Saturday, September 17, 2011

Harold Jones Conducts Antara Ensemble in World Premieres of William Foster McDaniel & Cindi Hsu, NYC Oct. 4


[Harold N. Jones and Antara Ensemble; Harold N. Jones in Let Us Break Bread Together]

Antara Ensemble
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church
619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, NYC
World Premieres by William Foster McDaniel & Cindi Hsu
Plus works by McDaniel, Samuel Barber and Edvard Grieg

The 14-member Antara Ensemble opens its 18th season with a concert led by its music director, conductor/flutist Harold Jones, on Tuesday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m., at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (54th Street) in New York City.

The program will feature world premieres of William Foster McDaniel’s The Prophet for soprano and strings (with soprano Valerie MacCarthy), and Cindi Hsu’s Nevermore for strings. Other works include Samuel Barber’s Adagio, Barber’s Dover Beach for voice and strings (featuring baritone Thomas Buckner), McDaniel’s Concerto for Flute and Strings (conducted by Ariel Rudiakov and featuring Harold Jones as flutist), and Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite.

Tickets are $25; seniors (62 and over) and students $20. For information and reservations: (212) 866-2545.

The 14-member ANTARA ENSEMBLE was formed by flutist Harold Jones to bring quality classical music at affordable prices to the culturally diverse neighborhoods of New York. The group performs a repertoire spanning centuries and including works by American, African-American, European and Third World composers.

A native of Chicago, HAROLD JONES has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Tully Hall, CAMI Hall and other New York venues, Jordan Hall in Boston, and throughout the U.S., Europe and Taiwan. He has appeared as flute soloist with The Bach Aria Orchestra, American Symphony, New York Sinfonietta, Brooklyn Philharmonia, National Orchestral Association, and other ensembles. Mr. Jones is on the faculties of the Westchester Conservatory of Music and Manhattanville College. His recordings on the Antara label include two LPs: “From Bach to Bazzini” and “Afternoon Fantasies”, and three CDs: “Let Us Break Bread Together”, “Just As I Am” and “Lil’ Lite O’ Mine”.

Composer/conductor WILLIAM FOSTER McDANIEL received a Master of Music degree from Boston University; he also studied as a Fulbright Scholar with Jacques Fevrier in Paris. In musical theater, Mr. McDaniel has served as conductor for the Broadway and National Touring companies of Ain’t Misbehavin’, Timbuktu, Bubbling Brown Sugar and off-Broadway’s The Fantasticks. His larger works have been performed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles. He appears frequently as a solo and chamber musician.

Born in Taiwan, CINDI HSU received her B.F.A. degree in piano performance from Tung-hai University in Taiwan, and her Master of Arts degree in composition from New York University. She studied composition with Justin Dello Joio, David Diamond, Dinu Ghezzo, Philip Lasser and Gordon Chin. She is a recipient of numerous ASCAP Standard Awards, and her music has been performed in Taiwan, France and the United States. As a result of her firm belief in arts education, Ms. Hsu launched her own web site http://www.AuntieCindi.com in 2006. Ms. Hsu has served on the faculty of the Music Conservatory of Westchester since 2001. She lives in New York City.

A native New Yorker, the soprano VALERIE MacCARTHY made her debut at the Tanglewood Festival in Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole under the baton of Seiji Ozawa; followed by the role of Leila in Bizet’s Les Pécheurs de Perles with the Holland Park Festival in London, and an appearance at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony as Juliet in John de Lancie’s Romeo & Juliet Project. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pasadena Symphony invited Valérie to re-create her success in the Romeo & Juliet Project. She has sung Daniela in L’Incoronazione di Poppea at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève, Théâtre de Caen and Festspielhaus St. Pölten; performed La Seconde in the world premiere of Jacque Lenot’s J’Etais dans ma maison et j’attendais que la pluie vienne, also at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève; and appeared with Opéra Française de New York in Le Folie de l’Operette, and with the Florentine Opera in Fidelio and La Cenerentola. She sang Musetta in the Baz Luhrmann production of La Bohème; other performances include debuts at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls, L’Opéra Française de New York, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Her European recital debut was at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw de Kleine Zaal.

Baritone THOMAS BUCKNER has collaborated with a host of composers, including Robert Ashley, Noah Creshevsky, Earl Howard, Matthias Kaul, Bun Ching Lam, Annea Lockwood, Phil Niblock, Wadada Leo Smith, and many others. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Herbst Theatre, Art Institute of Chicago, Ostrava Days Festival, Prague Spring Festival and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. His most recent solo recording “New Music for Baritone and Chamber Ensemble” includes works by Lockwood, Tania Leon and Pet Kotik. He appears in the CD/DVD “Kirili et le Nymphéas (Hommage à Monet)”.

Conductor/violist ARIEL RUDIAKOV is currently music director and conductor of the Danbury Symphony Orchestra. A founding member of the String Orchestra of New York City, he has held guest and permanent conducting posts with the Metropolitan Symphony, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic. He is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, Pre-College Division, the Michael Rudiakov Music Academy, and the Manchester (VT) Music Festival.

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