Sage City Symphony is a community

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

based in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, that tackles ambitious works from the traditional repertoire as well as commissioning new works. It was formed in 1972 by its first musical director, noted

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Louis Calabro Louis Calabro (November 1, 1926 – October 21, 1991) was an Italian American orchestral composer. Calabro studied piano and composition at Juilliard School of Music. Vincent Persichetti was his principal teacher there. Louis Calabro was a mu ...

, who was on the faculty of

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

. Sage City Symphony maintains its relationship with the college, relying on the campus for rehearsal and performance space. The Symphony attracts amateur as well as professional musicians without the requirement of auditions, drawn from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

states. It presents four concerts a year, starting rehearsals in September for a performance featuring a major

l work in November. The Symphony restarts rehearsals after the New Year for three concerts presented February through May: a Chamber Concert, Youth Concert and a final Spring concert featuring a significant

l work. The Symphony is led by musical director and conductor Michael Finckel. It is governed/supported by a working volunteer Board which appoints a Manager and a Librarian. Like the players, board members come from surrounding areas of

and

states. The Board contains a mix of orchestral players and longtime supporters from the business and academic community.

Performance information

Performance dates and programs are announced on Sage City Symphony's web site. In addition they are reported in area media outlets. These media outlets have included: ''

Bennington Banner ''The Bennington Banner'' is a daily newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont. The paper covers local, national, and world news. It is distributed throughout Southwestern Vermont and eastern New York (Rensselaer and Washington Counties). The pa ...

'' in

, ''

North Adams Transcript The ''North Adams Transcript'', prior to being merged into ''The Berkshire Eagle'' in 2014, was an American daily newspaper published Mondays through Saturdays in North Adams, Massachusetts. It was one of four Massachusetts newspapers owned by Me ...

'' in

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...

, the ''Tri-State Pennysaver News'' in Bennington, Vermont, ''Eastwick Press'' in eastern

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the la ...

of New York, the ''Vermont News Guide'',

Vermont Public Radio Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, with television studios in Winooski. It operates two statewide radio services aligned with ...

(VPR),

WAMC WAMC is a public radio network headquartered in Albany, New York. The network has 12 broadcast radio stations (transmitters) and 16 broadcast relay stations (translators, repeaters). The two flagship stations in the WAMC network are WAMC-FM 90 ...

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

WMHT-FM WMHT-FM (89.1 MHz) is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station licensed to Schenectady, and serving the Capital District of New York. It has a classical music radio format, with most programming originating in-house, but with some show ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, and Catamount Access TV in

. Performances are recorded by Catamount Access TV (CAT-TV) and aired subsequently. Most performances for the last several years have been recorded by Joel Patterson of Mountaintop Studios and rendered onto CD or made available for file sharing.

Funding

The Symphony is a not for profit 501(c)(3), registered in the

State of Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

, and relies entirely on donations and grants. Grant sources have included the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

, the Fund for

North Bennington North Bennington is an incorporated village in the town of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2020 census. The North Bennington Historic District was added to the National Register of Histori ...

, the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Community Foundation. The Symphony enjoys steady support from individuals, local Foundations and business donors. The Symphony also solicits sponsors for concerts, which have included a range of enterprises such as the Bank of Bennington, the Vermont Country Store, Stewart's Shops and more.

Conductor

The Symphony is currently directed by Michael Finckel. Michael Finckel started his studies with his parents, cellist George Finckel and pianist Marianne ("Willie") Finckel. George Finckel "Work dedicated to George Finckel, Program notes"
by composer

Vivian Fine Vivian Fine (28 September 1913 – 20 March 2000) was an American composer. Life Vivian Fine was born in Chicago to David and Rose Fine. A piano prodigy, she became at age five the youngest student ever to be awarded a scholarship at the Chic ...

and Willie Finckel were on faculty at

. Michael Finckel attended

Oberlin College Conservatory The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of t ...

and Bennington College where he studied composition, conducting and orchestration with

and

Henry Brant Henry Dreyfuss Brant (September 15, 1913 – April 26, 2008) was a Canadian-born American composer. An expert orchestrator with a flair for experimentation, many of Brant's works featured spatialization techniques. Biography Brant was born ...

