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2012 News and Notes
Happy 2012, everyone! Here we go—our 63rd season...we love to hear from current and former campers and staff, so drop us a line with your news!
Be well and stay in touch,
Jamie & Ellen
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Andrei Baumann (staff '08–'12) did his usual magnificent job accompanying the doctoral recital of Shih-Kai Lin at the New England Conservatory on January 25. The program included music of Beethoven, Webern, Schubert and Brahms. Jamie & Ellen attended and it was superb. Bravo Andrei! |
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Warren Wolf (camper 1987) is now one of the hottest jazz musicians on the national scene, touring and recording constantly. His new CD Warren Wolf is attracting critical acclaim everywhere and a recommended get for everyone interesting in some fabulous jazz vibes playing! Check out everything Warren has going on at www.warrenwolfmusic.com or just ask Google. |
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Stephanie Palocz (camper, staff '07–'11) will be playing in March with the National High School Honors Orchestra. This is an orchestra competitively selected from high school students around the country to perform in conjuction with the ASTA convention, which this year will be held in Atlanta. Stephanie will be playing 1st horn on Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony. Brava, Stephanie! |
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Jonathan Elbaz Jonathan Elbaz (camper '08–'11) has won the first 2012 James P Johnson jazz scholarship awarded, and will be performing in two concerts at Lincoln Center (NYC) on February 4 with the Little Orchestra Society (concert: West Side Story and other American songs). Jonathan is currently a student in the pre-college jazz program at the Manhattan School of Music. Jonathan was also selected to play in the 2012 University of Arts All-Star Big Band, and was accepted in the Stanford Jazz Workshop and jazz residency where he will be this summer for 3 weeks. Nice going Jonathan! |
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Several current and former campers took part in a performance of the New England Conservatory's Youth Symphony Orchestra on January 29, in a beautiful celebration of the music of Claude Debussy and Jules Massenet, which also included the NEC Concert Choir and many NEC faculty members. Participating in the orchestra were Eliana von Krusenstiern ('08), Valandrhah Abraham ('10), Andrew Connelly ('07), Aidan Rodier ('08–'12) and Sam Izzo ('09–'12). Great job guys! |
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Jake Utter (camper 2000s) is a member of Dartmouth College's all male a cappella singing group "The Dartmouth Cords", and may be seen on youtube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkz5HgiY5sI. Sounding good Jake! Keep up the good work! |
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Pete Robbins (camper 1990s) is everywhere on the NYC and international jazz scene these days, and is just releasing a new album "Transatlantic Quartet - Live in Basel". The album features Pete, Mikkel Ploug (guitarist from Denmark), Simon Jermyn (bassist from Dublin living in Brooklyn), and Kevin Brow (drummer from Toronto living in Copenhagen), and was recorded during a live concert at the Birdseye Jazzclub in Basel, Switzerland that was broadcast on DRS 2 public radio. Read all about it and Pete's other activities at his website. |
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Jerry "dad" Polizzi (staff 1990s) is living just outside of Cleveland, Ohio and singing in the Chagrin Valley Choral Union. Check 'em out on YouTube… |
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Arlene Tolopko (staff 1980s) sings in the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus in the New York City area, started by Pete Seeger 25 years ago. Hear them sing on YouTube. Arlene is pictured at left standing between her husband Frank and Ellen, at the 2005 alumni reunion at George and Mary Lou Ashur's home. |
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Dan Freeman (camper 1990s) has finished a masters certificate in production at Dubspot in NYC and was asked to join the school as a member of the faculty. Dan has become an Ableton Live Certified Trainer and has given presentations on the integration of digital and acoustic instruments at various festivals and at Harvard University last November. Dan will also be heading to Colombia in April to perform and lecture at the Festival Internacional De La Inmagen—a festival focused on digital music and art. Dan has just released a video through Dubspot, on using Ableton Live as a vocal processor. Check it out on YouTube! |
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Grace Kelly (camper 2000s) remains prominent on the global jazz scene, and was recently featured on the CNN website. Check out the story here. Bravo Grace! | |||
| Victoria Vargas (staff member 2000s) is completing her second of three years as a resident artist at the Minnesota Opera, and has also been singing in the summers at the Chautauqua Opera Company. |
