Rossini Club Event Calendar
Live Music Returns to The Cathedral Church of St. Luke
The Public Concert Series of the Portland Rossini Club now in its 151st Season
Sunday, September 19 at 3:00 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Portland Rossini Club Program
- Cellist, Hugh Judge, will play Prelude, Allemande and Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor (BWV 1011)
- Soprano Elizabeth Harmon, with guest pianist, Michael Braz, will perform five songs from Mussorgsky’s Nursery
- Pianist John Thorpe will perform Chopin’s Nocturne in E minor (Op. 72, No. 1) and Revolutionary Etude in C minor (Op. 10, No. 12)
For information about guest pianist Michael Braz, check Click here.
Location:
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke
143 State Street, Portland
Suggested donation at the door: $15/$10 seniors (students are admitted free of charge)
For more information: (207)318-7465
Concert attendees will be asked to remain masked during the concert.
The Public Concert Series of the Portland Rossini Club
150th Season Opening Concert
Sunday, October 17th, 2021 at 3 p.m.
Portland Rossini Club Program
Eleanor Lehmann, violin, Susanna Adams, viola, and Matthew Nichols, cello, will perform
three movements from Serenade for String Trio, Op. 10 by Ernst von Dohnanyi
Rachel Keller, soprano, and Eric Peppe, piano, will perform songs of love and devotion by Monteverdi, Handel, and Ravel
Pianist Jonathan Prak will play Ballade No. 2 in B minor by Franz Liszt
Michael Bostock* will play Two Songs Without Words by Mendelssohn and four Shostakovich preludes.
* Guest
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State Street, Portland, Maine
Suggested donation $15/$10 seniors (students are admitted free of charge)
For more information: 207-318-7465
Concert attendees are asked to remain masked during the concert.
Those fully vaccinated may unmask during the after-concert reception.
Today’s Performers
Susanna Adams, viola: Susanna made the switch from violin to viola in 1999. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds masters degrees from Harvard and Berkeley. She obtained a B.S. in Music Education from U.S.M. in 1997. She is a member of Maineblend, the Woodfords choir, ChoralArt Masterworks Chorus, and the Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra where she plays viola. She is co-chair of the Advisory Council of the Portland Conservatory of Music. Susanna has been a member of Rossini Club since 2009 and currently serves as Program Chair.
Michael Bostock, piano: A resident of Falmouth, Maine, Michael is currently a Sophomore and an honor student at Waynflete School in Portland, where he also is pianist for the upcoming school play “The Addams Family”. He currently studies classical piano under Naydene Bowder at the Portland Conservatory of Music, and has been playing piano since 2012. Michael attended the Karger College Prep program at the Conservatory from 2019 – 2021 where he played in advanced ensembles. Michael was a recipient of the Kotzschmar Memorial Trust Scholarship in 2021 and was the 1st Place Winner in the Ocy L. Downs Biennial Piano Competition in 2020.
Rachel Keller, soprano: Rachel was born and raised in a musically diverse family in Yorkshire, England. Her undergraduate studies in the UK focused on vocal performance and her graduate studies shifted to Music Therapy, both of which have shaped her multidisciplinary music experience as a therapist, teacher and performer in the USA since 1997. Moving to Maine in 2002 Rachel began motherhood and eventually resumed vocal study. She has studied locally with Kathleen Grammar, the late Ellen Chickering and most recently and briefly with Jennifer Bates. She has sung in the past with Portland’s Renaissance Voices and Choral Art. She currently performs with Falmouth’s St. Mary Schola and she is an active soprano soloist in Maine. She lives with her family in Cape Elizabeth where she teaches voice and she enjoys yoga, gardening and a variety of active pursuits in Maine’s beautiful outdoors.
