Music

The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus has announced the start of rehearsals for its Holiday 2024 concert series.

Weekly rehearsals begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 120 Vernon Valley Road in East Northport, leading up to a Sunday, Oct. 27 afternoon fall cabaret and concerts on Sunday, Dec. 8, Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Whether you come from community theater or karaoke or somewhere in between, there’s a place for you in LIGMC welcomes all who can commit to weekly rehearsals, learning the music, and having fun as we put on a great show with some wonderful folks.

Interested singers can follow LIGMC on Instagram and Facebook or contact LIGMC’s board of directors at [email protected] with for more info.

Alan Howarth performing live in concert in 2019.

The award-winning composer and sound designer will perform a live concert and speak to the audience about his career

On Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m., legendary film composer and sound designer Alan Howarth, best known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, and his work on the Star Trek films, will perform a live concert of his iconic film music at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre. The concert will be proceeded by a Q&A with the audience where he will discuss the art of film composing, and storied long career.

Alan Howarth and John Carpenter at work on Escape from New York. 1980. Photo by Phil D’Angelo

Alan Howarth’s award–winning film work started on Star Trek–The Motion Picture, launching him as a sound designer for the following 6 Star Trek feature films. He would then go on to collaborate with the director John Carpenter, crafting the scores for many of Carpenter’s most iconic works. He has since composed music for over 50 films. A sound design innovator, Howarth has worked on such films as Francis Ford Coppola’s DraculaThe Hunt for Red OctoberDie Hard IIStargateThe Little MermaidBack to the Future II and III, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Together with Carpenter, Alan Howarth pioneered a synth heavy style that would go on to influence many of the horror films that would follow, as well as the techno music genre as a whole.

The concert will feature music from beloved John Carpenter films such as Escape From New YorkHalloween II, III & IVThe ThingBig Trouble In Little ChinaChristineThey LivePrince Of Darkness, and others.

The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington. Tickets to the event are $27 public | $20 Cinema Arts Centre members.

You can purchase tickets or find more information about this and other events on the Cinema Arts Centre website: www.cinemaartscentre.org

Enjoy traditional Hellenic dancing at this year's event. File photo by Giselle Barkley/TBR News Media

By Heidi Sutton

Traditional Greek food, music and dancing will take center stage as the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson hosts its 63rd annual Greek Festival on church grounds on Thursday, Aug. 22 from 5 to 10 p.m.,  Friday, Aug. 23 from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 24 from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 25 from noon to 9 p.m. 

A celebration of Greek culture, the four-day event will feature a variety of vendors, fireworks, church tours, live Greek music and dancing, games of chance and carnival rides by Newton Shows. Pay-one-price bracelets for the rides may be purchased in advance at www.newtonshows.com.

Authentic mouth-watering foods such as gyros, tyropita (cheese pie), moussaka, souvlaki, and spanakopita (spinach pie) will be served up, along with sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, koulourakia, baklava and hot loukoumades, a fried dough pastry favorite.

One of the main attractions at the festival is the over-the-top raffle that the church holds every year. This year 200 prizes will be awarded from cars — a 2024 Mercedes Benz GLB 250 SUV or $35,000 cash is first prize — to a laptop, X-box, espresso machine, outdoor fire pit, 32″ LG Smart TV, Coach bag, cash prizes and more. Tickets for the sweepstakes are $100 each and are limited to 3,999 tickets. The drawing will be held on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.

Fireworks will be held on Friday and Saturday nights at 9:15 p.m., weather permitting. 

Free shuttle buses will pick up attendees from Ward Melville High School, 380 Old Town Road, East Setauket to transport them to festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Parking is also available at BASF Corporation across the street from the church at 361 Sheep Pasture Road ($20 fee) and at Head Start at 400 Sheep Pasture Road (free). Handicapped parking is available at the church at no charge. Admission to the festival is $2 per person; children under 12 can attend for free.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption is located at 430 Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jefferson. For more information, call the church office at 631-473-0894 or visit www.portjeffgreekfest.com.

The choral group Belle Voci perform at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington. Photo by Lauren Feldman

By Lauren Feldman

The halls of St. John’s Episcopal Church on Prospect Street in Huntington were filled with the sound of music, with voices of hope and light Friday, Aug. 9. Belle Voci Intergenerational Choral Society, celebrating its 20th year, performed a Candlelight Remembrance for those whose lives have been afflicted with cancer, survivors and their loved ones. 

