Pictured from left,Twila Silverman, Chair of Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission; Stacey Ann Caggiano, Director of Suffolk County Department of Women’s Services; Fifth Legislative District Woman of Distinction Johanna Kosak; Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright; and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. Photo courtesy of Leg. Englebright's office
At a luncheon held at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge on March 4, all 18 Suffolk County Legislators honored the county’s Women of Distinction for 2025. The county’s Department of Women’s Services asked each legislator to choose an impressive female constituent from their district who volunteers their time to make their community a better place. Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) named nonprofit founder Johanna Kosak as the Fifth Legislative District’s Woman of Distinction.
Kosak founded the Comsewogue Music and Arts Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in September 2023 after her daughter noticed a lack of music and arts scholarships in the Comsewogue School District. The nonprofit organization assists students pursuing creative paths.
“It’s impressive that Ms. Kosak found a need in her children’s school district and took matters in her own hands to do something about it,” Englebright said. “Music and other creative pursuits are vital for the collective good of our society.”
Kosak works alongside school district mothers Secretary Michele Provenzale and Treasurer Yoon Choi-Perrone, as well as the nonprofit’s student volunteers, her daughter, Annmarie; Perrone’s son, James; and Provenzale’s son, Michael.
The volunteers organize and host 20 to 30 fundraisers annually and have raised $12,000 since September 2023. The nonprofit is present at every school concert and drama production to sell flowers and snacks, hold raffles and request donations.
The nonprofit raises funds for scholarships for Comsewogue High School seniors who plan to enroll in college music, arts, marketing, business and architecture programs. CMAC also provides opportunities for art students to promote their artwork at the nonprofit’s craft fair. Last year, the sale of artwork supplied funds for CMAC and the Arts Honor Society.
Additionally, the CMAC supports teachers by providing grants for educators to invite professional musicians and artists for workshops and career development sessions. CMAC also raises funds to reduce costs for families in financial need who wish to send younger children to music or drama programs during the summer vacation.
The nonprofit’s work includes supporting the Comsewogue High School Business Department by providing learning and collaboration opportunities for students interested in digital art marketing.
In addition to her volunteer work with CMAC, the mother of four works fulltime and volunteers with her husband at Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church. Her husband serves as the organist, while she plays keyboard. A former instructor at Suffolk County Community College, Kosak also volunteered with the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation, serving in roles such as president, vice-president and competition coordinator.
Kosak said she was honored and humbled to be honored and credited her fellow volunteers and the community for making CMAC a success.
“This recognition was not only for me but for our entire community and a great encouragement to continue,” Kosak said.
The Northport Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Eric Mahl, will present the second concert of its 2024-2025 season at Northport High School, 154 Laurel Hill Road, Northport on Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m.
The concert will feature Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, composed in 1883, while Brahms was at his creative peak. The program also includes Jubilee, from the Symphonic Sketches by George Chadwick, the Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds, and the Egmont Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Join them for a repertoire of wonderful classical music!Tickets are $15 at the door.
These concerts are made possible by ticket sales and by donations from our generous advertisers, sponsors, donors, and audience members. For more information, visit www.northportsymphony.org.
The monthly HardLuckCafé concert series co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) in the Cinema’s Sky Room continues on Wednesday, March 19 with a multimedia Tribute to Those We’ve Lost. Two-dozen Long Island-based artists will perform songs by/popularized by notable songwriters and recording artists who left our world over the past year. The concert will extend from 7 to 10 p.m., with a short intermission.
LI-based artists slated to perform include Candice Baranello, Janice Buckner, Eric Eaton & Jennifer Grace, Gathering Time (Stuart Markus, Christine Sweeney & Gerry McKeveny), Ray Lambiase and Kate Corrigan, Bill Lauter, Stuart Markus, Larry Moser and Max Rowland, James O’Malley, Princess Peapod (Dave Cook & Michele Frimmer), Denise Romas, Gary Schoenberger, Terry Seidl, Hank Stone, Suffolk Shuffle (Richard Parr & Joe Roccanova), Bob Westcott, Jim Whiteman, and Lindsay Whiteman.
They’ll be performing songs by/popularized by such artists as Mike Brewer (Brewer & Shipley), Eric Carmen, Barbara Dane, Roberta Flack, Garth Hudson (The Band), Bernice Johnson Reagon, Kris Krisfofferson, Linda LaFlamme (It’s A Beautiful Day), Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead), Dave Loggins, David Mallet, One Direction’s Liam Payne, Tom Prasada-Rao, John Roberts, JD Souther, Randy Sparks (The New Christy Minstrels), Libby Titus, and Peter Yarrow, among others.
