Performing Arts - Spring 2025

Sunday, April 6th, at 3:00pm. 

INDOOR PERFORMANCE

Tony & The West Siders are an Authentic Classic Rock & Blues band based in Fairfield County, CT, known for eclectic set lists mixing timeless hits and vintage blues.

Spreading joy with a diverse repertoire appealing to fans of all ages and musical tastes, a typical performance includes 50s Pioneers of Rock & Roll, 60s British Invasion and Psychedelia, 70s Supergroups and Power Pop, 80s+ Fun and Memorable Classics, and of course a healthy dose of blues as a tonic for whatever ails you. 

The band would like to thank everyone who supports live music and blesses us with the opportunity to play and meet so many wonderful people along this journey.

Sunday, April 13th, at 3:00pm. 

INDOOR PERFORMANCE

Well-known writer Ira Joe Fisher and Martha Talburt will read from poetry including their own writings.

Ira Joe Fisher is an American broadcaster, poet, and educator. From 1999 to 2006, he was the weather reporter for CBS's The Saturday Early Show. He is known for his ability to write backwards on Plexiglas during his weather presentations. 

Ira Joe, being a writer of several books including The Birth of Snow, is also known as the TV weatherman.

For Martha Talburt, in addition to visual art, poems are her passion. Martha has created portrait drawings and paintings of subjects all over the world.

Martha is a well-known artist and teacher who has taught art and poetry for many years.  Semi-retired now, she lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with her dog, Zoey, near some of her large family.  Trained at the Art Students League in New York, where she specialized in portraiture, Martha has created portrait drawings and paintings of subjects all over the world. In addition to visual art, poems are her passion, and she has been writing them for as long as she can remember.  With  the  phrase, "a face is a poem the soul writes," she blends her two passions. 

Sunday, April 27th, at 3:00pm. 

INDOOR PERFORMANCE

The Legacy String Quartet is an emerging musical ensemble based in the Fairfield and New Haven County areas. Since its founding in 2022, the quartet has captivated audiences with concerts showcasing remarkably diverse and innovative programs.

Their mission is simple: create musical experiences that are fresh and welcoming to all.

What distinguishes the Legacy String Quartet is their deep commitment to supporting non-profit organizations. Each member credits their musical beginnings to either the Danbury Music Centre or Music Haven—both 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to enriching the community through affordable or free music programs. Having developed their craft through these vital institutions, the quartet is passionate about giving back by performing for non-profits, fostering community engagement, and supporting fundraising efforts.

Sunday, May 4th, at 3:00pm. 

INDOOR PERFORMANCE

Violalia Duo is a collaboration between violinist/violist Laura Thompson and violist/composer Hannah Selin, and Pianist Margarita Rovenskaya. 

Founded in 2021, the duo embraces the limber, conversational nature of their instrumentation, bringing musicality, curiosity, and a sense of humor to audiences in often-intimate concert settings. 

The group’s name is both a mashup of violin and viola, and a play on the word glossolalia (speaking in tongues).

Violalia Duo is dedicated to exploring the musical and sonic possibilities of their small but mighty instrumentation. Their repertoire focuses on 20th and 21st century music for violin and viola, and includes works by Augusta Read Thomas, George Tsontakis, Matthew Greenbaum, Bohuslav Martinů, Brendan Faegre, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ennio Morricone, Ari Sussman, and Selin herself.

Violalia wil be accompanied by Pianist Margarita Rovenskaya, who has performed extensively in the US and abroad, with performances in Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center, Zimmerli Museum, Ukrainian Museum, Teatro Machiavelli in Sicily, and Salmagundi Art Gallery, among others. 

Margarita is a prizewinner of the WPTA Finland International Competition, Constantine the Great International Competition, American Music Talent Competition, Mary Smart International Concerto Competition, and Chopin Society Malaysia Competition.  

Margarita also performs in several chamber concert series as well as the annual Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival, which celebrates the music of avant-garde Ukrainian composers. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Oberlin Conservatory in May 2012, her Masters in Piano Studies at New York University in May 2014, and earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts at Rutgers University in 2022. She is based in NYC, where she performs and teaches. She is the Head of the Piano Department at Newark School of the Arts, faculty at the Spence School, and piano faculty at several summer festivals.  

Sunday, May 11th, at 3:00pm. 

Yuka Yanagi and Kai Pangune Kim, the Cosmos Piano Duo, specialize in performing uplifting and well-known pieces such as Opera Overtures, Symphonies, Rhapsodies and Dance Tangos, with touches of their own dazzling arrangements. 

The program will include Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, Selections from

Carmen, Tango, and Rossini’s William Tell Overture. 

Both have performed on stages inside and outside of the United States.

Sunday, May 18th, at 3:00pm. 

Matthew Ciuffitelli sang with New York City Opera in their world premiere of The Garden of the Finzi Continis and in the Broadway’s 10th Anniversary Concert of A Tale of Two Cities. Ciuffitelli had the unique opportunity to perform with the Rolling Stones and to appear in the U.S. premiere of the mixed-media work, Mountain Top.

Described as possessing a “shimmering soprano” with “sparkle and precision”,

Connecticut native Kristen Plumley has performed with many opera 

companies throughout the country, including New York City Opera. She also greatly enjoys pops concerts, and her favorite is Sci-Fi Spectacular. Kristen performed in the North American premiere of Handel’s first opera, Almira, with opera mission in New York City.

David Maiullo is an avid accompanist in the New York City Metropolitan area. His performances of over 2500 recitals and programs have led him to the stages of Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, and Merkin Concert Halls as well as venues in Europe and Japan. As a collaborative pianist, New York Times wrote, "Mr. Maiullo's playing was sensitive and effective."

Sunday, May 25th, at 3:00pm. 

Pianist Larry Ham will present a recital of his unique arrangements of classic

jazz favorites, along with a few of his own compositions for piano. His

interpretations and improvisations draw on a lifetime of experience

performing as a professional jazz pianist in New York City and touring on

the national and international jazz stage.