Acoustic group serves a Mother’s Day treat

Posted 5/8/19

On Mother’s Day May 12, Newburgh Chamber Music will present Uncommon Ground, the Hudson Valley-based acoustic group that takes audiences on a voyage of musical discovery through the fusion of …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Acoustic group serves a Mother’s Day treat

Posted

On Mother’s Day May 12, Newburgh Chamber Music will present Uncommon Ground, the Hudson Valley-based acoustic group that takes audiences on a voyage of musical discovery through the fusion of many styles and genres. The performance begins at 3 pm at St. George’s Church, 105 Grand St., Newburgh.

Uncommon Ground draws on American roots styles including bluegrass, jazz, and blues for its inventive interpretations, which move with chameleon-like precision through a variety of genres, from Bartók to the Beatles. Virtually any type of music is fair game, with excursions into classical, Latin, jazz, Celtic and even Swedish music.

The group, which was formed in 2007, made its debut at the Towne Crier café in Pawling. It consists of violinist Rachel Handman, guitarist Mike Kobetitsch, mandolinist Wayne Fugate, and bassist Phil Helm.

Handman is a long-standing member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Associate Concert Master of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and also performs with the New York Oratorio Society Orchestra. On the fiddling side, she has performed with the Kruger Brothers and Vassar Clements, among other notables, and has accompanied such artists as Richie Havens, Natalie Merchant, and Roberta Flack.

A master instrumentalist and chameleon of styles, Helm is the principal bassist of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, as well as the assistant principal bassist of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. In 2006 he joined West Point’s concert band , where he is often featured as a soloist. He also teaches double bass at Vassar and Bard colleges.

A founding member of “Uncommon Ground,” Fugate also performs and tours with “Mandolin Madness” an ensemble featuring mandolin great Barry Mitterhoff, and The New York Mandolin Ensemble, one of the country’s premiere chamber orchestra groups using instruments from the mandolin and lute families. In 2016, he performed on Broadway in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Tony-nominated musical “Bright Star.”

Kobetitsch has toured with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and performed with Pat Cannon’s Foot and Fiddle Dance Co. He first hit the bluegrass scene with Grammy-winning fiddler Lisa Gutkin, has accompanied singers such as Deborah Snow and Irish singer-harpist Annette Griffin. He has also performed with New York City’s premier Irish ballad band, the Hudson River Boys.

Tickets are available at the door or online at newburghchambermusic.org. Adults: $25, Students: $5. St. George’s is handicapped accessible with parking across the street. The concert will be followed by a reception with the artists.

Audience members are invited to bring instruments that they wish to donate to Valentina’s Instrument Donation Bank, to be repaired, if necessary, and given to area schools and music students. For further information regarding this program, or to donate at another time, contact Dr. Joël Evans at evansj@newpaltz.edu or check the website: newburghchambermusic.org.