News

The Orchestra of Northern New York, the North Country’s professional symphony orchestra, will offer a $30 family rate for a newly scheduled matinee of its STAR WARS concert. The promotion applies to two adults and up to three children, ages 13 and older in one’s immediate family.  Children, 12 and under, are free to all ONNY concerts, but tickets are required. This special event will take place at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 18, 2020 at Jefferson Community College’s Sturtz Theater.

The $30 family rate for the matinee only is made possible by a generous grant from the Northern New York Community Foundation and T. Urling and Mabel Walker Family Community Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation. The goal is to give families with children the opportunity for all to experience the excitement of high quality, live music.

“As part of our continuing partnership with ONNY, we are pleased to help provide funding for an additional presentation of the STAR WARS  concert and also help make attending more affordable for families,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. 

Music director, Kenneth Andrews said, “The Orchestra of Northern New York is excited to bring a matinee performance of the Orchestra's spring blockbuster program, STAR WARS, to the Sturtz Theater stage on the campus of SUNY Jefferson. We are grateful to the Northern New York Community Foundation and the Walkers for helping to make this wonderful opportunity available for families in the greater Watertown region to experience this spectacular music by John Williams and the STAR WARS saga.” 

Ticket purchasers are advised that the family rate applies only to immediate family members. No additional discounts can be applied to the family rate.  ONNY subscribers and patrons may not exchange previously ordered tickets for the evening performance. Tickets at the $30 family rate must be purchased by telephone only at 315-267-2277. Unfortunately, no online sales can be completed for the special matinee rate.

“Tickets to the matinee would make a wonderful, last-minute holiday gift,” according to Executive Director, Kathy Del Guidice. A gift certificate can be emailed as soon as tickets are purchased through the box office.

The STAR WARS concert will enthrall all ages with the music of one of the greatest film composers of all time, John Williams, with selections from one of the most iconic and ever-popular film series.

Regular ticket prices apply for the second performance of STAR WARS also scheduled for April 18 at 7:30 pm.  Adults are $27, seniors and military personnel are $22, and college students with ID are $10. Children, 12 and under, are free to all ONNY concerts, but tickets are required.

For more information, contact the CPS box office at 315-267-2277.

POTSDAM – Praised for her “thrilling blend of fury and finesse” (San Antonio Express-News) and her “winning combination of passion, imagination and integrity” (New York Concert Review), internationally acclaimed piano soloist Ms. Young-Ah Tak will be the featured soloist in ONNY’s fall concert, Beethoven. 

Performances are 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 19 at Hosmer Hall, SUNY Potsdam and 3:00 p.m., Sunday, October 20 at First Presbyterian Church, Watertown. 

A donor reception is being co-hosted for major supporters of ONNY and WPBS immediately following the Sunday concert in the church’s Fellowship Hall. The event is by invitation only.

Ms. Tak enjoys a remarkable career that has taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, her native Korea, and Japan.

She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Julliard, her Master of Music and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and her Doctor of Musical Arts from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

She made her New York City debut at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall with the Julliard Orchestra. Other notable performances have taken place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater in Philadelphia, and many others around the world.

Her performances have been broadcast in New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Ontario, and in Korea. Ms. Tak has been awarded top prizes in numerous international competitions.

Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor of Piano and is the Founding Artistic Director of the Crane International Piano Festival.  She is a Steinway Artist.

The concert opens with Beethoven’s Triumphant March from Tarpeja,(1813), followed by Ms. Tak’s rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 (1795/rev.1800). After a brief intermission, the 48-piece professional orchestra will perform program Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral – Sinfonie oder Erinnerung an das Landeleben” (“Pastoral Symphony or Remembering Country Life”)., conducted by Maestro Kenneth Andrews.

The Orchestra of Northern New York is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is sponsored, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature, and by the Northern New York Community Foundation.  

Tickets are $27 adults, $22 seniors and military personnel, $10 college students, and $5 teens (13-17). Children, 12 and under, are admitted free to all ONNY concerts.

For tickets or more information, contact the Community Performance Series box office at 315-267-2277 or visit www.onny.org to purchase tickets online. They may also be obtained at brick and Mortar Music, 15 Market St., Potsdam.

The Orchestra of Northern New York announces its second annual Fall Golf Classic.  Sign up today to support the North Country's only symphony orchestra.  Registration is $75 per person before September 10 ($100 for same-day registration) and includes 18 holes of golf, a delicious dinner, and prizes.  Please see the event page for more details.

Photo Credit: Chris Urbanowicz

Dear Friends & Patrons,

Welcome to the 32nd season of the Orchestra of Northern New York. With a wide array of brilliant orchestral masterpieces from our classics to our pops series, we invite you to join us and Experience the Passion of Live Music from virtuosic soloists and exceptional professional musicians from Northern New York and beyond. 