. He has taught cello and composition at Bennington and

Marymount Colleges The Marymount Colleges are a group of colleges founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM), an institute with French origins which was founded on February 24, 1849. When the institution expanded to the United States, its members f ...

and at

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Universities. As a member of the faculty of the Vermont Governor's Institute on the Arts in the 1990s he taught composition to gifted junior and high school students throughout Vermont. Michael Finckel has an active career as a soloist and chamber musician, composer, teacher and conductor based in New York City, performing with orchestral and chamber ensembles across the country and in Europe. He has a strong background in contemporary music, as well as the traditional repertoire. He has regularly collaborated with New York's leading new music ensembles and performed under the direction of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

and

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

. Michael Finckel performs and coaches each year at the Composer's Conference sponsored by the Chamber Music Center of

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

, and at the Chamber Music Conference and Composer's Forum of the East at

Community connections

Sage City Symphony has long had an annual Youth Concert featuring young soloistsMiles Yucht's performance was rescheduled from the Youth Concert or performances with local youth groups. Past performances have included works with the Symphony and the Bennington Children's Chorus and the Green Mountain Youth Orchestra. This tradition goes back to the Symphony's founder,

, with works such as ''Child's Play'' for children's chorus and piano composed in 1990 and performed by the Symphony again in 2009. The Symphony started a Young Composers Project in 2009. The Symphony pays a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

to a

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

to help young people prepare works for orchestral performance, alternating each year between reaching out to area high school or college age students. The high schools from which students have been drawn for this project include the

Hoosac School Hoosac School is a private co-educational Episcopal boarding school located in Hoosick, New York, United States. History Hoosac school was founded in 1889 by Dr. Edward Dudley Tibbits. Facilities are located on the Tibbits Estate, which rests ...

Hoosick Falls, New York Hoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,501 at the 2010 census. During its peak, in 1900, the village had a population of approximately 7,000. The village of Hoosick Falls is near the center ...

, the Mount Anthony Union High School (Miles Yucht, ''Alive'' ) in Bennington, the Long Trail School in

Dorset, Vermont Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,133 at the 2020 census. Dorset is famous for being the location of Cephas Kent's Inn, where four meetings of the Convention that signed the Dorset Accords led to ...

, Pittsfield High School in

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

, and the Mount Greylock Regional High School in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

. The college students have been primarily drawn from Bennington College. One of the compositions by a high school student, ''Wind Blows'', was placed on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

by its composer. One of the high school composers from the 2009 project, Patrick Madden, received the

Daniel Pearl Daniel Pearl (October 10, 1963 – February 1, 2002) was an American journalist who worked for ''The Wall Street Journal.'' He was kidnapped and later decapitated by terrorists in Pakistan.' Pearl was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and rais ...

Berkshire Scholarship. A recording of ''The Tinkerer'', a piece from Sage City Symphony's March 2014 Youth Concert, has been made available on musescore.com by its composer, Zack Weishaus, along with an animated score.

Major works performed

Sage City Symphony has performed major works from the traditional repertoire including the following. * ''

Daphnis and Chloe ''Daphnis and Chloe'' ( el, Δάφνις καὶ Χλόη, ''Daphnis kai Chloē'') is an ancient Greek novel written in the Roman Empire, the only known work of the second-century AD Greek novelist and romance writer Longus. Setting and style ...

'', by

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

* '' Symphony No. 1'', by

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

* ''

Petrushka Petrushka ( rus, Петру́шка, p=pʲɪtˈruʂkə, a=Ru-петрушка.ogg) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. Italian puppeteers introduced it in the first third of the 19th century. While most core characters came from Italy ...

'', 1911 Version, by

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

* ''

Symphonie Fantastique ' (''Fantastical Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections'') Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is an important piece of the early Romantic period. The first performan ...

'', by Berlioz * ''

Symphony in Three Movements The Symphony in Three Movements is a work by Russian expatriate composer Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky wrote the symphony from 1942–45 on commission by the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was premièred by the New York Philharmoni ...

'' by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and music ...

