Cape Ann Symphony presents selections from Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens, and Beethoven on Sunday March 16, 2025. Read more about the concert program below from the symphony’s printed matter.
Sunday Concerts in Spring: Scroll further to see printable flyers for two more delightful programs scheduled in April and May.
Press Release
The program for Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, and Beethoven includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto, featuring Owen Young, Cello. The March 16th Concert marks the first time CAS has performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 during Maestro Udagawa’s 25 year tenure as Music Director and Conductor of Cape Ann Symphony. Maestro Udagawa looks forward to bringing the exciting piece to CAS audiences, “We have never performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 in Cape Ann during my time as conductor of the orchestra. It’s a real masterpiece, and it was definitely time to do it. It sits between the very famous 3rd and 5th symphonies, so it’s definitely been overshadowed by those pieces, but I know that the audience will love this piece. It has everything that Beethoven is known for – power, energy, melodies of tremendous beauty – and in addition, it comes along with a huge dose of high spirits and humor. “
Written in 1830, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture also known as Fingal’s Cave was inspired by a trip the composer took to Scotland. His travels took him to the Hebrides Islands and the island of Staffa – known for its puffins and its atmospheric cave. With its echoing acoustics, which magnified the sound of rumbling waves, Fingal’s Cave made a profound impression on Mendelssohn. Through the Hebrides Overture he sought to capture the swell and feel of the Atlantic, and the sound of waves crashing against rocks. “The Hebrides Overture of Mendelssohn is such evocative music and a perfect piece to perform on Cape Ann,” points out Maestro Udagawa, “The opening is Mendelssohn’s depiction of the ocean waves, and it gently rolls along. Eventually the music builds up to a stormy sequence, and towards the end when the music is again peaceful, one can imagine seagulls soaring over the ocean. The music has such color and sparkle, and it’s always wonderful to prepare this piece with the musicians of the orchestra and to perform it.”
Owen Young last played with CAS in March 2022. He performed the Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra with his BSO colleague violinist Lucia Lin.MaestroUdagawa is eager to collaborate with Owen Young again, “Owen Young is an incredible cellist and musician. In addition, he is an incredibly warm and nice person, and that really comes across in everything he does. That’s definitely one of the reasons the orchestra, I and our audience love him so much.” On March 16th world renowned cellist Young will play Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto with CAS. Many composers, including Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Rachmaninoff, consider this concerto to be the greatest of all cello concertos. In this demanding concerto Saint-Saëns broke with convention. Instead of using the normal three-movement concerto form, he wrote the piece in one continuous movement which contains three sections sharing interrelated ideas. “The Saint-Saens is a gorgeous concerto which is wildly difficult and virtuosic for the soloist,” says Maestro Udagawa,” in spite of the fireworks, Saint-Saens has written a piece of great charm and beauty. The main melody of the second movement is so beautiful and touching. The first movement is fiery and the last movement is also full of difficult passages for the soloist. It’s always amazing to see Owen play it with such command and ease. He makes it look easy, but we all know it isn’t! I can’t wait for CAS audiences to see this thrilling performance!”
About Owen Young
Cellist Owen Young joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in August 1991. A frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals, he has been featured as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. Mr. Young has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, WQED in Pittsburgh, WITF in Harrisburg, and WGBH in Boston. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City.
Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education, and Longy School of Music. He is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music and is active in Project STEP, a String Training Education Program which provides talented young musicians that identify with historically underrepresented groups in classical music with comprehensive music instruction, envisioning a world in which the classical music profession reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of our communities.
Owen Young holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University. He was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in 1986 and 1987. After winning an Orchestra Fellowship in 1987, he played with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1988 and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1988-89. He was a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in 1986-87 and of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1989 until he joined the BSO in 1991. From 1991 to 1996 Mr. Young was a Harvard-appointed resident tutor and director of concerts in Dunster House at Harvard University. His teachers included Elinor Osborn, Michael Grebanier, Anne Martindale Williams, and Aldo Parisot.
About Cape Ann Symphony and Yoichi Udagawa
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Mr. Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Outreach programs to area schools.
tickets
Cape Ann Symphony Mendelssohn, Saint–Saëns, and Beethoven Concert is Sunday, March 16 at 2 pm at Manchester-Essex High School auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Single ticket prices are $50 for adults, $45 for senior citizens age 65 and above, $20 for Students of any age with a valid student id; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.