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Laura Bossert (camper 1981) is a music faculty member at Wellesley College and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, where she teaches violin & viola. Laura is also music director of Lyricafest, a summer music festival based in Lincoln, MA. Read all about what Laura's doing at her website: www.laurabossert.com. |
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E/C alums seen at the 2012 Massachusetts All-State Festival at the Boston Harbor Hotel in March: Joe Oneschuk, Stephani Palocz and Anna Taylor, Nicholas Gallitano, Dan Kazenel and Courcelle Stark, Cory Seapy, Karen Baken |
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 Joe Oneschuk |
 Stephanie Palocz and Anna Taylor |
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 Nicholas Gallitano |
 Dan Kazenel and Courcelle Stark |
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 Cory Seapy |
 Karen Baken |
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| Larry Goldings (camper 1980s) is everywhere on the global jazz and recording scene: touring Europe with his organ trio, backing James Taylor on his summer tour, creating his own online video instructional method, and always in high demand as a studio "sideman", backing many well known musicians including E/C's own Noam Weinstein (camper 1980s) on his new album. Read all about it on Larry's website or Noam's. Bravo guys!! |
| Giulia Contaldo (camper 2000s) is practicing hard for upcoming piano competitions, and in October 2011 placed second in the important Italian National Piano Competition "F. Pavia". She enjoyed Tanglewood last summer but will not be returning this year due to competitions and various courses in Italy. She now has a duo with cello, and is preparing to perform a version of a Mozart piano concerto for piano and string quartet at the Conservatory of Florence. Meanwhile, brother Daniel Contaldo (camper 2000s) will graduate high school this July, is doing well in his rock group "Frozen Muffins" and will be playing for the second time at the Hard Rock Cafe in Florence this spring. You can see him and the updates on his group on MySpace. Dan is applying to colleges in the United Staes, and particularly hopes to attend Amherst College, where the director of jazz is non other than camp alum and jazz impresario extroadinaire Bruce Diehl (staff 1990s)! |
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Aidan Rodier (camper 2000s) is taking her English Horn to places few other players have been, as you can see in this great Youtube clip of her soloing over the changes to "Song For My Father" by Horace Silver. Nice work Aidan! |
| E/C Alums (from the 2000s) received plenty of awards for their outstanding musicianship at The Maine State Instrumental Jazz Festival this March. Pictured L to R are Isabelle Boyd, Aidan Rodier, Alex Oulette and Nathaniel Vilas. Additional alumni award winners not pictured include Ron Rideout and Jake Hickey. CONGRATS, PEOPLE! |  |
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Jesse Begelfer (camper, staff 2000s) played a beautiful senior recital at Brandeis on Sunday, March 25, including selections by Bach, Ibert and Doppler. Jamie, Ellen and Hannah were all there, in addition to E/C parent alumni David and Betty Ann Begelfer and Joe and Candy Bergantino. Nice job Jesse! |
| Evonne Morrell (camper 2011) has won a recognition award at the 2012 Connecticut Invention Convention for a flute warmer that she invented and designed. Bravo Evonne! |  |
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Warren Wolf (camper 1987) was featured vibraphone at Scullers on May 4 with the Donel Fox jazz ensemble. Jamie and Ellen attended with alumni parent Keith Stern, and a truly amazing night of original jazz was enjoyed by all. Bravo Warren! |
 Chamber Ensemble |
 Ellen, Hannah Saltman, Iris Sonnenschein, Elan Wong |
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| Olivia Culpo (camper 2005) has just won the Miss USA 2012 competition. People Magazine said of her, "Culpo, 20, of Cranston, dazzled judges with her poise and looks and didn't miss a beat…" Way to go Olivia!! |  |
| Mary Halvorsen (camper 1990s) has been written up in a major feature article in Downbeat Magazine for her innovative approach to jazz guitar performance and recording techniques. In fact, she co-produces her albums with another E/C alum—Taylor Ho Bynum (camper '90, '91). Check out the whole article in Downbeat. Bravo Mary! |
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Julia Romano (camper, staff 2000's) has brought a little of Encore/Coda to Oman! |
