FROM OUR PAST (PRE-PANDEMIC) INDOOR CONCERTS...
The marvelous folk duo of CLAUDIA ELIAZA ZANES and DAN ZANES filled in for the special Beethoven project that had to be cancelled at the last minute. They gave two beautiful and uplifting performances at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge and the Baltimore Station shelter on 3/11/20 and 3/12/20.Our Joyful Noise Baltimore is so grateful to now Baltimore-based Claudia and Dan Zanes for their wonderful artistry and generosity!
The duo of cellist LAVENA JOHANSON and pianist, composer and singer JUDAH ADASHI performed four wonderful concerts on 1/23, 24, 25 and 26. Their eclectic program featured music by Judah Adashi, J.S. Bach, Caroline Shaw, Bruce Springsteen and others and included spirited audience participation.
"Absolutely Electrifying!" From a patient at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge
A highlight was the performance of "For Martin," composed in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Judah Adashi with words by Keith Snipes. "You took me to a place I had never been before." From a veteran at The Baltimore Station
FUN SINGING AT THE AZURE CONCERT FOR FAMILIES LIVING WITH AUTISM AND SIMILAR CHALLENGES AT BALTIMORE HEBREW CONGREGATION ON 1/26
"Fabulous!" "Unique!" From a grandparent
JUDAH AND LAVENA OUTSIDE OF THE MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN. The performance featured an AMAZING improvisation by one of the incarcerated women.
DISPLAYING THE BEAUTIFUL COVER ART CREATED AND DONATED BY SARAH GRACE BINDRIM
Thank you so much, Sarah Grace!
Soprano EMMA NICHOLSON, violinist, violist and composer LEDAH FINCK, composer DANIEL REZA SABZGHABAEI, violist MARIA LAMBROS and pianist SAHUN HONG after a program featuring three pieces by living co mposers, including world premieres by DANIEL REZA SABZGHABAEI and FRANCES POLLOCK at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge on 10/30/19.
Pianist SAHUN HONG after a beautiful performance of the Partita #1 by J. S. Bach on 11/1/19. at The Baltimore Station (shelter for veterans). A resident exclaimed, "I had such a difficult day and the music helped me find peace of mind."
MARIA LAMBROS, SAHUN HONG, EMMA NICHOLSON and LEDAH FINCK after performing at The Maryland Correctional Institution for Women on 11/9/19.
"I was overwhelmed." From an audience member, after hearing Daniel Sabzghabaei's stunning "...this blue of my land" for soprano and viola
MARIA LAMBROS, SAHUN HONG and LEDAH FINCK get the audience dancing at the Azure Family Concert for Families Living with Autism and Similar Challenges at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation on 11/10/19.
From a parent: "We just love these concerts
and try to attend every one!"
The marvelous folk artists CLAUDIA ELIAZA ZANES AND DAN ZANES brought a wonderful sensory-friendly program to families living with autism at the Azure Concert on 9/15/19, just before taking off to perform at The Kennedy Center!
DAN and CLAUDIA brought such beauty and grace through their exquisite programs for the residents at the Baltimore Station for Veterans and patients at The American Cancer Hope Lodge on 9/17/20 and 9/18/20. Delicious desserts were provided by Baking People Smile, a local business aiming to hire formerly incarcerated people.
“I didn’t think there was life outside of drugs, but your music made me realize that there is more to life that just getting high.” -from a Baltimore Station resident
The women were literally dancing in the aisles at the "party" created by CLAUDIA and DAN at the Maryland Correctional Institution on 9/16/19.
SHODEKEH, breath artist and beatboxer, MARIA LAMBROS, violist and SAHUN HONG, pianist (pictured outside of the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women) on 6/1/19. They performed a program featuring the African-American composers Joseph Bologne, Florence Price and Betty Jackson King as well as music by Vivaldi, Copland, Bartok and Bach. They also performed at the Baltimore Station (6/4/19), the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge (6/3/19) and for an Azure Concert for Families Living with Autism on 6/2/19.
"It completely blew me away!" from a resident at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women
HYE-JIN KIM, violinist, QING JIANG, pianist, MICHAEL KANNEN, cellist and MARIA LAMBROS, violist, performed a program of music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Ledah Finck, Sibelius and Brahms for the veterans at The Baltimore Station on 5/4/19. They performed the program the next afternoon at the home of Arnold and Barbara Sindler for a concert to benefit OJN.
