 Eroica duo to perform classical music at First Reformed Church By Kevin ZawackiNyack non-profit ArtsRock is capping off a season of trombones and radio stars with a final concert. The Eroica Duo, and all-female group that performs chamber music, will play at the First Reformed Church of Nyack Thursday, May 24. "They're world-class performers," said Elliot Forrest, the director of ArtsRock, an organization dedicated to bringing arts and multi-cultural programs to Rockland. The duo is Sarah Sant'Ambrogio, who plays cello, and Erica Nickrenz on piano; Forrest has known the two for years. "They're actually a trio, but we're bringing two," he added. "They've been doing this for 20 years—they're at the top of their game." The duo will be performing works by Gershwin, Chopin, and Brahms; Forrest said it's an enticing night for both major fans of classical and folks on the fence. After the performance, HSBC Bank across the street will host an after-party. "The bank does this twice a year for non-profits," Forrest said. There, ArtsRock will serve food from Nyack Gourmet and honor Friends of the Nyacks for their help. Looking forward, Forrest says Nyackers can expect an update on next season's happening soon. "We’re getting very excited for our next season, and working farther ahead than usual," he said. "We'll have announcements this summer." -- The detailsWhen: Thursday, May 24; 7:30 p.m. Where: First Reformed Church of Nyack (18 South Broadway, Nyack) Cost: $25 in advance; $30 at the door; $15 students; $75 VIP seats and after-party at HSBC Bank Contact: info@artsrock.org, or call (845) 418-ARTS Related Topics: Artsrock, First Reformed Church, Nyack Arts, downtown nyack, and nyack culture
ArtsRock Presenting Eroica Duo A Season End Celebration Posted April 26th, 2012by George J. Dacre Erika Nickrenz, born in New York City and Sara Sant’Ambrogio, born in Boston met when were 12. Erika came to Massachusetts to study music with Sara’s grandmother. Ever since they have been together and grown into the Eroica Duo, the female chamber ensemble that broke the mold. They established themselves as the vanguard of a new generation of musical artists. They will be performing at the First reformed Church in Nyack, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. ArtsRock says the Eroica Duo’s Concert will feature a glorious selection of chamber music favorites for piano and cello. Nickrenz and Sant’Ambrogio have performed all over the world, from Vienna to Carnegie Hall. ArtsRock member Elliot Forrest, who had them on his New York City radio program on WQXR, brought them to Nyack. Sant’Ambrogio tells the Rockland County Times they will not only perform classical music such as Brahms and Chopin, but also music from around the world. Both members of the Eroica Duo come from musical families. Sant’Ambrogio’s grandmother taught music and her mother was a musical actor. Her father was a member of the St. Louis Symphony. Nickrenz’s father is a Grammy Award record producer. More information at artsrock.org or call 1 866 811 4111.
 Lazer Vauderville is presented by ArtsRock of Rockland, Inc., a Rockland County, NY not-for profit arts organization, on Sunday, April 22 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lafayette Theatre in downtown Suffern. This international touring stage show features black light juggling, lasers with magic, acrobatics, slapstick comedy and dance. Starring Carter Brown with hoop rolling and rope-spinning, Cindy Marvell the first woman ever to win the International Juggling Association Championships, and Jeff Taub former Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus clown, as well as Comedia Dell'Arte theater performer and master mask maker. Following the show there will be milk ‘n cookies for all the children! Date: Sunday, April 22, 2012 Time: 2:00 pm Location: The Lafayette Theater, 97 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, NY Price: Advance: Adults $20/Kids$15; Day of Show: Adults $25/Kids $18 The mission of ArtsRock is to provide increased access to professional arts and multi-cultural programs for an underserved, diverse audience, in and around Rockland County. ArtsRock of Rockland, Inc., is an affiliate of Friends of the Nyacks, Inc., a 501 (C)(3) New York Not-For-Profit Corporation. For Tickets: www.artsrock.org or call 866-811-4111. For information: info@artsrock.org or call 845-418-ARTS Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/ArtsRock-Milk-n-Cookies-Presents-LAZER-VAUDERVILLE-422-20120404#ixzz1rpODCXHZ