Bonnie Scott and her daughter Jennifer Scott Miceli

“Belle Voci has been [in Huntington] for 20 years, so we are really pleased to welcome them for the first time to our church,” said Alex Pryrodny, music director at St. John’s since 2015. “It’s a wonderful cause, a wonderful event to be a part of.” Pryrodny participated in the concert as an accompanying pianist.

When asked why the partnership between St. John’s and Belle Voci has been so seamless, the music director said, “Singing is kind of a spiritual thing. There’s a natural connection to your feelings and emotions. Choir is a good way to express the feelings people have that they may not be able to express otherwise. It can be a really healing process.” Pryrodny said that both church and music may offer the same sense of catharsis.

And this seems to be what Belle Voci aims to achieve. As prominently stated on its website, “Concert repertoire is carefully programmed for its capacity to elicit a wide range of emotions associated with the cancer journey; we aim to provide a forum for performers and concertgoers to experience hope, contemplation, prayer, healing, peace and celebration through music and ritual.”

The society is a Long Island-based group of professional and amateur singers, collegiate singers, school-aged singers and music teachers. They have been brought together by the common mission of supporting cancer prevention, cure and catharsis through elevated and inspired choral performance and ceremony.

Songs performed at the concert included “Sing, Wearing the Sky” by Jake Runestad; “O Saltaris Hostia” by Eriks Esenvalds; “Vier Gesänge” by Johannes Brahms (poetry by Friedrich Ruperti); “The Last Rose of Summer” by Thomas Moore and Sir John Stevenson; the traditional Irish blessing “You Do Not Walk Alone”; “Flight” by Craig Carnelia; “Children, Go Where I Send Thee” arr. Kevin Philip Johnson; and “Con Te Partiro” arr. Mac Huff. 

Two halves of the performance framed the Candlelight Remembrance ceremony. The Rev. Duncan Burns and Courtney Sack led the reading of the names. 

Belle Voci was founded by Jennifer Scott Miceli after the loss of her mother, Bonnie Scott, to lung cancer. “Like many of you who have lost loved ones to cancer, the physical loss of my mother left a huge void in my life,” Micheli said on a dedication page to her mother.

“It’s been 19 years since Mom died, which also means that Belle Voci has reached its 20th season of sisters in song in support of cancer prevention and cure,” she continued. “Over the course of those seasons, and with your support, we are fortunate to have made charitable donations to the American Cancer Society, Optimum Health Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Northwell Hospice Care Network and Cancer Hope Network.”

Photo courtesy of Theatre Thre

By Tara Mae

Peace, love, and music!  Time to get your groove on and party like it’s 1969 when “Woodstockmania: Woodstock in Concert” returns to Theatre Three, 412 Main Street in Port Jefferson. The tribute concert will take the stage for the first time since 2019 on Friday, August 16, and Saturday, August 17 at 8 p.m. 

Its 17-member band includes ten instrumentalists and eight individual vocalists singing at least two songs each, covering music from the original 1969 Woodstock lineup — an experience so organically soulful its reverberations are still felt today. 

“Woodstock performances have become part of the fabric of Theatre Three. This is a group of outstanding musicians…It’s extraordinary to see these exceptionally talented artists brought together,” said Theatre Three’s Executive Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel.

Held on the 55th anniversary of Woodstock, “Woodstockmania” features approximately 34 numbers from 21 of the artists who played the stage at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, including Jimi Hendrix; Sly and the Family Stone; The Who; Grateful Dead; Janis Joplin; Jefferson Airplane; Country Joe and the Fish; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; The Band; Santana; Sweetwater; Creedence Clearwater Revival; Joan Baez; and Joe Cocker.

“This music is from a highly creative time in our culture. There was so much varied music to become attached to; everyone could find something that resonated with themselves,” Musical Director Michael Chiusano said. 

More than just a harmonious homage, “Woodstockmania” is a musical tribute to the passionate artists whose creative contributions continue to inspire today. 

Having not performed “Woodstockmania” together in 5 years, the show is an opportunity to reconnect with friends as they honor the woman who first brought many of them together: Theatre Three’s longtime musical director Ellen Michelmore, who passed away in 2016.

“It’s a reunion of friends that have been through the fire together…Mostly though, it’s a tribute to Ellen; to keep the memory of her fresh in our minds and hearts. She was a special lady,” Chiusano said. 

Michelmore developed “Woodstockmania” from Summer of ‘69: Return to Woodstock, which she co-created with Bill Van Horn. The original musical, using songs performed at the Woodstock festival, was a hit for Theatre Three and had an off-Broadway run. 

