Music From China
Tea House

Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 PM

Prallsville Mills, Stockton

Opening windows to Chinese culture; connecting musical worlds of East and West. The world-renowned Music From China is a chamber ensemble that performs a dual repertoire of traditional and contemporary Chinese music. What began as a mission to introduce audiences to the best of Chinese musical culture has evolved into an affinity for the eclectic that embraces both ancient and new music. Music From China’s performance will feature the New Jersey premiere of “Tea House II” by erhu virtuoso Wang Guowei.

www.musicfromchina.org

“Music From China is music from heaven” 
-Kansas City Star

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Ethos Percussion Group

Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 PM

Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church, Bloomsbury

Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Ethos Percussion Group has inspired audiences throughout the country with its exceptional music-making and collective devotion to the incredibly diverse world of percussion music. Ethos’ innovative programming integrates global instruments and playing styles into the conventions of Western chamber music to create a visually and aurally compelling experience. The ensemble’s critically-acclaimed performances regularly feature numerous commissions and world premieres, traditional rhythms from India, West Africa and the Middle East, along with landmark works by composers such as Steve Reich and Frank Zappa.

www.ethospercussiongroup.org

“Remarkably disciplined and cohesive...spellbinding...Ethos had the audience up and cheering.”
-The Washington Post

Grand Canyon Ensemble

Featuring Robert Bonfiglio, harmonica
Clare Hoffman, flute
Laura Oltman and Michael Newman, guitars

Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 PM  

Stanton Reformed Church, Stanton

This concert will recreate one of Raritan River Music Festival’s first events, featuring classical favorites and virtuoso showpieces performed by four old college friends who are today among America’s most versatile and seasoned musicians.

Newman and Oltman were inspired to create the Raritan River Music Festival during their performances at the Grand Canyon Music Festival in the 1980s.

The Grand Canyon festival—celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary season this year at the Shrine of the Ages on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park—began when founders Bonfiglio and Hoffman were hiking through the canyon and agreed to perform an impromptu concert for a retiring ranger at the Cottonwood Campground below the North Rim. The Grand Canyon grew from its inauguration in 1984 to a nine-concert season that spans three weeks each September. 

www.robertbonfiglio.com  

“Master of the Harmonica—his playing is something you have to hear to believe.” 
-Boston Globe

www.grandcanyonmusicfest.org

www.guitarduo.com

“Their duet recordings reveal a finely blended sound and true unity of timbre and style.”
-The New York Times

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Frank McCourt, author and reader
Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo
String Orchestra of New York City

Laments & Dances, from the Irish

Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 PM

Clinton Presbyterian Church, Clinton

The 20th festival closes with a spectacular collaboration between multiple artistic forces.
In the new orchestration by composer Andrew McKenna Lee, Arnold Black’s infectious music for guitar duo and strings—based on tunes by the Irish harper O’Carolan—jumps from the page, interwoven with uplifting and moving readings by Frank McCourt from his timeless memoirs.

Frank McCourt was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and returned to America in 1949. For 30 years he taught in New York City high schools. His first book, Angela’s Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the L.A. Times Book Award. For McCourt, storytelling itself is the source of salvation, and in his latest memoir, Teacher Man, the journey to redemption—and literary fame—is an exhilarating adventure.

Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo continue to forge new frontiers in the music world with their innovative programs and collaborations performed in the world’s cultural capitals on five continents and their 13 critically acclaimed recordings.

No conductor, no bow ties, just strings. Now entering its 10th season, SONYC (String Orchestra of New York City) has established itself as one of the leading young ensembles in New York City; with regular performances at Merkin Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall. A conductorless chamber ensemble, SONYC members rehearse in a collaborative effort that allows each musician to have an impact on the artistic process—the flexibility and intimacy of a string quartet fused with the power and scope of an orchestra. SONYC is the feature of Breathing Together, the award-winning documentary by filmmaker William McKenna.

www.sonyc.org

"SONYC is a composer's dream come true. Their amazing virtuosity, comprehensive artistic intelligence and passionate spirit combine to make brilliant music on every level. SONYC is an avatar of all that is right and true in our musical universe." 
-Composer Paul Moravec

www.guitarduo.com

“Guitar Duo Shows Rare Prowess.”
-Los Angeles Times

www.andrewmckennalee.com

Frank McCourt

“Teacher Man is an irresistible valedictory, about a man finding his voice in the classroom, on the page and in his soul.”
-The New York Times Book Review

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