Pia Haas

About Pia Haas

Pia Haas reviews arts events for local publications. A long-time performer/director and artistic director of academic, community, off-Broadway and regional theaters, she was adjunct professor of theatre and artistic director of The Theatre Connection at Westchester Community College and former director of press and public relations at Westchester Broadway Theatre.

Stay Grounded: Three Local Hiking Destinations to Try

February 25, 2023 by Pia Haas

Hiking or nature walking is a favorite year-round pastime for many. It is a wonderful way to reconnect with Mother Nature. It is a chance to simply breathe in the fresh air and unplug from our busy, over-programmed lives.

The many benefits of hiking include reducing stress while improving our mood. Part of the beauty of hiking is admiring the world around us, too. The experience helps us to stay grounded in the moment and focus on simple pleasures like the crisp air against our faces, the sound of the leaves rustling, the gentle babbling of a stream, or the smell of a bed of leaves on a crisp fall morning.

Mother Nature reminds us to never take a single moment for granted. At the height of the pandemic, my daily walks helped keep me both sane and fulfilled. I ventured out on the trails and discovered some local gems! These are short escapes with tremendous payoffs. Have an hour? Take one of these low-key, less-traveled hikes.

Marian Yarrow Nature Preserve

432-428 Mt. Holly Road, Katonah, NY

Located in Lewisboro, Westchester County, the preserve comprises almost 80 acres and has over two miles of trails. This lovely hike will lead you through hardwood forests made up primarily of black birch, lots of white ash, white and red oak, and large-tooth aspen trees. En route, you’ll discover wetlands, lakes, and streams.

The trails are secluded enough that most of my treks there have been blessed with peaceful solitude. It is unlikely that you’ll come across many other people while exploring this beautiful place.

When you reach Hidden Lake, stop to watch for migratory birds; pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, palm warblers, hermit thrushes, ovenbirds and indigo buntings have all been spotted here! Other lake dwellers include red-spotted newts, spotted salamanders, box and painted turtles, star-nosed moles, and mink. I encountered a beautiful fox who looked at me with soulful eyes before scampering off.

Near the lake, you will find a small stream cascading down into a 30-foot waterfall before flowing into the Indian Brook. The remainder of the preserve combines rugged and gentle terrain as well as a small meadow.

The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit any time. There is a four car parking area at the entrance. Dogs are also welcome, but must be on a leash.

Baxter Preserve

80-170 Baxter Road, North Salem, NY

This gorgeous site in North Salem, Westchester County, is 114 acres in total and has a large eight-acre pond surrounded by easy-to-walk trails. The parcel was donated by the North Salem Open Land Foundation in 1979.

With its combination of trails, forest, and meadows, Baxter preserve is a wonderful place for birding, cross-country skiing, and hiking. I’ve also seen horse-back riders and an occasional fisherman.

The trails are mostly wide and open, lined with a variety of trees including black cherry, cottonwood, maple, and apple.

The kaleidoscope of intensely colorful foliage in the fall and winter as well as the bounty of breathtaking wildflowers in the spring and summer make this a year-round wonder.

The trails are level and mostly covered with grass, which makes them easy for walking and enjoying the scenery. The main trail, called “The Racetrack”, is a 1.9-mile loop and circles the pond. It was once a place where people watched point-to-point horse races in the 1950’s.

The second trail in the Baxter Preserve diverges off the eastern part of the Racetrack; this will lead you into several more fields. Look for walnut trees, jewelweed, and even leopard frogs, another interesting inhabitant of Baxter.

Smaller trails branch off and traverse more fields in the Preserve, where wildflowers, ironweed, and purple loosestrife flourish. These trails can be marshy and wet after rain, so be prepared to step through puddles.

You can also check in on the chickens, who are usually happily clucking in their enclosure in the nearby farm.

The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.

You can find the entrance to the trails in an open field located on Baxter Road. Roadside parking is available.

