Potsdam, NY, Oct 23, 2012 — The Orchestra of Northern New York kicks off its 25th season this weekend in Potsdam and Watertown. The orchestra will perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony along with the combined choirs of the Potsdam Community Chorus and the Northern Choral Society. For many, the piece is among Beethoven's greatest works, and is considered by some to be the greatest piece of music ever written.

Todd Moe talks with music director and conductor Kenneth Andrews about 25 years of making music and conducting Beethoven. Andrews has led the Orchestra of Northern New York since it first began in 1988.

Saturday night's concert is in SUNY Potsdam's Hosmer Concert Hall at 7:30, and Sunday's concert is at 3:30 at Watertown's First Presbyterian Church. Tickets: 315-267-2277  Go to full article

Glens Falls, NY, Feb 28, 2012 — Some of the best young musicians in the Glens Falls region will sit, side by side, with the pros at a concert this Sunday afternoon. They're being given the chance to learn and perform in a concert that will include music by Grieg and Strauss.

Todd Moe talks with maestro Charles Peltz about the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra's commitment to the next generation of performers, and Sunday afternoon's "Strings tell Stories Side by Side" concert at the Glens Falls High School auditorium (4 pm).  Go to full article

Glens Falls, NY, Dec 30, 2011 — The new executive director of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra will start her job early next month. Lisa Miller replaces Robert Rosoff, who will retire on Saturday. Miller's background is in marketing and corporate communications. She's also a member of Pro Musica, Albany's premier choral group. Before beginning her new role she'll spend the next couple of weeks at an orchestra management course in New York City.

The Glens Falls Orchestra has 55 musicians, a $300,000 budget and has operated in the black the last couple of years. But the recession has made it difficult for some orchestras to survive. The Syracuse Symphony filed for bankruptcy last spring. Todd Moe talks with Lisa Miller about some of the challenges and joys of leading the Glens Falls Symphony. For the last couple of years, she's worked with the orchestra's marketing committee.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Apr 07, 2011 — NCPR is media sponsor for the Orchestra of Northern New York's spring concert this Saturday night (7:30) at Hosmer Hall in Potsdam. Todd Moe spoke with ONNY Music Director/Conductor Ken Andrews, who says the concert will include "Circle of Faith" featuring Native American drummers and dancers, and Beethoven's uplifting Symphony No. 7.  Go to full article

Malone, NY, Oct 22, 2010 — What happens when you take a wind ensemble and add the most powerful and vocal of the woodwinds? The Northern Symphonic Winds will join forces with saxophonist Christopher Creviston for a performance of Bolcom's "Concert Suite" on Saturday, October 30 in Malone. Creviston teaches at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam and has performed as soloist in front of bands and orchestras across the country. Todd Moe caught up with him in his studio at Crane to talk about the saxophone and a piece that's been called a "tour de force" for saxophonists.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Oct 20, 2010 — The Orchestra of Northern New York will pay tribute to three composers in Potsdam's Hosmer Hall on Saturday night. The concert, titled A Mozart, Barber and Schumann Celebration, also features Jon Manasse, one of the world's finest clarinetists. Manasse will perform Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, which is considered one of the best wind concertos written by Mozart and a challenging piece for soloists. Todd Moe spoke with Manasse, who admits that he wasn't an instant fan of the clarinet.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Sep 10, 2010 — This weekend some of the finest young pianists in the world will be in Potsdam for the 5th Julia Crane International Piano Competition. Joel Hurd talked with Artistic Director Dr. Paul Wyse and has a preview.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jul 06, 2010 — The Lake Placid Sinfonietta has a busy first week of the summer season. Its first concert, "Red, White and You" is in Mid's Park in Lake Placid Wednesday night, and the ensemble travels to North Creek for a concert in the Tannery Pond Community Center on Saturday night. NCPR is media sponsor for Seasonings, the first in the Sunday evening summer series at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Todd Moe spoke with the Sinfonietta's new music director Ron Spigelman about making music accessible and getting young people excited about classical music.  Go to full article

Glens Falls, NY, Nov 19, 2009 — The Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra presents a concert of water-themed music by Handel, Schumann and Elgar this Sunday afternoon (4 pm) at the Glens Falls High School auditorium. The concert will also feature acclaimed contralto Meredith Parsons McComb. McComb, who lives in Bolton Landing, has sung leading roles in operatic productions worldwide. She spoke with Todd Moe about the concert, entitled "Sound Waves", which will include Elgar's "Sea Pictures" with McComb as vocalist.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Nov 13, 2009 — The Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam celebrates National Opera Week with a production of "Albert Herring". Benjamin Britten's comic opera opens tonight in Snell Music Theater. Set in a fictitious English village in 1900, it's the story of an outsider -- Albert Herring -- in conflict with the norms of his small community. Some of the cast and crew say the chamber opera is complex and a challenge. Todd Moe visited Crane after a rehearsal and has this preview.  Go to full article