Anthony Morss, in Memoriam
Conductor, Pianist, MCNY President, Vice President, Board Member
First Walter Damrosch Award Recipient (2018),
Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Jurist
Maestro Anthony Wentworth Morss served on the Musicians Club of New York's Board of Directors from 1975 until his death on August 6, 2018. He was the president of the Club from 2010-2012, a frequent jurist on the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, and the recipient of the first Walter Damrosch Award.
Click on the following image to link to Maestro Morss's August 19, 2018, obituary in The New York Times (https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=189985814) - it has a guest book to leave your memories:
Click image to go to The New York Times obituary
On May 5, 2018, Maestro Anthony W. Morss became the first recipient of the Musicians Club of New York's Walter Damrosch Award for his lifelong contributions to the world's musical life. It was awarded in absentia because he was in the hospital. At the June 28, 2018, Board of Directors Meeting, Maestro Morss was able to attend and presented the following letter to the Club, first reading it aloud. Fortunately, the meeting was recorded. Click on the video below to hear Maestro Morss address the Board:
In addition to his extraordinary musical career, which traversed the world, he knew and learned from Serge Koussevitzky from an early age, long before his widow, Madame Olga Koussevitzky, became president of the Musicians Club of New York and donated substantial sums towards the foundation of the Club's competitions in her husband's name. Click below for a substantial interview of Maestro Morss on Maestro Kossevitzky:
Maestro Anthony W. Morss on Serge Koussevitzky - PDF
In 2016, SHARP magazine featured Maestro Morss in its article on setting the pitch for music. Maestro Morss was influenced and intrigued by Verdi and others, who tried to standardize on A432 Hz, instead of what ultimately became the standard A440 Hz:
Click image to go to SHARP magazine
Anthony Morss's intellect led him beyond music - he was an avid reader of, well, everything, it seemed. There didn't seem to be a signifcant subject that he didn't have facts, theories and views about. All of his searching seemed to reaffirm and strengthen his empathy for others, particularly the poor and the sick and the garden we call earth. He was a religious man and despite an imposing exterior - tall, handsome, authoritative in stature and delivery, the facts on his fingertips - he was humble, a very good listener, and an extraordinary thinker. Here is an example on youtube of Anthony Morss expounding on:
Folklore And Historical Truth In Biblical Times
The New York Times obituary, link above, gives an outline of his career, but I would add these two highlights that appear in the Boston Globe obituary, and were a part of Maestro Morss' curriculum vitae as noteworthy milestones:
In 1978, Mr. Morss led a production of the Marseilles Opera with Marton, Aragall and Wixell. At Tully Hall, in 1990, he conducted a concert version of Fidelio with original instruments, the first such performance of standard repertory opera in New York.
The following note was received from the niece of Maestro Morss:
Requests for further additions to this memorial page can be submitted to the Board of Directors through info@musiciansclubofny.org.
Brian Hunter
Tenor, Composer, MCNY Vice President
MCNY Executive Director, 2018-2022, MCNY President 2008-2010, 2012-2018,
Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Jury 2008-2010, 2012-present
From 1981-1991, Brian Hunter performed the great liturgical and secular polyphonic repertoire with the Welch Chorale of St. Philip Neri Church in the Bronx. During that time, he completed a Bachelors of Arts (music), a Masters of Teaching in Music (violin), and a second Bachelors in Computer Science at Lehman College in the Bronx. He received the Charles W. Hughs Scholarship with his bachelors and the Emile Anders Choir Award with his bachelors and again with his masters.
In 1992, he moved to Manhattan and studied with the impresario Joseph H. Conlin and the French Canadian soprano Jeannine Morand, a student of Bernardo De Muro, whose technique was in the bel canto tradition. He also studied with tenor Sir John van Kesteran, and Broadway coaches Fred Silver and Stanley Sonntag. He studied and performed opera early in his career, learning and performing roles with Nico Castel (Alfredo/La Traviata, German operetta arias), Tony Amato at Amato Opera (Almaviva/Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rudolfo/La Boheme, Tamino/Magic Flute, Box/Cox and Box) and Anton Guadagno at Palm Beach Opera (Trin/La Fanciula del Oest, Sargeant/Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rodrigo/Otello, Ernesto/Don Pasquale). But his career as an Irish tenor and his concert and cruise work became the focus of his career fairly early on.
In addition to performing, Brian worked with Joseph Conlin as a musical impresario and in travel management, presenting hundreds of concerts and scores of cruise music programs, as well as working for both the Palm Beach Invitational and the Cincinnati World Piano Competitions. During this time, he hired and shared billing with many stars of the operatic and concert world, including Oxana Arkaeva, Rebecca Copley, Victoria Livengood, Boris Martinovich, Sherill Milnes, Roberta Peters, and Michael Svetlev. Since Mr. Conlin's passing in 2007, Brian has continued his impresario work, especially through the Musicians Club of New York.
Brian became the president of the Musicians Club of New York for the 2008-09 season and remained through 2009-10. After a stint as Concert & Artists Director for Steinway & Sons, he returned as president from 2012-13 through 2017-18. During those years, he increased funding to replace the Club's depleting endowment through a fall membership drive, end of year drive, and the Joseph H. Conlin Benefit Gala in the spring. He organized the free concert series to include the Dorothy Indenbaum Member-Composers Concert, the Dear Composers Concert, the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Finals, the prize winners' concerts, and the Walter Damrosch Award. In 2018-19, he became the Club's first executive director.
Declaration of Dependence - Suite Jesus: I. Rest, II. Give, III. Put, IV. Lo echsar; music and lyrics by Brian Hunter; Brian Hunter, tenor; Yue Chu, piano
The Musicians Club of New York Dorothy Indenbaum Composers Concert, March 18, 2018, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Declaration of Dependence - Marriage: I. The Same Great Love Song, II. The Wedding Song, III. I Depend on You, IV. In Good Times or Bad, music and lyrics by Brian Hunter; Brian Hunter, tenor; Bonnie McAlvin, flute; Andrey Tchekmazov, cello; Richard Dowling, piano.
