bach Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in F minor, BWV 1018Ellen Taaffe Zwilich CarouselGrieg Sonata No. 2 in G Major Bella Hristova, pianoAnna Polonsky, violin Friday, March 13 at 7:00 pmBrattleboro Music Center......More

Bach Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in C minor,      BWV 1017Bach Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in F minor, BWV 1018Ellen Taaffe Zwilich CarouselGrieg Sonata No. 2 in G Major Bella Hristova, pianoAnna Polonsky, violin Friday, March 13 at 7:00 pmBrattleboro Music Center, Brattleboro VT Tickets:General Admission $30

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Tessitura

Music of Monteverdi and Poulenc. Tessitura is a chamber choir, under the direction of Mark Nelson, which explores music of the Baroque and modern eras. Sunday, March 22 at 4:00 pmBrattleboro Music Center Tickets: General Admission$20 In Advance, $25 at the Door

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States

Chamber Series: Ignat Solzhenitsyn

More details to come!

Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States