Several NYCC names will be present at a concert of Mannes faculty and alumni on Sunday, February 15. Mannes College is at 150 West 85th Street, and the concert starts at 1pm. (Everyone will be home in time for dinner!) First, RICHARD RUSSELL will present two premieres: a string quartet “Adagio” with NYCC performer member STANICHKA DIMITROVA, violin, Lisa Romain, violin, Rose Hashimoto, viola, and Desiree Abbey, cello. The second premiere is “When Time is Over” a collection of four Emily Dickinson songs. NYCC performer SOFIA DIMITROVA is the soprano, accompanied by NYCC member TAMARA CASHOUR on piano. NYCC member DEBRA KAYE, fresh from her triumphant solo-composer concert of Jan. 31, will also be presenting a piece or two on the concert.

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Soprano MELISSA FOGARTY has a “February Frenzy” of shows coming up. Here are the first two that Melissa will be participating in:

(1) LOVE HAS NO BOUNDS | In response to Proposition 8, this concert presented by Musique a la Mode will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, the largest and oldest LGBTQ youth-service provider supporting New York City’s most vulnerable and at-risk community. Part of the program features scenes from Patience & Sarah. You can watch terrific video coverage of the birth of this piece 10 years ago (just make sure your hanky is nearby) and learn more about this concert at http://musiquealamode.com/calendar.html.   

Sunday, Feb 15, 2pm St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery

131 East 10 Street, NYC

Tickets are $25, on the web at

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/54089

or by calling 1-800-838-3006,

or $30 at the door on the day of the concert.

(2) 17th century Italian pyrotechnics over swinging bass lines! Bizarre harmonic progressions stranger than Wagner! Over-the-top Drama! High D’s! (Yep.) Who wrote this stuff?! Alessandro  Stradella, who’s life was as colorful and tragic as the music on this program. If you like Melissa’s award-winning Handel CD, Scorned & Betrayed, you’ll love this. Featured is a setting of the Ariana Abandoned story (as on the CD), called Ferma il corso e torna al lido. Featuring Christine Gummere on baroque cello and Jennifer Griesbach on harpsichord.

NOTES ON A SCANDAL – Cantatas of Alessandro Stradella

MIDTOWN CONCERT SERIES presented by ARTEK 

Wednesday, Feb 18, 1:15 pm, St. Bartholomew’s Church

Park Ave at 51st St. NYC

Admission FREE

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Keep your announcements, concerts, and good news coming to your friendly In The Loop editor, Richard Russell, at InTheLoop@nycomposerscircle.org. (And let me know if you prefer to be removed from the list.) Until next time, let’s keep each other In The Loop!