The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Summer Concerts

Audra McDonald at Caramoor: Class Act Performance & Messages About Love

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I arrived with one of my oldest and dearest friends from high school, over the moon excited to see the Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning singer and actor Audra McDonald as the featured artist in Caramoor’s opening Saturday night concert on June 17 inside the packed Venetian Theater. Many were dressed to the nines, as a formal gala followed to celebrate and kick off Caramoor’s jam-packed 2023 summer season.

I had missed Audra’s Caramoor performance pre-pandemic, and had made a mental note: that’s not happening again! 

Photo by Gabe Palacio for Caramoor

At the very moment McDonald – in a stunning gown adorned by her long ringlets – stepped onto the stage smiling broadly to her musical director, Andy Einhorn, who smiled just as broadly right back, I could sense we were all in for a treat, a magical one, at that! 

This was the first time I had heard Audra McDonald sing. 

Aside from having a gorgeous voice, described aptly as a ‘luminous soprano’, I so enjoyed Audra’s wonderfully playful, utterly comfortable in her own skin quality, as she relayed humorous stories surrounding both the now 52-year-old mom’s very impressive childhood achievements and also (which I as a fellow mom especially enjoyed) stories about her four children and stepchildren (two 22 year olds, a 19 year old, and a six year old!), who were not all always as entranced by mom’s singing. Oh well… kids!

She was so thoughtful and inclusive in her song choices at the outset, opening the evening’s performance with I Am What I Am, and also generous in engaging the audience at so many turns, including with I Could Have Danced All Night, and at the show’s conclusion, Life is a Cabaret, which rather brought down the house. 

Audra McDonald is truly a star’s star, who graciously and gratefully acknowledged Einhorn a couple times during the evening along with offering warm words for all the members of the stellar Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Audra, I took note, also had the rapt front rows attention from the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nita Lowey and Martha Stewart.

“Love, live, dream… and then love bigger,” Audra offered at the show’s conclusion. Noted.

P.S. It was a grand event at Caramoor, which amply set the stage for another summer to remember. It’s not too late to make this a Caramoor summer. Please visit www.caramoor.org for more that’s in store!

 

Enjoy ‘A Slice of Artistic Heaven’ at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

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There’s a slice of artistic heaven I knew very little about until I attended an Open House inside its stately, historic Rosen House to get acquainted with gorgeous Caramoor–and learned about their June and summer programming as well. I had a chance to hear and meet–and even snag a selfie–with Caramoor’s new genius executive director Ed Lewis, an accomplished musician himself, who explained why he is so passionate about this Katonah-based, Hudson Valley destination.

“Art has the power to change lives,” said Lewis.

I couldn’t agree more. As an artist and musician myself, I was dazzled to discover the diversity and caliber of musical performances and the beautiful venues Caramoor has to offer. 

Indeed, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is starting its summer strong! Offering something for everyone, Caramoor is excited to host live music events all summer! With talented performers like Yo-Yo Ma & The Knights, Las Cafeteras, Pedrito Martinez, and more, you might be hard pressed to say no to their fun and magic-filled events.

Rich in History 

Consider your own tour to completely appreciate the Rosen House–the breathtaking Mediterranean-style house was built between 1929 and 1939 by Walter Rosen. Perhaps enjoy an Afternoon Tea, hear a concert in the oh-so-plush Music Room or Spanish Courtyard, or attend a fundraising event.  

This year, Caramoor will be open to the public Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 5th to August 20th for picnicking, exploring, sound art installations or for a stroll on the grounds, all free of charge. You might have to come more than once, however, so you can experience a concert at Caramoor in its different locations starting with their biggest venue: the Venetian Theater, known for its antique Verona marble columns; it offers a tented outdoor venue so even if it rains the show still goes on! 

Angelique Kidjo returns to Caramoor’s Venetian Theater Stage August 6.
PHOTO BY Gabe Palacio

Caramoor’s Friends Field boasts a new permanent stage and is a casual family-oriented area where families can enjoy a Concert on the Lawn or maybe have a picnic or just enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The Spanish Courtyard is in the center of the Rosen House and offers a great place to watch performances like classical recitals, jazz, and American root artists. 

Enjoy a Concert on the Lawn on Caramoor’s Friends Field.
PHOTO BY Gabe Palacio

Last, but certainly not least, the Sunken Garden is a breathtaking area filled with beautiful flowers, butterflies, bumblebees and so much more! This summer, Caramoor is offering three Music & Meditation in the Garden programs on Saturday mornings July 9, 16 and August 6. 

So don’t resist the impulse to save a concert date, reserve tickets, or otherwise make plans to visit and enjoy Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Just in time for summer, Caramoor is truly the perfect place to attend solo, with friends, or with family. For more information and for concert tickets or to reserve a tour of the Rosen House, visit caramoor.org.

Free Summer Evening Concerts in Armonk

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Dates/Location
July 8 • July 22 • August 5 • August 19 • September 9 • 8 PM
Wampus Brook Park • Armonk, NY

Free Admission
Admission is free . . . bring your lawn chair, your picnic basket, your family and friends.

Directions

 

 

Blues and Swing
The Swingaroos
July 8 • 8 pm

NYC/Westchester blues and swing group, The Swingaroos, entertain with their original 1930-40’s-inspired tunes as well as forgotten goodies by world-famous bandleaders Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw. Their jive is hot swing with Hollywood class and a Vaudeville spirit. Members include Kimberly Hawkey, Assaf Gleizner, Dan Glaude, and Nat Ranson.

Jazz and Soul
Charlie Lagond
July 22 • 8 pm

Co-Founder of Lagond Music School, Charlie Lagond has worked as a professional musician for over 35 years, performing around the world with artists including Chet Baker, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Mangione, The Jackson Five, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, and Kid Creole & the Coconuts, with whom he has performed at several presidential inaugural balls and at a Command Performance by request of Princess Diana.

Broadway Classics
Donaldson, Hager, Harrington,
O’Brien, and Chee
August 5 • 8 pm

Enjoy some of Broadway’s muical classics with Laura Donaldson, Daniele Hager, Liz Harrington, and Nellie O’Brien along with Katie Luekens Chan Chee as their accompanist. Ms. Hager returns from our summer concert in 2016 and Ms. Donaldson, Ms. Harrington, and Ms. O’Brien performed in The Small Town Theatre Company’s last production of “Steel Magnolias.”

Opera
New Rochelle Opera
August 19 • 8 pm

New Rochelle Opera has been thrilling audiences with imaginative full opera productions since 1985. Critics and audiences alike have praised the brilliance and professionalism of their performances. The Company’s mission is to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of live opera by providing top quality, professional opera performances to local audiences, and giving aspiring young singers an opportunity to showcase their talents in a full-length opera production.

In the event of inclement weather
our concert will move to Whippoorwill Hall
adjacent to the North Castle Public Library
just 1 block west of Wampus Brook Park.

 

SmallTownTheatre.com

for additional information and updates

North Castle Parks and Recreation along with the following sponsors have contributed generously to support this program.

Breezemont Day Camp

JMC Site Development Consultants

Lashins Development Corp

Veneziano and Associates

Faculty Practice Services

Inside Out with Opera

Pools of Perfection

Beascakes Bakery

Hickory & Tweed

The Small Town Theatre Company Summer Concerts

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Save the dates!
July 9 • July 23 • August 6 • August 20 • 8 PM
Wampus Brook Park • Armonk, NY
small town theater

Admission is free . . . just bring your lawn chair, your picnic basket, your family and friends.

Blues and Swing
The Swingaroos
July 9 • 8 pm

NYC/Westchester blues and swing group, The Swingaroos, entertain with their original 1930-40’s-inspired tunes as well as forgotten goodies by world-famous bandleaders Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw. Their jive is hot swing with Hollywood class and a Vaudeville spirit. Members include Kimberly Hawkey, Assaf Gleizner, Dan Glaude, and Nat Ranson.

Jazz and Soul
Charlie Lagond
July 23 • 8 pm

Co-Founder of Lagond Music School, Charlie Lagond has worked as a professional musician for over 35 years, performing around the world with artists including Chet Baker, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Mangione, The Jackson Five, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, and Kid Creole & the Coconuts, with whom he has performed at several presidential inaugural balls and at a Command Performance by request of Princess Diana.

Opera
New Rochelle Opera
August 6 • 8 pm

New Rochelle Opera has been thrilling audiences with imaginative full opera productions since 1985. Critics and audiences alike have praised the brilliance and professionalism of their performances. The Company’s mission is to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of live opera by providing top quality, professional opera performances to local audiences, and giving aspiring young singers an opportunity to showcase their talents in a full-length opera production.

Broadway Classics
Hager, Ibarra, Schulman, Spielman, and Johnson
August 20 • 8 pm

Daniele Hager is a NYC based actor and singer who recently portrayed the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Curtain Call and ARC Stages. Daniele is the proud founder of We Sing For The World, a music organization focused on making music accessible to communities around the world.
Juan José Ibarra performed Capulet in Romeo et Juliette for the St. Petersburg Opera in Florida. He also performed many times at New Rochelle Opera, One World Symphony, Utah Opera, Natchez Opera Festival, in roles ranging from Jochanaan in Salome to Dauntless in Once Upon a Matress, and from Ping in Turandot to Frederick in A Little Night Music.

