Musicians of Ma’alwyck

'Under Four Flags' is program by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck being performed in the region from May 26 – 30. The program is a World War I tribute featuring a screening of the 1918 Allied propaganda silent film with an original live score by Max Caplan, alongside chamber music honoring the era and fallen soldiers.The concert opens with a work by Mihail Jora, written while he was recovering in a hospital after being wounded on the Eastern Front. His music is a personal response to the devastation of war. The major work is Samuel Gardner's piano quintet, composed after the death of violinist David Hochstein, who was killed on the Western Front in France in October 1918.

Musicians of Ma’alwyck is teaming up with Excelsior Vocal Ensemble to present Henry Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas.” The opera continues to mesmerize audiences more than 300 years after its premiere. They pair it with a work by Purcell’s teacher and friend John Blow: “Ode on the Death of Henry Purcell.” Performances are scheduled for Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m. at the Bethesda Episcopal Church in Saratoga Springs, New York and Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m. at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, New York.

The performance, Celebrated Emblems, marks the first-ever commission by Musicians of Ma’alwyck of the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company. This multifaceted performance explores the concept of American emblems, or the symbols of American identity. Members of the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company will add a visual element for two shows, on January 24 at the Capital Rep Theatre in Albany, New York and January 25, 2025, at SUNY-Schenectady.

Musicians of Ma’alwyck’s first concert series of its 25th Anniversary Season will feature repertory selected from each of the core musicians’ favorite composers: David Amram, José Ximénez, Franz Doppler, and Jean-Baptiste Bréval.

Musicians of Ma’alwyck will present the program, Forbidden Music Regained, this weekend - a concert series elevating the voices of Dutch composers who were persecuted in the Second World War.

Hilary Tann Tribute Concert celebrates the work of the composer, who chaired the music department at Union College for decades, cultivated many aspiring young composer’s careers, and left a remarkable body of compositions herself.Musicians of Ma’alwyck’s concerts this weekend seeks to showcase music from throughout Hilary’s composition career. We welcome Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz and fellow Musician of Ma’alwyck Norman Thibodeau for a preview.

On October 29, Musicians of Ma’alwyck will debut the short film "The Hollow," an adaptation of Washington Irving’s "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," in a concert format with seasonal music in celebration of Hallowe’en. Broadway veteran and "Stranger Things" actor Gabriella Pizzolo joins the ensemble to perform works from the operas "Nina" and "The Haunted Tower," as well as a special recitation of Robert Burns’ Tam-o’Shanter poem musically set by Max Caplan. Also on the program is music of Albany’s own William Warren Green, and excerpts from Walter Claggett’s "The Witches." Featured Musicians of Ma’alwyck performers include Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz (violin), Norman Thibodeaux (flute) and Al Fedak (harpsichord).This concert is part of Discover Albany’s All Hallowe’en Festival 2023, a modern twist on the original Halloween festival celebrated annually in Albany over a hundred years ago.

The Zoellner String Quartet Project with Lady Alexander Foley will be presented by Musicians of Ma’alwyck over several performances in the region September 8-11th. The set of performances is devoted to the repertory of the trailblazing Zoellner String Quartet, one of the first notable American string quartets, which toured throughout America in the early 1900s.

Musicians of Ma’alwyck is a flexible-size chamber ensemble in residence at the Schuyler Mansion New York State Historic Site and Schenectady County Community College. This coming weekend they will perform a concert entitled “Celestial Melodies” which celebrates Composer and Astronomer William Herschel. Director of Musicians Of Ma'alwyck Ann-Marie Schwartz and MiSci Astronomy Educator Kerry Lewis join us.

Musicians of Ma’alwyck is a flexible-size chamber ensemble in residence at the Schuyler Mansion New York State Historic Site and Schenectady County Community College. The first concert of this season, "A Stranger in Your Own Land" is this coming Saturday. The centerpiece on the program is the lamentation cantata Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Roy Harris. We welcome Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz.