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
HOLlywood Soundscapes: Music from the MovieS
THE DETAILS
📅 When: December 7, 5:00 PM📍 Where: First Congregationl Church 109 Continental Avenue, River Edge, NJ 07661
🎟 Tickets: $25, Students and Seniors: $20, Children under 12 attend for freeFollowed by meet-and greet the artists over wine and cheeseBUY TICKETS HERE
🎟 Tickets: $25, Students and Seniors: $20, Children under 12 attend for freeFollowed by meet-and greet the artists over wine and cheeseBUY TICKETS HERE
THE PROGRAM
A journey through iconic film music and classical works that bridges classical tradition and cinematic storytelling. This concert features Bach’s elegant Trio Sonata BWV 1079, Gluck’s ethereal Dance of the Blessed Spirits, alongside Bernard Herrmann’s haunting Scene d’Amour from Vertigo. Tan Dun’s Hero Sonata transports us with its dramatic fusion of East and West. The evening culminates with Ennio Morricone’s nostalgic Cinema Paradiso theme and Nino Rota’s lush trio, bringing the golden age of film music to life.
Hollywood Soundscapes
Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750): Trio Sonata, BWV1079
Christoph Gluck (1714-1787): Dance of the Spirits (from the Ingmar Bergman film Waiting Women)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) - Pièce en forme de Habanera(From Luis Bunuel’s film?)
Bernard Herrmann(1911-1975) - Scene D’Amour (from Hitchcock’s Vertigo)
Tan Dun (b. 1957): Sonata for Violin and Piano (Music inspired by the Zhang Yimou film Hero)
Ennio Morricone (b.1928) - Love Theme (from Fellini’s Cinema Paradiso)
Nino Rota (1911-1979): Trio for Flute, Violin, and Piano
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) - Sleigh Ride (Elf, Emily in Paris and many others)
Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750): Trio Sonata, BWV1079
Christoph Gluck (1714-1787): Dance of the Spirits (from the Ingmar Bergman film Waiting Women)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) - Pièce en forme de Habanera(From Luis Bunuel’s film?)
Bernard Herrmann(1911-1975) - Scene D’Amour (from Hitchcock’s Vertigo)
Tan Dun (b. 1957): Sonata for Violin and Piano (Music inspired by the Zhang Yimou film Hero)
Ennio Morricone (b.1928) - Love Theme (from Fellini’s Cinema Paradiso)
Nino Rota (1911-1979): Trio for Flute, Violin, and Piano
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) - Sleigh Ride (Elf, Emily in Paris and many others)
THE ARTISTS
Stephanie Liu, violinClare Hoffman, fluteSlavina Zhelezova, piano
Clare Hoffman, flute, has toured the United States, Europe, and Asia, performing in a variety of settings from major concert halls to an ancient amphitheater on the Greek island of Rhodes and Vivaldi’s parish church in Venice. Locally, she has performed with the Berkshire Bach Society (Tanglewood), Bang on a Can Festival (Lincoln Center), Cutting Edge (New York City, Victoria Bond, director), Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series). She has premiered works by John Corigliano, Seymour Barab, Brent Michael Davids, Arnold Black, and Richard Einhorn, and recorded for television and film. She is a dedicated advocate for arts education and has worked throughout the United States with students from diverse backgrounds, from inner-city schools in places like Los Angeles and New York City to farming communities in Iowa and Native American communities in Arizona.
She is co-founder and artistic director of the Grand Canyon Music Festival, currently in its 40th season, presenting critically acclaimed concerts and award-winning education programming, including the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP), with composers-in-residence Pulitzer Prize-winner and MacArthur Fellow Raven Chacon, Trevor Reed, and Michael Begay, and ensembles including the Catalyst Quartet, ETHEL, and Sweet Plantain. NACAP was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, and with an Infusion Award from the Lewis Prize for Music, NewMusic USA’s New Music Educators Award, and the Governors Arts Award.
Stephanie Liu, violin Passionate about collaboration beyond the classical canon, New York based violinist Stephanie Liu has performed over 20 world premieres. She has been featured as a soloist with the Stony Brook Baroque Players, Menomonee Falls Symphony, Princeton University and Chamber Orchestras, among others. Recent ensemble appearances include the New York Classical Players, Norwalk and Albany Symphonies, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Berkshire Opera Festival, and BalletNext. She has participated in festivals and residencies internationally, including Spoleto Festival USA, Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, and Bang on a Can Festival at MassMoCA, and is a member of the Deep Roots Ensemble, a folk music ensemble with whom she has appeared at bluegrass festivals and recorded two albums.
She is co-founder and artistic director of the Grand Canyon Music Festival, currently in its 40th season, presenting critically acclaimed concerts and award-winning education programming, including the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP), with composers-in-residence Pulitzer Prize-winner and MacArthur Fellow Raven Chacon, Trevor Reed, and Michael Begay, and ensembles including the Catalyst Quartet, ETHEL, and Sweet Plantain. NACAP was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, and with an Infusion Award from the Lewis Prize for Music, NewMusic USA’s New Music Educators Award, and the Governors Arts Award.
Stephanie Liu, violin Passionate about collaboration beyond the classical canon, New York based violinist Stephanie Liu has performed over 20 world premieres. She has been featured as a soloist with the Stony Brook Baroque Players, Menomonee Falls Symphony, Princeton University and Chamber Orchestras, among others. Recent ensemble appearances include the New York Classical Players, Norwalk and Albany Symphonies, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Berkshire Opera Festival, and BalletNext. She has participated in festivals and residencies internationally, including Spoleto Festival USA, Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, and Bang on a Can Festival at MassMoCA, and is a member of the Deep Roots Ensemble, a folk music ensemble with whom she has appeared at bluegrass festivals and recorded two albums.
PaST EventS
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
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.
The details.
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.
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
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
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