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 21, 2015, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City.
Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Scene from "Song O' My Heart" (Fairy Story by the Fire, Mighty 'lak a Rose) Brian Hunter, tenor, Jeremy Weissman, piano.
Musicians Club of New York Presents Brian Hunter and Jeremy Weissman, Saturday, March 18, 2012, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Berceuse (Lullaby) from Jocelyn by Benjamin Godard, Brian Hunter, tenor, Yuri Vodovoz, violin, Richard Dowling, piano.
Musicians Club of New York's First Annual Joseph H. Conlin Benefit Gala, May 7, 2009, Steinway Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Four Songs of Mira J. Spektor -; music by Mira J. Spektor; Brian Hunter, tenor; Jean-Paul-Bjorlin, piano
The Musicians Club of New York Dorothy Indenbaum Composers Concert, March 24, 2019, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Love-Songs, At Once Tender and Informative", poems of Samuel Hoffenstein, music by Alexander Dmitriev; Brian Hunter, tenor, William McNally, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
“Ode to the City of Cologne”, music by Leonard J. Lehrman; text by Samuel Tyler Coleridge, Brian Hunter, tenor; Leonard J. Lehrman, piano.
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, April 4, 2014, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Links to other video files of Brian Hunter:
MCNY Presents "Ah, Moon of My Delight", Brian Hunter, tenor, Jeremy Weissmann, piano, March 18, 2012
MCNY Presents "Four Green Fields", Brian Hunter, tenor, Jeremy Weissmann, piano, March 18, 2012
Danny Boy, Brian Hunter, tenor; Louis Menendez, piano. 2009.
Beverly Wright, in Memoriam
Concert and Artist Manager, Emeritus MCNY Board of Directors
Beverly Wright spent a lifetime in concert and artist management. Through her company, Beverly Wright & Associates, Inc., Beverly worked with hundreds of classical instrumentalists and ensembles at every level, from small venues to the largest halls of New York. Through the Musicians Club of New York, she was a generous contributor of her time and experience to young artists, and a consistent advisor to its competitions and concert series. She is also responsible for bringing a number of Members to the Club, including Paul Kirby and Per Brevig.
Paul H. Kirby
Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Past MCNY Treasurer,
Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Jurist
To visit Paul's Store, click here.
Composer/conductor Paul H. Kirby has served as music director and conductor of the Central Iowa Symphony, Iowa State University Symphony, Houston Youth Symphony and Ballet, and several other musical organizations. He holds degrees in music from the City University of New York (Doctor of Musical Arts), the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Rice University, with additional study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has been the recipient of a wide range of commissions including ballet, choral, organ, musical theatre, sonatas, and symphony. His musical arrangements, compositions, discography and resume are listed at http://library.newmusicusa.org/PaulHKirby.
He is also keenly interested in supporting his fellow composers. In addition to sharing his financial expertise with the Musicians Club of New York as its Treasurer for over 20 years, he also served as the first Chairman of the Musicians Club's re-instituted Member/Composers Committee, and has become a regularly featured composer and performer at its annual concert.
Songs without Words for Clarinet and Piano......................................... Paul H Kirby
Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; Mika Sasaki, pianoScherzo/Blues for String Quartet......................................... Paul H Kirby
Julia Suh, violin; Johnna Wu, violin; Carrie Frey, viola; Helen Newby, celloThe Musicians Club of New York's March 24, 2019, Dorothy Indenbaum Composers Concert, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Piece for French Horn and Piano......................................... Paul H Kirby
Bert Hill, French horn; Paul Kirby, pianoThe Musicians Club of New York's 2018 Member-Composers Concert, March 18, 2018, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"A Castaway in Costa Rica", poem by Ilsa Gilbert, music by Paul H. Kirby; Darcy Dunn, Mezzo-Soprano; Bonnie McAlvin, Flute; Chi-Ching Lin, Conga Drums; Adrian Bridges, Guitar; Paul Kirby, piano
The Musicians Club of New York's 2017 Musicians Club of New York Member-Composers Concert, March 11, 2017, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"On the Beach at Fontana", text by James Joyce, music by Paul H. Kirby; Nitya Thomas, soprano, Paul H. Kirby, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"A Moment", text by Beth Bowden, music by Paul H. Kirby; Nitya Thomas, soprano, Paul H. Kirby, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Reflected in My Eyes", text by Beth Bowden, music by Paul H. Kirby;
Brian Hunter, tenor, Paul H. Kirby, pianoMusicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Mercedes in League with the Spirits of the Earth", music by Paul H. Kirby; book and lyrics by Brian Ross; Nitya Thomas, soprano; Mara Waldman, soprano; Brian Hunter, tenor; James Parks, baritone; Paul Kirby, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 21, 2015, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Fugue for solo flute, Paul H. Kirby, composer, Bonnie McAlvin, flute
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 21, 2015, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Fiona's Lullaby", music by Paul H. Kirby, lyrics by Richard Simson; Brian Hunter, tenor; Paul Kirby, piano
Musicians Club of New York's Joseph H. Conlin Benefit Gala, May 2, 2015, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"MCNY Rag", composed and performed by Paul H. Kirby
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, May 4, 2014, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Rob Rag", composed and performed by Paul H. Kirby
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, May 4, 2014, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Paul H. Kirby, oboe, performs "Sleepy Shepherd" by Dorothy Kirby for the Musicians Club of New York
Musicians Club of New York's 2016 Joseph H. Conlin Benefit Gala and Award Ceremony on May 7, 2016. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Robert P. Rainier, Treasurer
Bob Rainier had a long career in New York City as an executive in the publishing industry. He worked in
sales, marketing, and editorial acquisitions for McGraw Hill’s college textbooks division, rising to Editor-
in-Chief. He went on to hold the position of Vice President at CBS College Publishing, where he was in
charge of all product development for Holt Rinehart and Winston and other imprints. More recently, he
supervised publishing operations for the 350,000 member American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, including serving as Publisher for the well-known Journal of Accountancy. After retiring
from that organization, he ran is own consulting company for several years.
