Broadway Performer, Mary Callanan and Avalanche Orchestra to perform on the site of the famed Aeolian Hall
WEDNESDAY, December 19, 2023 – New York, NY: SUNY College of Optometry Foundation is thrilled to announce the lead performers for Kaleidoscope of Sound: A Tribute to George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The Avalanche Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Louis Arques, will be joined by Broadway Performer, Mary Callanan, in the Schwarz Theater at SUNY College of Optometry for this 100th Anniversary Concert on Monday, February 12, 2024. This exclusive, one-night only event will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the debut of George Gershwin’s iconic masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue. The College’s 42nd Street Campus once housed Aeolian Hall, the concert venue where Gershwin debuted Rhapsody in Blue on February 12, 1924. The concert will feature music from the original program as well as other pieces from the era and Gershwin’s collection.
Mary Callanan is a Broadway performer and Cabaret artist. Mary is best known for playing Rosie in the Broadway, Las Vegas and National Tours of Mamma Mia! On Broadway, she originated the role of Jean Ann Ryan in the Tony-Winning Musical Bandstand and played Mrs. Pugh and Miss Hannigan in the 2012 Broadway Revival of Annie. Mary has crisscrossed North America in seven National Tours and has performed in NYC Cabarets that include: 54 Below, Russian Tea Room, Green Room 42, Eighty Eight’s and Brandy’s. Additional Cabaret Engagements include Boston, Provincetown and cruise ships.
Avalanche Orchestra was created with the vision to perform non-classical music with the soundscape and striking power of a full symphony. It has also thrived in exporting classical music beyond the walls of traditional venues, creating new concert experiences and music-making opportunities for all. Avalanche’s first recording premiered a piece by Fabian Beltran, mixing traditional Colombian melodies with jazz and contemporary elements. In 2022, Avalanche invited pianist Radosia Jasik and composer Mikolaj Gorecki for an evening of music, interviews, and an art exhibition at the landmark Consulate of Poland in New York.
Louis Arques, Artistic Director, has been ascending musical heights in New York City for seven years. As a clarinetist he performs solos with orchestras and is a sought-after chamber music partner. A champion of new music, he commissions and performs works by European and American composers. He can also be heard playing saxophone and singing with Afro-Cuban and Jazz ensembles across the city. As an artistic director and conductor, he created the Avalanche Orchestra. He is also co-musical director of the Brooklyn Orchestra and an active artistic production consultant. As a passionate educator, Louis Arques has taught clarinet at Ithaca College and saxophone at Cornell University, and is on faculty at Diller-Quaile School of Music.
Nicolee Kuester, NYC-based horn player Nicolee Kuester divides her time between experimental music and The Older Stuff, recently performing with Talea, the International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, and Wet Ink Ensemble in NYC; Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris; Alarm Will Sound in St Louis; and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in LA. She is co-founder of MEANINGLESS WORK, a performance series that happily meanders between sounds, performance art, text, and movement theater. Nicolee holds Bachelors degrees in horn performance and creative writing from Oberlin College & Conservatory and graduate degrees in contemporary music performance from UC San Diego.
Vladimir Rumyantsev is a prodigious pianist. Celebrated for his exceptional musicianship and virtuosity, he has appeared as a soloist under the baton of prestigious conductors, in venues around the world from Moscow’s Great Hall, to London’s Covent Garden, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. A fine improviser, he has also toured extensively with Georgy Garanian’s Jazz ensemble. Educated under luminaries like Sergey Dorensky and Nikolai Lugansky, he completed his Master’s degree at Mannes School of Music with Pavlina Dokovska. New York City’s first call pianist, he is a peerless sight-reader and generous performer, excelling as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and collaborative pianist (Mariinsky Ballet, American Ballet Theater).
What: Kaleidoscope of Sound: A Tribute to George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue— Exclusive musical concert featuring Rhapsody in Blue along with other musical pieces from the era and light refreshments
When: Monday, February 12, 2024
Doors Open: 7:00 pm
Program: 7:30 pm with general reception to follow
Where: SUNY College of Optometry
Schwarz Theater
33 W. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
How: A limited number of VIP and General Admission Tickets are now available for sale to attend this One Night Only event:
https://sunyoptgershwin.eventbrite.com
Proceeds from the event will be used to support the initiatives of SUNY College of Optometry Foundation which provides student scholarships, ensures charitable care funds for patients, and advances vision research.
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Media contact: Rob Rosiello at RRosiello@sunyopt.edu or (212) 938-5753 or Dawn Rigney at DRigney@sunyopt.edu or (212) 938-5600
About SUNY College of Optometry Foundation
Founded in 1956, the Foundation was chartered to provide opportunities to support vision education, eye care, and advance optometric education through the Optometric Center of New York (OCNY). It rebranded to SUNY College of Optometry Foundation in 2023. Today, the Foundation delivers on its mission as the college related, tax-exempt foundation for SUNY College of Optometry and its affiliated patient care clinic, the University Eye Center. The Foundation stands as an example of what partnership among visionary community leaders, education, and businesses can accomplish. Since its inception the Foundation has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to supporting vision care for underserved populations; educating the next generation of optometrists including providing merit and need-based scholarships to students; and advancing research into the complex human visual system.