2019-2020 Music Series Archive
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Amherst Glebe Arts Response, Inc.
in collaboration with Northminster Evangelical Presbyterian Church present Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” Featuring Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk, violin; David Feldman, cello (permanent members of LIYA String Quartet); with Cassandra Hibbard, clarinet; and Tad Hardin, piano. This notable chamber work was composed and first performed in 1941 at a Nazi detainment camp, while composer Olivier Messiaen was a prisoner. Musicologist Naomi Amos will introduce the work in a short pre-concert lecture. ![]() Quartet for the End of Time, (Quatuor pour la fin du temps) premiered on January 15, 1941, at the Stalag VIIIA prisoner-of-war camp, in Görlitz, Germany, where the composer had been confined since his capture in May 1940. The work’s instrumentation was determined by the instruments and performers at hand, meaning those imprisoned with Messiaen. Messiaen dedicated the quartet “in homage to the Angel of the Apocalypse, who raises his hand towards Heaven saying ‘There shall be no more time.’ ” The movement titles were drawn from the biblical Revelation to John. Messiaen composed his work offering ever-changing, often-unpredictable patterns, frequently based on prime numbers, especially 5, 7, 11, and 13. Clarinet and violin phrases tend to be reminiscent of bird songs, and motifs recur from one movement to another. The four instruments (violin, cello, clarinet, and cello) rarely play simultaneously.
Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk (violin) a native of Riga, Latvia, began studying violin at the age of six. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from the University of Maryland as well as Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from George Mason University. Winner of numerous performance awards, Dr. Dovgalyuk, has served as Concertmaster with many orchestras throughout his career. Most recently he has accepted the Concertmaster position with the Lynchburg Symphony. Yevgeniy is a regular substitute with the National Symphony Orchestra and joined the NSO on their Russia Tour in March of 2017. He also performs with the Fairfax Symphony, National Philharmonic, and Alexandria Symphony, among others. He is actively involved with Liya Music Camp International in USA and Ukraine where he serves as the Music Director, as well as Liya Christian Ministry, in memory of his sister. He is an assistant violin professor at Liberty University and plays violin with the LIYA Quartet. David Feldman (cello) performs frequently as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician. He holds multiple cello performance degrees, studying under Alan Weinstein of the Kandinsky Trio at Roanoke College, and Brian Hodges at Boise State University, for whom he was a teaching assistant. He is an alumnus of the Castleman Quartet Program, Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Chautauqua Institution, completing additional studies under Peter Rejto, David Ying, and Steven Doane. Mr. Feldman has been a member of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra since 2008 and has performed as a concerto soloist with the Boise State University Orchestra, the New River Valley Symphony, and the Shenandoah Conservatory Orchestra. His popular music ventures include appearances with Charles Billingsly, D.J. Spooky, Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel, and the Trans Siberian Orchestra, where he was a featured soloist in 2011. Feldman also remains active as a recording studio musician, having worked with artists both nationally and internationally. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Cello at Liberty University in January of 2015. Cassandra Hibbard (clarinet) is originally from Camden, MI, and holds Music Performance degrees from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. Her teachers have included James William King, Bradley Wong, and Caroline Hartig. She is an avid performer of solo, chamber and orchestral music. Currently, Dr. Hibbard is the Principal Clarinet of the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra (previously Associate Principal Clarinet of the Mason Symphony Orchestra, Mason, Mich.). As a soloist, the International Clarinet Association recognized Dr. Hibbard for a World Premiere performance of a newly commissioned work, “Wouldn’t Harm a Fly” by Thomas Childs, in Baton Rouge, LA. in 2014. Chamber music serves as a major portion of Dr. Hibbard’s performing schedule and was the focus of her doctoral cognate. Since 2015, Dr. Hibbard has been organizing the Liberty University School of Music Faculty Chamber Music Series, which features a performance each semester. Tad Hardin (piano) maintains an active career as a pianist, vocal coach, church musician, and educator. He earned degrees from Ouachita Baptist University and the Florida State University College of Music in piano performance, vocal coaching, and chamber music. Dr. Hardin’s recital engagements and master-classes have taken him to venues throughout the U.S., Canada, South America, and Europe. His performances have included numerous guest artist series along with broadcasts on Florida Public Radio and Bolivian national television. Prior to his appointment to the Liberty University, Hardin taught on the faculty at Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music, Spring Arbor University, and several summer festivals, including the Songfest Young Artist Program, the Festival Internacional Bach in Perú, and the Asolo Song Festival in Italy. Dr. Hardin has also worked in the field of music technology as a Performance Analyst for Zenph Sound Innovations. He served as Production Manager for collaborations with Yamaha, Sony Japan, the Dallas Wind Symphony, and the critically acclaimed album, The Spanish Masters, featuring soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and cellist Zuill Bailey. Dr. Hardin has called Lynchburg home for the past seven years and enjoys his work as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra and Coordinator of Piano Studies for the Liberty School of Music. Amherst Glebe Arts Response, Inc.