Along the way, Rainier served as volunteer treasurer for several not for profit entities including a local
church, a busy New York City choir, and a national organization for publishing professionals in addition
to the Musicians Club of New York. He went on to be president of two of these organizations. Since
arriving in the New York City area in 1964, he has been an avocational musician, first as a trombonist,
then as a member of choirs collaborating with well-known performing arts groups in the city. He holds a
Master’s Degree in Music History and Literature from Northwestern University.
Jackie Baskin, Board Member
Jackie is a television producer specializing in documentary journalism. She produces shows that have appeared on ABC, Showtime, CNN, National Geographic, and OWN. She has worked on “This is Life with Lisa Ling” on CNN and an independent documentary on the garment industry in Bangladesh. She won an EMMY for her work on ABC’s 20/20. Jackie has been and member of MCNY for many seasons and has been a strong advocate, encouraging support for the organization. Jackie is interested in helping Musicians Club of New York modernize its website and in helping the organization recruit younger members and supports to ensure its longevity.
Richard Nadelman, Board Member
Richard Nadelman is a retired lawyer and music aficionado. He has strong interest in both classical music
and jazz and has taken piano lessons throughout his life. His repertoire includes chamber music and 20th
century music.
His mission with Musicians Club of New York involves assisting the club in a variety of ways.
Kermit Moore, in Memoriam
Cellist, Composer, Conductor
Kermit Diton Moore (1929-2013) was an extraordinary talent and a reliably inventive Member and Board Member of the Musicians Club of New York. Below are links to Musicians Club concerts that he curated and performed in, his obituary, articles and performances of this great classical musician. Please make suggestions for further links by emailing: bhunter@musiciansclubofny.org.
James Cohn (1928-2021) in Memoriam
Composer
James Cohn was born in 1928 in Newark, New Jersey and died on June 12th, 2021. He attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City graduating with two degrees in Composition. His principal instructor was Bernard Wagenaar. Of Note – Mr. Cohn’s entrance exam for Juilliard was to write a Fugue. He wrote a Double Fugue and was immediately given a scholarship for all years of study. He has written solo, chamber, choral and orchestral works, and his catalog includes four string quartets, six piano sonatas and nine symphonies. Some have won awards, including a Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Prize for his Symphony No. 2 (premiered in Brussels) and an A.I.D.E.M. prize for his Symphony No. 4 (premiered in Florence, Italy). Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony introduced the composer’s Symphony No. 3 and “Variations on The Wayfaring Stranger", and his opera The Fall of the City won an Ohio University Opera Award. He has had performances at Lincoln Center in New York, at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and world-wide use of his music commissioned for television and cinema.
Mr. Cohn’s latest completed works were his Trio for the Palisades Virtuosi Ensemble for Flute, Clarinet and Piano, a Concertino for Oboe, Bassoon and String Orchestra for Professor Sasha Enegren, “A Musical Joke” for Solo Bassoon for Bassoonist, Scott Pool, Variations on a Gershwin Song for Clarinet and Piano for Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu, Sonata for Cello and Piano for Marcel Krasner, Cello and Dasha Bukhartseva, Piano, Variations on “Turkey in the Straw” for piano prodigy, Maxim Lando and Concerto for English Horn and String Orchestra for Maestro Pedro Diaz, Principal English Hornist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York.
At the last part of his life, Mr. Cohn seemed to have been in “Flute” Mode. Of the last three commissions, all involved the Flute. The first was for A Trio for Palisades Virtuosi, the second for Jerene Weitman, who commissioned a work for her Ensemble – Flutissimo – It is entitled “Tick-Tock Fantasy for 3 Flutes and Piano.” Mr. Cohn’s last commission involving Flute was from Carla Auld, who commissioned a Concertino for Flute & String Orchestra. This work for Flute & Strings was premiered at the Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia at West Chester, PA, on March 5th, 2022. Some of his last commissions included a Flute Quartet for Sally Shorrock, Principal Flutist for the Cante Libra Ensemble, Fiesta Latina for the Quintet of the Americas and Fanfare and March for the St. Thomas Orchestra in Mamaroneck, NY.
Many previous commissions were from Caroline Hartig, former President of the International Clarinet Association, for Klezmer Fantasy for Clarinet and Piano; Argentinean pianist Mirian Conti, for Piano Concerto #1; Quintet of the Americas for numerous works for woodwind quintet; Kathy Judd from the Artists Village at Mt. Gretna, PA, for the Mount Gretna Suite; Violinist Eric Grossman for his 3rd Sonata for Violin and Piano; The McKim Fund from the Library of Congress for Concerto Da Camera to honor the 400th anniversary of the friendship between the United States and the Netherlands; the SAI Sonatina for the Tulsa Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, to honor the 75th anniversary of their receiving their Charter; and “Caprice” for the 30-piece clarinet ensemble, Claribel, conducted by Maestro Guido Six of Oostende, Belgium.
The New York Premiere of Mr. Cohn’s Concertino for Flute and Strings will be at the New York Flute Club on April 23rd, 2022.
Mr. Cohn’s 3 Pieces for Clarinet Alone will be performed at Scandanavia House in New York on April 24th, 2022
His 9th Symphony will be premiered in Great Neck, N.Y. in fall of 2022.
Mr. Cohn was honored to have been profiled in the April 2019 issue of the B’nai B’rith International Magazine.