Craig Schulman has appeared in the title roles of Jekyll & Hyde, The Phantom Of The Opera, and Les Misérables, on Broadway and around the world. He was chosen to represent the U.S. at the Les Misérables Tenth Anniversary Concert at Royal Albert Hall which can often be seen on PBS.

Lisa Spielman performs as a singer, actor, and director throughout the greater NYC area. Favorite recent projects include Les Miserables, A Minsummer Night’s Dream, Jacques Brel, Parade, and 9 to 5. She appeared as one-third of The Three Sopranos, a standing room only “Sundays at Seven” concert at Elmwood Playhouse.
Eric Thomas Johnson is an award-winning composer and music director. Credits include: Chicago, Into the Woods, The Wiz, The Drowsy Chaperone, Avenue Q, Forty-Second Street, Bye Bye Birdie, Closer Than Ever, The Cradle Will Rock, and Little Shop of Horrors. He is a member of the faculty at the Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts in NYC.

North Castle Parks and Recreation along with the following sponsors have contributed generously to support this program: Breezemont Day Camp, John Meyer Consulting, Inside Out with Opera, Beascakes Bakery, Craig Schulman Theatre Coach, Veneziano and Associates, Pools of Perfection, Hickory & Tweed

In the event of inclement weather visit the Current Season page of SmallTownTheatre.com for updates and alternate locations

Tramps Like Us

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Tramps Like Us to Kick Off Town Summer Concert Series

Chamber Head Interviews Mark Salore, 
Leader of the Band–and Chappaqua Dad!

By Robert Greenstein

Mark Salore and Brian “Bo” Ognan performing in White Plains at the 4th of July celebration at White Plains High School for a crowd of approximately 15,000 people.
Mark Salore and Brian “Bo” Ognan performing in White Plains at the 4th of July celebration at White Plains High School for a crowd of approximately 15,000 people.

The New Castle Summer Concert series is a great tradition bringing families together to celebrate community and listen to great music.  Performances will be held on Wednesday nights on July 10, 17, 24, 31. This year the Chamber is working with the Recreation & Parks Department and assisting in event planning, booking performers and improving the overall concert experience.  

Besides having lots of food vendors, this year we hope to have activities for kids, merchants showcasing their services and lots of pre-concert activities like wine tastings & happy hours. Since Tramps Like Us, www.trampslikeus.com, a very popular Bruce Springsteen tribute band, will be kicking things off on July 10th, I decide to catch up with Mark Salore, who happens to be a Chappaqua dad and leader of the band.

How was your band formed, and how many guys are in it?  

The band was formed in late 1989-1990, by the insistence of a club owner in Greenwich Village. We performed there regularly, as a classic rock band which included the music of Bruce Springsteen.  He wanted a Springsteen tribute band in his club as he had dozens of other tribute acts, but none featuring his favorite, Bruce Springsteen. Thus the forming of Tramps Like Us. The band is made up of five members.

Have you always been a Bruce Springsteen tribute band?

No. The band originally started out as a classic rock cover band/original band in the early 80s.

Are you all big Bruce Springsteen fans?

Yes everyone in the band is a big Bruce Springsteen fan, some bigger than others but you need to love the music in order to do what we do and be good at it.

How long have you lived in Chappaqua, and is anyone else in the band local?

I moved to Chappaqua in 1998. My drummer and I grew up in Ardsley and he still lives there. The other members are from New York City, New Jersey and CT.

What makes your Springsteen tribute band different from the others?

There are a few different things that I feel separates us from other Springsteen tribute bands, and there are several of them out there. First of all, I believe our musicianship is second to none.

Our keyboard player Kenneth Hope, has been composing music since the age of four. Ken’s impeccable musical credentials include studies at the Schmidt Conservatory of Music, and he has studied extensively with Maestro Stahl (conductor of the NBC Symphony Orchestra and San Diego Philharmonic Orchestra).

Our bass player Jon Sanborn, is the son of the world renowned saxophone player David Sanborn. He has played with artists such as Eric Clapton Steely Dan and Harry Connick Jr. to name a few.

Our saxophone player, Brian Ognan, has played with many major acts himself such as Sam and Dave, Hall and Oates, Taylor Dayne, Joan Jett, Georgia Satellites, Don Henley, John Entwistle and many others. Both have degrees from the Berklee College of Music.

Rudy Feinauer, our drummer, has performed or recorded big names in the music industry himself.

