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Sunday 11 February 2007at 3:00 p.m.
THE IVES VOCAL MARATHON, Round Six. Songs with unusual instrumentation. Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University. Sunday 11 February at 3:00 p.m. Elizabeth Saunders, mezzo soprano; Gary Harger, tenor. Neely is joined by pianist Lisa Moore (of Bang on a Can All-Stars) and the West End String Quartet in the most experimental of all of the Ives songs: "On the Antipodes," "Aeschylus and Sophocles," the razzle-dazzle version of "They Are There!" and so on. Wesleyan senior Jocelyn Bonadio plays the third piano part for "Vote for Names! Names! Names!" (the only song I can think of inspired by the 1912 presidental election), and bassist Daniel Merriman joins the quartet and Neely for "A Set of Short Pieces." Lisa will play the Three Page Sonata and Neely will play the bell part for her; Lisa returns the favor and plays the bells when Elizabeth and Neely present "Christmas Carol," Ives's arrangement of his 10-year old daughter Edith's lovely little tune. And there are lots of other songs which are just plain pretty. Truly this concert has something for everybody! Come and enjoy, and help spread the word.
 

For more about LISA MOORE visit http://www.lisamoore.org; Read about the WEST END QUARTET at http://www.composersforum.org/member_profile.cfm?oid=6890.
 

Past Events

Sunday 24 September, 2006 at 4:00 p.m.:  A brief organ recital in memory of Gladys Heath. Higganum Congregational Church, Higganum, Connecticut. Works of Frescobaldi, William Byrd, Erik Satie, Henry Clay Work, J. S. Bach, and improvisations based on tunes in The Sacred Harp. With singer Toby Twining.

Monday 25 September, 2006:  Wesleyan Memorial Chapel, NOON. A brief recital to introduce the Wesleyan community to our new August Förster piano. Mozart, Variations on “Come un agnello”; the B minor Sonata of Chopin; and the world premiere of two Friendly Fugues by Neely—“A Fugue for Katchen Coley” and “A Fugue for Billy Weitzer.”

Sunday 1 October, 2006: The IVES VOCAL MARATHON, Round Five. For details see my current blog and/or the October PREVIEW Connecticut.

1:00 p.m. A panel discussion about Ives’s views on peace, war and politics. Ives scholar James Sinclair, cultural historian Peter Dobkin Hall, visual artist Michael Pestel and Neely Bruce. Goldsmith Family Cinema, at the Center for Film Studies, Wesleyan University.

2:00 p.m. Ives Songs of Peace and War. Johana Arnold, soprano; David Barron, baritone; Elizabeth Saunders, mezzo; Neely Bruce, pianist. With guest artists Paul Woodiel (violin) and Michael Pestel (visual projections). Goldsmith Cinema. A discussion with the audience follows the event.

7:30 p.m. Ives In Context. Johana Arnold, soprano; Paul Woodiel, violinist; Neely Bruce, pianist. Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University.

Sunday 15 October. 2006 at 4:00 p.m. Ives songs, with Elizabeth Saunders, mezzo-soprano. Part of Charles Ives Day, produced by the Danbury Music Centre, Danbury, Connecticut. Details TBA.

Sunday 22 October, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. (during the church service) and at 3:00 p.m. (no church service involved). South Congregational Church, 9 Pleasant Street, Middletown, Connecticut. Parents. An intergenerational musical in one act. Music by Neely Bruce; libretto by Phyllis Bruce. Performed by members of South Church and the Middletown community. Free and open to the public.

Thursday 26 October, 2006 7:30 curtain. Carmen, by Georges Bizet. Connecticut Opera, Neely Bruce, chorus master.

Saturday 28 October, 2006, 8:00 curtain. Carmen again. See the CT Op web site for details: http://www.ctopera.org

Friday 1 December, 2006. Guest appearance on The American Piano. I will perform the world premiere of one of my most recent piano works: A Partita for Virginia Ellen (in four movements—prelude, fugue, chaconne and reel). Other pianists are Anthony de Mare, Steven Mayer, and my colleague Fred Simmons. Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University. 8:00 p.m. Pre-concert keynote lecture by Joseph Horowitz, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday 31 December at 7:30 p.m. All-Mozart recital at South Congregational Church.  (Last chance to celebrate Mozart’s 250th birthday—1756-2006).

Wednesday October 26, 2005:  Neely leads twenty singers and the audience in singing from The Sacred Harp at the American Folk Art Museum, 45 West 53rd Street, New York, NY. 1:30 p.m. (note the UNUSUAL TIME). Call the museum at (212) 265-2040 or Email (info@folkartmuseum.org) for details.

Thursday November 3 and Saturday November 5: L’Italiana in Algeri, Connecticut Opera, Neely Bruce, chorus master. See http://www.ctopera.org for details.
 
