The oldest, acclaimed classical music festival in Greene County will open its 2019 summer season with a fund-raising concert on July 6. The young, up-and-coming soprano Antonina Chehovska will make her debut at the Grazhda, located in Jewett, N.Y., in works by Barber, Puccini, Dvorak, Saprun and Sonevytsky. Ms. Chehovska participated in a concert at Carnegie Hall as a soloist in Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” and Vivaldi’s “Gloria” this past May. The artistic director of the Music and Art Center of Greene County, Volodymyr Vynnytsky, will be at the piano.
The featured artists on July 13 will be soprano Kayleen Sanchez and pianist-composer Paul Sanchez, who will perform music by Grieg, Bernstein, Sanchez and Vassilandonakis.
Peter Nelson Jazztet will bring a bit of cultural variety to the Grazhda’s audience on July 20. Trombonist Peter Nelson and his colleagues will play jazz pieces and improvisations on Ukrainian melodies.
The August 3 concert will spotlight the noted Gould String Quartet. The Lithuanian-born violinist-extraordinaire Atis Bankas, director of the Niagara Music Festival, and his chamber musicians will play music by Puccini, Donizetti and Verdi.
On July 10 at 7 p.m. the Grazhda will resonate with children’s voices in a concert of Ukrainian folk songs. Serhiy Salov, the internationally renowned pianist and winner of the 2004 prestigious Montreal International Music Competition will play music by Chopin, Schumann, Lysenko and Shamo.
The final concert of the season will feature cellist Natalia Khoma and pianist Mr. Vynnytsky on August 24. This concert of Bach, Tchaikovsky and Chopin works will be dedicated to the memory of Lubomyr Krushelnytsky, a great and loyal friend of Music at Grazhda.
All concerts begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and $12 for members. All fund-raising concert tickets – $35. The Grazhda concert hall is located on Route 23A in Jewett (adjacent to the Ukrainian church). For additional information and reservations, please call 518-989-6479.
The Music and Art Center also organizes courses in Ukrainian folk arts for adults and children age 10 and up: Gerdany (bead-stringing) July 29-31 with instructor Lesia Lasiy. Sofia Zielyk will be the instructor for Pysanky (Ukrainian egg decorating) on August 1-2. Lubow Wolynetz will teach Embroidery on August 5-8; and Ukrainian Folk Motif Painting will be offered on August 5-7 (instructor TBA). The Children’s Folk Singing Course is on July 29-August 9 with Anna Bachynsky and Melanie Serbay.
The registration deadline for the courses is July 15. The fee for a two-day course is $40; $75 for three- and four-day courses. The fee for the singing course is $75 per week. Please call Ms. Serbay at 518-263-4670 or e-mail [email protected] for registration and additional information.
The Music and Art Center of Greene County is a non-profit organization, funded in part by the Greene County Legislature through the Greene County Cultural Fund and administered by GCCA, Self-Reliance New York Federal Credit Union, private donations and memberships.