Coming April 25, 2025
Coming May 11, 2025
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Final weekend: Saturday Feb 22nd from 1-5pm and Sunday Feb 23rd from 1-4, with a closing reception from 4-6pm. Join us and support the beautification of Gloucester. The gallery is immensely grateful to artist Adin Murray for his generosity in offering 20 unique drawings, each framed, at a very special price.
Jane Deering, Jane Deering Gallery
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
photos: The Cape Ann Symphony Annual Meeting was held in Minglewood Harborside (the Tavern) full service special event space on January 29, 2025.
What an impressive and humble assembly of dedicated supporters! Many board members have helped the symphony for years. Board President, John Todd, reviewed the prior season and made certain to introduce the contributions and efforts of CAS officers and members, like Martha and Roy Mayne from Manchester. Martha has been hanging CAS posters for 15 years on Cape Ann and beyond. Her husband, Roy, now assists her. Todd extended regrets from Maestro Yoichi Udagawa who was attending to his father. Robert Ellis, Chair of the Program Committee explained that planning for the 2025/2026 season is well underway and the program reveal will be announced soon. Shhh! Don’t forget that a major milestone anniversary is on the horizon for Cape Ann Symphony, a cultural anchor on Cape Ann then and now. There is so much fun history to tap into. Lynn Khambaty mentioned that the Cape Ann Symphony Musicians Unleashed Sunday Broadway event was sold out, and detailed how these small delights evolved from antecedents decades past when donations were dropped in a bowl at the back.
In the meantime, the Cape Ann Symphony big spring concert for the current season is coming up Sunday March 16th at 2pm: Mendelssohn, Saint-Sëans, & Beethoven featuring guest artist, a returning and CAS audience favorite, cellist Owen Young! Buy tickets here. Check out the poster designed by board member Monty Lewis below the photo block for more info. Cape Ann Symphony is a professional regional symphony that is well and widely regarded and a treasure to experience its impact so close to home.
The service was excellent and the food was terrific for this congenial Annual Meeting and celebration. Minglewood’s event space has a dedicated full bar along its Rogers Street wall and customizable table layout and menu design. The original Chris Williams Octopus sculpture was re-sited from the old Latitude’s waterfront entrance to out front here and looks fantastic.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Of all the symphonic sounds one encounters riding the NYC subway trains and tracks, above a multitude of electric aches and brakes, and machinery coming and going, it’s the brief and stirring melody that never fails to stir my heart.
image caption: 12 second video. NYC Subway–can you hear the notes?
I have filmed it every decade since the 1980s. That such solid heavy machinery can sound delicate and fleeting and produce the identical phrasing of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 adagio un poco movement stops me every time (25 second audio below).
Beethoven (1770-1827) was fully deaf by 40. At the time when the sounds that he heard must have grown muffled and distant and the high pitch frequencies rubbed away–in his mid thirties–he composed Symphony No. 5. What many may consider the loveliest and most layered melody the world has produced may be one of the last of his own works Beethoven could hear at all. Think about that as the subway is pulling away.
Because it was a center of the music world of its time, booming with royal and freelance opportunities for musicians and music publishing, Beethoven resided and worked in Vienna. When I hear the notes emanating from the NYC subway, I wonder about the ambient and industry sounds in Vienna that Beethoven absorbed. The upper Danube was dotted by land and ship mills for grain, textile, metal working, lumber, and fishing. Although the sounds of steam engine trains were decades away from Beethoven’s lived experience, and well before audio recordings, sounds and vibrations from man made metal and engineering production were extant.
150+ years later, preeminent American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, drew inspiration and intentionally quoted that Beethoven phrase in “Somewhere” from West Side Story. How could he not? Bernstein was a New Yorker. The sounds of the city were his inspiration, too. And what can be more New York than the subway and an artist delighting in references as broad as Gershwin and Beethoven and the challenge of embedding them into popular musical theater. Bernstein was also an unfailing educator and student of music. Here he is in 1954 on his first live tv appearance, on the Sunday afternoon weekly broadcast, Omnibus, with the Symphony in Air orchestra episode devoted to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Image caption: Omnibus video from 1954 is 33 min. Check out the studio set–it’s amazing!
The popular Beethoven ‘master class’ aired three years before his seminal musical West Side Story premiered on Broadway.One wishes there was an episode about Beethoven’s the Emperor with Bernstein.
There is a broadcast in 1956 with Josef Krips conducting. Below is a 1 min excerpt with that phrase from Beethoven Piano Concerto 5 performed with NBC Symphony of the Air and Arthur Rubinstein on piano.
image caption: 1956 (1:00 minute audio)
And three more (duration 20 second (or less)) recordings of that Beethoven leitmotif phrase, different interpretations for joyful comparison:
image caption: 1951
image caption: 1958. 23 seconds.
image caption: 1992.