Mark with Carter, who goes to Grafflin, his wife, Lori, and Michael who is at Bell. Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Mark with Carter, who goes to Grafflin, his wife, Lori, and Michael who is at Bell. Photo by Carolyn Simpson

Rudy has also taught drums and percussion at colleges and public schools, as well as gives private lessons. Rudy graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Percussion from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Another thing that separates this band from other tribute bands is we do not look to impersonate or look and dress like the act that we pay tribute to. Most tribute bands look to find members who are look-alikes or impersonators of the act they are paying tribute to which seems to take precedence over musicianship and the love of the music they are playing–and the final result is that the music suffers.

Everyone in this act loves the music they play and I believe it comes across very well to the audience during our performances.

How many Springsteen songs do you play?

Our repertoire of songs is constantly growing and right now I think it’s about 120 songs.

What’s your favorite Springsteen song to perform?

I have a handful of songs that are my favorite ones to play in no particular order they are Backstreets,  Lost In The Flood, Thunder Road and Jungleland.

What’s the best venue you’ve ever played?

That’s a very tough question to answer…with almost 25 years of performing we played hundreds of different venues. Some of our favorite ones to perform at our Showcase Live in Foxborough  Massachusetts which is connected to Gillette Stadium, BB Kings in Time Square in New York City and of course the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

What’s the biggest venue you 
played at?

I believe the biggest venue or crowd we ever play too was in North Hempstead Beach Park in Long Island. We played for a Fourth of July event a few years back and there was an  estimated 15,000 people. Also, a few months back, we were featured on live TV on Fox 5’s morning Show: Good Day NY which was quite a thrill.

Have you ever met Bruce Springsteen?

Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Photo by Carolyn Simpson

The band has several direct connections to Bruce Springsteen the most notable one would be his former manager and producer Mike Appel who’s in constant touch with Bruce and is a very good friend of mine personally and big fan of the band. He has spoken to Bruce about us dozens of times and told him how good the band was in his opinion. On one occasion Mike brought Bruce to one of our performances at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Unfortunately, in this case, the show was sold out and there was a long line of people waiting to get in. Bruce decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to go in at that point as it may cause a problem with the crowd control. I met him after that show at a bar a few blocks down from the Stone Pony and had a nice long conversation with him. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have been invited to several shows as a VIP guest and was invited backstage. I have met all the members of The E Street Band on several occasions.

How many Springsteen concerts have you been to?

Not as many as people would think. I know dozens of people who’ve been to hundreds of Springsteen concerts and a lot of people I meet ask me that same question. I would probably have to say since seeing him first in 1978, I have seen him a total of 30 to 35 times.

What advice would you give to kids who are starting a band?

Be persistent and dedicated as it’s very hard when you start out. Pick a handful of your favorite songs and try to learn them as best as possible. I think it’s important to play original music as well but before one could get to that step I believe they need to be able to perform songs that they like and understand the whole concept of music the way it’s written and performed and go from there. Also, If you do not study with the teacher, ask friends or parents for  help if it is available as I did when I was growing up. I was fortunate to have an older friend who played guitar and was able to teach me some things that I could not figure out by myself. That went a long way for me as anytime I hit a stumbling block, my friend was there to get me back on track.

I grew up a huge Jimi Hendrix fan, and anyone knowing his music knows just how incredible his guitar playing was as well as very complicated and original unlike anyone before him. I spent hours and hours in high school sitting in my room trying to learn Hendrix songs that today, you can just go to YouTube and watch a free instructional video of how to play whatever song you’d like. I would suggest that kids take advantage of this free technology with whatever instrument they are playing. I wish I had that available when I was just getting started.

How do you balance your music with other obligations–wife, children, job, coaching your kids sports?

I’m not really sure how I do it? I somehow find the time to be able do the all the bookings, managing, promotion, PR, website, newsletters, etc. for the band, which is a great deal of work. I do have a very good support system at home. My wife does all the bookkeeping and accounting, as well as shuffling our kids to and from sports on the weekends when I sometimes disappear for 2 or 3 days at a time. I have two sons, ages 12 and 10, and I feel extremely lucky to be able to coach them in football, basketball and baseball in whatever spare time I can create. I am a very busy guy, but it’s all good… No complaints here!

Besides your concert on July 10 to kick off the Summer Concert series in Chappaqua, any other big concerts coming up?

We have a rare local gig at a brand new smaller intimate type venue in Mt. Kisco called MTK Tavern on Friday, June 14th in which I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot of my friends from town.

Our summer schedule is packed with a lot of outdoor summer concerts in the tri-state area and several private country club events in and around Westchester, as well as some corporate family parties. We are also doing a few fundraising events as well. We have a big fundraising concert that is in the works for Sandy Hook, CT on July 27. You can always find our latest schedule on our website: www.trampslikeus.com.