Zofnass Family Preserve

258 Upper Shad Road, Pound Ridge, NY

On an astounding 127 acres in Pound Ridge, Westchester County, this beautiful preserve includes an eight-mile trail network of rocky woods, streams, and marshes. Along the trails, you will find hundreds of stepping stones for crossing streams and wetlands, a 50’ tall stone staircase, old stone walls, and even a fort. There is also the great benefit of a three-acre arboretum, which features over 250 plant species.

Anyone in need of solitude and serenity might appreciate that the preserve is not heavily traveled. It’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon walking in the forest and exploring the arboretum.

The trails are beautifully maintained and well-defined with printed educational plaques posted throughout and maps posted at major junctions, making it simple to navigate. I found it to be terrific, easy hiking, although the conditions could prove a bit challenging at some times of the year due to mud, tree roots, or uneven, rocky sections.

We are encouraged to look for wood frogs, spring peepers, yellow-throated vireos, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and wild turkeys.

Paul Zofnass, a Pound Ridge resident and member of the Westchester Land Trust’s Board of Directors, came up with the idea of creating a trail preserve here and over 10 years, put the project together. Paul and his family donated land, persuaded their neighbors to donate land, and created the impressive trail system. One of Paul Zofnass’ neighbors is Jane Pauley, after whom ‘Pauley’s Point’ was named. Another spot, ‘Trudeau’s Point of View,’ was named after her husband, cartoonist Garry Trudeau. They generously gave their land to the trust.

The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.

There are two designated parking areas which can accommodate four to five cars each.

PERSONAL SAFETY PLUS AN UPDATE ON THE COUNTY TRAILWAYS

Any time you hike, it’s best to have a buddy with you. Whatever you decide, however, always bring a fully charged phone, plenty of water, snacks, and sun block.

Some good news for hikers using the North and South County Trailway and the Bronx River Pathway: Smart Signs with QR codes have been installed at trailheads and access points. The new mile markers with municipality names make it easier for trail users to relay where they are in case of an emergency. The signage includes a 9-1-1 locator sticker and a unique QR code for the trail, so emergency services can easily locate the person in need. Be sure to make a note of the mile marker information each time you pass an Emergency SOS 9-1-1 sign along the trails.

The Donald Art Company Collection: Own a Piece of History

November 9, 2022 by Pia Haas

BY PIA HAAS AS TOLD BY VIVIEN BONNIST CORD

Vivien Bonnist Cord, a long time Armonk resident, along with her siblings, Randolph Bonnist of Norwalk, CT and Claudia Bonnist of Jackson, WY, inherited the Donald Art Company Collection from their father, Donald Bonnist, upon his retirement.

The collection of paintings are the originals from which The Donald Art Company made reproductions that were sold in all major department stores between 1940-1984.

Chances are you grew up with one on your wall.

In what follows, Vivien takes us behind the scenes of her family’s historic collection:

Donald Bonnist started The Donald Art Company from meager beginnings, and it became the largest fine art publishing business in the world in its time. I recall our father as being soft spoken, hating conflicts (especially good when I misbehaved!), and a “workaholic” who spent many years as the proverbial ‘traveling salesman’ as he believed in making personal contact with artists, suppliers, and distributors world-wide, which took him away from home way too often.

Before there was the Donald Art Company (DAC) there was M. B. & Z. Starting in 1924 Donald and his father, Maurits Bonnist, worked together to develop their art publishing business, M. Bonnist & Zonen in Amsterdam, Holland. One of their specialties was a series of movie star photo postcards for which they had the exclusive rights, and which are still sought after by collectors. Maurits Bonnist died young of a heart attack and in order to support his mother and siblings, Donald had to drop out of high school to run the business.

In 1939, Donald and Serine van Embden (an artist in her own right) came to America on their honeymoon and were unable to return to their homeland due to the escalation of WWII. This twist of fate saved their lives, as most of their family members were murdered by the Nazis.