in collaboration with Sweet Briar College Janet Lowrey Gager Community Concert Series present French mezzo-soprano Sophie Delphis and pianist Anna Billias in a concert featuring songs by Debussy and Ravel, as well as words of U.S. women poets set to music by composer Ricky Ian Gordon (b.1956). Don’t be surprised if some French Cabaret is heard, too! No ticket is required. Sophie Delphis was born in Paris, France, and raised partially in the California Bay Area. She received her Bachelor’s with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and her Master’s in voice performance at the University of Michigan, where she was an Andrea Person Voice Scholarship recipient. Sophie has performed with the iSING Festival, UMS (University Musical Society), National Sawdust, Bronx Opera, Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, Opera Pomme Rouge, Floating Tower and Monk Parrots, among others. This upcoming season she will be performing with Bare Opera in New York and Opera on the James in Lynchburg. Her operatic roles include: Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Giunone (La Calisto), Carmen (Carmen), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marla Maples (The Drumf and the Rhinegold, premiere), Cenerentola and Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Concepcion (L’heure espagnole), Mother/Yaga the Witch (Ami and Tami, English-language premiere), Hansel, (Hansel and Gretel), Elle (La voix humaine), Debbie (Bum Phillips All-American Opera, in its premiere run), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Sœur Mathilde (Dialogues des Carmelites), Valetto (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) and Lazuli (L’Étoile).
She has performed recital programs and fundraiser concerts for several musical and cultural organizations, including the French-American Cultural Society, Lauren Flanigan’s Saturday Soirées recital series, the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit and the Palo Alto Fortnightly Music Club. In addition, she enjoys collaborating with composers, improvisers and theatre artists on new works. Sophie can be heard as a soloist on the Grammy Award-nominated Naxos recording of Milhaud’s Oresteia trilogy, produced by UMS in association with the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and as the Mother/Witch in the original English cast recording of Matti Kovler’s Ami and Tami. She currently resides in New York City. Dr. Anna Billias was trained as a concert pianist at the Prokofiev State Academy of Music in Donetsk, Ukraine (originally the Prokofiev Conservatory of Music) and graduated with advanced degrees in both performance and instruction for piano. During her school tenure, Anna performed with the school’s symphony orchestra as a featured soloist and frequent accompanist throughout the Donetsk Oblast. She received her D.M.A. in piano performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia. During the last thirteen years, Anna was an assistant professor and the Director of Piano Studies and Collaborative Performance at Sweet Briar College, where she also taught Russian language in the 2018-19 academic year. She is currently a part-time accompanist and Lecturer in Music at Washington and Lee University. Anna has performed in numerous concerts at Sweet Briar College; Hampden-Sydney College; the University of Lynchburg; Liberty University; Randolph College; Eastern Mennonite University, Shenandoah Conservatory; James Madison University. Furthermore, she has played in London, England, Paris, France, Crimea, Russia, and Donetsk, Ukraine. Anna has performed in Lynchburg for fundraising events for the Forte Chamber Music Festival, Opera on the James and the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra. She has been invited to judge CVMTA competitions, is a frequent jurist for musical events in Amherst, Lynchburg, and Charlottesville, and regularly volunteers her time performing at local retirement communities. In 2018 Anna collaborated with baritone Dr. Gregory Parker in a concert in Paris, France, and in 2019 she performed concerts in Crimea, Russia, with the renowned artist of Ukraine, Anna Bratus. For the last four years Anna has been giving concerts in the Augusta Correctional Center as a public service project. In her spare time, she is the music director at a local church in Lynchburg, VA, runs an active private piano studio, and is currently pursuing her black belt in karate. Anna enjoys serving as an accompanist for the Rockbridge Youth Chorale in Lexington and giving concerts in the Shenandoah Valley. She is the proud mother of three beautiful, intelligent and musically gifted children, and her husband, Christopher, is a District Court Judge in the Lexington/Rockbridge and Waynesboro courts. Amherst Glebe Arts Response, Inc.
