***EFFECTIVE MARCH 12, 2020: Sage City Symphony’s 2019 - 2020 Concert Season has been SUSPENDED until further notice, due to concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope to be able to resume rehearsals, concerts, and other events soon!***
Previous events
May17
Spring Concert & Annual Dinner ***POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE***
On the Program: Overture to Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; new works by Bennington College student composers; commissioned work TBA by Geoffrey Gee; Symphony No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Annual Dinner following the concert ~ full BBQ meal with all the trimmings for $25 per person; cash bar
(Reservation button coming soon! In the meantime, email SageCity802@gmail.com for more information)
Players: Rehearsals start on Sunday, March 22, at 5:45 PM ~ JOIN US! (see Rehearsal Notes & Files section for details).
On the Program ~ "Kora Saba" (2014) by Michael Wimberly, "Danzón" by Robert Zimmerman, "Danzón No. 2" by Arturo Márquez, "Dances from Estancia" Op. 8a by Alberto Ginastera, and new works by Bennington College student composers: “Romance and Desire” by Dre James, “Obani Pollux” by Sebastian Greer, and “Thimbo” by J. H. White
On the Program: Table of Toys and Numbers (2012) by Nick Brooke; Symphony No. 2 in D Major Op. 21 by Ludwig van Beethoven; Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1 in G Major by George Frideric Handel
Players: Rehearsals start on Sunday, January 12, at 5:45 PM ~ JOIN US! (see Rehearsal Notes & Files section for details).
Greenwall Auditorium, VAPA Building, Bennington College
Sponsored by the Bank of Bennington
On the Program: Adagio from Symphony No. 10 by Gustav Mahler; Five Orchestral Scenes by Allen Shawn; Nabucco Overture by Giuseppe Verdi
A silent auction featuring a wide array of arts, crafts, jewelry, deluxe gift baskets, and many more items ideal for holiday giving will begin before the performance and conclude at the end of intermission.
Join musicians from Sage City Symphony for an evening of dancing to a variety of waltzes, popular dance tunes, polkas, and Latin selections. Sweet and savory refreshments will be served; a cash bar will offer beer and wine.
$25 per person ~ RSVP by OCTOBER 16 to (802) 375-9263 or ralpharp@gmail.com
Sage City Symphony's final performance of the season features Dvořák's exciting Symphony No. 7, as well as the world premiere of a work by Bennington native Leo Yucht, an up-and-coming jazz percussionist and composer now based out of NYC. Rounding out the program is “Fanfare,” written to precede the ballet “La Péri,” by Paul Dukas. (Dukas is perhaps best remembered for his orchestral piece “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which was notably used in Disney’s 1940 animated film “Fantasia.”)
A graduate of MAUHS ('13) and William Paterson University ('17), Leo Yucht has performed with some of the most acclaimed musicians in the world, including Jon Batiste, Aaron Goldberg, Harold Mabern, Pete Malinverni, and many more. Yucht performs regularly in the New York metropolitan area with his band and also as a sideman with other world-renowned jazz artists.
Yucht's composition, simply titled “E,” is dedicated to his wife, Ekin. “The piece is my tribute to her,” he says. “She is a special person and I feel lucky that I get to write it for her.” Yucht adapted his original melody for Sage City Symphony’s strings, a few wind instruments, and glockenspiel, which will accompany his jazz quartet. In describing his process, he says, “Musically, I drew inspiration from many historical recordings of a similar nature; for example, Charlie Parker’s ‘Bird with Strings,’ ‘Clifford Brown with Strings,’ Wayne Shorter’s ‘Without a Net.’ I feel that the piece is dynamic. It is not simply ‘this’ or ‘that’; rather, it embodies a spectrum of moods and sounds.” This work was commissioned by Sage City Symphony as part of its mission to support new composers.
Sage City Symphony is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, registered in the State of Vermont, and relies entirely on generous donations, grants, and volunteer services from individuals, local foundations, businesses, and sponsors. Concerts are always free and open to all.
This event is made possible by the Fund for North Bennington and the Board of Sage City Symphony.
Sage City Symphony's jazz brunch with live music by the Leo Yucht Jazz Combo is a delicious and entertaining appetizer for the following afternoon's concert, at which a composition by Bennington native Leo Yucht will premiere. The menu will include a variety of brunch favorites, including quiches, fruits, and pastries. Tickets for the brunch are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and free for kids ages 12 and under. Proceeds will benefit the Village School in North Bennington and the Kitchen Cupboard food pantry in Bennington.
Leo Yucht is an up-and-coming jazz percussionist and composer now based out of NYC. A graduate of MAUHS ('13) and William Paterson University ('17), he has performed with some of the most acclaimed musicians in the world, including Jon Batiste, Aaron Goldberg, Harold Mabern, Pete Malinverni, and many more. Leo performs regularly in the New York metropolitan area with his band and also as a sideman with other world-renowned jazz artists.
Sage City Symphony is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, registered in the State of Vermont, and relies entirely on generous donations, grants, and volunteer services from individuals, local foundations, businesses, and sponsors. Concerts are always free and open to all.
The annual youth concert is part of the symphony’s unique Young Composers Project, in which a mentor works with college and/or high school students to write original compositions and score them for live performance by the symphony. This year’s featured composers, International Baccalaureate students in the music program at Long Trail School, are (pictured, from left) Jake Smith, Jacob Schmidt, Evan Coleman, Liam Murphy, Jae VanDerWielen, Sean Bottomms, Nolan Hilliard, and Oisin Harrington, with their music teacher, Geoffrey Gee.
Also on the program are selections from “Happy If Happy When” by Long Trail music teacher and pianist, composer, and sound designer Geoffrey Gee, as well as all four movements of “Seven Seals” for symphony and chorus (The Horsemen, The Martyrs, The Great Quake, The Great I AM) by percussionist, conductor, composer, and recently retired longtime Mount Anthony Union High School band teacher Marjorie Rooen. Gabriel Ferreras, a Bennington College student studying piano performance and conducting, will direct the symphony in the overture to “The Magic Flute” by Mozart.
Sage City Symphony is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, registered in the State of Vermont, and relies entirely on generous donations, grants, and volunteer services from individuals, local foundations, businesses, and sponsors. Concerts are always free and open to all.
Conducted by music director Michael Finckel, the program for this concert includes three pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84; Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60; and Romance No. 2 in F major, Op. 50, for violin and orchestra featuring symphony concertmistress Kaori Washiyama.
The February 10 concert is sponsored by members of the Sage City Symphony board of directors. Sage City Symphony is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, registered in the State of Vermont, and relies entirely on generous donations and grants from individuals, local foundations, businesses, and sponsors. Concerts are always free and open to all.
