Event Calendar
Come see us this season and look whose been here over the past seasons.
The Morgan Opera House takes great delight in welcoming the Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble for a seventh early-Fall, Sunday afternoon concert. Continuing their tradition of beautifully chosen and performed chamber music, it is one of the high points of every Opera House season. This year, thanks to the generosity of the Delavan Foundation, the performance is FREE and includes:
A Devienne duo for flute and viola (No. 5), a Kodaly duo for violin and cello (Op. 7), and the Mozart Flute Quartet in A, KV298. The group consists of Barry Crawford, guest artist on flute, Janet Sung on viola, Roberta Crawford on viola and Stefan Reuss on cello.
The Opera House is handicap accessible from the Cherry Ave. entrance.
Inspired by the folk music of Eastern Europe, Dana Mandel and his band of talented Klezmorim produce the finest of tunes with the greatest of enthusiasm. Romantic love songs, songs of patriotism, wedding music, laments, and even some contemporary songs from musical theater and the movies will get your toes tapping and body swaying. But, the rhythmic dance songs will have you in the aisles. Locally recognized as the premier Klezmer band in CNY, the group makes an annual appearance to benefit the Morgan Opera House and this event is funded entirely by Lifespan Therapies of King Ferry. Tickets at $8 for all adults and $5 for children 12 and under are available at the door.
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams – This event has been postponed. A new date will be announced.
Jump Castle Riot, a modern blues/rock band from Charleston, SC, consists of Nina
Murchison (vocals), Jay Van Raalte (guitar/vocals), Bradley Palles (drums) and Derk
Van Raalte (bass). JCR has been praised for its effortless chemistry and explosive
sound, which has been described as “if Ella Fitzgerald fronted a band made up of The
Killers and The White Stripes.” The group shares a special connection with the area as
the mother and wife of two members of this exciting band, Lisa Shilepsky Van
Raalte, grew up in Aurora and is happy to introduce them to family and friends.
https://www.jumpcastleriot.com/
Singer songwriters Molly Ruggles and Will McMillan from the Boston area will perform old favorites from Oscar Hammerstein, as well as a few original songs chosen with a Finger Lakes audience in mind.
Will has performed at venues such as Scullers Jazz Club, the Hi-Hat Club (RI), the Inn on Newfound Lake (NH), Westbeth Performance Center (NYC), Spring Island (SC), and Yin Par LeGarcon Chinois (Shanghai). For years McMillan hosted “Will & Company,” a series in Harvard Square highlighting local performers and songwriters, which earned him an IRNE Award for Best Cabaret Show in a Small Venue. He has released four CDs—”Sketchbook 1″ and “Blame Those Gershwins” with pianist Steve Sweeting, “Reel One” with the vocal ensemble At The Movies, and “If I Loved You,” with singer Bobbi Carrey and pianist Doug Hammer. You are welcome to visit his blog, AMusicalifeOnPlanetEarth.WordPress.com or his web site, WillSings.com. You can also watch him perform on YouTube by searching “Will McMillan.”
Molly Ruggles played piano and conducted pit bands for Opryland USA in Nashville, the College Light Opera Company on Cape Cod, and Brown University. She led a house band at the Arboretum in Providence for five years. She also played with the band Bougainvillea, and worked with singers Henrietta Robinson, Lisa Thorson, and Sayida Rivers Farmer. She taught a songwriting seminar at MIT for seven years and recently produced a workshop performance of her original musical The Mis-Matched Pair. You are welcome to visit her web site at MollyRuggles.com.
Born and raised in Poplar Ridge, NY, Dave McKeon and his band Moonshine Falls return to the Morgan Opera House on Saturday, September 14 at 8PM. Moonshine Falls bridges the gap between Traditional Bluegrass and the “New Blue” movement playing bluegrass standards and writing their own songs that blend seamlessly with that canon.
Co-sponsored by the Aurora Free Library.
https://moonshinefallsbluegrass.com/
This lively and enthusiastic band has provided evenings of European folk, American Pop and all genres in between for many years as a benefit for the Opera House. Clarinet, sax, percussion, accordion, piano, voice and more share the music making with both gusto and sweetness. If you haven’t experienced Klezmer before, now is the time. Thanks go to Dana Mandel and Lifespan Physical Therapies for their support.
Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble performs the seventh of what has become an annual Sunday afternoon, early fall concert. The group always presents a singular, piano-free program for the Opera House. This year’s features two extended Classical period quintets, the Kuhlau Quintet for Fute and Strings in D Major, Op. 51, No. 1, and the Mozart Quintet in C Major, KV 515. The group consists of Janet Sung, violin; Roberta Crawford, viola; and Stefan Reuss, cello, with guests Jessica Tong, violin; David Rose, viola; and Barry Crawford, flute. Sponsored in part by a Finger Lakes Community Arts Grant. https://
Bones East, a group exceptionally talented trombonists, will present an exciting program at the historic Morgan Opera House Sunday, November 17 at 1 PM. Lead by William Harris, former principal trombonist with the Syracuse Symphony and retired music professor at Syracuse University, Christmas tunes plus classical and jazz numbers are on the program. The group plays familiar tunes arranged in four-part harmony by Tom Camp for maximum resonance. The performers include a range of musicians —mostly semi-professionals, retirees and students from all over Central New York—who volunteer their time and talent. The donations will benefit the Mor
gan Opera House programing. Contact trcampoo1@gmail.com for more information about Bones East.
POSTPONED in response to the need for social distancing due to Covid-19
The Probables are a “rhythm-driven, folkcana/roots rock band” that has sought to perform in all the opera houses in Western New York (along with other venues). Many music lovers in the region became familiar with founder Steve Johnson as the lead singer and main songwriter for the popular jam band Big Leg Emma, which performed at the Grassroots Festival and opened for Donna the Buffalo. After Big Leg Emma went on hiatus in 2015, Johnson picked up the pieces and created The Probables in March 2016. When writing material for the band, he stayed true to his rock, folk and bluegrass influences. The addition of Adam McKillip – an already accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist from Erie, PA – has added an extra boost to the band’s sound and power. The lineup changes came at the perfect time, as the band has already spent time in the studio recording new songs for a future release to complement the 2 albums they have already put out, Cumberland Line and this time around. Videos of their performances can be found on YouTube.
The Probables:
Steve Johnson – Lead Singer/Acoustic Guitar
Matt Gronquist – Accordion/Fiddle/Vocals
Adam McKillip – Mandolin/Vocals
Ryan Ecklund -Bass
Nick Campbell – Drums