
The Staff and Board of Directors of Amherst Glebe Arts Response, Inc. (AGAR) remember fondly and with greatest respect our Board of Directors member Lillian Sawyer Burks, who passed from this life on November 7, 2019. ”Lil“ made many strong contributions to our work, from funding orchestral musicians’ fees for one of our earliest concerts, ”The Biber Project“ featuring violinists Robert and Richard Maxham in 2011, to her faithful role as a greeter at venue doors until spring 2019, when she was 85. Lil, a registered nurse, also advised us on matters of accessibility and arts and health. We extend our sympathy to her family, whom she loved so much. We will miss her
Catherine Bost, Melodie Fletcher, Lynn A. Hanson, Edward E. Kable, Lynn Kable, Donna Meeks,Julia Paris, Linda Zabloski.
Catherine Bost, Melodie Fletcher, Lynn A. Hanson, Edward E. Kable, Lynn Kable, Donna Meeks,Julia Paris, Linda Zabloski.
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Amherst favorites David R. McCormick, baroque violinist, and Brian Kay, vocalist and lutenist, of Early Music Access Project present seasonal music for
the Twelfth Night of Christmas. Click on the photo below to hear a sample of
Brian Kay’s music. Brian Kay is a modern-day troubadour. He has performed throughout the world at venues such as the National Concert Hall of Dublin, Belfast Castle (Ireland), Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. His live radio appearances include NPR, Baltimore's WYPR, Baltimore's 98ROCK, Boston's WGBH, and Cleveland's WCLV. He has recorded with record labels Avie and Sono Luminus and has appeared on more than 10 album releases at the age of 33. He is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, traditional and historical music specialist, poet, painter, and avid proponent of meditation. Amherst Audiences will remember his two performances here for AGAR at Second Stage with Ayreheart. Mr. Kay’s recent projects include his latest album release “Meditations” original songs with acoustic accompaniment in a modern style with a nostalgic flare, "Play, Music!" a one-man Shakespeare show which combines traditional music and theater (performed live at the Folger Theater in DC), and the co-direction of Cleveland’s Baroque Orchestra Apollo’s Fire. He has recently returned to the US after touring the UK and Ireland. He is a core member of Apollo's Fire and Twa Corbies, and regularly performs with Hesperus, The Folger Consort, Three Notch'd Road, Eya, Early Music Access Project, Trio Sefardi and is a founding member of the early music improvisation group Divisio.As a professor, Brian teaches at Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.
David R. McCormick performs regularly on both violin and vielle (medieval fiddle) and is in demand as an educator and arts leader. He was founding Artistic Director of Charlottesville-based baroque ensemble Three Notch’d Road (and played four times with that group in Clifford concerts for AGAR) and is a founding member of Alkemie, a medieval ensemble now based in New York City (with whom he has also played in Amherst for AGAR). He is the founding Artistic Director of Early Music Access Project, a rotating group of musicians bringing a wide range of early music to Charlottesville and surrounding communities. David is also Executive Director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, where he recently appeared as featured violin soloist for the opening concert of the 25th Anniversary Season. David has also recently performed with Washington Bach Consort, Opera Lafayette, and as featured guest artist for the Bach-Handel Festival at Shenandoah University. He was a 2017 recipient of Shenandoah Conservatory’s Rising Stars Alumni Award. He was recently named to the Board of Early Music America. TICKETSAGAR Chamber Music Series:
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Straight-ahead Jazz by Justin Schroder, guitar,
and Josh Brinkman, sax. Justin Schroder officially started his musical life in 1986 in middle school band. His first instrument was saxophone. Honestly, he wanted to start with trumpet, but his momma mumbled something about saxophone so, as any momma’s boy should, saxophone it was…
Upon returning to the school band program after the first summer off, Justin decided that since saxophone hurt his teeth while he played, he should stop playing. There was also a mostly irrelevant little something about everyone else knowing their scales at the first rehearsal, but that wasn’t embarrassing at all. At age 15, Justin made his first instrument purchase; a Hondo electric bass. There had been some discussion regarding Justin starting to play guitar, but since two other boys were playing guitar, there was nobody to play bass. Who knew electric bass would be that much fun anyway? Justin still loves playing bass and is especially inspired to keep playing when he hears other guitarists play bass. Having been glad to start playing bass in the ’80s when the guitarists were just inhumanly fast; the ’90s were a great time to learn to play guitar. Justin played most of the new guitar music then and after two years’ effort joined his first band; Tuesday’s Gone. A Southern Rock band if you couldn’t guess. This wasn’t exactly what Justin had in mind as his first band; or second, third, or ever. However, it was a place to start and a great deal of growth occurred as Justin learned great Southern Rock songs and eventually solos. In the years since, there have been many Rock, Jazz, Blues and Country bands and fill-in gigs, blues societies, theatre productions, applied music classes with specialized education students, the development of community college guitar curriculum, and more… Josh Brinkman has played the sax for over 25 years and has played professionally for over ten years. He excels as an exciting and creative soloist in all styles from beautiful jazz ballads, to smooth R&B grooves, to energetic funk and rock solos. After studying music at Virginia Tech under the Grammy-award-winning jazz saxophonist and arranger Chip McNeill, he performed and recorded albums in a wide variety of genres on the East Coast and in the Midwest. Josh’s previous projects have included Chill 7, Zenotone, the Junction, Visuddha, Big Bob and the High Rollers, the Gunflint Syndicate, the Gentlemen’s Club, Luckytown, the Sota, the Corey Wong Quartet, Soul Surreal, Armadillo Jump, and Levitt8 . He also has played gigs with Minnesota blues legend Joe Juliano as well as celebrated guitarist Dean McGraw, jazz pianist Larry McDonough, and harmonica master Clint Hoover. Josh has shared the stage with the incomparable jazz quartet Chez Roué out of Richmond, Virginia, with Twin Cities treasure Joe Cruz, and with Washington D.C. jazz fixtures Peter Edelman and Marcus Johnson. Josh has also written and recorded many original funk and jazz compositions. His current projects include Apple Butter Soul, the Renee' Ruth Band and the House Band of central Virginia. TICKETSAGAR Amherst Java & Jazz:
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Download your copy of the updated 2019-2020 AGAR Season Brochure
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