in collaboration with EARLY MUSIC ACCESS PROJECT CHARLOTTESVILLE and ST. MARKS EPISCOPAL CHURCH CLIFFORD present Amherst favorites David R. McCormick, baroque violinist, and Brian Kay, vocalist and lutenist. Click on the photo below to hear a sample of
Brian Kay’s music. Brian Kay, 2019 Grammy-Award winner, 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. Brian’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 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. The concert will also include a humorous poem for the season read by Father David Perkins, children removing holiday greens from the church as the sun sets, and a free “Meet the Artist” reception with mulled cider and King’s Cakes (Epiphany cakes).
Carol Williams has thrilled audiences worldwide, from Notre Dame in Paris, Westminster Abbey in London, to Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
She will play work by Bach, Sousa, Brubeck as well as original pieces on the Bedient Pipe Organ. “I’ve known about this organ company [Bedient Pipe Organ Company] for many years. It is the Rolls Royce of Neo-Baroque organs. And yes, I am surprised and delighted to find one in Amherst. The organ is beautifully voiced to the church, wonderful and satisfying to play!” —Carol Williams British-born Carol Williams was a child prodigy nurtured in a Welsh musical family. She began private lessons at age 5, could read music before English and began performing organ recitals throughout the UK at age 8 chaperoned by her father.
Her formal training was at the Royal Academy of Music where Carol specialized in organ performing. As a student of David Sanger, she obtained the Academy's prestigious Recital Diploma together with an LRAM (organ) and an LRAM (piano). She also studied Harpsichord with Virginia Black. Carol was awarded the major prizes for organ performance and during her studies became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists; a Fellow of Trinity College London; and an Associate of the Royal College of Music. She commuted from the UK for a year for private studies with the Organist Daniel Roth at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris. In the United States Carol undertook postgraduate study at Yale University with Professor Thomas Murray and was awarded the Artist Diploma together with the Charles Ives prize for outstanding achievement. Carol earned her Doctorate with Professor McNeil Robinson at the Manhattan School of Music, NYC, and received the Helen Cohn award for her D.M.A. degree in 2001. Carol was appointed the “first woman in the world” to hold the title of “Civic Organist” and has the title of “Civic Organist Emerita” as San Diego Civic Organist, 2001-2017. She continues to perform around the world throwing out a wide net to entice new audiences to the concert pipe organ. She is known for her collaborations with Jazz, Blues, Rock bands and leading orchestras notably, the BBC Concert Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. A featured musician on many Blogs, PodCasts, Radio Stations, TV and print media in America, the United Kingdom and around the world, Carol always highlights her profound love of “The King of Instruments.” Elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of her contribution to music and, performed many special occasions such as for Princes Diana, the Virgil Fox Memorial Concert and the 10th anniversary concert of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ. Carol gives a new experience to the Classical Organ Concert with a diversity, elegance and her very special charismatic humor. She continues teaching privately and at Randolph College in Lynchburg Virginia as College Organist. Come join us for “Sounds of Italy,” a musical tour
of Italy that showcases the best Italian music from classical to popular. Husband and wife duo, Adelaide Muir Trombetta, soprano, and Domenico Luca Trombetta, violin and viola, with special guest Tad Hardin, piano, will transport listeners to the sounds of Italy featuring special favorites including “O mio babbino caro,” “Volare,” and music from theAcademy Award-winning film, “Life is Beautiful.” Be sure to bring your voices, too, as we invite you to sing with us on what is sure to be a memorable evening of Italian music! Adelaide Muir Trombetta is a graduate of Yale’s prestigious Opera Program, The New York Times called her “sensitive and affecting” during her performance as a National Finalist of the renowned Metropolitan Opera National Counsel Auditions. Mrs. Trombetta has enjoyed repeated seasons with L’Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi of Milan, Italy performing leading roles of Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow), Euridice (Orpheus in the Underworld), Ana (The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weil), Lilli Vanessi “Katharina” (Kiss me Kate), and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus). Other European engagements include performances with Das Verein Opera, Zurich as well as the opening event for the annual fashion show “Gala Catania, Talenti & Dintorni” of 2009 in Catania, Italy. Further solo credits include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Symphonie No. 9., Poulenc’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Dvorak’s Te Deum, and Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42. Mrs. Trombetta is on the faculty at Liberty University and is a frequent soloist with chorus and orchestras in Greater Lynchburg. This spring, 2020, she will play the role of Stella in Streetcar Named Desire for Opera Roanoke.