Following that success, Michelmore organized annual Woodstock tribute concerts. After her death, the show was dubbed “Ellen Michelmore’s Woodstockmania,” according to Sanzel.

While Chiusano has added other songs and musical numbers to the show, much of its repertoire was originally chosen by Michelmore. 

Eight of the songs have been in every incarnation of the show: “Going Up the Country” by Canned Heat; “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane; “Dance to the Music” by Sly & the Family Stone; “Star Spangled Banner” as done by Jimi Hendrix; “The Weight” by The Band; “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin; “With a Little Help from My Friends” as done by Joe Cocker. 

“That era, roughly 1965 to 1975, was the golden age of pop music. It will never be like that again. I also believe that people need to be reminded of all the great tunes there were,” Chiusano said.

Tunes are not the only entities enjoying this encore; the musicians recognize it as an opportunity to embrace an era that still enraptures performers and patrons. 

“Everyone who’s ever been involved in the production always remembers it fondly when they talk to me…we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” said Theatre Three’s Artistic Associate/Director of Development Douglas Quattrock. An original company member of Summer of ‘69: Return to Woodstock, he is now in the “Woodstockmania” band as the emcee and a vocalist. 

Such consistency underscores the steadfast surety of music. Personal classics and timeless songs are the soundtrack to our lives, dependable narrators of enduring emotions. In this shared language, “Woodstockmania,” is a dialect understood by artists and attendees. If “Woodstockmania” is a celebration of legacy and life, it’s main theme may be appreciating community synchronicity. 

“I think the legacy of the show over the years is that it has brought so much joy and kept so much wonderful music alive for the audiences in our area,” Quattrock added.

“Woodstockmania” is part of Theatre Three’s annual Summer Concert Series that includes special one or two night only performances on its main stage. Tickets are $65 per person. For more information or to order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) will induct legendary hip-hop artists Davy DMX (Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, The Fat Boys), DJ Hurricane (The Beastie Boys) and DJ Jazzy Jay (Def Jam) on August 24 at 7:30 pm at their Stony Brook museum location, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. The event is free but registration is required.

The three are planning to perform and will be joined by LIMEHOF inductee DJ Johnny Juice (Public Enemy) who will also be performing. Hip Hop Legend and LIMEHOF inductee Kurtis Blow will also be making a special appearance to induct Davy DMX.

“The induction of DJ Hurricane, Davy DMX, and DJ Jazzy Jay into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame highlights the importance of DJs in hip hop’s early days,” said LIMEHOF Vice Chairman Tom Needham. “These pioneers transformed the art of DJing, making it a central element of the genre and influencing countless artists. Their legacy is a vital part of hip hop’s story, and we are proud to honor them.”

LIMEHOF recognizes artists from geographic Long Island which includes Queens and Brooklyn, in addition to Nassau and Suffolk Counties. This induction ceremony and performance will celebrate the monumental contributions of these legendary artists to the genre of hip hop. They will join an impressive line-up of hip-hop performers already inducted including LL COOL J, Public Enemy, EPMD, Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Eric B. & Rakim, The Fat Boys, Salt-n-Pepa and Whodini.

To register,  please visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/tickets-and-gift-cards/

The Over 50 Fair, in its 15th year, returns to the Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broad Hollow Road, Melville on Sunday, September 22 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Each year, Baby Boomers, seniors, and those a bit younger meet with over 80 exhibitors and attend 25 classes geared toward them. The Over 50 Fair annually entertains and educates hundreds of Long Islanders.

Businesses and non-profits promote local products and services, including health and wellness, education, travel, and financial services, plus some less expected, such as several book authors and psychics.

Over 50 Fair is the brainchild of East Hills resident Barbara Kaplan, who also coordinates the very successful All Kids Fair each April. She said the Over 50 Fair is “Overflowing with Opportunities for Age 50+.” She emphasized that “this is NOT your typical ‘senior fair.’ It is an opportunity for people to learn, interact, and have fun. Our guests can meet with many experts in their fields all in one place,” she added.  

Some of this year’s “draws” will be a singles lounge, compliments of MTN Matchmaking, and a live acoustic music showcase, presented by Carrie Creative Concepts.

This year’s classes include “Downsizing your Home” with Realtor® Anna Beigelman; “How to Improve Your Dating and Sex Life After 50” with Maureen Tara Nelson, “Adventures of a Ghost Hunter,” with Joe Giaquinto; and a “Soft Landing in Retirement” financial talk with Fortis Lux. Additional classes will include a comedy show, foot care for people with diabetes, and a fitness and self-defense class.

