Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble Announces 2016-17 Season

Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble, Inc. (MCCE) has announced its 13th Season, Revolution #13, launching on Saturday, October 15th with Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale) at the Staten Island Museum.

Spearheaded by Andrew Rosciszewski, MCCE's new Interim Executive Director, composer and bassist, Season 13 embraces composers steeped in revolution. Featuring many 'firsts' for MCCE, including its first performance of Stravinsky's challenging masterpiece - one of the most ambitious pieces undertaken by MCCE in its 13-year history - with a score orchestrated for a septet (representing the high and low instruments of all 4 orchestral families). The concert begins at 8pm with a pre-concert chat at 7:30pm.

The season will include a Memorial Concert in honor of Marilyn Keshecki, MCCE Founding Board Member and beloved longtime supporter, on November 20th at Christ Episcopal Church at 1pm.

Next is an All String Quartet Program at the Staten Island Museum featuring works of Shostakovich, Rosciszewski and Gorecki on February 11th at 8pm. March 4th at 8pm brings a Vocal Concert, followed by Music for Three on April 8th back at the Staten Island Museum. To close out the season, MCCE returns to the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art on June 9th featuring a commission by MCCE's Annual Composer Search Winner and a special arrangement by Andrew Rosciszewski.

Tickets to all concerts can be purchased at www.mcensemble.org/calendar or at the door for $15, $12 for museum members or $5 for students with valid ID. All concerts will be livestreamed from our website: www.mcensemble.org.

MCCE is currently the chamber ensemble-in-residence at the Staten Island Museum & has been since 2004. MCCE is Staten Island's only performing ensemble to receive NEA awards. Hailed by the Staten Island Advance as "concert bliss," "exhilaration," "sonic perfection" & "breaking the rules to bring the love of classical music to the next generation."

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Season Overview:

Saturday, October 15, 2016
Pre-Concert Talk at 7:30pm & 8pm Concert
Staten Island Museum at Snug Harbor
1000 Richmond Terrace, Building "A"
Staten Island, New York
www.statenislandmuseum.org
Fanfare fur Rudiger by Strohbach
3 Pieces for Solo Clarinet by Stravinsky
French Suite for Percussion Solo by Kraft
Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon by Poulenc
Suite from L'Histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale) by Stravinsky

Perry Sutton, trumpet; Gilles Bernard, trombone; Joe d'Auguste, clarinet; Chris Wickham, bassoon; Lucy Corwin, violin; Andrew Rosciszewski, double bass; Vincent Livolsi, percussion.

Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 1pm
Marilyn Keshecki Memorial Concert
Christ Episcopal Church
76 Franklin Avenue, Staten Island, NY
Three Romances for flute & piano by Robert Schumann
Three Pastoral Scenes by Casey Rule (commissioned by MCCE)
Roaring Chorus
For Good from Wicked by Steven Schwartz
A special arrangement of Ravel's Bolero by J. Brunka

Tamara Keshecki, flute; Tina Kenny Jones, piano; Elizabeth McCullough, soprano & Director of the Roaring Chorus; Elizabeth Cruz, mezzo-soprano; Joseph d'Auguste, clarinet; Izabella Liss Cohen, violin; Madeline Casparie, cello; Vince Livolsi, percussion; J. Brunka, bass.

Reception with Light Refreshments immediately following.

Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 8pm
All String Quartet Program
Staten Island Museum
Shostakovich - String Quartet no. 8
Rosciszewski - String Quartets no. 1 & 2
Gorecki - String Quartet no. 2

Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 8pm
Vocal Concert
Staten Island Museum
Program: TBA

Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 8pm
Music for Three
Staten Island Museum
Program: TBA

Friday, June 9, 2017 at 7pm
Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
338 Lighthouse Avenue
Staten Island, New York
www.tibetanmuseum.org

Featuring a commission by MCCE's Annual Composer Search Winner & a special arrangement by Andrew Rosciszewski.

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ABOUT Andrew Rosciszewski:

MCCE is excited to announce our new interim Executive Director for the 2016-17 Season - composer and bassist Andrew Rosciszewski! Andrew Rosciszewski, composer and bassist, is known for his genre-bending compositions that fuse art music with rock in a colorful, eclectic style that reflects his passion and diversity of a wide musical palette. Influenced by composers such as Shostakovich, Bartók and Górecki, Andrew is intrigued and inspired by the folk music of his Polish heritage.