Domenico Luca Trombetta is a native of Catania, Italy. He was admitted into the Istituto Musicale V. Bellini of Catania after a few years of private music instruction. He transferred his studies to the Conservatory of St. Cecilia, Rome, to complete his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Viola Performance with highest honors under the instruction of Margot Burton. During this time, he was also a student at the Perosi Academy of Biella (Italy) studying with Simonide Braconi, the principal viola of La Scala Theater of Milan. Before completing his master’s degree, he studied with Bruno Giuranna, at the Lugano Conservatory (Switzerland). Mr. Trombetta has appeared as the featured soloist in solo concerts and recitals and has performed around the world with numerous chamber ensembles, orchestras, and world-renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Yuri Temirkanov, Marc Soustrot, Ennio Morricone, Nicola Piovani (Music of Life is Beautiful), Lu Ja, and Steven White. He has appeared in concerts with Uto Ughi, Boris Belkin, Robert Cohen, Luisa Castellani, Andrea Bocelli, and Yo-yo Ma. Mr. Trombetta holds a D.M.A. from James Madison University and is currently Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of the String Programs at Liberty University. In addition to his performances with James String Players, James String Quartet, and LIYA String Quartet, Mr. Trombetta is also a frequent performer with Opera on the James and in concert with his wife, soprano Adelaide Muir Trombetta. Dr. Tad Hardin maintains an active career as a pianist, vocal coach, church musician, and educator. He earned degrees from Ouachita Baptist University and the Florida State University College of Music in piano performance, vocal coaching, and chamber music. He currently serves as Coordinator of Piano Studies and Associate Professor of Piano. He and his family reside in Lynchburg, VA. Music by composers Nat Adderly, Clifford Brown,
John Coltrane, Tadd Dameron, Kenny Dorham, Joe Henderson, Freddy Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and Stanley Turrentine. Chris Magee has played lead trumpet for such artists as Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, The Temptations, The Four Tops and the O’Jays, and he was staff trumpeter and arranger at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In Virginia, Chris plays co-principal trumpet in the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra in Lexington and performs with “Green Earrings, The Steely Dan Experience,” a Steely Dan tribute band based in Lynchburg. He is an assistant professor of music at the University of Lynchburg. Along with teaching he also directs the Jazz Ensemble. Lew Taylor is a Lynchburg native with over 30 years experience as a professional musician and entertainer. He has honed skills as a keyboardist specializing in pop, jazz and R&B styles, and as an arranger for groups ranging in size from 60-piece concert orchestras to 16-piece jazz big bands to trios and duos. Lew also is a founding member of “Green Earrings,” a nationally performing Steely Dan tribute band, of which he is also keyboardist, vocalist, and music director. He has composed scores for stage productions, including the adaptation of David Woulff’s novel “As I Stood At The Gate” and the stage production of “Nu Naybahood II...Here We Go Agin,” an adaptation of Grammy Award-winning percussionist D. Munyango Jackson’s book “The Nu Naybahood Funetic Ebonic Dictionary Vol. 1,” a satirical compilation of contemporary urban African-American speech and dialect patterns. Eric Hollandsworth, bass, grew up as a cellist in Roanoke studying with Peggy McHenry, Dr. Kenneth Lurie and Alan Weinstein. While studying with Weinstein he was introduced to jazz and began his life-long love affair with the music of Davis, Monk, Mingus and Hubbard. By his early twenties, Eric had made upright and electric bass his main instruments. He became a sought-after theatre pit orchestra bassist performing regularly with several professional and community-based theaters. He also performed with the award-winning show band Cheaper Than Therapy. Larry Scott began playing professionally with the band The Dyna-Tones, performing in clubs and colleges in Lynchburg, Farmville, Bedford, Greensboro, NC, and several venues in PA. It was during this time that the Dyna-Tones opened for Kool and the Gang, and served as back-up band for comedian Wild Man Steve. Currently, Larry performs with The Lenny Marcus Trio and Season3 as well as numerous Jazz groups in Central and Southwest Virginia. His work with the Lenny Marcus Trio (www.lennymarcusmusic.com) can be heard on both the local NPR station (WVTF) in rotation during their nightly jazz show and on National NPR broadcasts. |
