Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra

Scroll down to see the videos for this series.

Live From Home: 4 Part Series – Part 4:  Nancy Debbins Wegrzyn and artist Laurie Kilgore

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Nancy Wegrzyn, Composer and artist, painter, and art educator Laurie Kilgore.

Vivaldi composed the “Four Seasons” violin concerto in a brand new style from his previous compositions. The composer wrote sonnets throughout the score to help the performer evoke the spirit of the season through unconventional performance practices and creating the idea of “program music.” This concept has inspired many composers over the years to compose their own “Four Seasons” and inspired SCCO to commission a composer and artist to use their skills to depict the “Four Seasons of Sullivan County.” The obvious choice was to commission artists who lived, worked, and experienced Sullivan County every day. SCCO commissioned Laurie Kilgore and Nancy Wegrzyn as the perfect pair to capture the essence of our home. This Live From Home series will discuss the creative process from a composer and artist and how the two connected to create an original multi-disciplinary work that can be shared around our home.

SCCO Educates includes the Aspiring Young Musicians (AYM) program and the Summer Music Academy. The Aspiring Young Musicians (AYM) program provides students aspiring to develop their musicianship with regular private lessons by professional musicians. Students enrolled in the program receive, private lessons, opportunities to perform in large and small ensembles and perform in the community outreach program. Students participate in a Side by Side concerts with the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra. The Summer Music Academy is designed for those who strive to achieve the highest level possible in their technique. The schedule includes technique class, lessons, supervised practice and ensembles. These weeklong intensives culminate in an Art Show and Faculty Student Recital. Both programs The are open to any student with a desire to improve and make the commitment to practice. Tuition and instrument scholarships are available. Beginners welcome

Nesin Cultural Arts supports Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra and their SCCO Educates programs. Nesin Cultural Arts (NCA) serves the community by providing comprehensive lifelong learning opportunities through arts-based partnerships and programming that enhance artistic creativity and provides educational experiences for personal and professional growth. NCA supports and promotes emerging and established artists and the importance of the arts in enhancing the quality of community life by contributing to economic development, inspiring creativity, celebrating diversity and fostering and awareness of world cultures. In addition to supporting SCCO, NCA offers classes in Fine and Performing Arts, Summer Arts Intensives and the Suzanne Stanway Arts Haven program that provides a place for students to take classes, lessons, practice, rehearse, do homework, and meet with mentors.

Part 3

JP Jofre

Tango has evolved over time and has progressed in the hands of Astor Piazzolla to become an important instrument to western music. JP Jofre is leading that mission today by taking music popular from his native country and molding it into electrifying music that has paved an international path to success. Along the way JP Jofre had an artistic partnership with the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra, which resulted in the world premier of Tangodromo, a three-movement solo for Bandoneon and String Orchestra. SCCO Artistic  Director will discuss JP’s life story and share performance highlights from their collaborations over the years.

Native from San Juan, Argentina, Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion aka JP Jofre, is an award-winning bandoneon player and composer. Mr. Jofre has been repeatedly highlighted by the New York Times and praised as one of today’s leading artists by Great Performers at Lincoln Center. His music has been recorded by 16 Grammy winner Paquito D’ Rivera, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and choreographed/performed by ballet-star Herman Cornejo (Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre) among others. He has performed and given lectures at Google Talks, TEDtalks, The Juilliard School of Music, The New School, etc.

More at www.jpjofre.com

Part 2

SCCO Artistic Director will hold a discussion with Luke Krafka who will take us on a 300-year journey discussing and performing unaccompanied cello repertoire from his upcoming debut album.

Performing unaccompanied repertoire is one of the greatest challenges to a musician. There are numerous technical and musical challenges that must be overcome for the picture to become clear to performer and listener. Luke will discuss and demonstrate how a single voice can transport the listener through a harmonic journey that is a reflection of the composer’s life.

While the SCCO website is being “composed” please follow us on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube by following @SCCOPlayers or to join our e-mailing list please contact andrew@sccoplayers.org

Luke Krafka (BM and MM in Cello Performance at the Boston Conservatory on full scholarship), regularly performs both chamber and solo recitals in Boston, New York City, Canada and Western Europe. Mr. Krafka has attended numerous music festivals including the Heifetz International Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Salem New Music Festival and the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy.