In America, a new company was born in our parents small rented apartment in Forest Hills, NY. They worked together to pack picture orders using their bed as a table. In the mid 1940s when I was four, we moved to Larchmont and our father bought a building on Spencer Place in Mamaroneck as his first formal headquarters.

The business continued to grow and after about 20 years, when the Mamaroneck building was outgrown, our father moved DAC to Port Chester where he built the Donald Art Plaza in 1965. A 70,000 square foot building, it housed offices, warehouse space and “Gallery 90” where The Donald Art Company Collection could finally be displayed. There was also a sales office in NYC and in Los Angeles, CA. DAC developed initially as a publisher of paper art reproduction by lithography for the picture framing industry but in 1960 Donald partnered with Gus Montovano of Litho-Craft of New England to develop a technique for printing on artist canvas, textured to feel like brush strokes.

Our father could never have imagined the confusion this would create, distinguishing a canvas reproduction from an original. When I see a listing on eBay for an original matching one in our collection, I am moved to write the seller that there can only be one original. The company also developed techniques for printing on cotton, vinyl and a type of velvet material, unique to the offset lithography field.

Many internationally recognized, award-winning artists became closely associated with DAC.

Some of the most popular included Robert W. Wood (known for his Autumn scenes), Anton Pieck, whose illustrations of magical scenes capture a view of traditional Dutch city life, Florence Kroger (whom as children we often visited for tea in Nyack), Rico Tomaso, Bennett Bradbury, Henk Bos, Walter Brightwell, Guy Coheleach, Bouvier De Cachard, Peter Haywood, Jack Laycox, Maurice Legendre, and “Big Eye” style painters such as Margaret Keane and George Buckett. August Albo painted the iconic Free As The Wind, which I titled when I was 13. DAC also had the rights to reproduce old masters such as Rembrandt and van Gogh.

The company made artwork for premiums, promotions and incentives and they offered a variety of art-related products including pictures for Jigsaw puzzles. Impress Graphics was a division of DAC as was Design-R-Crafts in Fort Worth, TX, manufacturing craft kits. In 1970 CBS Broadcasting made an offer to buy the company but Serine convinced Donald that the time wasn’t right. In 1984; however, suffering with heart failure, he was ready to retire. Donald Bonnist passed away in 1986 at his home in Mamaroneck at the age of 78.

Our father left a legacy and such a wonderful gift.

With every painting I touch I feel my father, while the greatest reward comes from putting an original painting in the hands of a grateful person who has fallen in love with the copy.

We receive heart-felt testimonials from people who can’t imagine that they now own the original of the print they grew up with.

The company continued to change hands until its physical presence ceased to exist. For more information and to view the collection and read testimonials, please visit Donald-Art.com. If you are local, we would love to meet you and hand deliver your purchase.

At the Katonah Museum of Art this June/Summer, Excitement Builds Where…

June 1, 2022 by Pia Haas

•Risk-Taking Works Challenge the Status Quo

•Contemporary Intersects with Traditional

•Internationally Acclaimed Artists Exhibit

•Young Artists Blossom

•Social Tours abound, and Much More!

The Katonah Museum of Art, since breaking ground in 1990, continues to be a valuable contributor to art, education, and to the community. A local gem with intriguing, ever changing exhibitions that offer discoveries with every visit.

I asked Emily Handlin, the Associate Curator of Exhibitions & Programs, how she comes up with ideas for new exhibitions. “Often an idea comes up through books or articles I’m reading, or I’ll see a show or a work of art in a gallery or museum that I think would be interesting to put in conversation with other work or another artist.”

She likes the challenge of working “in a Kunsthalle (a museum without a permanent collection) because there are always new challenges and new things to learn–each of our exhibitions is completely unlike the one that came before.”

The current exhibition is Constant Carnival: The Haas Brothers in Context. “It explores the work of contemporary artists, Simon and Nikolai Haas, within the art historical tradition of the carnivalesque–artwork that is transgressive, challenges the status quo and social hierarchies, and celebrates the human body,” explains Handlin. It also includes work by artists like Salvador Dali, John Tenniel, Niki de Saint Phalle, and others.

