AME / American Modern Ensemble

Embracing the Wind

An Evening of Premier Performances of New Works for Flute, Harps, and Strings

Saturday, May 1 at 7:30 PM

Prallsville Mills, Stockton

22 Risler Street (Route 29)
Stockton, NJ 08559

The American Modern Ensemble has quickly become a major force in the American new music scene, having performed works by over sixty living composers with a world-class ensemble made up of the finest performers in North America. Their focus is to celebrate and showcase American music, especially works written by living composers.

Featuring Hunterdon County’s own Robin Zeh on violin, AME is based in New York City and was formed in 2005 with the goal of premiering, performing, recording, and commissioning the widest possible repertoire from American composers. AME is equally dedicated to education and outreach programs that reveal to communities the thrill of experiencing new American music.

AME’s Raritan River debut will feature premiere performances of works by Chen Yi, Robert Paterson, Spencer Topel, and Steven Burke.

www.americanmodernensemble.org “Exceptional energy and thoughtful programming.” MusicWeb International   “A strong fan base and performers of high quality.” The New York Times   “Consummate versatility.” Sequenza21

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Tim Fain, Violin

Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo

Music of Vivaldi, Bach, Glass, Sarasate, and others

Saturday, May 8 at 7:30 PM

Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church, Bloomsbury

17 Greenwich Church Road (at Route 173)
Stewartsville, NJ 08886  

With his adventuresome spirit and vast musical gifts, violinist Tim Fain has emerged as a mesmerizing new presence on the music scene. The “charismatic young violinist with a matinee idol profile, strong musical instincts, and first rate chops” (Boston Globe) was featured as the sound of Richard Gere’s violin in the film Bee Season. Selected as one of Symphony Magazine’s “Up-and-Coming Young Musicians of 2006,” Fain has recently captured the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Young Concert Artists International Award. He electrified audiences at his New York concerto debut at Alice Tully Hall with Gerard Schwarz and the New York Chamber Symphony, and at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Hailed as a “revelation to hear” (The Washington Post), the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo’s phenomenal musicianship places them solidly at the top of their field. Their innovative programming, matchless technique, and ensemble precision, combined with their commitment to expanding the repertoire for guitar duo make them a stand-out chamber ensemble in every way. The Duo has demonstrated extraordinary stylistic breadth in their collaborations with such diverse artists as Angela’s Ashes author Frank McCourt, composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, and fiddler Eileen Ivers. 

 www.timfain.com

“Tim Fain has everything he needs for a spectacular career. What brought the audience to its feet demanding three encores was his sheer youthful exuberance and dazzling technical skill.”
The Washington Post

www.guitarduo.com

“The duet playing in everything was quite simply sublime. Their ease with and knowledge of each other is palpable. They make beautiful music together.”
The Royal Gazette (Hamilton, Bermuda)

Daniel Binelli, bandoneón

Polly Ferman, piano

Clare Hoffman, flute

Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo

Historia del Tango

Saturday, May 15 at 7:30 PM  

Clinton Presbyterian Church, Clinton  

91 Center Street
Clinton, NJ 08809

Join Daniel Binelli—the Argentine composer and master of the bandoneón—along with distinguished colleagues for a scintillating evening of tangos, milongas, and tango waltzes featuring the music of Binelli, Astor Piazzolla, and other tango luminaries.

Maestro Binelli performed with Piazzolla’s New Tango Sextet and has appeared as guest soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Symphonies of Atlanta, Sydney, Hong Kong, Montreal, and St. Petersburg (Russia).

Esteemed Uruguayan pianist Polly Ferman is a leading interpreter of the music of the Americas. Her world tours include performances with the Symphonies of San Francisco, Tokyo, São Paulo, Cuba, and Argentina.

Flutist Clare Hoffman is director of the Grand Canyon Music Festival and performs in concerts, recordings, and videos with artists including Madonna at such venues as Tanglewood, Lincoln Center, Hong Kong Cultural Center, and Vivaldi’s parish church in Venice.

Newman and Oltman’s concert tours have taken them to world cultural capitals and premiere venues across five continents. Highlights include performances in Germany, Perú, Colombia, South Korea, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and Tahiti.

www.danielbinelli.com

“Mr. Binelli brought florid virtuosity and high-pressure emotionalism to the music.”

The New York Times

www.pollyferman.net

“Her rhythms sway and insinuate and her touch is wonderful.  Polly Ferman’s pianism is superb.”

American Record Guide

www.grandcanyonmusicfest.org

“Hoffman performed with joyful élan, played with beauty and imagination.”

The Star-Ledger

www.guitarduo.com

“Guitar Duo shows rare prowess.”

Los Angeles Times

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Fuma Sacra
My Spirit Sang All Day 

1,000 years of vocal chamber music

Saturday, May 29 at 7:30 PM

Stanton Reformed Church, Stanton

1 Stanton Mountain Road (at Route 629)

Stanton, NJ  08885

Fuma Sacra is recognized as one of the country's most exciting and important chamber choirs specializing in early music. Founded in 1989, the ensemble has been consistently acclaimed by critics and audiences for their passionate and virtuosic performances. Their program for the Raritan River Music Festival will feature English madrigals, German songs about nature, French chansons, folksong arrangements, and David Lang’s remarkable The Little Match Girl Passion, the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Fuma Sacra recently made their European debut at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Fuma Sacra's innovative programming, passionate performance, and depth of artistry reflect the group’s belief that every great work of art, from any time, not only reveals the cultural world of the composer, but teaches us what it means to be fully human and fully alive.

www.fumasacra.webs.com

 “Fuma Sacra left the audience gasping in amazement.”

Classical New Jersey Journal

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