Friday November 4, 2005: A concert of ragtime by Neely and assisting artists (works of Joplin, other classic ragtime composers, Stravinsky, Bruce, etc.). 4:00 p.m. at Russell House on the Wesleyan campus. No admission charge.
 
Wednesday November 30, 2005, at noon, South Congregational Church, Middletown, CT. Neely performs Erik Satie’s only major organ work, the hauntingly beautiful yet enigmatic Messe des pauvres. This event is free and open to the public (part of the South Church Advent organ recital series).
 
December 31, 2005, at 7:00, South Church, Middletown. Start your New Year’s Eve festivities with some lovely piano music! Neely presents a short recital of works by American composers (Farwell, Ives and Griffes, with the premiere of his own new piano piece, “A Partita for Virginia Ellen”) and Chopin (the B minor sonata). Free and open to the public.
 
January 21, 2006. The South Carolina Symphony Orchestra presents the WORLD PREMIER of Neely’s newest orchestral work—time and place TBA. This work has been commissioned in honor of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. The (somewhat extravagant) title: Introduction and Grand March—An Orchestral Homage to the late W. A. Mozart of Salzburg and the late C. E. Ives of Danbury.

The event takes place at the Ira and Nancy Koger Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. If you go to the Koger Center web site you find the following information, which I’m happy to pass on! See

 http://www.scphilharmonic.com/concerts.html

“The South Carolina Philharmonic sell their own tickets. For ticket information, please call their box office at (803) 254-7445. Single Ticket Prices: $39.00, $31.00, $22.00, $15.00, $12.00, depending upon location. Students half price.”
 
Sunday February 12, 2006. The complete songs of Charles Ives, ROUND FOUR. Neely is joined by mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Saunders, tenor Gary Harger and baritone David Barron in a splendid selection of Ives, including his remarkable setting of Vachel Lindsey’s poem about the death of the founder of the Salvation Army, “General William Booth Enters Into Heaven.” 3:00 p.m., Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University.
 
Saturday February 25, 2006. The complete songs of Charles Ives, ROUND FIVE. Soprano Johana Arnold, violinist Paul Woodiel, and Neely present many, many Ives songs, along with the Second Violin Sonata, at Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY. Evening concert, details TBA.
 
March 30 (at 7:30 p.m.) and April 1 (at 8:00 p.m.), 2006. Connecticut Opera’s spring production—Cavalleria Rusticana of Mascagni. Neely Bruce, chorus master. (A double bill with Gianni Schicchi, but who cares about that—no chorus!) The Bushnell, Hartford. Check the opera web site for details: http://www.ctopera.org.

Wednesday 19 July, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. A complete performance of my largest organ piece, "Tunes 'n' Timbres 'n' Time:  The History of Western Music" [TnTnT for short]. St Bartholomew's Church, New York City, Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. Performed by William Trafka, director of music at St Bart's. This event is FREE and open to the public

Wednesday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m.
The Holly and the Ives: Festive Songs of Charles Ives, Connecticut's Master Composer, and other Seasonal Music Neely Bruce, Musician and Scholar; with Phyllis Bruce, soprano, and Elizabeth Saunders, mezzo-soprano, and assisted by Samantha Korbey   Fee: $12 ($10 members)
Reservations required, call Matt at 860-434-5542 x 111 or matt@flogris.org

The festive holiday songs of Connecticut-born composer Charles Ives are showcased in this gallery concert. Join us for an evening of music, with this special collection of songs by America’s finest composer of concert music. With seasonal music of Victorian America.

Concert-goers will not only be surrounded by the Museum’s outstanding collection, but also it’s Magic of Christmas celebration. This annual event, on view through January 7, features lavish Fantasy Trees inspired by the Ancient Elements and Miss Florence’s Artist Tree, which has become a holiday icon for the region.  75 artists from across the country have donated works to this one-of-a-kind tradition.  The palette artists’ styles and subject matter are as varied as the individuals. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, ceramics, and collage are used to transform the palettes into traditional holiday scenes, delightful landscapes, and more than a few surprises! The combination of music, art, and festive decorations are sure to put you in the holiday spirit!

For more information on the museum and it’s activities, please go to http://www.FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org
 

December 27 at 7:00 p.m.: Schooner Cove, Damariscotta, Maine AND December 31 at 7:00 p.m.: South Congregational Church, Middletown, Connecticut Two ALL-MOZART concerts to finish out 2006 (the 250th anniversary of his birth): Variations on "Come un agnello"; Sonata in C major, K. 309; Rondo in A minor, K. 511; "Das Veilchen" and "Nehmt meinen Dank," with Phyllis Bruce, soprano; Contradanse, "Das Donnerwetter"; and the famous Rondo Alla Turca.