Thank you for your generous and continued support over these many years. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts.

Kenneth Andrews, Music Director

POTSDAM - A select few musicians of the Orchestra of Northern New York will be featured when the North Country's only professional symphony orchestra presents its Baroque winter concert next weekend.

The Magnificent Baroque will take place Saturday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Trinity Episcopal Church in Watertown, and again on Sunday, February 10 at 3:00 p.m. in St. Mary's Church, Potsdam.

The program includes music by Bach, Handel, Purcell, Telemann and Charpentier.

[[{"fid":"296","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"1","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"1","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"1"}}]]
Concertmaster John Lindsey and violinist Elaine Dewar, Saranac Lake, will be showcased on strings. Lindsey is a Violin Professor Emeritus from the Crane School of Music where he taught for 35 years. He has received the President's Award and the Chancellor's Award, both for Excellence in Teaching.  He has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Thailand, China and Colombia. He is the founding concertmaster of ONNY and the Eleva Chamber Players (VT). 

[[{"fid":"297","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"2","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"2","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"2"}}]]

Elaine Dewar earned her Master of Music in 1990. She has enjoyed playing and teaching in Canada and the United States. She is currently Music Director of the Tri-Lakes Community Orchestra, a first Soprano in the Northern Adirondack Vocal Ensemble and a member of the band, “The Dust Bunnies”.  

The trumpets will be highlighted by Crane professors Dr. John Ellis and Dr. James Madeja, and Crane student apprentice Christopher Keach. 

[[{"fid":"298","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"3","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"3","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"3"}}]]
Dr. Ellis has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.  He has presented clinics and recitals at prestigious institutions and festivals throughout the world, including The Juilliard School, Summit Brass, the Banff Festival, and the 2005 International Trumpet Guild Festival in Bangkok, Thailand.  An Edwards Performing Artist, Dr. Ellis is a member of the Potsdam Brass Quintet and a Professor of Music at Crane.

[[{"fid":"299","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"4","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"4":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"4","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"4"}}]]Dr. Madeja is a founding member of the Orchestra of Northern New York and Northern Symphonic Winds, and has been a member of the Potsdam Brass Quintet since 1985. He currently conducts the Crane Concert Band and Crane Brass Ensemble. His ensembles have performed for both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. From 1990 to 2002, Madeja served as Associate Editor of The Journal of the International Trumpet Guild. His research interests include the history of the American wind band and in particular the contribution of Herbert L. Clarke.

[[{"fid":"300","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"5","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"5":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"5","format":"medium","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-left","data-delta":"5"}}]]Christopher Keach is a junior at the Crane School of Music where he studies Music Education and Trumpet Performance. As a freshman, he had the unique experience of traveling to Cuba to perform with the Crane Latin Ensemble. He is currently a member of the Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet.  In January 2019, he performed with the Northern Symphonic Winds.

[[{"fid":"301","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"6","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"6":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"6","format":"medium","alignment":"right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"200px","class":"media-element file-medium media-wysiwyg-align-right","data-delta":"6"}}]]
Dr. Anna Hendrickson will solo on oboe in the Baroque concert. As an orchestral player, Dr. Hendrickson performs regularly with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, ON and is principal oboe of the Orchestra of Northern New York. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music.  She is Professor of Oboe at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and military personnel, $10 for college students, and free for children, 17 and younger. They are available by phone at 315-267-2277, online at onny.org. or at the door.

POTSDAM - The Orchestra of Northern New York, the North Country's only year-round symphony orchestra, has received a five-year commitment to sponsor the exceptionally gifted students from the Crane School of Music who are selected for the ONNY Apprenticeship Program. The students are paid as young professionals.

The donation comes from The Secret Sits Pro Musica Ensembles, Inc. (TSS, Inc.), a charitable nonprofit organization founded in 2017 in memory of Marie A. Patten, of Athens, GA and the Gull Pond Community in the Piercefield, NY area. TSS, Inc. is incorporated in Georgia and New York.

Marie Patten was educated in New York City public schools and went on to earn BA, MSW and PhD degrees at the College of William and Mary and the University of Georgia. Her love of music grew throughout her life. An avid opera- and concert-goer, she would leave chamber music performances and frequently comment to the effect that the world would be a better place if that kind of music was on street corners. It is that sentiment, and the pursuit of related goals finding root around it, to which TSS, Inc. is now dedicated -- Better Music, Better World.

