On Saturday, October 28, St. James Episcopal Church will be hosting “Ah, Sweet Music!”, a concert and dessert tasting in Memory of David Lange to benefit the church’s organ chamber preservation. David served as the organist at St. James from 1995 until 2022.

The evening will feature a variety of music by many who knew and loved David. Appearing will be Emily Helenbrook, soprano; John Novak, piano and organ; David Hirsch, alto saxophone; The Genesee Chorale Select Ensemble with Ric Jones, conductor and Doug Hanson, piano; Brass Quintet and Percussion with John Novak, organ, Brandon Luce, trumpet, Dakota Hirsch, trumpet, Jessica Gottschall, horn, Peter Celentano, trombone, Jason Decker, tuba, and Dustin Woodard, percussion; and the St. James Choir.

In homage to David Lange’s infamous sweet tooth, a selection of St. James’ dessert specialties will be available for tasting. The event is sponsored in part by the Buffalo Chapter, American Guild of Organists; H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Homes; and an anonymous donor. Tickets are $25 for Dessert and Concert, $20 for Concert only.

Dessert Buffet 6:30-7:15 p.m., Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at St. James, 405 East Main Street, Batavia, or the Genesee Chorale Box office: www.GeneseeChorale.com/box-office. For more information, call 585-343-6802.

While the thought of composing a song with indigenous birds may seem intriguing, doing so for two violins, which at first blush don’t quite seem to fit the mode of a tweet or cackle, and for some seven minutes, sounds even more daunting a task.

Yet songwriter Jaclyn Breeze of Chili, who obtained her master’s in music composition this May from Syracuse University and bachelor’s in flute performance from Roberts Wesleyan College, described it as anything but.

“A teacher in Wisconsin at St. Norbert College was having a bird-themed recital this fall, and she was familiar with my work. And she said that she wanted to use the calls of the birds in her area kind of as a basis for the piece. And so from there, I was free to do what I wanted. Just with that idea in mind,” Breeze said during an interview with The Batavian. “It was fun. It’s going to be premiered in November.”

Breeze’s primary focus while pursuing her master’s degree was composing music, which she does on a commission basis for groups and individuals, but then she began to miss the performance aspect of her work, she said, and so she promoted her flute concerts to area churches and organizations. She will be performing at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Batavia First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main St., Batavia. 

Press Release:

On October 28, St. James Episcopal Church will be hosting “Ah, Sweet Music!”, a concert and dessert tasting in Memory of David Lange. Sponsored in part by the Buffalo Chapter, American Guild of Organists. The evening will feature delicious desserts and a variety of music at St. James Church, Batavia. For more information, call 585-343-6802.

What may otherwise seem to be a post-school musical concert, Willow Tree End-of-Year Celebration will have much more meaning for at least some of its participants and attendees, Kylie Tatarka says.

The Batavia High School senior will not only be performing in the event but also absorbing its implications.

“Definitely for me, I can definitely see this being a hard time for me, seeing an end and saying goodbye to a lot of people that I've spent years forging relationships with,” the 18-year-old said during an interview with The Batavian. “But I also think it's going to be something really sweet, and a really nice memory to hold on to that I otherwise wouldn't have.”

The Willow Tree celebration, performed by the school district’s Tri-M Music Honor Society, will feature vocal and instrumental numbers from 4 to 6 p.m. June 3 under the large willow tree in front of BHS, 260 State St., Batavia.

Tatarka has been a member of Tri-M, a nationally founded organization that means Modern Music Masters, for three years. Now as a senior, she is looking forward to continuing music with a performing arts scholarship while also hanging onto those memories from school, she said.

“I just really enjoyed music and I wanted to join something that would bring other people who really enjoy music as well,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of something that would show spirit and our love for music that other regular students who aren't a part of this would show.”

The concert is a culmination of that passion to enjoy and share a variety of musical styles — classical, musical theater, and then-contemporary of the 1960s. A soloist will perform Frank Sinatra’s My Way and ensembles will provide other tunes, aptly including “On the Willows” from Godspell.

TRi-M was founded locally in 1986. Group advisor Melzie Case, a music teacher at the middle school, and District Superintendent Jason Smith were members of the group, with Smith being one of those first-time inductees.

“If memory recalls accurately, I was a member of the inaugural Tri-M Society in the late 1980s,” he said. “I was honored to have been inducted and it was and is a wonderful way to recognize our talented music students at Batavia.”

For Case, it wasn’t just about the music, but about the other elements of becoming an adult.

“For me, it was very helpful in learning a lot of leadership skills and how to run a meeting, because I'm a part of a lot of groups and committees. I'm also on the board for the Genesee Symphony Orchestra,” Case said. “And so just getting those skills of writing an agenda and holding a meeting and voting was very helpful to me now as an adult, professionally.”

The idea for this novel year-end concert came about when a fellow senior suggested it to Tatarka. He wanted something that would “celebrate our end to Tri-M and becoming seniors and graduating this year, since there’s only two of us,” she said.

“We kind of just wanted something that we can show our talents, and also just have a celebration for everyone in the school along with Tri-M,” she said.

“Music has been in my family for years and it's something that has brought my siblings and I together a lot,” she said. “And it's also given me a second family that I can lean on when I can't lean on my actual family.”

The 24-member group will be performing throughout the two-hour period, and there will be an ice cream chill truck and a food truck from Center Street Smokehouse selling items from savory meals to sweet creamy desserts. Although the celebration is free, attendees may want to bring some money to enjoy a meal while listening to live entertainment, Case said. Everyone is encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

Tri-M was nationally founded in 1936 by Alexander Harley and his wife Frances. He was a band director and music department chairman in Illinois, and the group had a focus on music aptitude, academics and leadership skills. There are 2,100 chapters in all 50 states that involve more than 84,000 students.

Another key component is offering community service, which has been a tradition for the BHS chapter, Case said. The group has sprinkled doses of music at nonprofit agencies, businesses and special events, such as Christmas caroling throughout downtown.

Photos:  The willow tree at BHS, top; and, The BHS Tri-M Music Honor Society provides some holiday vocals at the Coffee Hub. Photos submitted by Melzie Case.

The show is the last in a series of four free concerts offered at the church, and made possible with funds from the Restart NY Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

The band is comprised of four members: Jeremy Grace of Geneseo contributes vocals, guitar and songwriting; Dan Fitzpatrick, a bass player who is also from the Geneseo area, works the chapman stick, a guitar-like instrument rare to the modern music scene; Chris Murphy of Livonia partners with the songwriting and vocal duties, but acts as the distinctive fiddle player; and drummer Brett Schultz of Richmond.

“My longest running musical relationship is with the bassist, Dan Fitzpatrick. I played with him in several different bands over the last 15 years,” Grace said during an interview with The Batavian. “Then we met the drummer Brett Schultz, and we started jamming with him. I met Chris Murphy, the fiddle player, at an open mic in Rochester. I immediately thought that he was the best musician I’d ever heard.” 

Thursday’s performance will introduce guest vocalist Piper Wadsworth of the Livingston County group Valley Rising. Wadsworth will contribute harmonies to Grace's and Murphy’s vocals, and perform a lead song planned by the group. 

Groveland Station will offer a blend of original music and covers. Their classic and contemporary covers will include but are not limited to the multi-genre works of the Grateful Dead, John Prime and Merle Haggard. On Groveland Station’s personal adaptations of these songs, Grace offered that they are musical experiences novel to the fanatic listener. 

“When we take this material, we adapt it to our style,” said Grace. “Sometimes we try to surprise people. For instance, if you hear a Grateful Dead song and it's not Jerry Garcia’s guitar, but Chris Murphy on the fiddle, it’s a whole new experience.” 

Fro more information, call (585) 768-7200.

The Batavia High School Scholastic Winter Guard will host an alumni concert on Sunday, January 23, at 2:00 pm in the BHS Gymnasium to raise funds for the winter guard to compete in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Winterguard Regionals and the WGI National Championships respectively. 

Led by BHS Band Director and Music Department Chair Jane Haggett, numerous Batavia City School District alumni, including new superintendent Jason Smith (Class of ‘90) on trombone, will join the BHS Alumni Jazz Ensemble. The St. Joseph’s Alumni Drum Corp will also appear at the concert. 

Members of the BCSD staff will play alongside Superintendent Smith including, BHS Principal Paul Kesler, on trumpet, and music teachers Sean Williams, Collin Murtaugh, and Stuart Mclean in the ensemble. Additional BHS alumni, including Paul Spiotta, Brandon Luce, Jackie McLean, Matt Holota, Harold McJury, Frank Panepento, Joshua Pacino, Quentin Branciforte, Mark Hoerbelt, Ross Chua, Mary Murphy, Jason Mapes, and Bob Pastecki, will also perform in the ensemble. 

Tickets for the concert are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased at the door. Money raised from this event will defray the cost of winter guard trips in March and April. This will be the Scholastic Winter Guard’s first appearance at the WGI National Championships.