Free health screenings will include hearing screenings from Anywhere Audiology.  There will be free energy wellness scans and reiki healings available.

This event has built a loyal following due to its consistent presentation of various classes, products, and services they find appealing. 

Feedback from the attendees and exhibitors after the 2023 event was very positive. Exhibitor Joe Satriano of the Susan Satriano Foundation shared that the Over 50 Fair “runs smoothly because of her [Barbara Kaplan’s] organizational skills, her kind demeanor, and her willingness to assure that those who attend have a great experience.”

The Over 50 Fair was just voted 2024’s Best of Nassau County in the Best Annual Event/Festival – Live or Virtual category for the 10th consecutive year in Blank Slate Media’s contest.  

The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network), a local non-profit that helps Long Island’s needy, will be in attendance collecting non-perishable food and funds. Those who donate will receive raffle tickets to win terrific donated prizes.

Tickets are $5 in advance at www.Over50Fair.com, which includes all classes, exhibits, singles lounge, music performances, health screenings, and more. Those who purchase tickets online will receive a raffle ticket at the event for a special door prize raffle. Tickets are also available at the door for $7, and it is free for Veterans to attend with ID.

This year’s event sponsors include Acupuncture Wellness Services, Men on the Move, Blank Slate Media, The Garden City News, Herald Community Newspapers, and 516Ads.com/631Ads.com.

For more information about this and future events, visit www.Over50Fair.com. For more information, call 516-621-1446.

Ray Anderson. Photo courtesy of The Jazz Loft

Internationally known and beloved trombonist Ray Anderson will be taking the stage at The Jazz Loft on August 9 at 7 p.m. with a solo concert that he describes as “both a daunting and exhilarating undertaking, like climbing a mountain or running a marathon.”

The solo concert is based on his CD Marching On.

“In 2016 I played solo at the Le Mans Jazz Festival in France,” Anderson recalls, “and that concert began the journey that produced my solo CD. Virtually unchanged since the 13th century, the trombone is simply a tube of brass one can slide to make it longer or shorter. Every sound must come from the player’s lips. For Felix Mendelsohn the trombone was the voice of God, and in America there are many trombone gospel choirs worshipping in African-American churches. The trombone is also used by circus clowns and any composer seeking absurd, humorous, or outrageous sounds. I will endeavor to use it in all these ways, and maybe some new ones, to entertain you.”

Anyone who has ever experienced Ray Anderson and his music artistry, knows that Ray’s humor and joy are as much a part of the show as the music. Anderson is formerly the Director of Jazz Studies at Stony Brook University, and still maintains a thriving performance and recording career that has spanned more than three decades. He is co-founder and vice president of The Jazz Loft.

The French newspaper Le Monde, said this in 2016 about the solo show… “Bent over his instrument from which he draws the most powerful sounds or the chords (yes, chords by harmonics) pianissimo, the eternal young man from Chicago with the booming laugh (1952) delivers a stunning “performance.”

Michael Bourne of Downbeat Magazine stated: “Ray’s chops are phenomenal – from swooping legato to breakneck staccato, from the nastiest growls to the sweetest whimpers – but it’s evident that he’s not about technique, that he’ll sometimes altogether forget technique. It’s the feeling he’s playing,…”

“The compositional prowess and unbridled creativity of Ray Anderson is hard to capture with mere words,” said Tom Manuel, president of The JazzLoft. “His spirit, ability to connect with his audience, and especially his genuine and authentic way of communicating his music is absolutely magical.”

The Jazz Loft is located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook. Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students and $15 for children.

Several pieces from the famous Blue Guitar Collection, once on display in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, will be part of the Jazz Loft’s annual John Monteleone, ‘Art of the Guitar’ Festival.

The John Monteleone, “Art of the Guitar” Festival, named for renowned guitar craftsman John Monteleone, will feature demonstrations, exhibits, workshops and performances at the Jazz Loft, located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook. The festival, which kicked off Aug. 1 with an opening reception, will continue on Aug. 2 and 3. Performances will include Laurence Juber, The Anthony Wilson Organ Trio, Frank Vignola & Pasquale Grasso, and Martin Taylor &Allison Burns.