"Absolutely phenomenal!"
from a resident at The Baltimore Station
LILY HOLGATE, violinist with the PUCK QUARTET, enjoys giving some violin pointers to a child at the Azure Concert for Families Living with Autism and Similar Challenges on 3/31/19.
"My child had such a wonderful time today!"
From a parent
The beautiful PUCK QUARTET was joined by violist Maria Lambros for concerts at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women (3/30/19) and the Baltimore Station shelter for veterans (3/29/19). The concerts featured works by Haydn, Mozart, Ravel, Mendelssohn and the gorgeous "L'Olam V'ed" from the String Quartet by Michael Alec Rose.
"Thank you. It was most excellent. It is good to be reminded that there are still things in life worth living for." From a resident at The Baltimore Station
MAFALDA SANTOS and SAHUN HONG returned to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge and treated the residents to a wonderful program of music by Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, Fernando Lopes Graca and Saint Saens.
"It was so amazing!" From a Hope Lodge resident
The phenomenal jazz musicians MARK FELDMAN and MICHAEL FORMANEK performed an amazing set program focused on the music of Thelonious Monk for veterans at the Baltimore Station on 2/22/19. They also performed at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women on the following evening to an enthusiastic standing ovation (2/23/19).
"I didn't know a violin could do that!" exclaimed an audience member.
MARK FELDMAN and MICHAEL FORMANEK at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation after their marvelous Azure Family Concert for People Living with Autism and Similar Challenges on 2/24/19.
From a parent: "Thank you so much for these concerts! We love them and they are SO IMPORTANT for our children."
Thanks to a great deal from BILL'S MUSIC in Catonsville, MD, we now have a violin, viola and cello for children to touch and play during the instrumental "petting zoo" that happens after every Azure concert.
Many thanks to Brian at Bill's Music!
Residents at THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HOPE LODGE enjoyed an intimate and beautiful evening of Schubert and Brahms with Mafalda Santos, cello and SAHUN HONG, piano on 1/24/2019.
"It was such a boost...truly food for our souls. We need THIS kind of treatment as well!"
From a Hope Lodge resident
The marvelous OMER QUARTET brought beautiful Haydn and Brahms, as well as a new piece by Chris Rogerson to veterans at THE BALTIMORE STATION on 1/15/2019.
"They are absolutely amazing!" From a resident
OUR FIRST WORLD PREMIERE! TRIO JINX premiered Gu Wei's stunning "Varadero" for flute, viola and piano at the Azure Family Concert for People Living with Autism and Similar Challenges on 12/9/18 at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. The piece was commissioned by Our Joyful Noise especially for this concert.
Pictured, left to right: Gu Wei with TRIO JINX: Ledah Finck, Yoshiaki Horiguchi, Louna Dekker-Vargas
Patients at THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HOPE LODGE donned Santa caps and enjoyed TRIO JINX'S joyous program on 12/10/18.
The trio’s programs (with the exception of Gu Wei’s commissioned piece) were all performed completely from memory! The trio connected so intimately with the audience both during and after the concert that the residents didn’t want them to leave!
RESIDENTS JOIN IN THE FUN WITH TRIO JINX AT THE BALTIMORE STATION, a shelter for veterans, on 12/11/18
While warming up at The Baltimore Station, Trio Jinx chatted with two men who told them that they enjoyed improvising. And to everyone’s surprise, the trio invited the men up to improvise with them during one of the pieces. “Absolutely amazing!” was how one man described the concert. When we said, “See you at the next concert in January!” he said, “Do we really have to wait that long for the next one?” Special homemade cookies- all the way from Chevy Chase- were provided by Demetra Lambros.
THE KANNEN/KNOPP DUO (Seth Knopp, pianist and Michael Kannen, cellist) outside of the MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN on 11/17/18
After a beautiful performance of music by Schumann, Beethoven, Messiaen, Faure and Dvorak, several women expressed that they loved the sound of the cello so much that they wanted to learn how to play it!
