Tag Archives: virtual concerts

St. Cecilia’s free virtual concert series continues this week with ‘blues boys’ King Biscuit Trio

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Recreation, Upcoming Events, WKTV Projects, , ,
YouTube video supplied by the band. (Local Spins)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

St. Cecilia Music Center’s Michigan Folk and Blues Virtual Series 2021, a virtual extension of the Acoustic Café Folk Series, returns this week with the King Biscuit Trio performing on the Royce Auditorium stage and available Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.

The performance is streaming free of charge on St. Cecilia’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and accessed through scmc-online.org.

King Biscuit Trio, according to supplied material, is a newly formed blues-based three-piece band “rooted in classic soul and great old rock n’ roll” that features a two-guitar, one-harmonica, tri-vocal approach to a “mixed bag of covers and original material.”

King Biscuit Trio is:

Chris Collins on lead vocals and guitar. He is also the lead singer and guitarist of the Thirsty Perch Blues Band, a West Michigan blues/rock staple for more than 10 years. For the past three years, Collins has been writing, recording, and performing with the Dr. Wu band of Fort Worth, Texas, according to supplied material. Dr. Wu features Buddy Washington, who spent 15 years with the great John Mayhall and the Blues Breakers.

Andy Ogrodzinski on lead guitar and backing vocals. He also plays guitar in the Thirsty Perch Blues Band, and plays gigs as a current member of the blues/rock/funk/reggae band The Kinsey Report, led by Donald Kinsey, well known for his years spent playing with Albert King, Peter Tosh, and Bob Marley.

Craig “Griff” Griffith on harmonica and vocals. He plays harmonica with The Verve Pipe and has been performing with the group for about 20 years. Griff was also the lead singer and harmonica player for the band Botfly throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

The King Biscuit Trio. (Supplied/SCMC)

Folk and Blue series continues

The Michigan Folk and Blues Virtual Series 2021 continues the partnership between St. Cecilia and the Acoustic Café radio show and its host Rob Reinhart, and will stretch into April.

The other free virtual concerts in the series include Rachel Davis and Dominic John Davis on March 25 (from their current home in Nashville), and Jen Sygit and Josh Rose on April 8 and back from the Royce Auditorium stage. The Kat Edmonson virtual concert on March 4 is also a free concert, also available on St. Cecilia’s Facebook and YouTube channel. But as an added attraction, Edmonson will be doing an interview with Reinhart as part of the Acoustic Café radio show.
 

For a complete list of all virtual concerts offered by St. Cecilia for home viewing, see scmc-online.org/virtual/.

St. Cecilia’s ‘live from the Royce stage’ piano virtual concerts continue this week, on into spring

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Local Faces, Upcoming Events, ,
Roger MacNaughton, in concert. (Artist Facebook Page)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

St. Cecilia Music Center’s wide-ranging virtual concert season — which includes chamber music, folk and jazz — also offers an expanded series of Michigan Jazz Pianists’ Series with West Michigan artists playing “live from the stage” free virtual concerts from the music center’s Royce Auditorium.

The first of the just announced concerts will be Thursday, Jan. 14, with Roger MacNaughton featured. The 7 p.m. concert will be available free on St. Cecilia’s Facebook page and on its YouTube channel. All are also available on-demand on the YouTube channel.

Rufus Ferguson (Supplied)

In addition to MacNaughton, other concerts include Robin Connell on March 11, and Rufus Ferguson on April 21, both also at 7 p.m.

From September through December, 2020, St. Cecilia presented five Michigan jazz pianists in this series, including a holiday show with the nationally known jazz pianist Bob James in December.

“St. Cecilia Music Center is committed to our audience in helping to ‘Keep Music Alive’ in West Michigan,” Cathy Holbrook, executive and artistic director of SCMC, said in supplied material. “ While we are unable to gather audiences in person at this time due to COVID-19, we remain committed to bringing our patrons great music into the safety of their own home. … We truly appreciate everyone’s support as we strive to keep these wonderful events available for all to experience.”

MacNaughton is a composer, pianist, and musical artist, creator of a line of instrumental CDs. The most recent of his 12 CD releases is named “Mackinac, I’ve Come Home” following Roger’s two-week stay on Mackinac Island in 2019 as an artist-in-residence sponsored by Mackinac State Historic Parks.

MacNaughton, who lives in Lowell, is a member of several bands and musical groups, including Jon Montgomery & RMQ, MacNaughton Boulevard, Mac/Mora, Honey Creek String Ensemble, and Soul ACCESS. His compositions have won four ArtPrize awards, three times in the jazz category and once for classical music.

The just announced addition to the virtual concerts focussed on Michigan artists performing live from St. Cecilia include also includes four concerts featuring Michigan folk and blues artists.

The Michigan Folk and Blues Virtual Series will continue St. Cecilia’s Acoustic Café Folk Series partnership with the radio show of the same name and its host Rob Reinhart.

The folk and blues series will include Ralston Bowles and Michael Crittenden on Jan. 21, King Biscuit Trio on Feb. 18, Rachel Davis and Dominic John Davis on March 25 (from their home in Nashville), and Jen Sygit and Josh Rose on April 8.

For the latest schedule and informant on St. Cecilia’s virtual concerts available for home viewing, visit scmc-online.org/virtual/.

Bach anyone? St. Cecilia to offer four free Chamber Music Society virtual concerts

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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will team with St. Cecilia Music Center for a series of free virtual concert programs. (Supplied/CMS)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

St. Cecilia Music Center has announced the 2021 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center virtual concerts, with four free-to-the-public nights of chamber music beginning in January and running through April.