Eleanor Lehmann, violin: Eleanor began her musical studies on violin at the age of 5 with John M. Ray in San Francisco, California. She then attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with Jack O’Brian (Griller String Quartet) and Marion Ford. In 1963, she received a degree in music education and performance from San Francisco State University and taught music in the San Francisco schools for one year. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband moved to Mexico City where she taught violin/viola at the Conservatorio Nacional de Mexico and performed with several of the professional orchestras of the region. In 1975, she and her family lived in Holland for a year and was active in the musical community of Nijmeggen as violist/soloist. In 1986, she returned to California where she continued music education studies at the University of Pacific in Stockton and played the viola in several Symphonies before teaching for the Merced City School District. In 2003, she moved to Maine and began teaching both violin and viola in her studio and at the Portland Conservatory of Music. In 2007, she initiated violin classes at USM, Portland, for the Osher-Lifelong Learning Institute. Today, she is an active member of both the Portland Rossini and Marston-Kotzschmar Music Clubs of Portland, and served as President for both.
Mathew Nichols, cello: A versatile and multifaceted musician, Mathew avidly performs both new music and the standard repertoire; he has premiered works by composers Kyle Grimm, Jonathan Schmieding, and Michael Albaine, among others. Mathew is equally at home performing with orchestras or chamber groups of varied instrumentations. In addition to his performing career, Mathew maintains an active teaching schedule. Mathew received his B.M. degree in cello performance from the University of Connecticut, studying with Katie Schlaikjer and Michael Nicolas. He received his.M. degree in cello performance from the University of Hartford, where he studied with Mihai Tetel and Andrew Mark. Mathew lives in Portland and became a Rossini Club member in 2017.
Eric Peppe, piano: Eric Peppe has Master’s degrees in piano performance and piano pedagogy from the University of Southern Maine, where he studied with Laura Kargul. He has performed solo piano throughout Maine, at Jordan Hall in Boston, and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. He has studied privately with Jeffrey Kahane, Robert Glover, and Boaz Sharon. He has been music director for productions at Portland Players, Portland Lyric Theater, City Theater, Waynflete School, Scarborough High School, and elsewhere. A recording engineer, he has recorded CDs for The Portland String Quartet, The Gorham Community Chorus, Musica de Filia, The Boy Singers of Maine, and more. He produces and often accompanies student audition recordings. He lives in Buxton with his family and works as a piano tuner-technician.
Jonathan Pekdey Prak, piano: Jonathan, from Saco, ME, is a piano performance major at the University of Southern Maine School of Music and is currently studying with Dr. Laura Kargul. He was the featured solo pianist in the 2014 Annual USM Scholarship Gala. Jonathan is a recipient of the Bob Crewe Foundation Award, the Chester Cook Scholarship, and the Newell A. Auger Scholarship. He was a winner of the Anne Gannett Scholarship, sponsored by the Maine Federation of Music Clubs in 2015. He was a second prize winner of the Lucia A. Wright Piano Scholarship, sponsored by the Portland Rossini Club, in 2016 and 2017. Jonathan was awarded the Brian McGorill Memorial Scholarship in 2018. While he was living in Nantes, France, he wrote a piece called Colette, which was dedicated to his late piano teacher, Colette Kelly. Jonathan studied with Dr. Daniel Sonenberg and composed a piece called the Kargul Variations.
The Public Concert Series of the Portland Rossini Club in its 150th Season
Sunday, November 28th, 2021 at 3 p.m.
Portland Rossini Club Program
Violinist Mia Bella D’Augelli* and pianist Eric Peppe will perform Cowell’s Sonata for Violin and Piano
Pianist Sydney Patten and Steve Schiffman on the clarinet will play Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Mark Braun and Scott Eaton will perform Mozart’s Sonata for two pianos in D, K. 448
* Guest
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State Street, Portland, Maine
Suggested donation $15/$10 seniors (students are admitted free of charge)
For more information: 207-318-7465
Concert attendees are asked to remain masked during the concert.