The Haas Brothers are this year’s recipients of The Katonah Museum of Art’s Himmel Award, given in recognition of creators, conceivers, radical thinkers, and risk-takers that provoke new thinking in art and design. Past awardees have included: Robert Storr, Christo, André Leon Tally and Julie Taymor.

Of note, the work of Local Armonk resident and internationally represented artist, Antoinette Wysocki is exhibited in a two-person show called Natural Synergy.

The Summer will bring Tradition Interrupted, a show which examines the work of contemporary artists who are combining traditional techniques and materials with contemporary ideas. Also scheduled is the exhibition, Remy Jungerman: HigherGround. Jungerman is a Dutch-Surinamese artist whose work explores pattern and symbol across European modernism and Surinamese Maroon culture.

Margaret Adasko, the Curator of Education, who has been with KMA for nearly 20 years, shared that to engage younger audiences, she develops hands-on art activities and family gallery guides. The interactive Learning Center space also changes with each exhibition.

“We present a diverse range of exhibitions that span various time periods, art movements, material choices, and cultures.” All the while, striving to make exhibitions relevant and accessible to all through related programming, activities, tours, and bilingual materials. “We run outreach programs including ArteJuntos/ArtTogether, a bilingual family art and literacy program offered to new immigrant families and their young children.”

The goals are to overcome barriers and increase awareness and comfort in using museums as a place for informal family learning and enjoyment.

The Summer will bring weekly art making workshops and a series of monthly “Creative Community Fridays” that include Stroller Tours, Artful Family time and Senior Socials. And the annual Young Artists exhibition, in its 39th year, one of the impactful programs that supports the growth of student artists in our community, features students’ work from 40 high schools, including Briarcliff, Ossining, Byram Hills and Horace Greeley.

The Museum is architecturally unique, beautifully situated among Norwegian Spruce trees, complete with a relaxing sculpture garden. The Museum hosts three to four exhibitions each year, lectures, films, concerts, workshops, and other events for a general audience.

Admission $12 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, free for children under 12 years. Explore the current exhibitions for free on the third Thursday of every month.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Masks are required for all visitors (ages 2+), regardless of vaccination status.

Katonah Museum of Art
134 Jay St. (Route 22) Katonah, NY 10536
(914) 232-9555
katonahmuseum.org

Discover the Taconic Opera House

November 12, 2021 by Pia Haas

Daughter Of The Regiment photo by Howard Copeland

Some 24 years since its founding in 1997, the Taconic Opera company continues to delight Westchester’s opera lovers with beautifully produced performances of beloved classics as well as more contemporary operas.

Dan Montez,
General Director, Taconic Opera

Dan Montez is the founder and General Director of Taconic Opera. Under his leadership, the company strives to promote the advantages of resident-opera while offering many singers the opportunity to gain stage and repertoire experience in paid performances. The company employs area artists, most of them live in Westchester, Rockland or Putnam Counties with others coming from Connecticut and New York City. The chorus is comprised entirely of local singers. It is not, however, a typical community choir explains Mr. Montez. “People interested in joining us need some serious music and language skills and a willingness to create a professional level performance. They all train hard and sing both oratorio and opera in several languages. Most have had private voice lessons.”

Montez’s inspiration to pursue a career in music came from a high school orchestra teacher who helped him fall in love with classical music. “I played with the orchestra for four years and in various traveling ensembles. At first, I was a piano major for three years, thinking I was on track to be a concert pianist.” His first experience with opera was in college. “Someone tricked me into singing for the faculty, which resulted in a surprise scholarship. Within six months, I had the lead in their next opera. After putting on the costume and singing, I was hooked and gave up my piano scholarship to sing.” Montez received a B.Mu. from Brigham Young University in Vocal Pedagogy and his M.A. in Vocal Performance from San Jose State University.