Tickets are $20 ($15 for Cinema Arts Centre/FMSH members) and may be purchased online at cinemaartscentre.org or at the box office through the evening of the show.
A scene from 'Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three
A scene from 'Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three
A scene from 'Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three
A scene from 'Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three
A scene from 'Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three
By Heidi Sutton
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.” So begins Theatre Three’s latest offering, Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show, a fitting tribute to the life and music of the Man in Black. The show opened to a full house lastSaturday night and did not disappoint.
Created by Richard Maltby, Jr. and conceived by William Meade, with orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Jeff Lisenby, the musical opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 2006 for a limited run before heading to community theaters.
Expertly directed by Christine Boehm, the show at Theatre Three features over 30 of Cash’s most popular songs including Jackson, Ring of Fire, If I Were a Carpenter, Get Rhythm, and I Walk the Line, sung in quick succession over two hours by an incredibly talented cast — Tina Ann Aurora, Kyle M. Breitenbach, Jeffrey Hoffman, Michael Mandato, Cassidy Rose O’Brien, Dan Schindlar and Ryan Van Nostrand — as the singer’s story is told.
One of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide, Cash drew inspiration from his life experiences and embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel, earning him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.
Born in Kingsland, Arkansas in 1932, Johnny Cash was the fourth child of Carrie and Ray Cash. As the show progresses, we learn that he and his six siblings worked alongside their parents picking cotton on their farm. Tragedy strikes when his older brother Jack dies after been injured at work, an event that deeply affected Cash for the rest of his life.
We witness the first time the singer meets June Carter at the Grand Ole Opry and is instantly smitten. Several stints in jail inspire a series of “prison” songs including Folsom Prison Blues and Orleans Parish Prison and his struggles with drugs spur him to write Cocaine Blues.
Every song is executed beautifully and with gusto and each actor has a chance to shine, taking turns to sing the lead. Highlights include Breitenbach’s version of Delia’s Gone, Van Nostrand’s hilarious rendition of Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart and Man in Black by Mandato.
Special mention must be made of Schindlar’s A Boy Named Sue which tells the story of a young man’s quest for revenge on his father for naming him Sue before abandoning him. During the performance, Schindlar comes down from the stage to look for his “father” in the audience. A nice touch.
As with any production, it takes a village to make it all come together perfectly.
While each cast member plays multiple instruments including guitar, violin, ukulele, piano, tambourine and flute, they are accompanied on stage by a backup band featuring Marni Harris on fiddle, John Dericco on guitar and mandolin, Dave Grudzinski and Ethan Mascarenas on bass and Don Larsen on drums.
The costumes, designed by Boehm, feature modest and demure country dresses, jeans and overalls in Act I but switch to sparkly and shiny new digs in Act II to reflect the progression of Cash’s career. Even the boots glitter!
The impressive set, designed by Randall Parsons, resembles the inside of a barn with hints of the Grand Ole Opry. Each side of the stage features a lighted porch for seating and stained glass windows illuminate the background.
Don’t miss this wonderful show. You’ll be clapping along and tapping your feet and going home with a deeper appreciation of the legendary singer/songwriter and his impact on the world of music. The standing ovation at the end of the opening performance was most deserved.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St. Port Jefferson presents Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show through March 30. Come early for a cocktail and snacks at Griswold’s Cafe. Proceeds benefit the refurbishment of the historic theater.
Mainstage performances continue with Wait Until Dark from April 18 to May 11 and the Long Island premiere of Half Time from May 24 to June. 22. Tickets are $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 children ages 5 to 12.
Coming up at The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre, on the Second Stage is the 26th annual Festival of One-Act Plays featuring the world premieres of sevenplays up close and personal from March 8 through April 5. Tickets are $25.
To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
Join the Northport Chorale for their annual fundraiser, “A Night at the Line Dancing!” at Christ Lutheran Church, 189 Burr Road, East Northport on Saturday, March 15 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Enjoy a hot and cold buffet, dessert table, raffles,“Baskets-By-Rachel’,” 50/50, line dancing and a pre-St. Patty’s Day old fashioned Irish sing-a-long to finish the evening. Tickets are $35 per person. To order, please call 631-754-3144. For more information, visit northportchorale.org.
Lou Reed and Paul Simon will be honored on March 9. Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
By Rita J. Egan
Music lovers will experience two distinctive sounds during the Sunday Street Concert on March 9 at The Long Island Museum.