Artist Information:
Eric Peppe, piano: Eric Peppe has Master’s degrees in piano performance and piano pedagogy from the University of Southern Maine, where he studied with Laura Kargul. He has performed solo piano throughout Maine, at Jordan Hall in Boston, and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. He has studied privately with Jeffrey Kahane, Robert Glover,and Boaz Sharon. He has been music director for productions at Portland Players, Portland Lyric Theater, City Theater, Waynflete School, Scarborough High School, and elsewhere. A recording engineer, he has recorded CDs for The Portland String Quartet, The Gorham Community Chorus, Musica de Filia, The Boy Singers of Maine, and more. He produces and often accompanies student audition recordings. He lives in Buxton with his family and works as a piano tuner-technician.
Sydney Patten, piano: Sydney began studying piano at the age of 6 to please her mother. She very quickly fell in love with the instrument and with classical music…At Skidmore College, she minored in music with a concentration in piano performance. She began to compose music secretly never sharing any of her compositions until she had graduated from college. While living on the North Shore of Massachusetts, she began composing music inspired by birds at Crane’s Beach. During that time, she served as the Vice President of the American Women Composers. Her greatest inspirations for composition continue to be wildlife and sea creatures in Maine and especially on Mount Desert Island. Some of her favorite subjects have been piping plovers, eagles, seaweed, jellyfish and great white sharks. She continues to study classical piano music which also influences her work. Sydney lives with her husband, Bill Patten and their dog, Patapouf in Falmouth Foreside, Maine. Other interests include skiing, gardening, anything to do with France (from whence she recently moved). She has been associated with the Royaumont Abbey for many years where she now organizes master classes in a variety of disciplines. She is currently the president of the Portland Rossini Club.
Stephen Schiffman, clarinet: Prior to moving to Portland, Stephen Schiffman, emeritus faculty member at Babson College and the F.W. Olin College of Engineering, lived in Boston for 30 years and played with various ensembles and chamber music groups there. He has been playing the clarinet for over 55 years and his teachers have included Sherman Friedland, Julie Vaverka and Thomas Hill. Also a member of the MarstonKotzschmar Club, he joined the Portland Rossini Club in 2015.
Mark Braun, piano: Mark grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moved to Chicago at age 28 and arrived here in Maine on the winds of the blizzard of ’96. He has been an active member of both the Marston-Kotzschmar Club and the Portland Rossini Club since 1996. In past years, he has played a variety of music, has performed solo, four-hand and eighthand compositions, and chamber music, including works for French horn and piano, trios for piano, French horn, and violin, as well as works for voice and piano. He likes to write his own program notes, finding that the process helps him to better understand and interpret the musical works he’s performing. He serves on the Board of the Portland Conservatory of Music. In his professional life, he is an internist and geriatrician in solo practice in Scarborough.
Scott Eaton, piano: Scott, who comes from Kennebunk, started studying piano with Kim Karchenese of Cape Neddick, at age 5, and continued through high school, where he accompanied the choruses and musicals. While studying electrical engineering at Northeastern University he became more interested in classical music and started taking lessons with Valentina Lass through New England Conservatory’s Continuing Education program. He now lives in Portland, and is a student of Martin Perry in Brunswick. He joined the Portland Rossini Club in 2016.
The Public Concert Series of the Portland Rossini Club in it’s 150th Season
Sunday, January 23rd, 2022 at 3 p.m.
Portland Rossini Club Program
Details for this concert are still to be planned. We look forward to sharing the music with you.
Click here for all Past Performances
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State Street, Portland, Maine
Suggested donation $15/$10 seniors (students are admitted free of charge)
For more information: 207-318-7465
Concert attendees are asked to remain masked during the concert.
The Public Concert Series of the Portland Rossini Club in it’s 150th Season
Sunday, February 27th, 2022 at 3 p.m.
Portland Rossini Club Program
Details for this concert are still to be planned. We look forward to sharing the music with you.
Click here for all Past Performances
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State Street, Portland, Maine
Suggested donation $15/$10 seniors (students are admitted free of charge)
For more information: 207-318-7465
Concert attendees are asked to remain masked during the concert.