Marie was very fond of poetry, and wrote some herself. A personal encounter with Robert Frost when she was young became indelible in her life, and this is reflected in "The Secret Sits" being the title of one of Frost's poems:

We dance round in a ring and suppose,
But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

"It is a wonderful opportunity for Crane students to perform with a professional symphony orchestra," says Kenneth Andrews, who founded the orchestra in 1988. "They are held to the same high standards as the other musicians, and the experience fosters discipline and professionalism."

"We are most grateful for this generous gift. It truly is transformational for the orchestra," Andrews continued.

ONNY is celebrating its 31st season of music that inspires and excites. It is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is "to enrich the quality of life in Northern New York and engage area youth by inspiring the enjoyment and appreciation of music through live performances by professional musicians." It is funded, in part, by the Northern New York Community Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

For more information about ONNY, call 315-267-3251 or visit www.onny.org.

POTSDAM - Several members of the Orchestra of Northern New York will be featured as soloists when the North Country's only professional symphony orchestra performs its winter Baroque concert on February 9 and 10 in Watertown and Potsdam respectively.

The Magnificent Baroque will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 9 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Watertown, and at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, February 10 at St. Mary's Church in Potsdam.

Crane faculty members and trumpeters Dr. John Ellis and Dr. James Madeja will be joined by Crane student apprentice Christopher Keach as they solo with ONNY's Baroque Orchestra.  Joining them will is another Crane faculty member, Dr. Anna Hendrickson (oboe), and her Crane student apprentice, Meagan Flynn. String soloists include concertmaster John Lindsey and Elaine Dewars of Saranac Lake.

The program opens with Bach's Sinfonia in D Major from the Easter Oratorio and his Air from Suite/Overture No. 3 in D Major followed by Handel's March and Battle Scene from Rinaldo, and Purcell's Trumpet Tune from Scene 5, King Arthur.  The Concerto Gross in B Minor, Op. 6 No. 12 by Handel and Prelude to Te Deum in D Major by Charpentier are followed by Purcell's Overture from the Ode, Who Can From Joy Refrain and Chacony in G Minor. Telemann's Concerto in D Major for three trumpets, two oboes, timpani and strings concludes the concert.

The concert is sponsored, in part, by the Northern New York Community Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature.

Tickets are available in advance by calling the CPS box office at 315-267-2277 or visiting onny.org. They are also available at the door. Adults are $25, seniors and military personnel are $20, college students with ID are $10 and children, 17 and younger, are free.

Immediately following the concert in Potsdam on Sunday, ONNY will host An Italian Affair, a delicious buffet of Italian foods and cash bar at Sergi's Restaurant, 10 Market Street, Potsdam. The public is invited. Cost for the dinner only is $25/person and reservations are required. They may be made by calling the ONNY office at 315-267-3251 or visiting onny.org.

Photo Credit: Javi Sánchez de la viña

POTSDAM -  The Orchestra of Northern New York seeks high school students to compete in its 13th Annual James and Katherine Andrews Young Artist Competition for High School Instrumentalists to be held 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 16 at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.  The application deadline is February 1st.

The event is open to the public that is sure to be amazed as high school students from northern and central New York compete by performing required works from memory. 

Established in 2007 to help fulfill ONNY's youth mission of engaging young people in the enjoyment and appreciation of music. the competition's mission is to inspire young musicians to reach their highest level of artistry. 

The competition is one of the few of its kind in the U.S. that offers both a cash prize and the opportunity to solo with a professional symphony orchestra. 

The first place winner takes home $500 and this year will perform the winning piece during the Harry Potter Spectacular concerts on March 23rd and 24th in Watertown and Potsdam.  Second and third place prizes of $300 and $150 respectively are also awarded.

This year, we are proud to announce the $500 First Prize is donated anonymously by a friend and classmate of the late Rev. Peter J. Sullivan in his memory.

For an application form, list of required repertoire and more information about this year's competition, visit onny.org or call 315-267-3251.

POTSDAM - The North Country's professional symphony orchestra has an opening for a part-time clerical assistant to the executive director. The application deadline is February 1.

Duties of the position include, but are not limited to, such clerical tasks as updating the mailing list in Excel, doing mailings of promotional pieces to various market segments, and assisting with fundraising projects.

Keyboarding skills are essential and knowledge of WORD and Excel is required. Successful candidate will have good interpersonal and organizational skills.

The position is budgeted for eight hours per week at minimum wage of $11.10/hour. Specific hours to be determined in conjunction with the executive director.

To apply, send cover letter, resume and three professional references to: Search Committee, ONNY, PO Box 488, Potsdam, NY 13676 no later than Friday, February 1, 2019.

This annual report is Intended to keep ONNY stakeholders informed of the Orchestra's state of affairs as it marks its 31st season of making music that inspires and excites.  The report is available here.