He landed a position with Opera San Jose as their first resident, full-time tenor. During this tenure, he was asked to direct and teach at the opera program of the local university. “I loved directing. That led me to conducting and composing. I composed oratorios for the prophet Enoch, Jonah, Daniel, Job, and King David and recently, finally, Esther.”

As a professional singer he has appeared in principal roles in over 60 productions on stages including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and San Francisco Opera and performed in numerous oratorios and recitals throughout the United States. His flourishing career as a full-time operatic tenor began to take its toll, it meant being on the road 10 months of the year. “I made a difficult decision to end my full-time singing so my wife and I could stay home and raise and homeschool our kids together.” Their kids spent more time studying music and resulted in one becoming a concert pianist and his other two children becoming opera singers. Montez decided it was time to make his dream of creating a resident opera company a reality.

This company has been a true labor of love for Montez. Collaborating with him, Musical Director, Jun Nakabayashi has, since its inception, contributed to ensuring the reputation of Taconic Opera as a company that can present challenging works in the highest quality. Montez adds, “We are proud of the quality of music that we bring to our audiences. We do oratorios, operas, concertos, chamber and symphonic music, all of which are almost non-existent in Northern Westchester.”

Each year, oratorios with professional operatic soloists, full orchestra, and a classically trained chorus are performed throughout the county and at various venues. Recent performances have included Puccini’s Manon Lescaut in Italian with supertitles and full orchestra at Yorktown Stage.

The recent premiere of Montez’s own oratorio, Esther was performed at Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff. “It is a beautiful venue and they have been so nice to us as we have tried to bring classic singing back after Covid. We hope to be there in the future with other oratorios.” said Montez.

Unlike a fully staged, costumed opera, an oratorio is a choral work performed with soloists and orchestra, usually in a church. “I felt especially drawn to Esther because she is a female heroine. Jews were commanded to celebrate Purim each year in remembrance of her heroism. And yet, Handel, 300 years ago was the last person to try to compose an oratorio about her. I decided it was time to change that.”

To grow and maintain classical music’s audiences, the company strives to nurture and engage the younger listeners. Updating their operas and setting them in modern times as well as having simultaneous English translations above the stage, make them more accessible to younger audiences. They’ve also established school programs and young artist workshops, including a summer training program for young opera singers, just starting their journeys. Montez explains that “Four casts of these young singers present two complete operas to our local community every summer. Schools from all over the county are bussed in to see our fully staged operas. It is a joy to see the faces of the next generation experiencing classical music in this accessible way for the first time.”

His advice to aspiring arts professionals; “I believe in doing what you love. Being an artist full-time takes a lot of work and daily habits. If you have that, you can achieve most anything. Set your goals big. Get up when you fall and make mistakes.”

Matinee Performances of two intriguing oratorios are upcoming: Giacomo Puccini’s famous Messa di Gloria and the French composer Maurice Duruflé’s beloved Requiem. Performances at Holy Name of Mary Church in Croton-on-Hudson, on Saturday March 19, 2022, and Sunday March 20, 2022, are both at 3:00 p.m.

For more information on Taconic Opera and their upcoming performances visit: TaconicOpera.org or call 1(855) 88-OPERA (67372).

How Caramoor’s World Class Performances Resonate with its New President and CEO, Edward J. Lewis III

August 17, 2021 by Pia Haas

Edward J. Lewis III PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER

A new era for the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts has been ushered in–from the return of in-person performances to solidifying its mission of promoting classical music and embracing a variety of musical genres. In this newest era, Caramoor’s overall vision and management falls into the capable hands of Edward J. Lewis III. As the newly appointed president & CEO, Lewis has over two decades of experience in performing arts leadership.

Lewis previously served as Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he is credited with “surpassing all annual and campaign fundraising goals.” He was the Senior Director of Development at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland College Park, where he led a comprehensive fundraising program.