Mr. Cohn’s music is available on The Naxos American Classics label, MSR Music Classics and the XLNT Music label.
All Reviews are available.
Website: www.jamescohnmusic.info
Jean Townsend
Lawyer, Board of Directors, Dear Composers Concert Chairman
Jean Townsend was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where her father was a federal government official. She has lived and worked in Manhattan most of her adult life. After receiving a Master's Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and a Certificate of Completion from the Radcliffe College Publishing Course (Cambridge, MA), she began her professional career as an educator, where she was engaged for nearly a decade in experimental and innovative basic literacy skills programs in the public schools of Boston and New York City as a teacher, teacher-trainer, and writer/editor of related curriculum and materials. In this latter capacity, she worked for educational publishers, including a year with the renowned Education Development Center in Cambridge/Newton, MA, which at that time was developing Man: A Course of Study, the brainchild of the late eminent Harvard cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner.
At age thirty, on the wave of social change, Ms. Townsend entered law school, graduating cum laude with a J.D. from New York Law School in lower Manhattan, where she had been an Articles Editor on the Law Review, and where she had landed internships with the New York State Attorney General and with a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Her legal career was in the field of litigation, having gained much of her training in researching the law and writing briefs while an Associate at the elite Park Avenue firm of Kaye, Scholer [now called Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP].
In the 21st century, Ms. Townsend came out of retirement to marry the gifted composer and musicologist Douglas Townsend, a native of Manhattan, who was still actively engaged in the world of classical music. Ms. Townsend assisted him in many aspects of his late career, including the maintenance of his voluminous and active archive. Together they created a presence for Townsend on social media, including YouTube, Facebook, and InstantEncore, a promotional activity which involved the writing and editing of biographies and program notes, as well as the production of photographs and videos for posting online. They also coproduced live concerts, including the SOCIAL NETWORKING CONCERTS, an innovative series of annual concerts founded by Townsend to showcase living composers, held at Saint Peter's Church in mid-Manhattan, and recorded and videotaped for broadcast to a world-wide audience.
After Townsend passed on August 1, 2012, Ms. Townsend continued to maintain his archive and to forge ahead with similar promotional activities on her own, or in collaboration with others. A Five-Year Retrospective (from 8/1/12 to 8/1/17) revealed there to have been at least 229 posthumous performances of Townsend's original compositions and editions/arrangements in venues across the U.S. and Canada, extending to Argentina, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, New Zealand, Indonesia, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Greece, and Hungary. Ms. Townsend herself had spearheaded over 40 premieres of his original compositions posthumously (some world, some state, and some country premieres), speaking at about half of them and attending about three-quarters of them. Through collaboration she had posthumously co-produced several AllTownsend concerts in Manhattan, at such venues as the DiMenna Center for Classical Music (where Townsend's Memorial Service was held), The Concert Space at Beethoven Pianos, the Nagle Street Y, the New York Public Library Hamilton Grange Branch, and the Holyrood Episcopal Church. At Saint Peter's Church in midtown, she was the sole producer of Townsend's Fourth Annual Social Networking Concert, an event she and Townsend were in the process of preparing at the time of his passing. In 2019 and 2022 she collaborated with the Musicians' Club of New York on an annual series of concerts entitled DEAR COMPOSERS, presented at the Victor Borge Hall in midtown Manhattan's Scandinavia House. (The Covid pandemic necessitated a two-year pause in the series.)
Throughout her life Ms. Townsend has enjoyed participating in and supporting the world of music and art. As a child she took piano and ballet lessons, and sang in the children's choir at Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. She also painted and wrote poetry, winning an honorable mention in a Jr. Scholastic Poetry Contest after her 6th grade teacher entered one of her poems (unbeknownst to her). She believes that art and music should be an essential and vital part of every child's education.
Bixby Kennedy
Clarinetist, Arranger, MCNY Executive Director
First Prize, 2019 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards
Admired for his “marvelous ringing tone” (Joseph Dalton, Albany Times Union) Bixby Kennedy is one of the most versatile clarinetists of his generation. He has performed concerti with the Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Bloomington Sinfonietta, and New Haven Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Bixby has performed throughout the US and Europe in venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, Marlboro Music Festival, and is the clarinetist for the “explosive” New York City based chamber ensemble Frisson. He has appeared as a guest artist with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, Bixby has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the MET Opera. On period instruments, Bixby has performed classical repertoire on original and replica instruments throughout the US with Grand Harmonie Orchestra. He is a former member of Ensemble Connect and works as a teaching artist throughout the US. As an arranger, his works have been performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Schumann, Frisson, Ensemble Connect, and Symphony in C. He loves traveling, trying new foods, laughing, hiking, and playing tennis.
Bixby Kennedy, clarinet, and Mika Sasaki, piano, in the Winner's Concert of Bixby Kennedy, Clarinet. Mr. Kennedy is the
First Prize Winner of the 2019 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards for woodwinds/brass.
01:29 Per Brevig on the passing of Ada Kopetz-Korf, pianist, teacher and long-time Board Member
02:40 Per Brevig introducing artists Songs without Words for Clarinet and Piano (world premiere) by Paul H. Kirby
03:39 I. Playful (b. 1946)
06:03 II. Lazy Afternoon
08:16 III. Ragtime
09:48 IV. Prayer
11:29 V. Reflections
14:38 Bixby Kennedy on Kirby, Stravinsky and Rowe pieces Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
18:38 I. Sempre piano e molto tranquillo
20:35 II. 1/8th note =168
21:57 III. 1/8th note =160 Triptych (world premiere) by Will Rowe (b. 1992)
23:18 I. dance-like, playful, capricious
25:00 II. wavy, calm, fluid
28:57 III. bouncy, rugged, rhapsodic Fantasiestücke, op. 73 by Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
31:43 I. Zart und mit Ausdruck
35:16 II. Lebhaft, leicht
38:54 III. Rasch und mit Feuer Three Preludes by George Gershwin (1898-1937), arr. Charles Neidich (b. 1953)
44:02 I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
45:56 II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
49:40 III. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
51:16 Bixby Kennedy on Bernstein Sonata for clarinet and piano by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
52:29 I. Grazioso
56:46 II. Andantino – Vivace e leggiero
1:04:08 Sonata for clarinet and piano by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
1:06:02 I. Allegro Tristamente
1:11:56 II. Romanza
1:17:05 III. Allegro con Fuoco
1:21:12 Per Brevig chat with artists.
Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza. info@musicansclubofny.org.
Mara Waldman
Pianist, Soprano, Conductor, Composer, MCNY Board of Directors,
Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Jurist
Mara Waldman graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Masters' Degree in piano, where she studied with Zenon Fishbein, and continued her piano studies with Raymond Lewenthal and Genia Robinor. She made her Carnegie Recital Hall debut to critical acclaim, and was a winner in the New York Chopin Foundation Council International Auditions and the International Piano Recording Competition for her recording of Dello Joio's Third Piano Sonata. Her recordings of music by Vittorio Rieti for solo piano are published by Columbia Records. She made her conducting debut with the Bel Canto Opera Company, New York City, led many critically successful performances and was its artistic director for two years. She went on to be cover conductor for New York City Opera’s production of Boito's Mefistofele and for the national tours of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La Traviata. For six summers she was guest conductor, soloist and teacher with the NewoperafestivaldiRoma, and has conducted Don Giovanni, Falstaff, La Boheme, Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute for them. She also performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the festival orchestra.
Since 2007 Ms Waldman holds the position of Chorus Master and Associate Conductor for the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. In 2012 she conducted Gianni Schicci for them. Ms Waldman is Music Director and Conductor of the Encompass New Opera Theatre, devoted to the presentation and development of new American theater works. She was a chorus master for the New York Grand Opera’s Viva Verdi! festival and has performed many opera concerts and prepared many productions for Maestro La Selva, as well. She is past president of the Leschetizky Association, the New York Singing Teachers' Association and Joy in Singing. Ms Waldman has been a coach at the AIMS program in Graz, Austria and directed the Opera Arts Workshop at the 92nd St. Y for three years. She is currently on the faculty of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus where she teaches private voice, and is a certified instructor in Somatic VoiceWork, the Lovetri Method™.
In 2003 Ms Waldman was the Composer in Residence for the Golden Fleece Composers Theater, which presented the premier of her comic opera Love in the Office. The premier of her piano solo work Fantasy on 'Adamant' was reviewed by The New York Times as a "thick-textured neo-Lisztian display piece" and her quintet for voices and instruments Sappho and Aphrodite has been presented by the Aviva Players, the New York Composers Association and NYSTA. Other compositions include settings of Four Sonnets of Shakespeare for tenor and piano recently performed on the Leschetizky Association Live Music, Live Composers concert, sung by Adam Klein, Tres Canciones Sobre Amor y Naturaleza and a song cycle for soprano and piano titled My Closet: Hats, Heels and Other Horrors! which was premiered at Weill Hall by Jeanné Brown, winner of the Center for Contemporary Opera International Opera Singers competition.
Dorothy Indenbaum, In Memoriam
Pianist, Teacher, Author, Past President of the Musicians Club of New York
Past president and long-serving Board of Director of the Musicians Club of New York, Dorothy Indenbaum, PhD., devoted her life to music and music education. Throughout her career as a pianist, musicologist and lecturer, she was a champion of living composers. She served on the Board of The Aviva Players, an organization dedicated to the promotion of women composers, for 25 years and was their long-serving Associate Artistic Director. Her books (still available through Amazon) include The Joy of Creation: The Story of Clara Schumann, and Gifted Sister: The Story of Fanny Mendelssohn, and she was a contributor to Grove’s Dictionary of Women Composers. As the long-serving Music Director of the classical concert series at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan, she insisted that at least one woman composer's work be included in every concert.
Formerly on the faculties of The Dalcroze School of Music and Hunter College, Dr. Indenbaum served until her death in 2014 as chairman of The Dalcroze School of Music Board of Trustees. As a licensed Dalcroze clinician she led workshops at Washington and Tulane Universities, Montclair, Wagner and Manhattanville Colleges. She held a bachelor of arts from Brooklyn College, a master of science from Queens College, and a doctorate from NYU.
Dorothy was honored at the Musicians Club of New York's December 12, 1992, Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert for her research into the music and life of Mary Howe. (December 12, 1992 Concert, honoring Dorothy Indenbaum Scholarship). After her death, the Musicians Club of New York named its annual Member-Composers concert the Dorothy Indenbaum Composers Concert, with one rule: at least one composer must be a woman.
Click here for the link to the New York Times online obiturary.
Bruce Lee Kubert, In Memoriam (1918-2010)
PAST MCNY President
Bruce Lee Kubert (1918-2010) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was an alumnus of Poly Prep '36 and Yale University '40. He retired from the US Navy as Lieutenant Commander, having served during WWII as the Communications Officer aboard the USS Brooklyn. After returning to New York City, he became Chief Executive Officer of Paper Sales Corporation. He was a life long fan and avid supporter of the performing arts. Among the many activities he dedicated his passion to were serving as president of the Musicians Club from 1981 to 2005 - the longest serving president in the Club's history - and as Chairman of the Musical Affairs and Special Events Committees at the University Club, both of New York.