![]() Adam Larrabee, guitar and banjo
Ross Martin, acoustic and electric guitar Cameron Ralston, bass Adam Larrabee has appeared as a sideman on Bruce Hornsby’s album “Spirit Trail” and has involved himself in a wide variety of projects in the past few years from playing banjo in the bluegrass group “Joy Kills Sorrow,” guitar in the chamber-jazz group “Andromeda,” classical mandolin with “The Richmond Classical Guitar Quartet,” and mandocello with “Enigmatica,” recording and performing with rising jazz prodigy Grace Kelly, and his exploration of the music of Central France with “Le Bon Vent.” In 2006, he won an Independent Music Award for his composition “Norwegian Slip” in the world/fusion category. Most recently, Mr. Larrabee has released a duo CD with pianist Bob Hallahan entitled “The Street Where You Live” in addition to a recreation of Duke Ellington’s classic recording “Money Jungle” recording with his current trio with drummer Brian Jones and bassist Randall Pharr. In October 2009, he played banjo with “Love Canon,” backing up rising pop/folk star Josh Ritter on a sold-out two-week tour of Ireland. In Oct 2010 Mr. Larrabee traveled to Ankara, Turkey for the Haceteppe Konservatory Jazz Festival and played in the premiere of “Ben Seni Variations” a work for Orchestra and Jazz Octet by Doug Richards. He taught jazz theory, composition and arranging at The New England Conservatory in Boston for nine years and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and teaches classical and jazz guitar at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, banjo and mandolin at the University of Virginia and improv and small jazz ensemble at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.
Ross Martin plays guitar on stage three times a week on New York’s Broadway for the 2019 Tony Award winning Musical “Hades Town.” Last season he played guitar onstage for “The Girl from the North Country,” featuring Bob Dylan’s Music, at the Public Theatre, also in Manhattan. Mr. Martin grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, with brief stints in East Tennessee, attended the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies, then headed west. After ten years in the front range area of Colorado, Mr. Martin relocated to the east coast and has lived in Brooklyn, NY, for the past ten years. His musical path has covered as much territory as his physical one. Reflecting his love of diverse genres like jazz, bluegrass, country, folk, experimental, and classical music, he has always felt at home with fellow musicians who seek to reconcile, through their music, the incredible wealth of styles available to listeners in this global and digital age. Mr. Martin has toured and performed with a wide range of artists including Matt Flinner, Tony Furtado, Ron Miles, Mollie O’Brien, The Motet, Caroline Herring, Dwele, Sonya Kitchell, and many others. His parents currently live on South Main Street in Amherst. Cameron Ralston, a Virginia musician, is the house bassist and business partner, for Spacebomb, a unique boutique music publishing company in Richmond, Virginia, that is home to recording projects for record labels all over the world. As a house musician for various artists, Cameron has played on many different records including Fight the Big Bull, Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass and K.D. Lang. *Photo of Cameron Ralston by
Peter Gannushkin / DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET 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 mommas 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. The band will perform several selections from the album Transformation, which are all original compositions by Joseph Henson. They also will perform other originals and standards such as jazz renditions of Beauty and the Beast, Close to You, Stardust, and Body and Soul. You can listen to some selections from Transformation at