A recipient of the New Music USA Met Life Creative Connections grant as well as several ASCAPLus awards, Andrew was also MCCE's composer in residence for their 2011-2012 season. When he is not composing for or performing with MCCE, he can be found in the back of the venue recording their concerts.

Andrew is an award-winning member of ASCAP and holds a BA from New Jersey City University where he studied composition with Dr. Stelio Dubbiosi and double bass with Lou Kosma (MET Opera Orchestra). Apart from these duties, he is also a string teacher (grades 4-8) with the New Brunswick School District. Andrew is looking forward to the challenge of helming MCCE this year and has an exciting and rewarding season of music planned.

ABOUT Tamara Keshecki:

Tamara Keshecki, flutist, is the Director and Founder of Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble, Inc., a non-profit arts organization in NYC. As Artistic Director of MCCE, Ms. Keshecki is the creative, producing force that drives all of MCCE's programming. She is responsible for the creation of numerous commissions and premieres including from composers Andrew Sterman (Philip Glass Ensemble), Sean Friar (Prix de Rome), Elizabeth Nonemaker, Laura Kaminsky and Mick Rossi (Paul Simon). Ms. Keshecki deeply believes in a community-based approach to the arts. It's this approach that has led MCCE to create The Roaring Chorus, a free choral program for seniors in partnership with the NYPL; provide afterschool music instruction for elementary and intermediate school students; perform a free, four-part concert series annually for developmentally disabled individuals; to support young and emerging composers via premieres and commission through MCCE's Annual Composer Search competition; and create MCCE's Annual Open Air Music Festival.

A previous Artist-in-Residence at Cobham International School in London, England, Ms. Keshecki has taught masterclasses at the International School of Monagas in Maturin, Venezuela and Saint Maur's International School in Yokohama, Japan. Keshecki was the principal flutist for the Austrian American Mozart Ensemble in Salzburg, Austria (2001). She is a member of Angelic Ensemble and has performed with the Ensemble at venues as diverse as St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. Joseph's Seminary and for Cardinal Timothy Dolan. As a freelance flutist, Ms. Keshecki has performed at venues as diverse as Symphony Space, Solar One Music Festival, Oheka Castle, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, The New York Historical Society, and CultureFest in Bryant Park. Keshecki has been on the faculties of the Wagner College Academy of the Arts, SI Jewish Community Center, and was the Classical Music Artist-in-Residence for the National JCC Maccabi ArtsFest (2007). She is featured on the recent CD "Fantasie for Rock Band and Orchestra" by Andrew Rosciszewski. Ms. Keshecki has been a guest lecturer for many organizations including New York University, Arts & Business Council of NY, Wagner College, St. John's University, Bayonne Public Schools (staff development), and researched and presented the keynote speech at the 2010 Staten Island Legislative Breakfast for the Arts entitled "Arts Funding Trends on Staten Island and the Economic Impact Non-Profit Arts Have on Local Communities." Keshecki holds a Bachelor of Music from New York University and a Master of Music in flute performance from NJ City University.

ABOUT Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble:

Described as "sonic perfection" (AWE, 2007) and "breaking the rules to bring the love of classical music to the next generation" (Ben Johnson, SI Advance, 2007), Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble (MCCE) is a professional classical chamber music ensemble that has been contributing to the classical music landscape with concerts that have brought audiences closer to the beauty of chamber music since 2004. With wide-ranging presentations of both classical and contemporary chamber music (including commissions and premieres), we aim to provide audiences of all ages with authentic, enjoyable, artistically excellent, and educational music experiences for low, subsidized ticket prices of $5 to $20.

MCCE has implemented the creation of multiple commissions and premieres including works by featured composers: Laura Kaminsky, Andrew Sterman, Dr. Mathew Fuerst, Mick Rossi, Octavio Vazquez, Sanchie Bobrow and Andrew Rosciszewski.

MCCE Members:

Tamara Keshecki, flute

Andrew Rosciszewski, composer & bassist

Wen-Yi Lo, piano

Joseph Kubera, piano

Lucille Corwin, viola
Joseph d'Auguste, clarinet

Elizabeth McCullough, soprano and Roaring Chorus Director

Oren Fader, guitar

Vincent Livolsi, drum set/percussion

Madeline Casparie, cello

Vincent Moncada, cello

Sandra Pace, organ

Tim Leonard, cello

J. Brunka, double bass

Sandra Pace, organ

MCCE's 2016-17 Concert Season and related programs are made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; additional support provided, in part, by NYC Councilmember Deborah Rose, Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art and the Staten Island Museum.