Month: May 2021

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Moon shot….

An Accidental (PSY) Warrior: One soldier’s recollections of the US psychological warfare efforts during the Vietnam War by Albert Viator

ISBN: 978-1-64990-839-1

Publication Date: Available online at Amazon  Date: 4/30 21

Following an honorable discharge from the army, author Albert Viator studied TV and film production and went on to have a successful career as a freelance videographer and producer. However, his time in Vietnam never left him. In his new memoir, An Accidental (PSY) Warrior, Viator recounts his yearlong tour of duty in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969. Trained as an Army broadcaster, Viator was soon diverted into psychological operations (PSYOPS). “ I spent my time broadcasting propaganda from a backpack speaker and dropping leaflets from helicopters in support of infantry operations,” Viator says. 

Viator seeks to offer a new perspective of the Vietnam War and writes candidly about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. “I’ve tried to write in a way that engages the reader, as I hope to convey what the typical American kid like myself went through during the war, which I’d imagine will resonate with other vets,” he says. Viator mixes humor, irony, and, at times, anger to express the range of emotions he and his fellow soldiers felt in the jungle of Vietnam. Viator says, “I want to highlight my appreciation for my fellow soldiers by detailing our shared experience.” An Accidental (PSY) Warrior is available for purchase online at Amazon.com.

About the Author

Albert Viator is a filmmaker and producer. His first film was made with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and was included in the Smithsonian Institute’s Traveling Sites Program. He has traveled the globe filming and producing programming for PBS, The National Geographic Channel, CNN, and most of the national broadcast and cable networks.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Albert Viator

Several people have encouraged us to try Rosetti in Beverly, so we finally made it happen! They were not wrong. We totally enjoyed the experience. We had been out shopping so it was a great end to the day. We made online reservations, which was very easy. It is located in a plaza with plenty of parking and ease of access from the main thoroughfare. It’s location allows you to get some other errands done on the same trip.

It’s a pretty room, with bar as well as standard seating. Plastic barriers separated the tables and the bar seats. The staff stayed right on top of cleaning and sanitizing tables as patrons departed in preparation for the next set of diners. Becca was our server. She was friendly, efficient and informative. We were not rushed through our drinks or menu decisions. It was a very pleasant, relaxed atmosphere. It was a joy to just relax and enjoy.

The rolls were served with dipping sauce (excellent). We had meatballs as an appetizer since we wanted to give “Nonna’s Sauce” a try. They were quite tasty! Jim chose the Chicken Braciolettini with red garlic sauce and I had the Chicken Margherita. Outstanding! The portions are “just right” but because we stuffed ourselves with bread and meatballs, we each brought some entrees home.

The short drive off-island was well worth it. And now we are among those encouraging you to give Rosetti in Beverly a try.

The wreckage of the Emmy Rose, a fishing vessel that went missing in November, has been found off the coast of Massachusetts, the Portland Press Herald reported.

The Emmy Rose sent an automated distress call about 1 a.m. on Nov. 23 before the 82-foot vessel sank 20 miles northeast of Provincetown. The Coast Guard searched approximately 2,600 square miles, for more than 38 hours, for signs before halting the search.

The four crew members — captain Robert Blethen Jr., Jeffrey Matthews, Ethan Ward and Michael Porper, are presumed dead.

Rosemarie Lausier Bangor Daily News

CAPE ANN SYMPHONY

Yoichi Udagawa, Music Director

Celebrate Spring with LIVE MUSIC from Cape Ann Symphony!

CAPE ANN SYMPHONY PRESENTS:

A VIRTUAL CLARINET QUINTET CONCERT

Featuring

MOZART, BRAHMS, FRANCAIX & GERSHWIN

Recorded Live at Annisquam Village Church, Gloucester, MA

AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW!

The Cape Ann Symphony has released a Virtual Clarinet Quintet Concert, the third of its planned virtual concert season, featuring CAS musicians under the direction of CAS Conductor and Music Director Maestro Yoichi Udagawa. The Clarinet Quintet Concert is available online now and features five Cape Ann Symphony musicians playing Clarinet Quintets by Mozart, Brahms, Francaix plus a special Gershwin encore. The musicians include:  Olga Kradenova, violin; Oksana Gorokhovskiy, violin; Bill Kirkley, clarinet; Brandon White, viola; Johnny Mok, cello. The concert was recorded last month at the historic Annisquam Village Church in Gloucester, MA. The Clarinet Quintet Concert is available to view online for $25. The video purchase provides audience members with a video download link which you can view at your convenience. It does not expire and there are no restrictions on when you can view the video. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase and for further information.

According to Cape Ann Symphony Board President Fran White, “This is an extraordinary performance not to be missed!  We are so proud of our musicians and their tremendous talents.  These virtual concerts allow us to stay connected to our audience and patrons. Maestro Udagawa and Audio Engineer/Video Producer Dave Jamrog have worked together to create an exemplary musical experience that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home!   We hope our audiences and patrons are enjoying the opportunity to see and hear CAS musicians in more intimate settings until we can resume our in-person orchestral concerts.”  

