HarpsiNewsletter, Volume 1, Number 1

Summer plans, upcoming concerts, and a personal note from the harpsichordist, Elaine Comparone.

Dear Friends & Music-Lovers,

    Summer Greetings from the Queen’s Chamber and the HUG (Harpsichord Unlimited Gang)! We’re writing to tell you about our summer plans and the upcoming season of QCB concerts. Before we go any farther, please note the following four dates in your calendars:

Wednesday, September 19 and Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, April 16 and Wednesday, June 4, 2008. 

We’ve planned four exciting concerts and hope you’ll be able to join us. Before we go into detail about them, though, we thought you’d enjoy hearing about some exciting developments.

    On November 8, 2007 the QCB descends upon Washington, DC for an appearance at the Smithsonian Institution, the American Indian Division. We will give a command performance of George Quincy’s “Pocahontas at the Court of James I”, Parts 1 and 2, featuring Roberta Gumbel and Marshall Coid; the world premiere of George’s “Voices from Ground Zero”; and, Dawn Avery’s “Trance Music,” premiered several years ago on our New Music concert.

    In its May-June issue, American Record Guide reviewed our double CD set of “La Giuditta”, released by Albany Records. The critic compared our interpretation to an Italian recording from 1998

This new one is another fine accomplishment for producer John Ostendorf…Comparone is generally more deft and nuanced (more “feminine”?) in her approach. Engineer David Barnes has also given her cleaner and crisper sound...I would rate Comparone’s the preferable realization of the work. (Barker)

    No sooner did the curtain fall on our New Music concert on May 9 at Merkin, than the entire QCB dispersed to a variety of musical and non-musical activities. Countertenor Marshall Coid continues to amaze us with his energetic pursuit of all things artistic: from his on-stage solo violin work on the Broadway stage of “Chicago,” to singing a comic role for The Center for Contemporary Opera’s production of Eric Salzman’s “The Last True Words of Dutch Schultz” at Symphony Space’s Wall-to-Wall Opera Marathon, to re-working his musical comedy “Here On This Hill,” to assembling ideas for composition of a triple concerto. In July Marshall heads back to Vermont for his annual participation in the Craftsbury Festival where he enjoys photographing and sketching natural scenes when he’s not playing the violin, singing, teaching or composing.

    Flutist Karla Moe takes care of Farouk, an adorable, non-allergenic French bulldog, when his peripatetic owner is out of town. Karla and Farouk enjoyed a moment of TV fame when Channel 2 News filmed them in Riverside Park for a special on “pet-sharing.” Always quick with the comebacks, Karla quipped “What’s next? Rent a baby?”

    Karla performed with the New York City Opera at Symphony Space’s aforementioned marathon and with New York Philharmonic’s Education Concerts for Very Young Composers along with composer-neighbor Jon Deak. In addition to American Ballet Theatre performances this summer, Karla subs in a variety of Broadway shows. Not stopping there, she plays Zemlinsky with the Bard Opera Festival, joins the American Symphony Orchestra again for a Festival in the Hamptons and plays “La Boheme” with the Berkshire Opera Company in Lee, Mass. Whew, do flutists ever run out of breath?

    With nature as chief inspiration, Marsha Heller will turn her attention to painting at her peaceful, secluded Chautauqua house in the woods, joining other painters in a “plein air” competition. She picks up her oboe for a concert with the Chautauqua Symphony, a long-lived musical institution, with which husband Bill Scribner regularly plays bassoon. Chautauqua Institution featured the Queen’s Chamber Band in an amphitheatre performance last summer when we all gathered at Marsha and Bill’s for dinner and conversation late into the night. Bob Z. took a dip in their pond. We hope the Chautauqua Institution invites us back for a return engagement.

    Speaking of Bob Zubrycki, he takes his violin back to Oklahoma this June where he regularly plays as a member of the “OK Mozart” International Festival Orchestra. In addition to playing principal second violin, he will be featured as soloist.  In August he returns to Bard College, where the American Symphony Orchestra holds its annual summer festival. Bob joins Karla in performances of two Zemlinsky operas and plays chamber music there also. With Peter and Elaine, Bob travels to Delaware County for two performances with the Queen’s Chamber Trio on July 8. The Trio plays music by Beethoven and our friends, José Bernardo and Joe Fennimore.

    Bob is a long-distance swimmer who has participated in many marathon swims for charitable organizations. We’ve encouraged him not to repeat the Hudson River swim of a few years back but we admire him for it. We’re happiest when he’s happiest---working in his garden in Brewster.

    In a mood to challenge herself, Lori Miller prepared an audition program for the Phoenix Symphony and flew out to Arizona. While we wish her luck with this endeavor, we also hope she doesn’t leave town. The Band needs her! This summer Lori travels back to Chautauqua where she’ll play as a “sub” in the orchestra. On Broadway she’s been playing with “Spamalot” and “110 in the Shade.” Travels for fun will take her to Virginia for camping with friends and to Hampton, New Hampshire to visit her sister.

    Violist Veronica Salas leaves her spot in the Broadway “Phantom” orchestra to summer substitutes as she joins the Barbra Streisand European Tour Orchestra, an elite group of 58 top Broadway musicians. They’ll visit Zurich, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Dublin and other metropolises. Barbra treats her musicians well and there’s plenty of free time for the players. Bon voyage and bon chance, Barbra and Veronica!