THE KANNEN/KNOPP DUO at THE BALTIMORE STATION (Shelter for Veterans) on 11/16/18
The Duo enjoyed a fun and spirited evening with veterans. One of the men described the evening as “total magic.” Michael Kannen considers this venue “one of my favorite places to play-anywhere!”
THE KANNEN/KNOPP DUO at THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HOPE LODGE on 11/14/18
The Duo chose a program of stunningly beautiful music by Beethoven, Messiaen, Fauréand Dvorák. The residents spoke of how the music “transported them to another world” and how uplifting and healing it was. It was a truly beautiful evening.
THE PEABODY STRING SINFONIA with SHODEKEH, breath artist, performs at an Azure Family Concert for People with Autism and Related Challenges at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation on 10/28/18.
There was a lot of joyous dancing and the children enjoyed "petting" the instruments with the Sinfonia members (pictured: Carrie Jones, violist and one of the Sinfonia directors).
THE OMER QUARTET played a stunning concert of music by Haydn, Debussy and Beethoven's Grosso Fuge for the women at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women on October 13, 2018.
You could hear a pin drop during the many dramatic silences during the Beethoven. And after the concert, a woman in tears said, “That third piece (Beethoven Grosso Fuge) made me cry so badly that I had to leave for a few minutes. I felt my life flashing before my eyes- anger, sadness, joy- everything.”
The women were so grateful for the fact that the quartet had come to MCIW and thanked them countless times for coming. One woman summed it up beautifully when she said, “Thank you for bringing grace and serenity to our community.”
THE PEABODY STRING SINFONIA, a wonderful conductorless string ensemble performed an uplifting and eclectic concert for the veterans at The Baltimore Station shelter on Friday, October 12, 2018. They were joined in pieces by Grieg, Bach, Bartok and Judah Adashi by the amazing breath artist, Shodekeh.
The program also included music by Dohnanyi, the Beatles, Otis Redding, Pharell Williams, Carlos Gardel and their signature ending, Amaing Grace. It was an evening filled with joy, fun and curiosity!
The Peabody String Sinfonia and Shodekeh at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge (a residents for patients undergoing cancer treatment in Baltimore) on October 11, 2018.
This was an evening with many tears and hugs!
From the Hope Lodge:
You have truly outdone yourselves. Every time you perform at Hope Lodge, your music actually touches our souls. Your beautiful music brought tears to our eyes. Thank you for the beautiful performance and desserts. The attendance may be small, but the appreciation is mighty. Your generosity and support will impact lives in ways you can never imagine. Your dedication has inspired and empowered us all. We certainly hope this will not be your last visit.
FROM THE PRE-SEASON...
THE VERNON STRING QUARTET, an honors ensemble from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, performed a beautiful program of quartets by Mozart and Dvorak and stunning hymns for solo viola (featuring Bronwyn Kure) and inspirational solo Bach (featuring Michael Newman) at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, a residence for people coming to Baltimore for cancer treatment on May 10th.
AFRO BLUE, Howard University's premiere jazz ensemble, performed at The Baltimore Station for Veterans Facing Homelessness and Addiction (4/14/18). It was an absolutely phenomenal performance!
THE OMER QUARTET performed a gorgeous program of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Debussy for an Azure Family Concert for People with Autism and Related Challenges and their Families at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (4/15/18)
THE PUCK QUARTET performed two heartfelt and uplifting concerts at the Baltimore Station for Veterans Facing Homelessness and Addiction (2/24/18) and an Azure Family Concert for People with Autism and Related Challenges (2/25/18)
TRIO JINX, the innovative and soulful ensemble based right here in Baltimore, presented a wonderfully engaging Azure concert in the fall (10/15/17) and we are so happy that they will be joining us again for OJN's official first season.
Azure Family Concert with Trio Jinx
Puck Quartet at the Baltimore Station
Afro Blue at the Baltimore Station
Jinsun Hong of the Omer Quartet during the "Instrument Petting Zoo" after an Azure Concert
Mason Yu, violinist of the Omer Quartet, improvising with a young pianist during an Azure concert
Michael Newman, cellist of the Vernon Quartet offers solo Bach for cancer patients at the Hope Lodge
Members of the Vernon Quartet share a laugh with Hope Lodge residents