Joseph H. Conlin, In Memoriam (1928-2007)
Impresario, Past MCNY President
Joseph H. Conlin, 79, New York impresario, died on Monday, March 5, 2007, in West Palm Beach, FL, while still serving as the President of the Musicians Club of New York. Involved for decades in the Musicians Club of New York's concerts and competitions, as president he is credited with reinstituing a regular concert series, the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, and the Koussevitzky International Recording Awards. But his accomplishments went far beyond the Club's borders:
New York Times obituary:
A kindly, imposing man of great wit, charm, and generosity -and an excellent ballroom dancer who possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and piano repertoire -he suffered an aneurism behind the right knee in May of 2002, which led simultaneously to an amputation and kidney dialysis. With heroic cheerfulness, he continued to support his friends and clients from his electric wheelchair, building up his concert management and travel agency as a legacy for tenor and composer Brian Hunter, his partner for the last 15 years. After graduation from Columbia University, several years at NBC, and a stint in the US Army, he worked for John R. Fitzgerald of Rye Beach, NH, the largest purveyor of novelties in the world. In the 1950s, he established Conlin Associates, which became one of America's premier concert-management firms, responsible for numerous contracts in the U.S. of such European artists as Carlo Bergonzi, Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, and Ferruccio Tagliavini. Among his list of high-level cultural events were the first American recital of Renata Tebaldi at the Old Met, the American Farewell Concert Tour of the 65-year-old Beniamino Gigli, and the 1955 sensational Carnegie Hall recital of Jussi Bjorling when other presenters were afraid of the great tenor's alcoholism. An expert judge of musical talent, Conlin adjudicated numerous piano and vocal competitions across the country. In the 1980s, he served as general manager of the Palm Beach Opera and executive director of the Chopin Foundation of the US, in Miami."
In Memory of JOSEPH H CONLIN, February 12 1928-March 5,2007 by Barbara (Miller) and Marko Lampas
Joseph was like a flame that we all gathered around for warmth and companionship as we listened to him spin his wonderful tales. I know all who were close to him considered themselves to be among his best friends and it is true-he had so many, each one with their own special personal attachment be it fifty years long or one year. We consider them all our friends.
He was my favorite dance partner ( a great dancer) and we glided across the ballroom floors many times through the years.
Marko knew him 10 years before I met him and they used to sing together on the street (I joined in later on), on long car trips, in Opera clubs and restaurants, on the stage and in his lovely living room. We visited Florida, the Auto Shows, talked about the best cars (LINCOLNS), and always ate the best chocolate and pastries among other delicious morsels.
He had a gift for gab in the most elegant manner, was a great debater and his stories about his dealings with the great singers, Gigli, Bjorling, Del Monaco, Tebaldi,, Bergonzi (you notice it’s heavy on the Tenor side) always kept us wide eyed in amazement.
He was generous with his friendship and his love and encouragement. What shall we do without him? We are left with an empty space in our hearts, but our memories will be ever full. Orator, Storyteller, Tenor , Pianist, Bon Vivant, “A Renaissance Man”, but above all: A TRUE FRIEND.“IMPRESSARIO IMPECCABILE.”
Always in our hearts,
Marko & Barbara
Joseph H. Conlin Memorial Concert, May 7, 2009, Keynote Speaker: Peter Goodrich, Vice President Worldwide Concert and Artist Activities, Steinway & Sons, Inc.
I am delighted to welcome everyone tonight on behalf of Steinway & Sons. It is a privilege for us to provide Steinway Hall as the venue for the first Joseph H. Conlin Memorial Concert for the Musicians Club of New York.
Joe Conlin was probably the best friend a performing artist could have. He was immensely generous with his time and talent and personal resources and he touched the lives of countless singers and instrumentalists and certainly of everyone here this evening.
I could speak at length about Joe, but with the ambitious program ahead I will keep these remarks very brief.
When I think of Joe, as I often do, I picture in my mind his beaming face and his twinkling eyes. He would be thrilled with this event and with the program that has been planned.
Among his many great qualities, Joe was an eternal optimist. As an example, he was forever updating us with his plans for the millions he would get when he won the lottery. It was almost discouraging to hear Joe talk about winning the lottery, because you felt as though you didn’t really stand a chance. Joe would win, and he would buy that fabulous penthouse apartment in the Pierre and that big Rolls Royce with the white sidewalls. You just knew it would happen.
But the way I look at it, we all were the winners of that lottery, and our big prize was Joe Conlin. Joe brought joy and adventure, fabulous stories, and beautiful music to us all, and through him our lives, and the lives of countless others, were brightened immeasurably.
Let’s celebrate our friend with some wonderful music. Thanks to all of you, but especially, Joe, thanks to you.
Ada Kopetz-Korf, In Memoriam (1919-2020)
Pianist, Teacher, MCNY Board of Directors,
Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards Jurist
First Honorary Life Member of the Musicians Club of New York
Ada Kopetz Korf was an international concert artist who performed as a soloist, accompanist and in chamber music concerts. Giving performances, master classes and as a respected adjudicator took Ada to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and throughout North America. She was a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University and held B.S. and M.A. degrees from Teachers College. She was a fellowship graduate of the Julliard Graduate School of Music, where she taught piano.
Ms. Kopetz Korf played for Albert Spalding, Michel Piastro, Louis Persinger, Ruggiero Ricci, and was a winner of the Martha Baird Rockefeller Grant for Performing and Teaching. She was the official pianist with the Symphony of the Air under Stowkowski, Villa- Lobos, Metropolis, Pelletier , Halasz and Wallenstein. She appeared regularly as the soloist for Radio City Music Hall. As a member of the Philharmonic Piano Quartet, under Columbia Artists Management, she toured throughout the United States and Canada, recorded for Columbia Records and made many TV, radio and symphonic appearances.
Ms. Kopetz Korf resided in New York City teaching privately and serving passionately on the Board of Directors of both the Musicians Club of New York and The Bohemians, championing individual artists and especially educating young children. In addition to classical performers, she taught many well-known jazz artists, which brought her great joy. On May 5, 2019, she was named the first Honorary Life Member of the Musicians Club of New York at the age of 100.
