While I'm Away, Musicians Will Play

While we bask in the relative warmth of Washington D.C. (must be all the tea brewing), there are concerts, talks, plays galore, etc, in our hometown.

The gentleman to the left, Sebastian Baverstam, is an internationally acclaimed cellist, the winner of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition as well as the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and a mere 22 years old.  He made his professional debut at the age of 6 (!), has toured throughout the world and recorded a CD with pianist Constantine Firehouse (released in 2010 - you can hear excerpts by clicking here.) 

He is coming to Middletown this Saturday (4/09) to perform at 2 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library.  Not sure what his program is but his repertoire includes Bach (the luscious "Cello Suites"), Beethoven, Franck, Ligeti and more. No matter what he plays, you're in for quite an aural treat. His rich tone, finely articulated notes and subtle virtuosity is very impressive.  The concert is free..yes..free and open to the public.  For more information, call the Library at 860-347-2528, extension 135. 

On Sunday, just down the road in Chester, the 2010-2011 Robbie Collomore Concert Series presents the Metta Quintet at 5 p.m. in the historic Chester Meeting House, on the corner of Goose Hill Road and Liberty Street.  Composed of saxophonists Mark Gross and Marcus Strickland, pianist David Bryant, bassist Joshua Ginsburg and drummer Hans Schulman, the MQ is the "resident ensemble" for JazzReach, a non-profit organization established in 1994 dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music.

Gross and Strickland are 2 bright young stars on the jazz scene while the Philadelphia-native Bryant is steadily garnering critical acclaim.  Most, if not all, of the music the group plays is original, with influences ranging from the days of be-bop to the 1960s explorations of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, as well as contemporary sounds. For more information about the concert, go to www.collomoreconcerts.org or call 860-526-5162.

I also wrote about 2 fine jazz concerts in New Haven this weekend - you can read my previews of those shows on my music blog, Step Tempest. Click here to do so!