| We are so sad to say goodbye to our friend and camp caretaker, Dale Hannen (1938–2012). Dale's legacy at camp is everywhere: the buildings, the park benches, the road signs, the docks, even the ping pong tables. The entire camp was his workshop—every door, screen, faucet and light bulb built, installed, painted or maintained by him. He took such pride in how camp looked and he loved enhancing the natural surroundings of the place, whether it was a long term investment like his beloved poplars and apple trees or the flowers he planted and nurtured every summer. In every season Dale was there, tending the site: opening camp every spring, keeping everything going during the summer, closing it down in the fall and keeping the snow off the roofs in the winter. For 27 summers Dale greeted us with hugs when we arrived in the spring and said goodbye with hugs in the fall. In the days following his stroke, camp seemed so empty without him, without the sounds of his truck, his tools and his voice on the radio. We will so dearly miss him in the coming years, even as we do already, but his presence will always be strongly felt at Encore/Coda. |
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Amy Ashur (camper 2000s) married Joshua Kline in a beautiful ceremony at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, MA on August 19. Camp Alumni were seen everywhere, including Jamie & Ellen, Dan Heck (camper, staff 2000s), Fred Sienkowiecz (camper, staff 1990s, 2000s) playing in the brass choir and, of course, the whole Ashur family (George, Mary Lou, Elizabeth, Meg and Catherine, not to mention Uncles Jeffrey and Tony Ashur) who have been campers and staff members almost continuously for the past 40 years! MAZEL TOV Amy and Josh! |
| Mike Proch (camper 2010s) has become the first member of Nantucket’s Krav Maga Training Center to become a black belt certified by Ryan Hoover, a nationally respected Krav Maga expert who came from Gastonia, NC expressly for this test. See the full article here. Bravo Mike! |  |
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Nicholas Britell (camper 1990s) was honored at the Westport (CT) Arts Awards on October 21. Honorees range from up-and-coming artists in theater and music to mature Westporters cited for their bodies of work in literature, fine art, music, film and other disciplines. See the whole story here. Bravo Nicholas! |
| Joyce Chan (Staff 2000s) and Jacob Clark (Staff 2000s) collaborated recently for Joyce's DMA viola recital at The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. The program included the JS Bach Viola da Gamba Sonata No. 1, the Nino Rota Intermezzo, and the Cesar Franck Sonata in A major. They performed the same recital two weeks earlier at South Carolina State University, where Jacob is a professor of piano. |  |
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Several E/C Alums participated in the premier performance of the new Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on November 25 in Boston's Symphony Hall, led by Maestro Benjamin Zander. It was a fabulous tour de force event that included the Beethoven Egmont Overture, the Elgar Cello Concert (soloist Alisa Weilerstein), and the Strauss Ein Heldenleben. Among the many talented orchestra members were camp alums (2000's, 2010s) Francesca Bass, Rainer Crosett, Laura Dynes, Nicholas Gallitano, Njioma Grevious and Gerald Karni. BRAVO PEOPLE! |
| Plenty of E/C alums were featured in the 2012 Fryberg Academy musical: Cole Porter's Anything Goes, presented on November 9, 10 & 11 at the gorgeous Leora Hill Eastman Performing arts Center at the Academy. Featured onstage were 2000s and 2010s alums Allie Gagnon, Hannah Allen, Eliza Neidlinger, Michelle Boucher, Emery O'Connell, Emily McDermith, Erin Friberg and Ashley Wissman. Nicole Tichenor helped out on scenery, and Shellie Sakash did the choreography. In the pit were staff alums Brent LaCasce on piano, Mike Sakash on reeds, and camper alum Alex Ouelette. And the whole production was under the direction and musical direction of Maestro Brent LaCasce. Great job everyone! |  |
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Camper Alumni (2000s) Andrew Connolly, Eliana von Krusenstern and Derek Wong played together in the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra concert on November 27 in Jordan Hall, Boston. The program included the Bernstein Overture to Candide, The Elgar Cello Concerto and the Tchaikovsky Symphony #6. BRAVO guys! |
| Grace Kelly (Camper 2000s) was a guest performer at Scullers Jazz club in Boston on Wednesday, Nov 28, sitting in with the Winiker Swing Orchestra during their 50th anniversary gala concert. Grace soudnded great and was really swingin' with Bo & Bill! And, of course, she's a Scullers headliner in her own right, in addition to her solo and guest appearances with other jazz luminaries around the world. You can follow Grace to all her gigs at her website: gracekellymusic.com. |
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Anne Reynolds (Waterfront Director 2012) gave her senior recital on Saturday, December 8, at the University of Rhode Island–Kingston, in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. The program included works by Kaminski, Whitney and Poulenc, and was attended by a solid cadre of camp staff including Jamie and Ellen, Ffej Caplan, Abby Merson and Michael Mann. Bravo Anne and congratulations! |
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