josephhenson.bandcamp.com. Joseph Henson (saxophone) grew up in South Carolina where he attended the University of South Carolina as a music major. While working on his Master’s of Music at the University of North Texas he played in the One O’Clock Lab Band for three consecutive years and studied with Neil Slater, Jim Riggs, and Dan Haerle. From 1997-2018 Joseph served as tenor saxophonist in The U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, based in Washington, DC, and was the Enlisted Musical Director from 2015-2018. During his tenure with the Blues, he shared the stage with many jazz legends including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dr. Billie Taylor, Freddie Cole, and Chris Potter. Joseph’s compositions and arrangements for the band, including Things Ain’t What they Used To B and Live at Blues Alley can be heard on several Army Blues recordings. Joseph is the director of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Liberty University. He also leads his own small group that plays acoustic and electric jazz and has a new record titled Transformation. Learn more at www.josephhensonjazz.com. Michael Kramer (guitar) is a Washington, DC, based guitarist, composer, arranger, and band leader. His trio, Superstring and the Cosmic Vibrations, released its debut album December 2018 featuring Nathan Kawaller on bass and Steve Fidyk on drums. He is the co-leader of the KW Big Band along with pianist and composer Tim Whalen. At 16, Michael began his career with a weekly solo guitar gig at a local Italian restaurant in his hometown of Germantown, MD, until he attended the University of Maryland, College Park. He has remained busy ever since as a performer in Washington, DC, and all over the East Coast performing professionally with Joe Chambers, Lee Konitz, Wycliffe Gordon, Sean Jones, Ignacio Berroa, Bobby Shew, Steve Davis, Carmen Bradford, and many more. Michael is adjunct faculty at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, and working on his trio’s (Superstring and the Cosmic Vibrations) sophomore album in addition to the debut KW Big Band. Daniel Kelly II “D.K.” (drums) has been sharing his talent since the young age of two. His playing styles include Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Rock, Latin, and Classical and has been showcased on both the east and west coasts, as well as around the world. D.K. has performed with the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Band in the John Moawad Jazz Festival at Central Washington University and Vancouver, BC, and the Christopher K. Morgan and Artists Showcase at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD. During the summers of 2014-2016 and 2018, he performed in the Shenandoah Summer Musical Theatre Pit Orchestra as a percussionist/drummer. Some show titles included The Addams Family, The Wiz, Man of LaMancha, Mary Poppins, The Secret Garden, and City of Angels to list a few. He has also performed with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Virginia Symphony, as well as participating in the Guitar Center’s Drum-Off Competition. D.K. is currently enlisted and performing with the Virginia Army National Guard band. Neal Perrine (bass) is a recent alumnus of James Madison University’s jazz studies program. He began playing electric bass at the age of 12, and upright bass at the age of 15, falling in love with jazz while in high school. Neal has gotten the opportunity to study bass with Eddie Gomez, Ben Williams, Mimi Jones, Marco Panascia, Lauren Pierce, Sam Suggs, and Karine Chapdelaine to name a few. He performs all over Virginia and has gotten the privilege to perform with jazz greats and local legends such as Nate Smith, Robert Jospeh, Devonne Harris, John D’Earth, Bob Hallahan, Charles Owens, Luis Perdomo, Randy Johnston, and Stephanie Nakasian. ![]() Glen Buck (keyboards) originally from Utica, NY, and early began playing with his father, a well-known musician in central New York. He studied classical saxophone and music education at Nazareth College, Rochester, NY, and later graduated from Vanderbilt University. He received a Doctorate in Special Education from University of Florida. He is a professor of special education at the University of Lynchburg (1993-present) and continues to play in bands throughout central Virginia. Mr. Buck enjoys his time with Quintana because of his love of jazz music!
Ernest Deane (trumpet and flugel) was born in 1941 in Lynchburg, where he grew up and played in jazz bands while at Dunbar High School. He credits his lifetime love of jazz to a cousin, Thomas Fitch, who let him listen, at age eight, to records by artists from Charlie Parker to Gene Krupa and Louie Bellson. Ernest has played in combo bands in Virginia and North Carolina, currently The Houseband of VA and Quintana. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Virginia State U. and assisted music students at Linkhorne Middle School. Malcolm Dentler (percussion) hails from New York City. He proudly serves in the music ministry at St. Mark’s Baptist Church. Malcolm teaches percussion every Sunday at John Kortmulder Mindful Mountain Yoga, Second Stage Amherst. Al Mallet Jr. (alto and Soprano saxophone) has been a freelance musician for the past 60 years. He was a club musician in Washington, DC in the 1980s. In Lynchburg he has played with jazz groups including the Jives, the Twisters, Youth for Truth, and at Court Street Baptist Church. Mr. Mallet was a founding member of Quintana, formed by Phil McCarren 10 years ago. Ed Mikenas (Bass) is organist/choir director for Amherst Presbyterian Church. He taught bass at Radford University, is the jazz ensemble coach for VES, and is adjunct bass professor University of Lynchburg. As a NYC studio bassist, he recorded and performed with artists including Skitch Henderson, the Larry Elgart Big Band, Esther Phillips, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Martha and the Vandellas, Scarlet Rivera, Rodney Dangerfield, Danny and the Juniors, and Mama Lion. He was bassist for the Joffrey Ballet Company, La Mama Experimental Theatre, and Broadway shows including Grease, Pippin, Godspell, and The Magic Show. THE QUANTUM MECHANICS — JAZZ AND MORE
With Worth Proffitt, Ed Mikenas, and Andy Aeschbacher. The Quantum Mechanics will explore the far reaches of the musical universe that will include the very beginning of sonic engagement with an original piece by Ed Mikenas titled Nada Brahma: an Homage. They will pass through some Western Swing, Be-Bop, Jazz Standards, and will premiere Ed Mikenas’ original piece, The Quantum Suite: Rejected, Low-Down, and Blue; I Want Nothing More (than Peace of Mind); Living Out on The Street; FREE; and Handpan Jam (featuring the TACTA Handpan). Ed Miikenas (console steel guitar) is a multi-instrumentalist who has been the organist and choir director for Amherst Presbyterian Church since 2007. He taught bass at Radford University for 19 years. He is the jazz ensemble coach for Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg and is adjunct bass professor at the University of Lynchburg. He graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a BS in music education, and has a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, NYC. In New York, Ed played venues that include Saturday Night Live, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and the Apollo. He played in the pit for Grease, Pippin, Godspell, and the Magic Show on Broadway and was a musician and actor off Broadway with the La Mama Experimental Theatre. Worth Proffit (drums) is another multi-isntrumentalist well known in the area playing blues with Dennis Johnson in Jump Street and currently as part of Proffitt & Sandige, both powerful acoustic blues duos. Worth studied blues with Mississippi blues heavyweight Lonnie Pitchford and North Carolina jazz legend, Brother Jusef Salim. Worth's blues projects have received numerous awards, including: 1997 International Blues Challenge, Charlotte, NC (Jump Street) and 2004 International Blues Challenge, Sedalia, VA. Worth branches out into electric guitar territory as well, playing rock 'n' roll and electric blues with Bill Hudson, Jack Sutherland, Malcolm Dentler, Roy Slaughter. Larry Scott and others. He has been playing gospel guitar for two Lynchburg area churches since 1996: Saint Mark in Amherst and Saint Mary in Lowesville. Andy Aeschbacher (bass) is a native of Buffalo, NY and a lifelong musician proficient on electric bass. Andy is well known on the local music scene as a solid, reliable player able to handle many different musical situations. Currently he plays in several local music groups such as The Quantum Mechanics, Quintana, Feng Sway, The MP3 Trio, Code Blue, Hill City Jazz, Laurabella Trio, The Introverts, Deanie Blues Band, The Dog Boys and Jimmy Rushing & the Prematures. He is also a full-time piano tuner/technician offering quality piano tuning to owners of fine pianos. |