Mira J. Spektor, In Memoriam (1928-2021)
Composer, Poet, MCNY Board of Directors
Click above to hear Mira sing her own music and French lyrics: "Il Neige dans mon coeur"
To visit Mira's Catalog of Music, click here.
To hear samples of Mira's music, click here.
Direct to Videos
Direct to French Art Songs
In addition to her contributions as a long-serving Board Member of the Musicians Club of New York and as a perennially participating composer (and financial supporter of other participating composers) in the Club's Composers concerts, as The New York Times obituary phrased it, Mira Spektor "was a life force, a woman whose passion found expression in her music and poetry. She astonished and inspired us with her creative energy, which only increased with each passing year." To read The New York Times obituary, click here.
In 1975, Mira founded The Aviva Players to support and perform works of women composers, and she served as its Artistic Director until her death in 2021. Past Musicians Club of New York President and long-serving Board Member Dorothy Indenbaum served for 25 years as The Aviva Player's Associate Artistic Director, until her death in 2014. It was their efforts that renewed the Musicians Club of New York's longstanding focus and advocacy on behalf of women composers. In addition to the Musicians Club of New York and The Aviva Players, Mira was a member of BMI, the Dramatist Guild, Opera America, and the League of Professional Theater Women.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied composition with Musicians Club of New York past president Norman Dello Joio. She also studied at Mannes and Juilliard. Some quotes over the years from the The New York Times: “An interesting composer”…”Attractive and tonal” …”A passionate duet”…”A sprightly songfest”. For Scores & information, contact her family at: mirajspektor@earthlink.net.
Mira J Spektor - Composer/Lyricist/Poet:
In addition to her English, French and German recital & cabaret songs, Mira Spektor composed music for theater, film and TV. Her chamber operas and musicals include The Housewives' Cantata (lyrics by June Siegel), Lady of the Castle (Spektor’s music & lyrics based on Lea Goldberg's Israeli play), The Passion of Lizzie Borden (poems by Ruth Whitman), Villa Diodati (about Mary Shelley, lyrics by Colette Inez, Byron, Shelley) and Giovanni the Fearless (A Commedia del’Arte with a libretto by Carolyn Balducci). She published to books of her poems, “From Seaside Houses” and "The Road to November”. (She was working on a third book - if it is published posthumously, it should be added here.)
She has recorded for Concert Hall, Westminster, Guilde International du Disque, Original Cast Records, Capstone and AirPlay. Villa Diodiatii was produced by Bank Street Films and is available on Albany Records. Her music scores (Georgina Press - BMI) include the feature film Double Edge (Faye Dunaway) and PBS documentaries, Art in Its Soul and Serious Comics. Her CDs include: The Housewives’ Cantata, Lady of the Castle, Mira Chante/French Love Songs, and Lullabies & Love Songs.
Four Songs by Mira J. Spektor,
Brian Hunter, tenor, Jean-Paul Björlin, piano
00:22 Sunday Psalm, poem by Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978)
03:11 Irreverent Heart, poem by Yip Harburg (1896-1981) - New York Premiere
05:21 The White Road of Summer, poem by William Dickey (1928-1994)
07:27 Indian Serenade, poem by Percy Shelley (1792-1822) from the Chamber Opera Villa Diodati
Musicians Club of New York, Sunday, March 24, 2019, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Mira J. Spektor's "I Want to Go Home" (from Lady of the Castle)
Darcy Dunn, mezzo-soprano, Mimi Stern-Wolfe, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member-Composers Concert, March 11, 2017, Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Have Song Will Travel", lyrics & music by Mira J. Spektor;
Karen Jolicoeur, soprano, Barbara Ames, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Indian Summer", poem & music by Mira J. Spektor;
Lars Woodul, baritone, Barbara Ames, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Train Music and "So We’ll Go No More A’Roving" (from Villa Diodati), poem by Lord Byron, music by Mira J. Spektor;
Karen Jolicoeur, soprano, Lars Woodul, baritone, Barbara Ames, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"You Were There" (from Give Me Time), lyrics by Caroline Crippen, music by Mira J. Spektor;
Karen Jolicoeur, soprano, Lars Woodul, baritone, Barbara Ames, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Four Songs of Mira J. Spektor, performed by Karen Jolicoeur, soprano; Leslie Middlebrook, mezzo-soprano; Brian Hunter, tenor; Barbara Ames, piano/conducting; Rina Elisha, stage direction.
The Musicians Club of New York's March 18, 2018, "Dorothy Indenbaum Composers Concert", Victor Borge Hall, Scandinavia House, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
"Il neige dans mon coeur", lyrics & music by Mira J. Spektor;
Karen Jolicoeur, soprano, Barbara Ames, piano
Musicians Club of New York Member/Composers Concert, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Liederkranz Concert Hall, New York City. Video by Paula and Chris Argondizza.
Alfred B. Abraham, in Memoriam
MCNY Board of Directors, CPA
Born on April 16, 1920, in Tarrytown, New York, Alfred Abraham served on the Musicians Club of New York’s Board of Directors and was a steady patron for many years until his death, three months shy of his 102nd birthday. For years, until the pandemic cancelled the Club's live concert series following the February 2020 concert, Alfred served as host/greeter at the entrance table to the concerts and competitions, offering his warm smile and personal charm to all, as they entered. He was also not shy about reminding members and attendees that although the Club's concerts were free of charge, they were not free to stage, and that donations were easily accepted at the door, and that volunteers were always needed... Everyone needs someone like Alfred Abraham to bless their events. So let us all try to be more like him, at least in this one regard.
