.jpg)
RIVER CROSSING CONCERTS
Bringing communities together through music
SEASON 2024 CROSSING BORDERS: The CUBAN CONNECTION
Our 2024 sesaon will present four concerts, exploringing cultural snapshots that intersect in Cuba. Featured artists include the Classic V Winds, the critically-acclaimed Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo, violinist Stephanie Liu, flutist Clare Hoffman, and the multicultural collective People of Earth. The music selections range from traditional and new composers, including Cuban composers Paquito D’Rivera, Ignacio Cervantes, and Ernesto Lecuona, to a fusion of Cuban rumba and timba making it impossible to resist the urge to dance!
All concerts are held at the First Congregational Church of River Edge, NJ @ 109 Continental Avenue, River Edge, NJ 07661
MOZART ON The BEACH
Join us on a tour through musical landscapes, from the salons of Vienna and Parisian cafés to the lively clubs of Buenos Aires and experience the fusion of classical elegance with the vibrant rhythms of salsa and tango! The Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo, whose performances have been described as “daring, virtuosic & wild,” is set to deliver a program for piano 4 hands where Mozart meets Latin flair in the middle of New Jersey
The details.
About the artists.
- Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3 PM
- Relaxed cocktail reception and meet-and-greet with the artists to follow
- Tickets $20 (Children under 12 attend for free)
- Buy tickets here
The Program.
Poulenc Sonata for Piano 4 HandsMozart Sonata in C Major Hailstork Guest SuitePiazzolla Milonga del Angel
(arr . by the duo) Libertango Tal Zilber Brahms in Salsa
Por Una Cabeza
About the program.
From the intimate ambiance of Viennese salons to the pulsating energy of Buenos Aires' clubs, and from the lively atmosphere of French cafés to the sultry rhythms of salsa, this program offers an unexpected tour of life over 3 centuries.
Opening with Poulenc’s succinct sonata of humor and sharp contrasts, we dive into Mozart’s playful and virtuosic Sonata in C major. In Piazzolla's passionate and fiery tangos, the performance takes on an added layer of flair with the duo’s own choreographed settings, occasionally intertwining spontaneous dancing around the piano. Following that is a new composition by Adolphus Hailstork, followed by two lively arrangements by Tal Zilber: "Brahms in Salsa" and the beloved "Por Una Cabeza."
Praised for their dynamic stage presence and synergy, the Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo combines the cultural heritages and vibrant temperaments of Latin America and Eastern Europe. Committed to making classical music accessible to a wider range of audiences, the duo has toured Mexico extensively in diverse settings: from educational concerts in parks and villages to guest soloists with leading orchestras such as the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, and from marathon concerts for children to recitals at top international festivals such as the Cervantino and El Blanco y Negro Piano Festival. The duo’s international credits include the Taiwan National Orchestra Hall, the Piano Plus Series (Woodstock, NY), and the Bell’arte Foundation Series (Belgium). Citlalli Guevara and Slavina Zhelezova began their musical collaboration in 2009 at the International Piano Certificate Program in Paris-Brussels. United by their shared vision for the rich potential of piano duo music, they gave the Latin American premiere of Schnittke’s Double Concerto, the Mexican and Taiwanese premieres of Pablo Ziegler’s Piazzolla arrangements, as well as the US premieres of Marlene Cooper’s 4-hand works. Their acclaimed debut CD on Centaur Records, “Midnight Conversations,” featured a diverse array of works for piano four hands by Piazzolla, Dvorjak, Poulenc, Stravinsky and Rachmaninov. Beyond performance, Guevara & Zhelezova established the Xalapa International Piano Festival and Academy in 2018, hosting luminaries such as Philippe Entremont and Jorge Federico Osorio. This multifaceted festival provides recitals, orchestral concerts, an international piano competition, and masterclasses, nurturing emerging talent and fostering artistic exchange.
PaST EventS
THE FRENCH CONNECTIOn
CLASSIC V WINDS
Program
Sunday, March 3 , 2024 at 4PM
- Interactive program and children's instrument petting zoo at 3PM
- Wine and cheese meet-and-greet with the artists following the concert
- Free admission with suggested donation $20
- Click here to reserve your free ticket
Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart, fluteRobert LeClaire, oboeRichard Summers, clarinetRobert Gray, bassoonCarolyn Kirby, hornwith Slavina Zhelezova, piano
Classic V Winds is a woodwind quintet comprised by the principal players of The New Jersey Wind Symphony. The ensemble offers fresh interpretations of the classic repertoire and is equally at home with bringing new repertoire to the concert hall.
Valerie Coleman (b.1970) Tzigane (2011)
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) Sextet for Piano and Winds in C Minor, Op. 40Paquito D’Rivera (b. 1948) Aires Tropicales (1984)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Sextet for Piano and Winds
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Sextet for Piano and Winds
About the program
Kicking off the season with Classic V Winds, who take center stage to explore virtuosity and humor in works for woodwind quintet. This concert celebrates works by Louise Farrenc (1804-1876), a French composer and contemporary of Chopin and Schumann, who due to her gender, never got the recognition she deserved. A virtuoso pianist and the only female to teach at the Paris Conservatory in the 19th century, she was also notable for her work as a scholar and an activist for equal pay. Her woodwind sextet was the first work of this setting, later on explored by her compatriot Francis Poulenc.
Another groundbreaking female composer and flutist Valerie Coleman has been named one of the 35 top women composers by the Washington Post and is a winner of multiple awards and honors. Inspired by Ravel's work for violin and in the tradition of virtuoso string showpieces, Coleman’s Tzigane is a high-charged, passionate journey through woodwind virtuosity.
In his Aires Tropicales, the legendary Cuban clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera takes us on a journey through sultry and rhythmical latin-american melodies, afrobeat and jazzy tunes. Poulenc’s Sextet wraps up the program with its humorous and sparkly melodies, catchy themes and French elegance.honoring Valerie Coleman's groundbreaking work.
Another groundbreaking female composer and flutist Valerie Coleman has been named one of the 35 top women composers by the Washington Post and is a winner of multiple awards and honors. Inspired by Ravel's work for violin and in the tradition of virtuoso string showpieces, Coleman’s Tzigane is a high-charged, passionate journey through woodwind virtuosity.
In his Aires Tropicales, the legendary Cuban clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera takes us on a journey through sultry and rhythmical latin-american melodies, afrobeat and jazzy tunes. Poulenc’s Sextet wraps up the program with its humorous and sparkly melodies, catchy themes and French elegance.honoring Valerie Coleman's groundbreaking work.
ARTIST LINEUP
Nicole Zuraitis
Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist and songwriter and winner of the Gold Medal in the 2021 American Traditions Competition Nicole Zuraitis “brings a heart as big as her remarkable voice”
Ali Bello & the Sweet Wire Band
Captivating audiences with an invigorating and fresh perspective of Latin jazz, Alí Bello and The Sweet Wire Band presents a fusion of contemporary jazz with many different Afro-Venezuelan and Caribbean musical styles.
City winds Trio
City Winds Trio's members Meredyth Coleman, Crispian Fordham and Yuki Higashi have graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations bringing to us one of their popular Ragtime Concerts..jpeg)
Batalá New York
The leading all-female, Black-led percussion ensemble, bringing high-energy performances to the people of New York City through an engaging blend of cultural education and joyous entertainment
Tri-County Irish Pipe Band
River Edge’s own Tri-County Irish War Pipe Band led by Pipe Major Tim Friedhoff will perform American, Irish, and Scottish tunes
SCHEDULE12 pm City Winds Trio1 pm Ali Bello & The Sweet Wire Band2 pm Nicole Zuraitis Trio3 pm Batalá New York4 pm Tri-County Irish War Pipe Band
PARTICIPATING FOOD TRUCKS
The Empanada Lady
The Ice Cream Lady
Happy Dogs Hotdogs
Orainthedell Pizza
FREE ADMISSION
BRING A PICNIC CHAIR OR BLANKET!Lawn and Parking Lot First Congregational Church109 Continental AveRiver Edge, NJ
Sunday Musicale: FROM THE HEARTS OF WOMEN
MArch 5 @ 3PM
Free Admission
Wine-and-cheese reception to follow
Program
William Grant Still - From the Hearts of WomenClarice Assad: Confessions for Soprano and Piano Trio
(NJ Premiere)Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel - Piano Trio in D Minor, op. 11
featuring
Jenny Ribeiro, soprano
Hayne Kim, violinBen Larsen, celloSlavina Zhelezova, piano
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
Honoring Women's History Month, Sunday musicale: From the Hearts of Women will showcase the role of women musicians throughout history and the importance of their contributions to our changing world.
This audience-immersive program will actively involve the audience and offer everyone an opportunity to honor important women in their life. The concert is family-friendly and free-of-charge; folks will get to meet and chat with the artist at a pre-concert wine-and-cheese reception