Reri Grist (American, b. 1932)
The Broadway musical, West Side Story, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Leonard Bernstein, opened in 1957. The gorgeous melodic and pining classic, “Somewhere”, was not sung by Carol Lawrence who played the role of Maria. Broadway was lucky to recognize the gorgeous voice of Reri (sounds like MiMi) Grist, a member of the background chorus who played the part of Consuelo and the off stage soloist who launched “There’s a Place for Us” into the world. You can also hear Grist’s vocals soaring in the chorus of “Tonight”.
Four years later, the song pivots to the part of Maria in the classic 1961 film adaptation. Grist was not involved in the iconic movie. She became an international opera soprano, and legendary voice teacher in New York. There doesn’t seem to be any film recording of Reri Grist with the original cast acting and singing. There is a contemporaneous video with excerpts of Grist starring in a 1965 live tv production of “Ariadne auf Naxos” — it’s incredible (and only 2000 views as of today). She’s dazzling.
1960s
2007
Flash forward decades to 2007: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS gala fundraiser featured Reri Grist singing “Somewhere” and it’s so layered and stunning and felt!
image caption: video duration is less than 5 minutes. Do stay through to the end or you’ll miss the original cast and chorus join the stage.
And here is a snippet from the historical rehearsal for the 2007 event with original cast members and Grist beaming and her voice lifting in “Tonight”
Image caption: 1957 cast album Reri Grist “Somewhere” (17 sec- volume up specific of this motif)
West Side Story film
Excerpts with examples of the leitmotif from the 1961 juggernaut with Natalie Wood as Maria (with vocals dubbed by Marni Nixon) and Richard Beymer as Tony (vocals dubbed by Jim Bryant).
Somewhere interpretations
Video and audio snippets zeroed in on that melody covered by legends: Judy Garland with Vic Damone , the Supremes (1966), Barbra Streisand (1985), Idina Menzel (Glee, 2011) , and Renee Fleming (1999)
Renee Fleming – 32 sec
Idina – 10 sec
Barbra- 15 seconds
Image: LIVE Judy Garland and Vic Damone medley (7 min)
Image caption: The Supremes – 1966 Ed Sullivan (3:44 min)
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Years recorded with earthquake in Gloucester, Mass. (as of 1989): 1717, 1722, 1727-1730, 1737, 1755, 1757, 1761, 1763, 1805, 1874, 1925, 1889 (expected), and 1998. See index. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Historical Timeline, 1000-1999. Mary Ray. Editors, Sarah R. Dunlap, Gloucester Archives Committee (Gloucester, Mass.), 2002.
On April 30, 1722: “There was an earthquake in the town continued about a minute.”
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
What a gorgeous day for visiting downtown stores, orgs and restaurants to check out Gloucester’s peppy So Salty 2025. There are so many special deals and activities! Thanks Joey for sharing the details! Cape Ann Museum has the welcome booth set up for a good place to start.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Enjoy a terrific Broadway show tunes concert for a good cause and even join in for the sing along bits–and all before the Superbowl kickoff! Heidi Dallin shares the info and program below.
Courtesy image: The Company of Musicians Unleashed ON BROADWAY! Photo Credit: Henry Betts. Front Row L-R: Byron Winn, Gordon Baird, Priscilla Walter, Carolyn Howard. Back Row L-R: Wendy Betts, Brittany Betts. Missing from Photo: Guest Artist: Lydia Betts; Bass Player: Justin McLean
Cape Ann Symphony Musicians Unleashed Concert Series goes ON BROADWAY! for their upcoming concert on Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM at The St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester.
ON BROADWAY! features a group of singers from the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus, local musicians and special guests led by CAS Chorus Director Brittany Betts. The multi-talented Betts will lead the company as well as contributing Vocals, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, and Percussion for the concert.
The ON BROADWAY! Company includes CAS Chorus members:
Gordon Baird: Vocals and Percussion
Carolyn Howard: Vocals
Byron Winn: Vocals and Cello
CAS Chorus Accompanist Priscilla Walter: Piano
Justin McLean; Bass
plus Special Guest Soloist: Lydia Betts, Piano
and Former CAS Chorus Director Wendy Betts: Vocals and Piano
**The program includes songs from Hamilton, Something Rotten, The Sound of Music, Camelot, Songs for a New World, Into The Woods, Dear Evan Hansen, a George Gershwin Medley and two audience Sing-Along Medleys of hit Broadway classic and contemporary songs.**
Brittany Betts is excited to bring the music of Broadway to the Musicians Unleashed Series,
“Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 9, 3pm @ St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lanesville (Gloucester), MA because you won’t want to miss this Cape Ann Symphony – Musicians Unleashed chamber concert of vocal and instrumental Broadway tunes performed by members of the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus (Brittany Betts, Carolyn Howard, Gordon Baird and Byron Winn) along with chorus accompanist, Priscilla Walter, and special guests Wendy Betts (vocals and piano) and Lydia Betts (piano).
We’ve got something for everyone: 4 Vocal Solos, 2 Duets and 2 Group Numbers; 1 Piano Solo; One Set of 4 Gershwin Piano Duets; 2 Sing-Along Medleys…and maybe even a game or two! Songs are spanning the decades – from the 1930s to the 2010s. Grab your ticket early. Don’t wait. It’s not a large space and we want to make sure you get to see it. And, hey, why not come dressed as a Broadway character to add to the fun?”
Brittany Betts
ON BROADWAY! is Sunday, February 9 at 3:00 PM at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester. The ticket price for ON BROADWAY! is$40 for Adults. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” MLK, Strength to Love, 1963.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, owns 20 incredible and deliberate states from John Wilson’s monumental etching of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The final state was printed in an edition of 50 in 2002 and was based on a smaller Wilson drawing of Dr. King, a 1985 preparatory study for a bronze statue installed in the Rotunda of the US Capital in 1986.
Wilson created other portraits of Dr. King including a monumental 8 ft’ tall bronze commission that was installed in Buffalo’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Its maquette went to the Butler Institute of American Art.
Note to GMG readers: To make the etchings on view at the MFA, Wilson collaborated with master printer and artist, Jim Stroud. Stroud is the founder and owner of Center Street Studio, named for its address in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Center Street Studio opened and operated from 1 Center Street from 1984 to 1986 before moving to Boston.
– Catherine Ryan, 2017.
John Wilson (1922-2015) eminent and kind American artist and teacher was adept in any media and expression. His talent and life and legacy of activism was a good fit for a King tribute.
images
John Wilson, Roz, dynamite 1972 pastel
John Wilson indelible 1945 litho, Streetcar Scene, the laborer commuting to Boston Navy Yard meets our gaze
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
On view at Jane Deering Gallery, local artist and detailed draftsman Adin Murray exhibits a series of original graphite drawings on panel: silhouette portraits of native trees.
You can commission a special favorite tree of your own, too.
A portion of the sales will go to the ‘400 Trees for Gloucester’ project.
photos and video: Rooftops, beaches, and robins. Views from the road plus two winter walks on Wingaersheek Beach–yesterday vs. snowfall today. Jan. 19 (icy blue puddles and sheen) vs. Jan. 20 (yellow light, soft and silent).
Gloucester houses and rooftops
Good Harbor Beach Marsh views
Road to. Wingaersheek Beach
Robins
morning sun, Wingaersheek Beach
January 19, 2025
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
The annual meeting of the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc. will be held on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 7:00pm in the Christopher Columbus Room at the Minglewood Harborside, 25 Rogers Street in Gloucester. The public is invited. For further information please contact the Cape Ann Symphony at (978) 281-0543 or info@capeannsymphony.org.
2025 Upcoming
And Cape Ann Symphony next concert: ON BROADWAY
throwback 2017
17 seconds with Maestro Yoichi Udagawa
1950s playbill
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
photos | video: This much snow about 8:30 AM in Gloucester, Ma. 1/11/2025. Roads clear. Winter views back shore, Good Harbor Beach, Days Pond, Long Beach.
video. mood.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Last chance to visit Hammond Castle and two special temporary exhibitions on view before it closes for the winter at the end of the day December 29th, 2024. The museum has completed major architectural repairs, restoration and archival research sampled throughout the museum and well labeled for captivating tours and repeat visits.
Images: Hammond Castle on a crisp winter day
Temporary Exhibits
featuring work by Natalie Hammond including wonderful loans from the Hammond Museum and Japanese Scroll Garden which she designed and founded in North Salem, New York in 1957.
Invention room featuring John Hays Hammond inventions with an informative focus on the history of early 20th C encryption and decryption technology in this special exhibit and creative interactive displays.
You can help repair the organ!
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Good Morning Gloucester 