A CPA and commercial bank CFO and Treasurer during his business career, his love for music began at an early age––as in many Jewish homes, studying music was a requirement. He fondly remembers playing violin in the Washington Irving High School orchestra in Tarrytown, New York, and listening to the weekly Damrosch Hour––hosted by Walter Damrosch, the great early leader of the Musicians Club of New York––which was broadcast throughout every classroom in the school during the years 1932-1936. Like so many others in all walks of life, Alfred looked back at his early music training as crucial to his success in his career, as well as in life. Being an active member and patron of the Musicians Club of New York was one way he “gave back”. Giving back was his consistent theme throughout his life, even more so in his retirment. Officially, he retired in 1978, but he continued as a highly compensated consultant until approximately 1998. Among the scores of charities that he supported, UJA, NYU, MCNY, and the Town and Village Synagogue were his major philanthropic recipients in the last chapters of his life here on earth.
Immediately after completing high school, Al went away from his home in Tarrytown for one year of college at the University of Michigan. Although he remembers this year fondly, developing lifelong friendships, he remembers the difficulty of antisemitism that prevailed, even in the availability of student housing. But, also, he remembers his own family’s financial inability to send him back for his second year. Instead, his father was able to secure him a clerk’s position at a local bank near his home, where he developed his interest in finance and accounting. He followed his older cousin Leonard and enrolled at NYU (School of Commerce, now the Stern School of Business) and commuted to his night classes. Al remembers the grind––returning home from a day at the bank for an early supper, and then rushing off to catch the 4:38pm train to Manhattan in time for his first class at 6pm, returning to Tarrytown after 10pm. He graduated in 1941 and was a proud, active alumnus until his death in 2022. Among his donations to “give back”, he established the Alfred B. Abraham Scholarship Fund for NYU Stern undergraduate students, permitting future generations to benefit from the same opportunities his NYU education provided. In addition to his scholarship, Al was a longstanding contributing member of NYU Stern’s Haskins Giving Society and the Society of the Torch, returning to campus frequently, meeting students, faculty and other alumni, always inspiring others with his stories of how his education contributed to his success.
His first job was at a major accounting firm, then at Estée Lauder as their first Controller after their founding in 1946. Following a career as a financial executive, he accepted the position of Treasurer and Financial Vice President at Congress Financial, an early leader in asset-based lending, later known as CoreStates, which became part of the Bank of Philadelphia and, eventually, part of Wells Fargo. It may have seemed incongruent to have an elder statesman lecture you on some of the more esoteric functions of his iPhone, particularly the accessibility functions as he lost more and more of his sight, but, along the way, Al introduced his bank to mainframe computers and taught himself coding (punch card, of course) and hardware, in order to make purchasing decisions and to customize software. It kept him in good stead with the ferocious pace of technology that continued throughout his lifetime.
He served at NYU and CUNY as a lecturer and adjunct instructor, teaching retail finance management courses. He was a frequent contributor to finance and accounting journals. Alfred also traveled around the globe throughout his life, for work out of curiosity and for pleasure. His collection of pictures from his travels is myriad, and we hope to bring some of them to this page in the future, He encouraged everyone to travel as much as possible in order to get the most out of life and to understand the world as much as possible. There is a Travel section in the "ALFRED ABRAHAM: 101" video below that gives a quick flash of pictures to give you a taste.
Click here for the link to the New York Times online obiturary.
Click here for the article, "Tarrytown Native Reflects on Turning 100" in The Hudson Independent.
ALFRED ABRAHAM:101
Video of highlights from Alfred's 101 years, presented at his Zoom Birthday, April 2021
Alfred Abraham's speech near the end of his 101st Birthday Zoom Party.
Alfred B. Abraham's 95th Birthday Celebration-Redeye Grill, NYC, June 14, 2015
Click on the time below to jump to that part of the program.
0:00 Dan Frischman, nephew, Opening Magic and Monologue
5:58 Gary Frischman, nephew, Poem for Uncle Al
11:33 Debra Kerner, niece, Ode to Uncle Al
12:56 Ron Braunfeld, partner of Debra, Little Poem
14:00 Lawrence Lefkowitz, nephew - Uncle Al, Role Model
15:58 Donna Lefkowitz, Larry's wife: Progress Report on Uncle Al
18:51 Dan Frischman, The Year 1920, Part 1
20:36 Judith Anderson, niece, The Year 1920 Part 2
25:35 Bill Frischman, nephew, Song "16+79 Candles"
29:37 Andy, Ali, Audrey, Laura, Joel, Gabe, Jody, Amy, Michelle, grandnephews and nieces, The Uncle Al Song
41:00 Marvin Butterman, cousin, Recollection
42:10 Dan Frischman with Andy, Ali, Audrey and Laura, The Unc Song
46:24 Alfred Bernard Abraham, Closing Remarks
Alfred B. Abraham, 94, and Melvin Diamond, 91, Discuss Family History, July 20, 2014
Alfred B. Abraham, 94, and his cousin Robert Frankel, Discuss Family History, Spring 2014
Celebrating Uncle Al's 90th Birthday, A Video Presentation
Alfred B. Abraham's 80th Birthday Celebration, Westin Morristown Hotel-July 2, 2000
38:34 Alfred's Acceptance Speech
Incidentallink featuring Alfred:
Sitting with his friend, composer/singer Mira J. Spektor, as a younger Mira sings her song, "Il neige dans mon coeur":
Luka Douridas
Musicologist, Club Historian
Luka Douridas came to the Musicians Club of New York as an intern out of New York University, where he had earned a summa cum laude musicology degree. Upon the conclusion of that assignment, he was immediately named Assistant Director. He currently works from Chile for Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM), but retains his title as Musicians Club Historian.
Luka Douridas talks about his research into the history of the Musicians Club of New York, September 23, 2017.
Evangeline Benedetti
Cellist, Emeritus MCNY Board Member, 2013 Competition Jury
Forty-four year Philharmonic veteran cellist Evangeline Benedetti, in Berlin on her final tour with the Orchestra before retiring, reflects on the changes she's witnessed at the Philharmonic, as well as on her personal tour highlights: