Month: November 2024

COUNTDOWN FOR NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR CONCLUDES

WITH FOURTH AND FINAL CANDIDATE RACHEL WADDELL

DECEMBER 14 AT THE KLEIN MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM IN BRIDGEPORT

WITH COUNTDOWN 1 . . . WADDELL!

SHOW FEATURES SPECIAL GUEST, JAMIE BERNSTEIN, DAUGHTER OF THE LATE LEONARD BERNSTEIN

NARRATING PETER AND THE WOLF AND SIGNING COPIES OF HER NEW BOOK FAMOUS FATHER GIRL

Rachel Waddell

Credit: Graham Richards

BRIDGEPORT, CT (November 21, 2024) – the Greater Bridgeport Symphony (GBS) will finally conclude their search for their next Music Director with Rachel Waddell taking the podium for Countdown  1…Waddell!  on Saturday December 14 at The Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport, CT at 7:30 PM.

After an exhaustive search over two seasons, GBS is down to the wire as the competition to become the next Music Director ends.  Maestro Waddell will present a family-friendly “concert of storytelling,” highlighted by some of the greatest stories in music, including Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf narrated by special guest Jamie Bernstein, daughter of the late great Leonard Bernstein.  GBS is proud to feature photos of Mexican wolves during the narration, provided by Jack Bradley, a photographer for Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo.

Jamie Bernstein will give a talk before the concert about her book Famous Father Girl written about living with the great composer/conductor father.  Ms. Bernstein will autograph copies at the concert’s intermission for those bringing a copy of the book to the show.  Leonard Bernstein performed with GBS at The Klein in the 1970s.  Peter and the Wolf is a light-hearted tale of a boy who cleverly captures a wolf that has been threatening barnyard animals.  Each character, Peter, his grandfather, a cat, a duck, a bird, hunters and, of course, the dreaded wolf, all come to life as represented by their own themes, each played by a different instrument, a novel way of introducing children (and many adults) to the sounds of the strings, timpani, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet and horn. 

Other highlights of the evening will include Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.  Like Peter and The Wolf but on a grander scale, this is the story of a beautiful princess, trapped by a wicked sultan, who has her life spared each night by weaving a new tale to soothe her captor, all told though glorious orchestration.  Perhaps the most unusual offering of the evening is a Native American composition Chokfi ‘ by Jerod Tate, a musical tale, written for children, of a trickster rabbit set to music.   Finally, there’s a musical version of one of the most beloved holiday classics, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore’s immortal poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, set to sprightly music by tunesmith Bill Holcombe.  This tale will be narrated by a voice well-known to local audiences, Tony Wellman.  Each of these pieces is rich in orchestration and fun for all ages, presented in grand style by over 50 musicians.

Rachel Waddell follows conductors Eduardo Leandro (April 2024), Joshua Gersen (October 2024) and Leslie B. Dunner (November 2024) as the fourth candidate to succeed the popular Eric Jacobsen, who held the post for nine seasons.  “Each conductor has brought something different to the concert and to the community,” says GBS President Mark Halstead, “and they are certainly a fantastic four – GBS has a tough choice to make!”  Concertgoers and musicians alike are asked to fill out surveys after each performance to rate the strengths of each conductor; a decision will be made in January, and the choice of new Music Director will be announced in the spring.  The winning conductor will lead GBS at its final concert on May 10. 

Through breathtaking collaborations and an untiring dedication to education, mentorship, and community, Rachel Waddell inspires transformative experiences and ensembles. Waddell serves as the Director of Orchestras at Colorado State University. Her contributions to music education were recognized in 2024, when she was named a quarterfinalist for the 2025 Music Educator Award through the GRAMMYs. She frequently acts as a clinician and guest conductor and will guest conduct the Texas Music Educators Association All State Sinfonietta in 2025, along with the Pikes Peak Honors Orchestra in Colorado Springs. Previously she was the Director of Orchestral Activities and Assistant Professor with the Arthur Satz Department of Music at the University of Rochester in New York. She has conducted orchestras around the world including the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Rochester, Las Vegas, and Fort Wayne Philharmonics, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland’s Suburban Symphony.

Single tickets range from $18.00 to $72.00 and are on sale now at www.GBS.org/tickets or by calling (203) 576-0263.   A two-concert discounted subscription for the remaining two shows of the season are also available for 15% off by calling (203) 576-0263.  GBS offers further discounts for those who purchased full-price tickets for the October or November concerts to make their purchases into a subscription.  Kids under 19 are free (proof of age may be required) and accompanying adults receive 15% off.  Phone GBS for these special offers.