Local singers Gene Casey; Caroline Doctorow; Andrew, Andie Juliette and Cole Fortier; Bryan Gallo; Ray Lambiase; Russ Seeger; and Hank Stone will come together to commemorate the music of two legends — Lou Reed and Paul Simon. Both are inductees in the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Andrew Fortier said he finds Simon and Reed to be polar opposites.
“I also think they’re both geniuses and brilliant and really that’s the fun discovery of it all,” he said.
Producer Charlie Backfish said during the concert, titled Lou Reed & Paul Simon: Two Songwriters from Long Island, the artists will each perform one song from Simon’s catalog and one of Reed’s songs. Simon, 83, and Reed, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 71, both have ties to Long Island.
Born in Brooklyn, Reed graduated from Freeport High School in 1959 while Simon graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens in 1958.
Reed played guitar and was a member of a doo-wop group in his younger days, while Simon, along with classmate Art Garfunkel, joined forces first as the group Tom and Jerry. The duo would go on to record simply as Simon and Garfunkel and recorded hits such as “I Am a Rock” and “Scarborough Fair” before Simon pursued a solo career. Reed also embarked on a solo path after being a member of the rock group Velvet Underground for five years.
The artistic paths of both accomplished singers and songwriters would cross in 1980 when Simon wrote and starred in One Trick Pony. Reed played a record executive in the same film.
Backfish said he chose the two artists for this show because of their ties to Long Island as well as their musical genres, which are “rather different, although they share some common roots.”
He added that the two, in addition to graduating from Long Island high schools and appearing in a movie together, both had an interest in Doo Wop. According to Backfish, their interests in the genre continued throughout their careers.
“Obviously not every recording, but there are elements of it in their music, and especially in their early years that kind of intrigued me,” he said.
Ray Lambiase, who chose Reed’s “Pale Blue Eyes” to perform, said as he was deciding on a song from the singer’s catalog, especially from Velvet Underground, “I was struck by how — as quirky as his recordings were — you can still pick up an acoustic guitar, and they still have the fundamental elements of a well-written song.”
Lambiase said finding a Simon song is as challenging as picking a Reed song. He added that many of Simon’s songs can be musically challenging.
“Paul Simon is such a terrific guitar player that a lot of his songs are difficult to play,” he said.
“There are some songs that are simpler than others, but he was a very sophisticated guitar player, and also his chord patterns were much more sophisticated than what we would think of as traditional folk singers.”
Lambiase will perform “Paranoia Blues” from Simon’s first solo album, which he feels will be a fun song compared to some of his more serious pieces.
“It might be a good idea to break things up and show that he had a humorous side, too,” the performer said.
Caroline Doctorow, who will sing Simon’s “The Dangling Conversation,” which she recorded on her “Dreaming in Vinyl” album, and Reed’s “Sunday Morning,” said it’s important for performers to try to sound different than the original artists.
“You want to add something to your interpretation,” Doctorow said, adding it can be “challenging in a really wonderful way.”
“I’m so happy that Charlie does these shows,” she said. “It’s a nice opportunity to just spread your wings a little bit in a way that you might not otherwise.
Andrew Fortier agreed that the concert series and Backfish’s WUSB-FM radio program “Sunday Street” take performers and listeners on a journey, introducing them to singers they may have never considered.
He added he feels the audience will enjoy hearing both artists’ music and that fans of one will find the other songwriter’s work fresh and new. Fortier and his children, Cole and Andie Juliette, were on a road trip listening to some of Simon’s and Reed’s work to look for songs that resonated with them.
“The truth of it is that it is really fun when you dive into an artist that you really aren’t that familiar with, because you really can dig deep, and you really get an appreciation for what they do,” Fortier said.
Andie Juliette Fortier added, “It’s always interesting. It gives you a chance to get to know each artist a little bit more and really explore parts of their catalog you maybe wouldn’t normally listen to.”
Singer/songwriters Lou Reed and Paul Simon, pictured here in their high school yearbooks, will be honored during the March 9 concert. Photos courtesy of Charlie Backfish
After listening to Simon’s and Reed’s work, Andrew Fortier decided to sing Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” and Reed’s “Satellite of Love.” Andie Juliette Fortier will perform “Kathy’s Song” by Simon and “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by Reed. Cole Fortier has chosen Simon’s “Hearts and Bones” and “Going Down” by Reed.
The Fortiers are looking forward to hearing the other performers’ interpretations, too.
