The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

Byram Students Shine in Music & Art

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The Byram Hills school district has many good reasons to tout the accomplishments of its music and art students.


BHHS senior John Skiera was recently invited to play the cello as a member of the All-National Symphony Orchestra.

“It is an honor to be selected for this group and I understand it is somewhat rare. I am looking forward to playing in the orchestra and with other students from around the country. It will be quite an experience,” he said recently.

This year’s students (L-R) are Shea Gordon (Mixed Chorus), Dominique Karanfilian (Treble Chorus), and Brent Perlman (Symphonic Band).

The All-National Honor Ensembles performers represent collaboration and creativity in its highest musical form. The All-National Honor Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir and jazz ensem-ble. Students were chosen through an audition process.

Three BHHS students have also been selected to participate in New York State School Music Association All-State Ensembles. They will perform in concerts to be held at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York and work with renowned conductors and educators during the annual Winter Conference of the NYSSMA to be held from December 1-4. Students were selected based on their All-State solo performances which were adjudicated by music professionals from throughout New York State.

Some of the selected art students are shown above

Finally, adjudicators from the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, a juried show of artists, selected 22 BHHS students to display their artwork at the popular annual event, which was held Sept. 23 & 24 in

All of the students selected by the AOASH are listed here: Abby Kaiser, Angelique Sarro, Kyra Aronne, Gillian Banaszek, Ben Matza, Cameron Bremner, Carley Hershaft, Chloe Perline, Sofia Corpina, Farran Horowitz, Taylor Kirkwood, Jason Knoop, Lily Moss, Michaela Milano, Olivia Johnson, Jason Roden, Rachel Ruscigno, Sarah Huang, Dina Sokol, Danielle Stein, Sydney Chilewich, Danielle Fliegel.

Classical Music on an Autumn Afternoon with Ani Kavafian

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Internationally renowned violinist Ani Kavafian will be the featured artist in An Autumn Afternoon of Music, a benefit concert on Sunday, November 12 at the Music Conservatory of Westchester. String players from the Yale School of Music will join Ms. Kavafian in a performance of Mozart’s C Major Viola Quintet, as well as other selections from the string quartet repertoire.

Also on the program will be two works by composer and Conservatory board member Mary Lynn Marx Bianco, who grew up in Westchester and studied at the Conservatory.

The afternoon will begin with a concert at 3 p.m. in the Conservatory’s Helen Demetrios and Michael Stadther Recital Hall, followed by a reception with the artists. Ticket prices are $150 for a Premium ticket, and $100 for an Individual ticket. Proceeds from the benefit will support the Conservatory’s Scholarship, Music Therapy, and Healing Our Heroes programs.

Visit musicconservatory.org

Armonk: Where is This?

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Editor’s Note: Think you know the nooks and crannies of your town? See how many of these images you can identify. Joseph Fleisher, a rising sophomore at Horace Greeley High School, who has a passion for photography, set out to find interesting objects and places unique to New Castle. Please download our November Inside Armonk edition where you will find the answer key on page 39.

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Records Broken for Trio of Events at Chamber’s 2017 Cider and Donut Festival

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‘Twas a fun and mega successful day at Wampus Brook Park bringing together 350 walkers/runners for Jamie’s 5K Run and a record-breaking crowd on September 17, according to Stacy Wilder of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Some 1600 donuts were sold “with plenty of apple cider to wash them down with,” she added as families turned up with good cheer to enjoy old fashioned fun at the Chamber-spon-sored Cider and Donut Festival which included the Jamie’s 5K Run for Love, and the Byram Hills Preschool Association’s carnival rides and activities too. All the activities took place at beautiful Wam-pus Brook Park. An array of merchant sponsors made the day possible. Visit armonkchamberofcommerce.com for more info.

From the start of the races ‘till the very last one, supportive cheers and waving banners encouraged the runners braving warm, humid temps. At the race, the male winner was: Kevin Harvey from Fairfield, CT, with a time of 16 minutes. The women’s overall winner was Sydney Durand from Brighton, Massachusetts, with a time of 19 minutes and 26 seconds. – Grace

PHOTOS BY GRACE BENNETT

Beascake Donuts…of course!

Gratitude for the “Helpers” in Our Community

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As this issue was going to press, my Facebook feed was deluged with media coverage about the Las Vegas shootings and pleas from friends to help victims of the many hurricanes that recently struck the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. These days it is so easy to fall into a state of despair every time you turn on the news no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.

When I was a little girl, the television show “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was a perennial favorite in my house. I loved his calming voice as he took off his shoes and sang the theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. The hit television show didn’t shy away from current events of the day. Mr. Rogers used to say whenever you faced a scary or upsetting situation his mother would tell him, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

As a parent, I’m hoping to instill that sense of helping and volunteerism in my young children. Volunteering gives you gratitude (our issue’s theme by the way!) for all that you have and also provides you with a sense of purpose. It also helps to know that you can play an active role in helping someone in the face of tragedy.

That’s one of the reasons why I am so grateful to highlight our cover story on the tremendous work that the volunteers do at Northern Westchester Hospital day in and day out. Volunteer Idelle Skriloff repeats the adage that many volunteers share about their experience –“Volunteering gives me so much more than I give.”

Another wonderful volunteer organization featured in this issue is the Emergency Shelter Partnership. A consortium of 17 houses of worship in Northern Westchester band together to help provide a warm meal and a safe place for the homeless to sleep during the harsh winter months. And if you think homelessness is only an urban problem, think again. Many of the homeless who are helped through the program reside in Mount Kisco.

While the victims of the mass shooting and the hurricanes certainly need our help, remember that there are people and local organizations here in our own backyard that need your help too. And what can be more neighborly than that?

Best,
Stacey Pfeffer
Editor, Inside Press