 ArtsRock, a Rockland County, NY not-for profit arts organization, announces the appointment of its 2012 Board of Directors including Joe Morley as the Board President. “Our emergence as an independent arts organization comes at a time when our mission is more vital than ever. With funding for all types of discretionary programs being cut in our communities and in our schools, ArtsRock will continue to bring professional live entertainment to audiences that might otherwise not have such access. I am honored to be chosen to lead the first ArtsRock corporate board towards this goal,” said Morley. The Board consists of the following appointments as of March 1, 2012. Officers:Joe Morley, Board President Mr. Morley is the Partner/Executive Producer at Studio on Hudson in Nyack, NY, an independent feature film Production Company. He is co-executive producer of the 2008 Sundance Award winning film Anywhere USA, and of Morgan Spurlock’s critically acclaimed and Academy Award nominated film Super Size Me.Greg Karr, Board Vice President Mr. Karr is an entrepreneur who contributes his talents and resources to his community. Professionally, he founded and is the CEO of The Center for Allied Health & Nursing Education, a post-secondary institution providing nursing education through five campuses in New Jersey and Florida. Patrick Kennedy, Board Treasurer Mr. Kennedy graduated with degrees in both Marketing and Management, followed by a MBA, and became an employee of HSBC where he is still currently employed. In his 11 years with the company, after completing a project in Chicago three years ago, he returned to the east coast to Nyack, as a Premier Relationship Manager. Marilyn Kaskel, Board Secretary. Ms. Kaskel is an Emmy and Gracie award-winning producer with more than 25 years in broadcast television known for getting exclusive interviews with world leaders and newsmakers. She has produced thousands of segments for the biggest on-air talent in the business including BrIan Williams’ and Geraldo and through her award-winning Production Company, she created long form documentaries for PBS, focusing on women’s issues. ArtsRock Board:Hal Coon, Dallas, TexasPeter Danish, Danish Media Group, Nyack, NYDeborah Darbonne, West Nyack, NYAlice DiSanto, LS Direct Marketing of Suffern, NYJeff Doctorow, Doctorow Publishing LLC, New City, NYMartin Flaxman, Windsor Insurance, Nyack, NYElliott Forrest, Broadcaster & Producer WQXR/WNYC, Upper Nyack, NYJeffrey Friedberg, Bossy Frog Band, Upper Nyack, NYRod Greenwood, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Pearl River, NYLorena Mann, The Recording Academy NY Chapter, Piermont, NYNelson Page, President of MajesticStar EntertainmentAccording to press notes, the mission of ArtsRock of Rockland, Inc. is to provide increased access to professional arts and multi-cultural programs for an underserved, diverse audience, in and around Rockland County. ArtsRock is an affiliate of Friends of the Nyacks, Inc., a 501 (C)(3) New York Not-For-Profit Corporation. For Tickets: www.artsrock.org or call 866-811-4111. For information: info@artsrock.org or call 845-418-ARTS Read more: http://rockland.broadwayworld.com/article/ArtsRock-Announces-Newly-Expanded-Board-of-Directors-20120305#ixzz1oHtg9kOG
 Suzanne Vega plays RCC Friday Suzanne Vega says her followers fall into several circles. Many people only know her from the ’80s, from her songs “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner,” the song that begins: “I am sitting/ In the morning/ At the diner/ On the corner.” Other people know her music a little deeper, songs like “The Queen and the Soldier” and “Gypsy.” Then, says Vega: “There are people who know the whole back catalog, they know every single song, and they come to all the shows and they sing along. They’re also my friend on Facebook and they read all the tweets. That’s a more select circle.” Members of all circles, whether “Luka” or “Gypsy” or full-fledged Vegan, will be able to catch Vega live on Friday, when ArtsRock brings her to Rockland Community College for an 8 p.m. concert. “I’m a Facebook fan and I try to post something once or twice a day,” she says. “I tweet once every few days.” “I really enjoy Facebook,” she says. “I read the posts and I’ve gotten to know new people and see where they’re from, and they come to my concerts. It’s a really cool medium.” Might it someday find its way into a Suzanne Vega song? “Oh, I hope not,” she says with an easy laugh. “Because then it’ll move on and I’ll have to sing about some new medium.” She adds, however, that stringing together140-character tweets might make for