“There’s always surprises,” Andie Juliette Fortier said. “It’s always nice to hear how people interpret different songs and put their own style on it.
Lambiase said he enjoys the “insights from the different steps of the journey of their personal growth and journeys” when he performs an artist’s work at a Sunday Street concert.
“I think that’s a really big part of the show to humanize the artists by taking their songs and reducing them to their core essentials, and keeping some insight into their journey, because every musician, especially people with careers as long as Paul Simon and Lou Reed, there’s a beginning, a middle and the later part.”
Doctorow said older songs usually stir up a sense of nostalgia, and she hopes audience members will remember the music, and the songs will bring back memories while they connect with them in a new way.
“It’s like that Hugh Prestwood song — called ‘The Song Remembers When,’” she said. “You hear these songs from your youth, and you remember things that you might not normally remember. It just sort of washes over you, and in difficult times like we’re in now, the songs comfort people.”
Sunday Street Concert Lou Reed & Paul Simon: Two Songwriters from Long Island is produced by Charlie Backfish and is a not-for-profit collaboration with WUSB-FM, The Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and The Long Island Museum.
The show takes place on Sunday, March 9 at 5 p.m. in The Gillespie Room at The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook. Advance sale tickets are $25, plus a service fee, through March 7. Tickets at the door are $30, cash only. For more information, visit www.sundaystreet.org.
Jean Prysock, who passed away on June 28, 2024 at the age of 97 in North Carolina, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy and The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook is a big part of that story. Prysock, who was married to jazz great Arthur Prysock, was never one to take a back seat and embodied the old adage that if “you want something done, give it to a busy person.”
Her life was full with volunteer work and helping others. In her later years she became a key spark in establishing The Jazz Loft (TJL). As a founding board member, Prysock worked with founder and president Tom Manuel, attending initial meetings with The Ward Melville Heritage Organization board and their President, Gloria Rocchio, as the idea of TJL became a reality.
Tom Manuel and Jean Prysock
“Jean tirelessly worked public relations for The Jazz Loft when we first opened in 2014,” Manuel said. “She donated her husband’s archives and that was a big addition to our collections. It opened the door for others that followed. She was an incredible mentor to me, and a real pioneer in so many shapes and forms, and more importantly, one of my dearest friends.”
Born and raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, Prysock graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School, receiving awards for her dedication to others and her athletic abilities.
Prysock was married to Arthur for 49 years. The couple met at the Savoy nightclub, where Arthur was performing with the Buddy Johnson Band.
“My dad thought my mom would be an easy pickup, but she wasn’t,” laughed daughter Jeanartta. But Prysock’s best friend Gloria was dating Arthur’s brother and that made for an introduction.
They were married on June 6, 1948.
They bought their first home in Jamaica, N.Y. Arthur and Prysock loved to entertain and their home was known for great parties, good food and the best BBQ around. Christmas Eve parties were Prysock’s specialty and people came from far and wide, which eventually required her to transform the party into a ticketed dinner-dance.
Following Arthur’s death in 1997, Prysock did not slow down, filling her days with a variety of volunteer opportunities and positions on advisory boards.
Prysock volunteered at the Veterans Hospital in St. Albans, Goldwater Hospital and Harlem Hospital. Prysock organized shows for the patients at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, featuring her talented husband. She was active in the PTA at P.S. 140 in Queens. She eventually received a position on the P.S. 140 Board of Education, and headed the Higher Horizons program.
In addition to her school and community work, the sport of bowling called. For 22 years Prysock volunteered at Cardinal Lanes, and had a league of young bowlers known as the Prysock Junior Bowlers. Bowling became a big part of her life. Through communication with Charlie Venable, a pro bowler, she got involved with the pro bowlers at Paramus Lanes, becoming a sponsor of the team The Prysock Five. Jean was the first female recipient of an award for dedication to the world of bowling.
“You couldn’t tell my mom ‘no’ to anything,” remembers Jeanartta. “That just made her more determined. She would find a way.”
When a local Portuguese family suffered a house fire resulting in the death of several children, Jean organized a fundraising effort to raise money so that the family could relocate to a new home.
Even though the community was divided by race, income and ethnicity, Jean brought everyone together and not only raised enough money for the family to buy a new home, but she also organized an interracial-interfaith group hoping to bring better understanding between all people.
The National Conference of Christians and Jews presented her the Ambassador of Good Will award and she was also recognized by local professional business groups and was named to the Nassau County Advisory Board of Volunteers Services.