, arr. by

* '' La Mer'' by Debussy * '' Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, From the New World'' by

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

* '' Piano Concerto No 2'', by

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

, featuring Wu Han soloist * '' Symphony No. 2 in E Minor'', opus 27 by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

* '' Symphony no. 4 in D minor, Op 120'', by

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

* '' Symphony No. 4'' by

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

Commissioned works

Sage City Symphony commissions a new work each year. These have included the following. Some of these composers including Zeke Hecker. Bruce Hobson, and

Dennis Báthory-Kitsz Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949 in Plainfield, New Jersey) (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B. Cowell, Brady Kynans, Kalvos Zondrios, Báthory Dénes, Orra ...

have been founders and members of the Consortium of Vermont Composers, founded in 1988 and recognized in a Proclamation by Governor Shumlin making 2011 the Year of the Composer. * Commissioned work ''XLIV'' in eight movements by Roland Gori performed Sunday May 17, 2015 * Commissioned work ''Kora Saba: For Djembe and Chamber Orchestra'', by Michael Wimberly, performed Sunday November 16, 2014 * Commissioned work ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra'', by

Allen Shawn Allen Evan Shawn (born August 27, 1948)''Vermont, Marriage Records, 1909-2008'' is an American composer, pianist, educator, and author who lives in Vermont. His music Shawn began composing at the age of ten, but dates his mature work from 1977. ...

, premiered 1999 and performed again in May 2013, soloist

Maxine Neuman Maxine Neuman was an American cellist based in New York City. Biography Neuman was born on July 1, 1948 in New York, New York, and died on December 10th, 2022. After cello studies under Bernard Greenhouse from 1968-1970, and after obtaining both ...

* Commissioned work ''Table of Toys and Numbers'', by Nick Brooke * Commissioned work by John Eagle * ''Three for Orchestra and Hyperpiano'' by Randall Neal, premiere November 14, 2010 "YouTube performance of ''Three for Orchestra and Hyperpiano''"
composed by R Neal * ''Concerto for Flute and Orchestra'' by Robert Singley premiere May 3, 2009 * Work for orchestra and percussion by Derrik Jordan, premiere spring 2008 * ''Mountain Paths'' by Bruce Hobson, premiere May 28, 2000 * Commissioned work ''"Softening Cries"'' by

premiere June 6, 1992 under the direction of T. L. Read * Work by Susan Hurley, 1988–1990 * ''The Birthmark'' by Zeke Hecker premiere 1989 * ''Blood Memory: A Long Quiet After the Call'' by Tina Davidson premiered June 1, 1986 * ''Symphony for Orchestra with Piano Obbligato'' by T.L. Read, premiere 1986 * Missa Brevis for SATB chorus, strings (piano reduction for rehearsal), opus 72 (1983), by

written for the Bennington College Chorus Recorded 1984: Sage City Symphony * ''Tundra'' by Michael Finckel * ''Sonnet for Baritone and Orchestra'', Text: John Keats, baritone Wayne Dalton, by

. Conducted by Louis Calabro. Premiere December 5, 1976. * ''Concerto for Percussion Quartet and Orchestra'' by

Marta Ptaszynska Marta Ptaszyńska (born 29 July 1943) is a Polish composer, percussionist and professor of music at the University of Chicago. She has been described by the Polish Music Center of the University of Southern California as "one of the best known Poli ...

, work listed as premiered by Sage City Symphony under

on October 10, 1974

Chamber works performed in 2009-2010

* '' Symphony No. 13 in D Major'' by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

* '' Serenade in D Minor, Opus 44'' by

* '' Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat K 412'' by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

, John Eagle soloist * ''

Jupiter Symphony Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, on 10 August 1788. The longest and last symphony that he composed, it is regarded by many critics as among the greatest symphonies in classical music. The work is nicknamed ...

'' by

* ''Suite from Gesta Romanorum'' by Robert Zimmerman * '' Elegy for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 24'' by

Faure Faure is an Occitan family name meaning blacksmith, from Latin ''faber''. It is pronounced differently from the accented surname Fauré, as in Gabriel Fauré, French composer and organist. People Politicians * Dominique Faure (born 1959), Fre ...

* '' Grand Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass'' by

Giovanni Bottesini Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso. Biography Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist ...

, soloists Kaori Washiyama and Robert Zimmerman double bass * ''Five Greek Songs'' by

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, soprano soloist Kerry Ryer-Parke * ''

Cantique de Jean Racine ''Cantique de Jean Racine'' (Chant by Jean Racine), Op. 11, is a composition for mixed choir and piano or organ by Gabriel Fauré. The text, "Verbe égal au Très-Haut" ("Word, one with the Highest"), is a French paraphrase by Jean Racine of a L ...

'' by

References

{{authority control American orchestras Musical groups from Vermont Performing arts in Vermont Bennington, Vermont