an interesting song. “If you write a bunch of them, then you’ve got a whole bunch of narrative verses. It could be perfect.” An avid reader of biographies and classic literature, Vega lately has been reading the works of the recently deceased former Czech President Vaclav Havel, including “To the Castle and Back,” which includes memos from presidency and “Letters to Olga,” comprising rather formal letters Havel wrote to his wife from jail. The letters were written in a form of code and “take a little patience, but it’s fascinating.” As for what she’ll play on Friday — when she’ll be joined on stage by her musical director Jerry Leonard — Vega says it will be a mix of old and new, including songs from “Suzanne Vega: Close-Up Vol. 3 — States of Being,” the November release in a four-part retrospective of her catalog. Also on that CD is a new song from Vega’s play “Carson McCullers Talks About Love,” which she wrote with Duncan Sheik. It ran at Rattlestick Theater in New York last May — with Vega playing McCullers, the writer who had a home in Nyack and is buried there — and will open in the fall in San Francisco, without her. Vega says she plans to bring it back to New York one day, adding that she learned much from the process. “I learned it takes a while and that doing a musical is different from doing a regular play,” she says. “It was fascinating. I learned that learning the script is not the same as writing the script. I had to learn to run my lines just like any actor would have to.” She also learned to curse the playwright at times. “I did. I was like ‘Whose brilliant idea is this? Oh, mine,” she says with a laugh. She doesn’t remember if she has played in Rockland before, but there’s an easy way to find out. “I ask the audience,” she says. “And if I have, they’ll say ‘Yes!’ and they’ll know the date.” Suzanne Vega in Concert When: 8 p.m. Friday. Where: Rockland Community College, Cultural Arts Theater, 145 College Road, Ramapo. Tickets: $35-$45. Call: 866-811-4111 Next at ArtsRock: Elliott Forrest hosts a wide-ranging discussion with WNYC radio personalities Brian Lehrer, Brooke Gladstone and John Hockenberry at Tappan Zee High School on March 31. They’ll talk about their lives in radio, journalism, politics, and the election. Part of the proceeds will benefit arts programs at Tappan Zee.
 Bossy Frog Band Socko at Lafayette Theatre has them Dancing in the AislesBY GEORGE J. DACREI bravely took my seat in the second row at the fabulous Lafayette Theatre in Suffern last Thursday morning at 11 a.m., anxiously awaiting my milk and cookies and surrounded by hundreds of very excited kiddies, mommies and daddies, and grandmas and grandpas, as the BossyFrog Band came on stage and performed for 75 minutes. Jeffrey Freidberg and band members Alice and Joe came out with their banjo, violin, guitar and gazoo, started strumming, and from there on out it was pure fun. Bossy Frog came dancing out and the audience went wild...along came Monkey and later Crabby Crab and the kids, from two or three years up, were dancing in the aisles, all around me. I almost got up to dance too!!! Almost 600 were at the theatre for this amazing family performance by the band that performs about 250 shows a year in the New York, Connecticut and New Jersey area. Bossy Frog had the kids and parents and grandparents clapping their hands. Jeffrey, Alice and Joe led them in an exercise party number. Alice later on was to put on a hula hoop, swung it round and round as she played her violin. Then came the "Arms Up and Arms Down" song, the shouting song with Bossy Frog dancing and shouting, leading the audience. There was an "Exercise the Brain" number about the library and later Freidberg brought out his flute and it was "Name That Tune" and the kids knew them all. There also was a tune about beach parties and "The Stop" song and "The Twist." Lots of energy and happiness filled the room and a good time was had by all. And by the way, I got my milk and cookies on the way out as did all the kiddies and I was one of them for one bright 75 minutes at the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern. Four Out Of Four Stars!!!!
 Join Rockland’s Jeffrey Friedberg for a “ribbiting” performance as he leads The Bossy Frog Band at 11 a.m. Thursday. This ArtsRock extravaganza features a banjo, a hula-hooping fiddler and a big green frog. There will be dancing in the aisles and, of course, milk ’n’ cookies for the children. $12 advance, $15 day of show. Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Ave. 866-811-4111. www.artsrock.org.