Prysock leaves behind two daughters, Jeanartta and Jeanine; grandchildren Jara, Arthur, and Jeanisha; and great grandchildren Kiya, Kaily, and Hibiki..
Prysock’s motto was “Respect yourself and others will do the same. And remember no one owes you anything. Learn to love, learn to be better and the world will become a better place to live. When you help someone else up the hill, you help yourself.
Pictured (left to right) are Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Councilman Neil Manzella; Craig Knapp; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilman Neil Foley; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig; Councilman Michael Loguercio and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle. Photo from Town of Brookhaven
At the February 13 Town of Brookhaven Board Meeting, Councilwoman Jane Bonner recognized Rocky Point School District music teacher, Craig Knapp, for being named 2024 ‘Educator of Note’ by the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF).
Mr. Knapp is the 18th music teacher to be recognized by LIMEHOF. The ‘Educator of Note’ award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate a commitment to music education, play an active role in the community, and have a significant influence on the lives of music students of all backgrounds and abilities.
The ceremony took place at LIMEHOF’s museum location in Stony Brook and featured musical performances by current and former students, live and video-recorded speeches from colleagues, and a video presentation about Mr. Knapp’s career.
Pictured (left to right) are Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Councilman Neil Manzella; Craig Knapp; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilman Neil Foley; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig; Councilman Michael Loguercio and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle.
From left, LIMEHOF board member Barry Fisch, Albert Bouchard, LIMEHOF board member Kelly Leung, and LIMEHOF co-founder and board member Norm Prussian. Photo by Steve Leung
Albert Bouchard playing the cowbell. Photo Credit
Steve Leung
Norm Prussian hosts discussion with Albert Bouchard. Photo by Barry Fisch
Albert Bouchard, the former Blue Öyster Cult member who played the cowbell on the recording of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"reflects on the impact the Long Island band has had on pop culture. Photo by Steve Leung
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook hosted LIMHOF inductee Albert Bouchard on Feb. 22. The former Blue Öyster Cult member who played the cowbell on the recording “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” reflected on the impact this Long Island band had on pop culture.
Bouchard spoke about the writing of the song, the famous Saturday Night Live skit “More Cowbell” which aired on April 8th, 2000 starring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell, and how the expression “I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell” remains iconic!
“I love being a part of this organization (LIMEHOF),” Bouchard said. “Everyone’s like “How come you’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I don’t really care about that. To me, you look at what’s going on there it’s not all Rock and Roll and that’s a subjective classification anyway. This, you’re talking about music and entertainment. It’s exactly what it is. It’s properly named, and you have the real people. It’s not just a popularity cult contest. It’s people who really made a difference from Long Island so I think this is a fantastic organization to belong to and I’m really delighted to be part of it.”
Norm Prusslin, co-founder LIMEHOF and current board member organized and hosted the event. He said it’s an important part of the organization’s mission to host inductees and local artists to share insights and stories most people might not know about historical events they lived through and the ups, downs and pressures of the music industry.
“Albert has been a good partner of LIMEHOF since we started,” said Prusslin. “Clearly all the hoopla about the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary year and the fact that the ‘More Cowbell’ skit has been one of the top skits ever in their 50-year history I thought it might be fun to see if Albert was available to come out and talk about the recording of the song and about the skit and the impact that the skit has had to the band and to him and to pop culture itself. I knew that since Albert was a former member of Blue Öyster Cult, and that band was formed in Stony Brook, there’d be a lot of interest for people to come out and to share some stories that people may not know.”
Bouchard said he didn’t know SNL was planning on running a skit about the recording of the song at the time it aired, so it came as a surprise to him when he heard about it. He originally thought it was going to be terrible but after seeing it his reaction was one of delight.
“Oh my God this is so funny!” Bouchard recounted. “This is like just what happened… then I thought, how did he even hear the cowbell? To this day I cannot watch it without smiling. There’s always some little bit that makes me go ‘oh my God’ that was it.”
One major error that the skit made that Bouchard corrected was the producer. The SNL skit had Christopher Walken playing the famous music producer Bruce Dickinson. The original credits list three producers of the song — David Lucas, Murray Krugman and LIMEHOF inductee Sandy Pearlman. Of the three it was David Lucas who had the idea to add in the cowbell.
The back story about the producer mix up is that the writers of the skit saw a credit for Bruce Dickinson from a compilation album, not the original record of the song, which lead to the confusion.
Bouchard went on to explain how it happened in real life and that there were similar debates about including the cowbell at the time. At one point Bouchard wanted to play a triangle instead, but that was changed to a cowbell.