    An instrument can feel like a family member, so you can imagine ‘cellist Peter Seidenberg’s response when his 1703 Tecchler ‘cello, standing in its case, suffered a stunning, frontal fall.  Peter is doing the best he can this summer with a borrowed ‘cello, on loan from a colleague until his instrument is repaired next spring(!). Daughters Beatrice (3 1/2) and Olivia (13 months) frequently and successfully distract him from thoughts of his injured ‘cello. In June Peter takes his on-loan instrument and roller-blades out to Oklahoma where he joins Bob in the “OK Mozart” orchestra. More Mozart and more orchestra work follow as Peter participates in the Vermont Mozart Festival alongside QCB friend and ‘cellist Adam Grabois. Peter plays several summer concerts with violinist/wife April Johnson in the Oracle Trio and the Delaware County concerts with the Queen’s Chamber Trio.

    As of this printing, bassist Joe Bongiorno has not shared with us his summer schedule. We do know he’s busy administering the Orchestral Program at New York University during the academic year. He also plays regularly with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra during the summer. More than that, we don’t know, but we hope his schedule will allow for more QCB concerts this season.

    Page-turners and friends Nathalie Hanuska Fairbanks and Joe Alfano are both enjoying their summer time. Nathalie’s baby plans to arrive in Las Vegas in July. Perhaps you’ve spotted Joe riding his bicycle along the Riverside Park waterfront.

    In addition to his regular “day job” in the social services, HU founder and Managing Director Ron Smith finds time to preside over his co-op board and enjoy summer week-end trips with his family and their three lively dogs.

    No sooner did Elaine Comparone move her harpsichord back to the 98^th Street Studios after the New Music concert than she traveled up to the city of her birth (Lawrence, Massachusetts) to visit her mother, who looks forward to her 96^th birthday this July! Elaine and Nellie enjoyed a week-long visit while canine companion Zadu sojourned in the Rye Kennels. On May 21 Elaine flew down to Cuernavaca, Mexico where she helped HU board member and co-founder Dorothy Wick set up her harpsichord. (Dorothy recently moved from her Greenwich Village loft to a Cuernavaca hacienda with gardens, banana and citrus trees and a swimming pool.) Zadu spent halcyon days with Drs. Zingesser and McLarnon in Mamaroneck where he dined on chicken Marsala and meatballs (not simultaneously, one hopes.)

    Along with planning and implementing the upcoming season with Ron’s sage advice, Elaine signed up for courses in the Conductors Institute at Bard College with composer/conducting maven Harold Farberman. She hopes to have time to purchase a baton before she leaves for the sessions.

    This season’s concerts offer a spectrum of styles and works. September 19 at Weill Hall will feature the entire QCB playing passacaglias and chaconnes in various instrumental arrangements. Don’t miss this unique programming concept in concert! The chaconnes by Jean-Philippe Rameau will themselves be worth the price of admission! The Trio returns to Weill on Thanksgiving Week-End (November 25) for another traversal of classical works by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. We’re hoping to have our Lyrichord CD of Haydn Trios on sale at that time.

    Bach’s Birthday (March 21) shares a date with Good Friday in 2008, so we decided to celebrate on April 16, when the taxes are done and we can relax. Our residency at Church of the Transfiguration flourishes, and we collaborate once more with organist/music director Claudia Dumschat. She’ll favor us with an organ solo (Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C Major), and her choirs will join the QCB in Bach’s Cantata 8 (“Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben”). The Band will also play Bach’s alternate arrangement of his Fourth Brandenburg Concerto. In this version the harpsichord takes the florid violin part. To console those who long for more of Bob’s violin, we’ll play Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Obbligato in F minor, a profound, rarely performed piece. We hope to hear the Transfiguration Choir of Men and Boys in several choral works as well.

    Our annual New Music concert (June 4, 2008 at Merkin Hall) always guarantees the excitement of new works and first performances. Donald Hagar will compose a duo for violist Veronica and harpsichordist Elaine. David MacDonald promises to produce a piece for the entire instrumental group. Hanna Levy will add Marshall Coid to the mix with songs in Hebrew and English and we’ve asked William Foster McDaniel to compose a violin, ‘cello and harpsichord trio. Selections from Bach’s “Art of the Fugue” will add another dimension to the program.

    This season, in addition to our planning and playing these programs, we’re asking you to take an active role. Since we first began renting spaces for concerts in the late 70s, rentals have increased tenfold!  The rental bills for Carnegie and Merkin currently add up to more than three thousand dollars each. Designing, printing and sending out notices of these concerts to you, our audience, add several thousand more to our costs. Beyond that come fees for the artists! Harpsichord Unlimited has always prided itself on paying musicians a competitive fee for their work in learning, rehearsing and performing a program. The high level of performance that we deliver does not come cheaply. Our musicians frequently turn down lucrative Broadway or orchestra work to commit to our concerts for the satisfaction of striving for high artistic standards.

    We appreciate the financial support of our major patrons. But we welcome small contributions as well! Foundations and corporations look at the breadth of financial support an ensemble attracts when they consider funding small organizations. Won’t you consider subscribing and/or contributing to support the excellence we offer? We’ll repay you in concerts that are unrivalled in energy, commitment, creativity and unexpected delights!

    We offer several discount subscription plans. Won’t you join us in making 2007-2008 a resounding success?  Support your Queen’s Chamber Band!