This concert is sponsored by GBS’ longtime Chairman of the Board, Doris Harrington, and her husband Herbert, founder of Bridgeport’s Rotair Aerospace Corporation.

Stratford Man Arrested for Reckless Driving, Engaging Police in Pursuit in July Incident on I-95 in Bridgeport

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at approximately 12:05 PM, Eliseo Batz Donis, a 27-year-old Stratford resident, was arrested at Milford Superior Court on an active warrant. The warrant was issued following an investigation into a July 2024 incident on I-95 in Bridgeport, where Batz Donis fled a traffic stop after multiple 911 calls reported his erratic driving.

Batz Donis was arrested without incident and charged with several offenses, including reckless driving, disobeying an officer’s signal, engaging police in pursuit, misuse of registration plates, failure to maintain proper lane, improper turns without signaling, failure to renew registration, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. He was held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on November 21, 2024. For further details, refer to the attached arrest warrant and criminal information summary.

Holiday Events Set at Stratford Library

NEGS, “Ebenezer” on Tap for Four Sundays in December

The Stratford Library will present a series of free, holiday concerts and a special theatre performance on consecutive Sunday afternoons in the Library’s Lovell Room. Seasonal favorites are on the menu for the series, which will be held on Sundays, December 1, 8, 15, and 22 at 2 pm. The afternoons are all free and open to the public.

The Bob Kolb Trio will kick off the series on December 1. The trio will play jazz interpretations of well-known holiday songs from “Home for the Holidays” to “Jingle Bells.” Long-time members of the Trio include David Childs on piano and Steve Roane on bass. Individually, they have played for or with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle, Lionel Hampton, Diane Schurr, and many more.

Connecticut recording artist Joe Newman will follow at the Library on December 8. The singer/songwriter will play guitar with a synthesizer and a drum machine. He will also have a trumpet and saxophone player accompany him on some songs. Traditional Christmas tunes like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Silver Bells,” along with 50’s & 60’s songs including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Let It Be Me,” and “Autumn Leaves,” will also be performed.

The series continues on December 15 with The New England Guitar Society. NEGS was established to create a nurturing environment for classical guitarists to meet, share ideas, perform, compose, teach, and grow as musicians. The NEGS goal is to increase public interest in classical guitar, ultimately creating future players and audiences. The Society was conceived in 2004 by guitarists James Baird, president, and Cem Duruöz, artistic director.

Concluding the holiday entertainment will be a special theatre event, “Elegy for Ebenezer” on December 22. Adapted by Douglas Moser of Northford, the tale returns to its Dickensian roots: a ghost story. An old, dying Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy man, has never found redemption. As death nears, his faithful, disgruntled servant, Bee, plans on taking what she’s earned over years of caring for this miser before she is thrown out like the trash. As she’s looting his apartment, he asks her to tell him a story. Bee then spins a ghost story for the old man, reminding him of just what he’s come from. “Elegy for Ebenezer,” a tour de force for two actors, will feature Ted van Griethuysen of Stratford and Sarah Nuland (Hamden). Sad and uplifting, “Elegy for Ebenezer” finds the heart inside the pain, and the wonder in storytelling.

All events will be performed live in the Library Lovell Room. Seating is limited and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Seating begins 30 minutes prior to start time. For further information, call the Library: 203.385.4162 or visit: www.stratfordlibrary.org.

Randomonium (2024-11-23)

Afternoon updates from unconfirmed radio reports:

4:03pm–#Fairfield- A two car crash at Jennings and High Street.

3:40pm–#Bridgeport–Report of a car crash Denver and Maplewood Avenue.

2:28pm–#Bridgeport– Report of a car crash on Loretta Place (off Jewett Avenue).

2:04pm–#Bridgeport– Downed power lines reported on Birmingham Street.

1:37pm–#Seymour CT– A crash possibly requiring extrication on Great Hill and Meadowbrook Road.

12:52pm–#Bridgeport– Carbon Monoxide alarm going off in the 3000 block of Old Town Road. No symptoms were reported.

12:34pm–#Bridgeport– Report of a car crash on Arctic Street near William Street.

12:09pm–#Stratford– Wires and tree on fire on Sharon Road

11:35am–#Bridgeport– Fire alarm at Bridgeport Hospital on Grant Street. Apparently a false alarm.

11:01 am–#Bridgeport–Downed wires reported on Austin Street.

10:55am–#Bridgeport–Report of an odor of gas in a home in the 300 block of Ogden Street.

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