Walkway from Venetian Theater and the artist patio looking towards the Pavillion Terrace at Caramoor in Katonah New York on August 25, 2020.
PHOTO by Gabe Palacio

As a professional violist, he is a founding member of Baltimore’s Soulful Symphony and a former member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Sphinx Symphony, and Toledo Symphony.

At the helm of Caramoor’s executive team, Lewis will help chart the course for future growth, addressing emerging issues, long-range planning, organizational structure, policy-making and institutional budgeting. “To ensure that Caramoor is a place that reflects a broad and inclusive sense of community and that delights both artists and audiences.”

He first heard of Caramoor from radio broadcasts in the 1990s.“I recall the performances being of the highest caliber.” In October of 2020, when approached about the CEO position, he said yes, “Once I realized that everything that Caramoor offers resonates with me; world class music performances, nature and history.”

The return of live in-person music performances at the historic 80-acre estate highlights its 76th season. The gorgeous gardens and grounds are a spectacular setting for the intimate and world-class musical performances. Indoor offerings in the Spring and Fall are housed in The Rosen House, a beautiful and “acoustically perfect venue, a work of living history, made for music,” which is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The upcoming music room performances include a recital by renowned pianist Stephen Hough, a Vivaldi program by the British period-instrument ensemble The English Concert led by Harry Bicket, the Isaiah J Thompson Quartet, singer-songwriter Raul Midón, who blends flamenco, jazz, and R&B to create his distinctive sound, and a wonderful Christmas program by the vocal quartet New York Polyphony. And The Holiday Tea Musicales will be back in December.

The challenges of keeping an Arts organization thriving is ensuring that it responds to the demands of the ever-evolving creativity of artists and changing expectations of audiences. “Maintaining relevancy by developing programming that helps build new audiences while maintaining current audiences will be key,” Lewis remarked. His aim is to “fully engage with the community and culture around our organization and ensure that broader diverse audiences can hear themselves in the music and see themselves reflected back from the stage.”

Being successful in promoting classical music relies on discovering ways that entice and invite audiences to participate. To that end, he enjoys working collaboratively “with a team of passionate and accomplished creatives with the goal to help make a difference in the world.”

For Lewis, being successful has meant “being truly happy and fulfilled doing what you love while also making a positive impact for others.”

He grew up in a family that appreciated music. “I remember my mom having us do household chores while listening to opera, jazz, soul, and R&B.” A sixth-grade school trip to hear the National Symphony Orchestra, helped him realize that “I wanted to make and be part of the orchestral sound, the violin section in particular.” He tried the violin and learned that he had had natural talent and facility. “From then on, I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Caramoor is peerless with its Sonic Innovations program of sound art exhibited strategically throughout our campus. Not many other music venues have this combined richness of experiences. – Edward J. Lewis III

He became a violist, earning his Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. When asked if he and his Viola might be gracing the Caramoor stage this Season, Lewis cited his many responsibilities in leading the strategic direction and fundraising efforts at Caramoor, that would deny him practice time. “However, I look forward to sneaking into the Rosen House Music Room to play a Bach suite or two in those glorious acoustics.”

At home in Chappaqua: Edward Lewis with his partner Scott Palmer. and their cat, Sandy PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER

And how is he settling into his new home in Chappaqua? “So far we have enjoyed meals at Crabtree’s Kittle House and Ibiza; shopping at Whole Foods, the Saturday Farmer’s Market and the occasional breakfast at Bobo’s Cafe; working out at Lifetime, and several trips to Chappaqua Paint and Hardware,” He added that he and his partner, Scott Palmer are “looking forward to exploring all that Chappaqua has to offer.”

Audiences are invited to explore the lush grounds and magnificent gardens, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, tour the historic Rosen House, and discover beautiful music. In the Fall and Spring concerts are held in the Music Room of the Rosen House, and in Summer in multiple venues including Friends Field, the lovely Spanish Courtyard, and in the Venetian Theater.

Caramoor is located at, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY 10536

Call The Box Office at 914.232.1252 or visit: boxoffice@caramoor.org

Pia Haas

About Pia Haas