Major competitions won include 3rd Prize at the ICMEC International Chamber Music Competition with his piano trio, the Lumiere Trio and 2nd prize at the Alexander & Buono International Chamber Music Festival with his string duo, Bermont & Krafka. While Mr. Krafka has taken masterclasses with Colin Carr, Dennis Hopper, Norman Fischer, Aldo Parisot, Ron Leonard, Tim Eddy, Allison Eldridge, and members of the Lions Gate Trio, Triple Helix Trio, and the Lydian Quartet.

Mr. Krafka has performed at Symphony Hall, Paul Hall at the Juilliard School, Jordan Hall, Monticelli Hall in Italy and the Hatch Shell in Boston. Mr. Krafka donates his time to organizations such as Project Step (a program that helps get inner city children into classical music) and The Dream Unfinished, a civil rights orchestra creating change in the NYC area. Mr. Krafka recently finished up a tour of Germany playing assistant-principal with the JSB Ensemble and performing works by Bach in Stuttgart and Eisennach.

Information for the upcoming album and performances by Luke Krafka can be found on his website.  www.lukekrafka.com

The goal is for students to become engaged in the community, develop artistic literacy (achieving enough mastery to actively participate in the arts as a lifelong learner), develop soft skills, and embrace the cultures represented in our community.

Part 1

A discussion of practice and preparation techniques hosted by Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra co-founders, Akiko Hosoi and Artistic Director, Andrew Trombley.

“Talent can only bring you so far…” is something every music student has heard. “How do you do that?” is something every performer has heard. The word bridging the two together statements together is practice. Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra co-founders Akiko Hosoi (Violin) and Andrew Trombley (Double Bass) will host an afternoon virtually from their home discussing and demonstrating practice techniques for solo repertoire and ensemble repertoire. They will answer prepared and real-time questions following brief discussion and a performance.

While SCCO website is being “composed” please follow us on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube by following @SCCOPlayers or to join our e-mailing list please contact andrew@sccoplayers.org

Akiko Hosoi

A resident of New York City, Japanese violinist Akiko Hosoi is an active performer across the United States. She serves as concertmaster of the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, as well as being a member of the New Haven Symphony and Stamford Symphony Orchestra. Akiko enjoys collaborating with other artists and organizations dedicated to promote community enhancement and social justice, organizing outreach performances at veteran hospitals, hospices, schools, and state prisons across the US, as well as benefit concerts of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to raise money for the 3/11 Fukushima disaster. Akiko also maintains a performing presence in Japan with regular recitals as well as outreach collaborations with Alexander Technique Studio Tokyo. In 2016, along with her husband, double bassist Andrew Trombley, Akiko partnered with Sullivan County non-profit arts organization Nesin Cultural Arts (NCA) to establish the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra (SCCO), an 11-piece conductor-less string orchestra, whose mission is to serve the community and elevate the quality of life for all generations through artistic expression and cultural experiences. She serves as Orchestral Manager as well as Principal Violinist.

Always trying to inspire the younger generation, Akiko is in high demand as a violin instructor. As well as teaching privately in New York City, she has been an active member of Nesin Cultural Arts (NCA), where she is a co-founder and violin/chamber music faculty of the Summer Academy and Aspiring Young Musicians Program, designed to provide students aspiring to develop their musicianship with regular and frequent contact with high caliber performing artists who have a commitment to music education.

visit www.akikohosoi.com

Andrew Trombley

Andrew Trombley has performed actively around New York City and abroad throughout his career. Currently Principal Bass of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Andrew has performed with ensembles such as The New York Philharmonic, The Minnesota Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and was formerly principal bass of Mostly Mozart Orchestra. In addition Andrew is active musician for film scores and can be heard on the sound tracks for “A Dog’s Purpose”, “Hundred Foot Journey”, “Noah”, the Oscar nominated film “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”

Dedicated to arts education, Andrew is co-founder of The Aspiring Young Musicians program which offers private lessons and performance opportunities to the students of Sullivan County, his childhood home. Currently 80% of the students receive financial assistance and the program offers over 100 lessons every week. On the collegiate level, Andrew is professor of double bass at New York University, Steinhardt School.

In the summer 2016 through a partnership with Nesin Cultural Arts Andrew founded and accepted the role of Artistic Director of the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra to continue the growth of the arts in the community through exceptional concerts and innovative programming.