“David wanted to hear the cowbell in it,” Bouchard explained. “I never quite understood why he wanted it and then a couple of years ago he said … ‘I wanted some pulse, some quarter note pulse like a metronome but not a metronome to balance off all those eighth notes. Everything was eighth notes the whole song if you listen to it’… The cowbell balances that with a quarter note pulse. A brilliant idea when you think about it.”
“If it was up to me, it wouldn’t be on the song,” Bouchard continued. “I never would have thought to put a cowbell on it. It was David Lucas’s idea, and I just happened to be his tool to make that happen since I happened to be in the studio at the time…. It worked, that’s the bottom line. The cowbell riff worked, the cowbell skit worked, the song worked. It’s all about making people feel good.”
About LIMEHOF
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook. To date, the organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.
Think about your favorite song. What about it lifts your spirit? Maybe it’s the lyrics that feel so relatable, or the catchy melody that gets stuck in your head for days. For many people, though, good music is all about rhythm — a driving beat that makes you bob your head and want to dance.
The Stony Brook University Orchestra is tuning up to celebrate the power of rhythm at their annual Family Orchestra Concert on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The hour-long performance is meant to expose listeners of all ages to classical music in a relaxed, lighthearted atmosphere.
Alicja Paruch
The orchestra is comprised of more than 70 Stony Brook students from all backgrounds. Some are music majors or minors, while others are studying in STEM fields and race from the lab to rehearsals. Conductor Susan Deaver scours the university’s music collection each year to find pieces that work well together and create a unique theme.
“I tried to highlight a variety of different rhythms with this concert, not just from piece to piece but also varying rhythms within the pieces as well,” said Deaver of this year’s selections. “And as always, we’ll teach people about all the different sounds an orchestra can make — the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion — along with different dynamics and moods they can create. It’s going to be like a kaleidoscope.”
The concert’s lineup includes Alfred Reed’s “A Festival Prelude,” with sweeping and march-like elements; Jerry Brubaker’s “That Gershwin Rhythm,” a medley of hits from the famous American composer behind “I Got Rhythm”; and a rollicking section called “Hoe-Down” from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo,” among others.
This year’s featured soloist is 21-year-old music major Alicja Paruch, the 2024 winner of the Undergraduate Concerto Competition. The majority of previous winners played either the piano or violin, but Paruch is playing an instrument that you don’t often see in the spotlight — the marimba. Paruch will perform selections from Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto.
“I started by playing piano when I was young, and when I came [back to the United States] I looked for opportunities to continue but they were hard to come by,” said Paruch, who was born in the U.S. but primarily raised in Poland. “My high school teacher suggested I try the bells.”
The marimba is a percussion instrument in the bells family, and is played using mallets like a xylophone. The layout is similar to a piano, and Paruch made the transition comfortably. She was eventually skilled enough to play with many mallets simultaneously, holding several in each hand.
Paruch admitted she entered the concerto competition just for extra practice. The results shocked her.
“I was hoping to get some extra feedback and improve my playing. I didn’t think that I would win,” she laughed. “I was so surprised!”
A short composition by LeRoy Anderson, “The Typewriter,” will be another highlight. The fast-moving piece puts an actual typewriter in the spotlight, weaving the clacking of the keys and the “ding!” that precedes the carriage return with the orchestral sounds.
As Deaver was developing the concert list, she was delighted when freshman Maximo Flores approached her with some unexpected news: Flores collects typewriters. In fact, he owns five of them.
“I’m fascinated by antiques, and I love the idea of preserving parts of the past,” said Flores, a biology and music major whose main instrument is clarinet. “I got my first typewriter on Craigslist, and now I try to find them wherever I can.”
Deaver naturally asked Flores if he’d like to learn the typewriter solo for the piece.
“I’m an introvert, so this isn’t something I would usually seek out, but I’m a curious person and I love a challenge,” he said.
All told, the concert will be an exciting mix of selections that anyone can appreciate.
“When we say it’s a family concert, we truly mean the whole family can come and enjoy it, even the littlest ones. Some songs may be recognizable, and others will be a brand new experience,” Deaver explained. “Getting to hear an orchestra live and in person is also about getting to see the different instruments, learn how they work and the different sounds they can create. There’s a misconception that the orchestra is very serious, but the whole point is to enjoy the music. And maybe your feet won’t be able to stay still!”
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The SBU Family Orchestra Concert will be held on the Main Stage of Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 631-632-7330 or visit www.stonybrook.edu/music.
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