Mark Mandarano, Artistic Director

Blog


The Sinfonietta Auction is now LIVE!

By Mark

March 7th, 2013

Yes, indeed, you can now support great music while getting great deals!

The Loews Hollywood Hotel!

Costa Rica Vacation homes!

Mexican Coast Vacation!

A Maine Cottage 5-day stay!

Concerts, recitals, meals, restaurants, wine tastings…it’s too good to be true! Except that it is true, which you can see by clicking to view our Auction Items!

Thank you for your support!


Coming Soon…

By Mark

February 26th, 2013

The Sinfonietta’s Annual Online Auction. Stay tuned here and to the homepage for information about how to bid on vacation homes, hotel stays, restaurant certificates and more! A link will be provided that will connect you to all the Sinfonietta’s items – and every dollar helps make great music happen in the Bronx!


Now, that was cool.

By Mark

January 17th, 2013

A packed house. A successful program, performed with gusto and panache. A world premiere that felt like something beautiful, important, fun and timeless. Sweet sounds. Entertainment. Lovely voices. Old friends and new faces.

What more could you want?

The concert January 13th was a pretty cool event, I must say, outshining even my greatest expectations.

My deepest thank to Christopher Byars who wrote — in airports, in trucks, in hotels, embassies and hovels in diverse locales like Cyprus, Georgia and Afghanistan — a major work that is as delightful and fun as it is meaningful and intelligent. May it live a long life — and may I participate in its performance many times! The jazz musicians who joined us were just spectacular: Ari Roland, John Mosca, Stefan Schatz, Stefafano Doglioni and Mine Sadrazam. Terrific.

Thanks also to the great musicians and singers who made both the Riverdale Suite and Mahagonny such a joy.

A one-of-a-kind concert performed at the highest level. That’s what the Sinfonietta should be about.

See you at the next one.


Thank you, JazzWax!

By Mark

January 12th, 2013

A nice write-up of our upcoming concert with Chris Byars was posted on JazzWax, the blog of Marc Myers, respected writer and blogger about all things jazz. Pretty cool.

http://www.jazzwax.com


January 13th

By Mark

January 5th, 2013

Here is the poster for the upcoming concert. I think it captures the spirit pretty well.

poster January2

I have been receiving the score to Chris’s new suite in bits and pieces and I am thrilled to finally have the whole thing. It’s a fantastic tour of our neighborhood with vivid depictions of the bustling streets and little byways and even a trip to the library. All the moods and feelings are captured in a really deft, humorous, energetic and soulful jazz — in a myriad of styles. It’s going to be a pleasure to rehearse and perform. Although, it’s no walk in the park, musically. Everyone gets a workout. In a good way. And it’s life-affirming qualities will be the perfect foil to Weill and Brecht’s grimly ironic danse macabre, Mahagonny.

We have some incredible singers lined up for Mahagonny.

Jessie — Allison Charney, soprano (a dear friend with whom I have performed numerous times. So glad to bring her to Riverdale).

Bessie — Kristin Gornstein, mezzo-soprano

Charlie — Andrew Drost, tenor (with whom I performed at the NYCO VOX Festival and he sang Das Lied von der Erde in Riverdale back in 2009)

Billy — Stephen Campanella, tenor

Bobby — Phil Cutlip, baritone (a Riverdale resident and a fine artist)

Jimmy — Jay Baylon, bass-baritone.

What a cast. Going to be a treat!


The Green Room

By Mark

December 19th, 2012

This is it, my first blog post, which I will treat as a kind of test. I’d like to use this space is to keep everyone updated on what is happening with the Sinfonietta, the programs and its fabulous artists. In addition to that, I’d like to discuss broader issues in the arts and culture and education. So, don’t be surprised — or, perhaps I should say, I hope you will be surprised — to discover posts about Philip Roth or Led Zeppelin or U2 in addition to posts about orchestras, conducting or, say, the music of J. S. Bach. Let’s see where it takes us and I hope you enjoy the ride!

Recent Performances


OCTOBER 30, 2016

Sinfonietta at Wave Hill
P. TCHAIKOVSKY, Serenade in C
JOHN CORIGLIANO, Snapshot
OLIVER CAPLAN, Lunastella Fuga
KAREL HUSA, Divertimento

MAY 20, 2017

Immigrant Initiative Concert
works by Mozart, Verdi, Bartok and Dvorak

JANUARY 20, 2018

Songs of Innocence
AARON KERNIS, Simple Songs
GUSTAV MAHLER, Symphony No. 4 (arr. Stein)

APRIL 2018

Free Family Concert
works by Beethoven, Mozart, Anderson and more

Coming up

October 19th concert takes place at 7:00pm at:

Christ Church Riverdale

5030 Henry Hudson Parkway
(at 252nd Street)
Bronx, New York 10471

Tickets available soon.

Buy Tickets

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