Kicking off the concerts is maybe the most famous program of all chamber music programs, Bach’s The Brandenburg Concertos, set to premiere Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m., on the St. Cecilia website, but, as with all concerts, the concert remains available for viewing for a week after initial air date.

 

“While we are still unable to gather audiences in person at this time due to COVID-19, SCMC remains committed to bringing our patrons great music into the safety of their own home,” St. Cecilia states in supplied material. “We received enthusiastic and positive feedback on our fall series and are pleased to continue this offering into the new year.”

The Chamber Music Society has thousands of professionally recorded archived performances, according to supplied material, and co-artistic directors David Finckel and Wu Han have “put together wonderful programs that feature an artist on each piece in each program.” A pre-concert artist profile and a post-concert Q&A with the artist, led by Finckel and Wu Han, “make these concert offerings unique and personal.” 

The concert programs and dates

The Brandenburg Concertos (concerto No.s 1-6) is Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m., and featuring more than 40 musicians performing one or more of the six pieces.

A program featuring pianist Gloria Chien is Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., and will include  Field’s Nocturne No. 2 in C minor for Piano, Liszt’s Grand duo concertant sur la romance de ‘Le Marin’ for Violin and Piano, and Mendelssohn’s Quartet in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1.

A program featuring violist Paul Neubauer is Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m., and will include Schumann’s Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Tales) for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, Op. 132; Dale’s “Romance” from Suite for Viola and Piano; Turina’s Escena andaluza for Viola, String Quartet, and Piano, Op. 7; Kreisler’s Liebeslied for Three Violins, Viola, and Cello; Shostakovich’s Impromptu for Viola and Piano; and Boulanger’s American Vision for Viola and Piano Trio.

The series will wrap up with a program featuring violinist Ani Kavafian on Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m., and will included Brahms’ Scherzo, WoO 2, from “F-A-E” Sonata for Violin and Piano; Babajanian’s Trio in F-sharp minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello; and Dvorák’s Trio in F minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 65.

For more information visit scms-online.org/virtual.

St. Cecilia’s early 2021 plans change as cancellations, virtual concerts announced

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, , ,
Christian McBride, from a 2008 concert, is no stranger to St. Cecilia Music Center. But his planned Winterfest with Christian McBride series will need to await a year. (St. Cecilia Music Center)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Not unexpectedly, St. Cecilia Music Center announced this week the cancellation of its originally scheduled January through March 2021 live concerts. But, continuing to not be silent in this winter of pandemic, the center also announced a series of virtual concerts running January through April.

The initially bad, but ultimately good, news includes jazz star Christian McBride laying down a base line — his much-anticipated “Winterfest with Christian McBride” series, originally scheduled Feb. 25–27, has been cancelled. But added to St. Cecilia’s virtual offerings is Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer — two superior bassists with different backgrounds but speak the same musical language — on Feb. 25, with a $15 per ticket program.

Among the other cancelled live in-person concerts cancelled are Joshua Redmond (Jan. 21), Shawn Colvin (Jan. 22), the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s “Magical Schubert” presentation (Jan. 28), Leo Kottke (Feb. 18); Kat Edmonson (March 4) and Rodney Crowell (March 18).

“St. Cecilia Music Center is committed to our audience in helping to ‘Keep Music Alive’ in West Michigan,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director, said in supplied material. “While we are still unable to gather audiences in person at this time due to COVID-19, we remain committed to bringing our patrons great music into the safety of their own home.”

Other virtual concerts announced this week include three by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) — “The Brandenburg Concertos” (Jan. 7), “Mendelson, Liszt & Field” featuring pianist Gloria Chien (Feb. 11), “Schumann, Shostakovich & More” featuring violist Paul Neubauer (March 18), and “CMS Brahms & Dvorák” featuring violinist Ani Kavafian (April 1).

All CMS virtual concerts are free to view on the St. Cecilia website beginning the date they first air and for seven days after.

The SCMC folk series virtual concerts include Mariza Sings Amália (Jan. 29) and Judy Collins (Feb. 12), each with $40 tickets allowing viewing for 48 hours. Kat Edmonson (March 4) will be free to view on St. Cecilia Facebook page and YouTube channel.

For tickets and more about virtual concerts offered by St. Cecilia for home viewing, see scmc-online.org/virtual/.

More about those cancelled concerts

The St. Cecilia announcement notes that “many of these (canceled show) artists who were to appear in person have now been rescheduled for St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2021-2022 Presenting Series” and that the 2012-22 season will be announced in late spring 2021.

       

All ticket holders for the cancelled concerts will receive individual emails to opt for a full refund, gift cards for future concerts, or making a tax-deductible donation.

For additional questions about cancelled concert tickets, contact Kelly Herremans, St. Cecilia box office manager, at Kelly@scmc-online.org.

About the McBride & Meyer, and Ms. Edmonson

The six-time GRAMMY-winning jazz bassist McBride is so much more than just a “jazz bassist” — with a career now into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today. His work goes from jazz to soul to pop/rock to classical, including working with Kathleen Battle, Shanghai Quartet … and Edgar Meyer.

Meyer is in demand as both a performer and a composer, and has been hailed by The New Yorker as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument.” One of his most recent compositions is the Double Concerto for Double Bass and Violin, which received its world premiere July 2012 with Joshua Bell at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has also collaborated with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain to write a triple concerto for double bass, banjo, and tabla, which was commissioned for the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

Edmonson, known for her vintage pop and jazz with a Texas touch, began crafting her signature sound while performing in Austin’s local club circuit for years before releasing her debut LP “Take To The Sky” in 2009. She has toured with Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Gary Clark Jr., Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Nick Lowe and more. She recently released “Dreamers Do”, an album that “blends original compositions and reimagined mid-20th century classic Disney songs to tell a story which takes place over the course of one sleepless night.”