Music abounds in October performances

October 4, 2024  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Here’s the lowdown on several October musical performances in and not too far from Waterbury to add to your calendars. 

Three dates for TURNmusic at The Phoenix 

TURNmusic has three upcoming shows at The Phoenix Art Gallery and Music Hall: Oct. 7, 16 and 19. All shows are all ages; free admission for those under 21. BYOB. Purchase tickets at sevendaystix.org or thephoenixvt.com. 5 Stowe St.

Monday, Oct. 7: Outer Sounds featuring Lori Goldston and Kath Bloom 

TURNmusic’s Outer Sounds concert series performances are curated by Greg Davis, an internationally recognized electronic musician from Burlington and owner of Autumn Records in Winooski. At this for over 20 years, he uses his connections to bring cutting-edge musicians to The Phoenix. 

Outer Sounds concert series explores electronic, experimental, avant-garde, improvised, ambient, drone, minimalist, free jazz, modern composition, psychedelic music and more. The concerts are intended to be accessible to all, regardless of knowledge or experience. The hope is for the music to encourage discussion, inquiry and feedback. 

Lori Goldston is classically trained and rigorously de-trained; a possessor of a restless, semi-feral spirit. A cellist, composer, improviser, producer, writer and teacher from Seattle, Goldston’s voice as a cellist, amplified or acoustic, is full, textured, committed and original. A relentless inquirer, her work drifts freely across borders that separate genre, discipline, time and geography. More: lorigoldston.com.

Kath Bloom comes from a special place where country, blues and folk are made beautifully translucent and emotive. Highly regarded but a bit of a mystery, this Connecticut-based singer/songwriter has a special gift – her almost supernaturally beautiful, wavering soprano that has to be heard. 

Cellist, composer, improviser, producer, writer and teacher from Seattle, Lori Goldston performs Oct. 7. Photo by Kelly O

Kath Bloom performs Oct. 7 at TURNmusic's Outer Sounds show. Courtesy photo

Together these musicians create their unique sonic texture. Often using a digital clock as a conductor to mark sections, duration, and cues, the score directs them to move freely between sections. Their ensemble approach elevates collective improvisation rather than the traditional improvisatory method that prizes the soloist’s showmanship. More: kathbloom.bandcamp.com.

Gallery opens at 7 p.m.; music at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15-30 sliding fee; under 21 are free. 

BYOB. 

Wednesday, Oct. 16: October Jazz Jam 

Jazz Enthusiasts – players, singers, listeners – join in for a great night of jazz featuring local musicians. Players may join in on the songs that others bring, and/or you can bring a few copies of sheet music for the tunes you want to call. Many tunes are called from The Real Books. Singers, please bring copies of lead sheets or sheet music for your tunes in your key. 

Jazz Jam runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Suggested $5 admission; under 21 are free. BYOB. 

Saturday, Oct. 19: EK Duo & Friends: Mad Rush

Thomas Kozumplik and Rachael Elliott are EK Duo. Photo by Katie Oprea

Mad Rush is an electro-acoustic mash-up presented by Brooklyn Classical and TURNmusic. EK Duo, featuring bassoonist Rachael Elliott and percussionist Thomas Kozumplik joined by violinist Mary Rowell and oboist Katie Oprea, presents a dynamic program of chamber and improvised music from across the spectrum. 

More: ekduo.com; EK Duo studio performance of Gene Koshinski's “Get It”; EK Duo live performances at https://soundcloud.com/loop243/sets/ek-duo-live 

Gallery opens at 7 p.m.; music at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $15-30; under 21 free. BYOB. 

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Oct. 12: Warren Concerts for a Cause show supports flood recovery

Twangtown Paramours perform a Concerts for a Cause show Oct. 12. Courtesy photo

Concerts for a Cause performances resume at the Warren United Church on Oct. 12 with a concert to benefit ongoing flood-recovery efforts in Vermont. 

Twangtown Paramours, a Nashville husband-wife duo who makes the Mad River Valley their part-time home, returns for this special concert at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Mike Lewis and MaryBeth Zamer call the Valley home each summer and fall for several weeks. They saw first-hand the devastation caused by flooding in Vermont the past two summers so their answer was yes to being invited to perform for Concerts for a Cause to benefit the Vermont Flood Response and Recovery Fund.  

The soulful Americana duo is known for their original songs, fine musicianship, top-notch singing, and humorous banter.  Their musical style blends Nashville, New York and Austin music  scene vibes. 

This concert is free but donations are welcomed to support the VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund.  

Concerts for a Cause is an ongoing concert series that aims to bring music to the community while supporting local Vermont charities. Warren United Church donates the performance space for these shows. Each featured musical artist selects a Vermont-based charity that they would like their concert to benefit. 

More performances are in the planning stages for the remainder of the year. Series organizers would like to hear from musicians interested in performing. Email mrvcfac@gmail.com if you are a musician who would like to donate your talents to a concert and raise funds for a favorite charity.

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Vermont Philharmonic performs ‘Gems of Opera and Song’ Oct. 19-20 

The Vermont Philharmonic on its home stage at the Barre Opera House. Courtesy photo

The Vermont Philharmonic opens its 66th season with a concert that shines a light on important yet under-performed music by established composers. 

“Gems of Opera and Song” features works influenced by Black folk music, Latin American and Creole themes alongside the Italian verismo opera. 

The performances are set for Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, and Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m. at the Barre Opera House. 

The program opens with the overture to Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha,” composed in 1911, but not performed until 1972. Though Joplin was known for his ragtime music, he made clear that this composition was not a “ragtime” piece, but rather a “serious opera in the European tradition.” It has been labeled as America’s first folk opera.  Joplin was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1976.  

The program continues with two versions of the Bamboula, a West Indian dance. Local virtuoso pianist Stephen Brown will perform Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s 1848 piano version. The orchestra also will play Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s version from 1910. Both celebrate the rich musical traditions of the Caribbean and Creole cultures.

The program continues with Italian opera after intermission: Pietro Mascagni’s 1890 prelude to “Cavalleria rusticana,” and music and arias from Umberto Giordano’s 1896 opera “Andrea Chenier”.  Singers include soprano Elizabeth Perryman, tenor Adam Laurence Herskowitz, and baritone Michel Kabay.   

The Vermont Philharmonic is celebrating its 66th Season. Composed of professional and talented amateur musicians from across Vermont, the Philharmonic is the state’s oldest community orchestra. Since 1993 the Vermont Philharmonic’s home base has been the Barre Opera House; Lou Kosma has been the Music Director since 1999.

Tickets: $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students; purchase online or at the door. More information: vermontphilharmonic.com.    

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