Recognized as being one of the finest living archtop guitar and mandolin makers in the world today, Monteleone has been at the forefront of innovative cutting-edge archtop instrument making for many years. A resident of Islip, New York, Monteleone has been pushing the luthier envelope for more than 40 years with his refreshing passion for new and elegant designs. Producing instruments of great tonal expression with stunning artistic beauty is also one of Monteleone’s missions in life.

Currently, Monteleone is being honored with an exclusive exhibit of his guitars at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. The exhibit, Musical Masterworks: John Monteleone’s Guitars and Other Instruments, runs through October 13, 2024.

During John’s workshop on Saturday, August 3, guitarist Steve Salerno will join John to bring these incredible instruments to life and display their exquisite sound and history.

“It’s a privilege to present such a world-class Guitar Jazz Festival,” said Tom Manuel, founder of the Jazz Loft. “Audiences will experience the incredible music, the artistry of these iconic guitars, and be up close with the performers as well as the guitars displayed in the gallery. John’s importance to this music, and Festival, is the best reflection of what Jazz represents.”

The music from world-known musicians is just part of the allure of the festival. For guitar aficionados, there will be plenty to look at. The festival will once again feature the Iconic & Historic Guitar Gallery, displaying two of the Archtop Foundation’s Blue Guitars, George Benson’s 1958 D’Angelico New Yorker, Frank Sinatra’s longtime guitarist, Al Viola’s Epiphone, Bucky Pizzarelli’s first guitar and over 20 guitars rarely seen. Two once-in-a-lifetime surprises are also in the works to be shown publicly at the event.

The vision of a Blue Guitar Collection came from vintage guitar collector, the late Scott Chinery, a major figure in the vintage guitar world. “Often thought that it would be neat to get all the greatest builders together and have them interpret the same guitar, an 18-inch archtop, in the same color blue,” Chinery said. The Collection, now owned by the Archtop Foundation, is continuing the tradition of inviting the industry’s top luthiers to build new expressions of the original concept.

The schedule for the festival, all taking place inside The Jazz Loft, is below:

Friday, August 2, 2024:

5 p.m. performance by Laurence Juber

7 pm.  Performance by The Anthony Wilson Organ Trio

Saturday, August 3, 2024:

12 p.m. Guitar Workshop with John Monteleone & Steve Salerno

4 p.m. performance by Frank Vignolo & Pasquale Grasso

7 p.m. performance by Martin Taylor & Alison Burns

For information, please visit https://www.thejazzloft.org/monteleone.

The Jazz Loft is located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook. Tickets for the guitar festival can be purchased here: https://www.thejazzloft.org/tickets

By Steven Zaitz

Stony Brook village became Strawberry Fields for a few magical, musical hours on Sunday, July 28, as four lads who call themselves The Liverpool Shuffle pleased the crowd of Beatlemaniacs.

A ticket to ride was unnecessary for this show, as the boys played for free on the balcony of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF).

Formed in 2003 by singer, bassist and guitarist Joe Refano, who played with Herman’s Hermits as well as with Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, the band delighted the crowd for close to two hours with hits such as “All My Loving,” “In My Life,” “Day Tripper” and “Back In The U.S.S.R.”

The concert was a nod to the famous Beatles on the rooftop concert in January of 1969 on top of their Apple Corps headquarters in central London. That was the last time they performed together in front of a live audience. After playing “Get Back” for the third time that rainy afternoon, John Lennon famously and playfully asked the crowd if the most influential band in the history of music had “passed the audition.”

Refano, who lives in Centerport, saw the Beatles live at Shea Stadium in 1966, and like pretty much everyone else, was hooked.

“We are very excited to play on the balcony and pay tribute to the Beatles for the people of Stony Brook,” said Refano as he tuned his guitar at sound check.

Jamie Bateman, a distant cousin to Ringo Starr and is originally from Liverpool, sings and plays the guitar and harmonica; Andrew Lubman plays bass, guitar, keyboard and sings many of Paul McCartney’s parts; and Brian James is behind the drum kit.

Ernie Canadeo, chairman of LIMEHOF, introduced the band and was thrilled to showcase the museum and facility in its first-ever outdoor concert.

“We decided to do the first outdoor concert as a ‘Beatles on the Balcony’ tribute, as the Beatles mean so much to everyone and they have a lot of connection to Long Island,” Canadeo said. “They played Shea Stadium and Forest Hills. Paul McCartney lives here, Ringo still plays out here and John spent a few summers here so we thought this would be a great idea.”

After “Hey Jude” and the encore of “I Saw Her Standing There,” the show was over and there was no doubt that The Liverpool Shuffle had passed the audition.