Maestro Udagawa and the team of CAS musicians are very excited to present this virtual chamber music concert featuring several clarinet quintets. “The pieces are incredibly gorgeous,” says Maestro Udagawa, “and the musicians play them so beautifully. I am sure our audiences will love this concert.” Five Cape Ann Symphony musicians will be playing selections by Jean Francaix, Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and George Gershwin. Udagawa points out, ” Written in 1977, the Jean Francaix work is a much more recent piece and our audiences may not have heard his music as often as the other pieces in the concert. His Clarinet Quintet is very playful and very French – almost jazzy and definitely neo romantic.. It is a fantastic piece and I am thrilled to share it with our audiences!  The Brahms is from the romantic period and absolutely gorgeous. The Mozart is playful and light, but very beautiful and full of contrasting feelings. And the Gershwin, well, that is a surprise encore so you will have to wait until you view the concert!”

Cape Ann Symphony’s Virtual Clarinet Quintet Concert program includes:

• JEAN FRANCAIX Clarinet Quintet, 2nd Movement
• JOHANNES BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet, 1st Movement
• WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Clarinet Quintet, 1st and 4th Movements
• GEORGE GERSHWIN SURPRISE ENCORE

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, violinist Olga Kradenova holds a bachelor’s degree with distinction from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and Royal Northern College of Music in United Kingdom, and a Master’s degree from Cambridge’s Longy School of Music. She played with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a chamber musician and a soloist throughout Europe. Currently, Ms. Kradenova performs regularly with orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Boston area including Cape Ann Symphony and the Rivers Symphony as well as teaching privately and at the Brooks School in North Andover

Bulgarian born violinist Oksana Gorokhovskiy started her journey in the field of music at the age of six. She received a Bachelor Degree in Violin Performance at the State Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, and a Master Degree from Boston University, USA. Her private teachers and coaches were Professor Yuri Mazurkevich, members of the Shanghai String Quartet, Kronos String Quartet, and Muir String Quartet. While living in Europe, she was a soloist of the State Academy Orchestra, and second violin in String Quartet “Slavyani”, with which she performed actively and won the First Prize at the International Competition “Music and the Earth”. Mrs. Gorokhovskiy was also touring as an orchestra member with several orchestras throughout Europe. Currently she lives in the United States and actively performs as a chamber musician and orchestra player. She is an acting principal second violinist at Cape Ann Symphony, co-principal second violinist at Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra, member of Symphony by the Sea and Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra

In demand as an orchestral musician, recitalist, and chamber performer, Bill Kirkley is Cape Ann Symphony’s principal clarinetist. He is principal clarinetist and one of the founders of the Lexington Symphony, solo bass clarinetist with Orchestra of Indian Hill and the Albany Symphony. As a guest clarinetist, he can often be heard performing with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, and City Ballet in NYC. He appears regularly as a concerto soloist and has been featured with the North Arkansas Symphony, Mesquite Symphony, North Shore Philharmonic, Gordon Symphony, Cape Ann Symphony, and the Lexington Symphony. Kirkley’s orchestral playing has been heard in some of the world’s great concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Symphony Hall Boston, Orchestra Hall Chicago, the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London. An avid proponent of new music, Kirkley is the clarinetist for Triage New Music and Boston Musica Viva, the oldest contemporary music ensemble in the United States. His playing has been heard on WGBH Boston and the BBC London. Players of the video game  SimCity BuildIt! have  heard him playing behind the game. Kirkley’s recording of Camarata IV, a concerto for all the clarinets, was written for him by the esteemed New York composer Bernard Hoffer and was released in summer 2020 to rave reviews.

A new member of the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, violist Brandon White makes his CAS debut in the Virtual Clarinet Quintet Concert. Originally from New York and now residing in the Boston area, Brandon White has enjoyed a varied career as a violist. A classically trained violist, Mr. White has been recognized as an analytical, and forward-thinking musician with a love of all viola music and new compositions. He holds degrees from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he studied under Shelly Tramposh and earned his BM in Viola Performance, as well as The Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he studied under Lila Brown and earned his MM in String Performance. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Jordan Hall, and Sanders Theater and played with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Hamptons Festival Orchestra and the Choral Society of the Hamptons. Mr. White currently performs in the Rivers Symphony Orchestra and is also a member of the contemporary viola duo Waterhouse Row alongside Emilie Catlett. He performs on a Hungarian Viola from 1968 made by Otto Erdesz.

Johnny Mok, Cape Ann Symphony’s  principal cellist, is currently a freelance musician and teacher in the Greater Boston Area. He began his cello studies at the age of five at the Hong Kong Performing Arts Academy and continued his studies after immigrating to New Mexico. During Mr. Mok’s primary and secondary education, he was very active in the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program and participated in multiple competitions where he was awarded with first prize. He continued to pursue Music Performance with a  full scholarship at the University of Alabama where he entered competitions throughout the state of Alabama and was awarded first prize in the Birmingham Music Club, Alabama Federation of Music Clubs, and the Camilla Huxford Symphony Concerto Competition, among others.  Following a summer as an Orchestra Fellow at the Texas Music Festival in Houston,  Mr. Mok pursued  a Master’s Degree and the Professional Studies Certificate in Cello Performance at The Boston Conservatory. He has performed with many symphonies throughout the US including Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Cape Symphony, Tupelo Symphony, Boston Chamber Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra,  In addition to Cape Ann Symphony, Mr. Mok is also currently the Principal Cellist of New Hampshire Philharmonic,  and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, he founded the Aroma Duo with his duo piano partner, Tianhong Yang. Since then, Aroma Duo has performed in several chamber music series in the New England area.

Cape Ann Symphony’s Virtual Clarinet Quintet Concert, the third concert in Cape Ann Symphony’s virtual concert series, is currently available to view online for a video purchase fee of $25. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase and for further information. 

Last rays….