 Suzanne Vega Performs at Rockland Community College 2/3/2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011; Posted: 12:12 PM - by BWW News Desk ArtsRock presents this musical powerhouse who will perform on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at Rockland Community College’s Cultural Arts Theatre in Suffern, NY. Widely recognized as one of the greatest singer/songwriters of her generation, Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. She will be accompanied on stage by guitarist Gerry Leonard. Since her debut 25 years ago she has sold over 7 million albums and has been nominated for 7 Grammy awards. Her song “Luka” about child abuse was a surprise hit and won MTV’s Best Female Video. She was the first artist on the main stage at the very first Lilith Fair and her voice and song “Tom’s Diner” was used in the refinement of the MP3, earning her the nickname “The Mother of the MP3”. The intimate evening will include everything from Vega classics such as “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” to her latest songs. Vega’s ability to tell a story through song shines through in her performances so get your tickets early for a memorable, musical event that makes a great early holiday gift. Date: Friday, February 3, 2012 Time: 8:00 pm Location: Rockland Community College, Cultural Arts Theatre, 145 College Road, Suffern, NY 10901 Price: $45 Premium Seating/$35 General Admission The mission of ArtsRock is to provide increased access to professional arts and multi-cultural programs for an underserved, diverse audience, in and around Rockland County. ArtsRock is an affiliate of Friends of the Nyacks, Inc., a 501 (C)(3) New York Not-For-Profit Corporation. For Tickets: www.artsrock.org or call 866-811-4111. Read more: http://centralnewyork.broadwayworld.com/article/Suzanne-Vega-Performs-at-Rockland-Community-College-232012-20111206#ixzz1fnGkB4Qf
 ArtsRock Milk ‘n Cookies Presents The Annual Bossy Frog Band Holiday Show Monday, December 5, 2011; Posted: 01:12 PM - by BWW News Desk Join Rockland’s own Jeffrey Friedberg as he leads The Bossy Frog Band for a fun filled morning on Thursday, December 29 at 11 a.m. at the Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Avenue in Suffern. This annual musical extravaganza features a banjo, a hula hooping fiddler and a big green frog and is sure to delight the entire family. And there will be ‘extra special surprises’, dancing in the aisles and of course, milk ‘n cookies for all the children! For more information visit http://bossyfrog.com. Date: Thursday, December 29, 2011 Time: 11:00 am Location: The Lafayette Theater, 97 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, NY Price: Advance $12; Day of Show $15 The mission of ArtsRock is to provide increased access to professional arts and multi-cultural programs for an underserved, diverse audience, in and around Rockland County. ArtsRock is an affiliate of Friends of the Nyacks, Inc., a 501 (C)(3) New York Not-For-Profit Corporation. For Tickets: www.artsrock.org or call 866-811-4111. For information: info@artsrock.org or call 845-418-ARTS Read more: http://centralnewyork.broadwayworld.com/article/ArtsRock-Milk-n-Cookies-Presents-The-Annual-Bossy-Frog-Band-Holiday-Show-20111205#ixzz1fhETV0rY
NY Philharmonic Brass To Play Nyack Friday NightThe quintet contains Nyack-resident Joe Alessi, principal trombone player for the New York Philharmonic By Adam LittmanAbout 13 years ago, Elliott Forrest was walking with his daughter in Nyack Middle School when something coming out of the cafeteria caught his ears. “We were right around the corner and coming from the cafeteria was the most beautiful trombone playing I had ever heard in my life,” said Forrest, director of ArtsRock. He walked over with his daughter to see what was going on, and once he turned the corner he saw Joe Alessi playing in the cafeteria for a group of third-grade students. Alessi, of Nyack, is the principal trombone player for the New York Philharmonic. “I turn the corner and there’s the first chair trombone player for the New York Philharmonic,” Forrest said. “So I think, ‘Well that’s why I’m hearing this beautiful trombone playing.’” On Friday, Forrest and ArtsRock are hosting Alessi and the rest of the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet for their Holiday Concert at 7:30 p.m. at T he First Reformed Church on South Broadway in Nyack. Along with Alessi, the quintet is made up of Principal Trumpet Philip Smith, Associate Principal Trumpet Matthew Muckey, Principal Horn Philip Myers and Principal Tuba Alan Baer. “These are arguably the best five brass players in the entire world, and they’ll be here in Nyack performing,” Forrest said. “This is what makes Nyack great. We have these outstanding artists coming here to play.” Tickets are $30 the day of the show, and $20 for students. “They have a very popular holiday concert,” Forrest said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. They’re going to play a lot of holiday favorites.”
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