~ INTERWOVEN ~
Announcing Piano by Nature’s 18th-Season
The Hand House parlor is a room made for intimate acoustic music and was quite possibly used for just that in the 19th century. So bringing chamber music—small groups of one to a part vs symphonies and large ensembles—isn’t such a novel idea. But in our new season, we hope to put a lens on just what ‘chamber music’ is capable of conveying, highlighting the immense expression and beauty of sound contained within just a few acoustic instruments.
In past seasons, PBN has had up to 12 people on our stage at the Hand House (thank you Dexter Criss and the Plattsburgh State Gospel Choir!), but this season we hope to explore the many colors and strands that can be interwoven between just two to three performers playing works from a variety of composers from past to present.
The Spring Line-Up
Each set of concerts from February to June brings a special kind of vibrancy and energy to the stage, bursting forward with purpose and their own totally unique soundscape. Four diverse groups will celebrate the joys of chamber music.
Concert #4
Stories of America Through Songs of the Stage
Brenda and Bill McColgan, with pianist Jennifer Moore
Saturday, February 14 at 7:00 PM & Sunday, February 15 at 3:00 PM
Our February inaugural concerts feature musical theater superstars Brenda and Bill McColgan, joined by the brilliant North Country pianist Jennifer Moore. PBN would like to recognize the 250th birth of the nation with something uplifting, thought-provoking, and at times, a bit irreverent. The February program will offer a splash of musical Americana; music that is humorous, smart, entertaining, and heartfelt. With that in mind, Bill & Brenda will be presenting a program of historic and contemporary musical theatre classics, along with more than a nod to the late Thomas Lehrer.
Concert #5
Resinosa Ensemble: Touch the Hand of Love
Joëlle Morris, mezzo-soprano
Eliza Meyer, cello
Bridget Convey, piano
Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12 at 3:00 p.m.
In April, the Resinosa Ensemble from Maine will perform an exquisite program of songs, instrumentals, and poetry exploring the depths and diversity of love.
Concert #6
The 4th Annual CODA Concert
A Celebration of North Country Student Musicians
Sunday, May 17 at 3:00 p.m.
In May, we have PBN’s fourth annual CODA concert, highlighting the very impressive young talent we are surrounded by in the Northern Adirondacks:
- Sadie Burgess(Westport)
- Felix Haskins(Westport)
- Niles Allen(Willsboro)
- Shaelene Dedrick(Ticonderoga)
- Jacob Richards(Schroon Lake)
- Tristan McIntyre(Schroon Lake)
- Aspen Barrett-Stearns(Peru)
- Dylan Atwood(Peru)
- Ava Glover(Saranac)
- Colton Donah(Plattsburgh)
- Ashley Filion(Plattsburgh)
- Nathaniel Lambert(Plattsburgh)
- Sam Keating, Jackson Laubach, Elliot Strack, Ebin Meissner(Saranac Lake)
- Alisah Govindaraj, Aria Knechtges(Buffalo, NY/Meadowmount attendees)
Concert #7
Jeremiah McLane & Friends: A New England Trad Celebration
Jeremiah McLane, accordion and piano
Tim Cummings, small pipes and whistles
McKinley James, cello
Saturday Garden Party Fundraiser on June 6 at 5:00 p.m. & Concert at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 at 3:00 p.m.
Lastly, in June, we have the return of phenomenal accordionist/pianist Jeremiah McClain with a trio of extremely talented friends performing a toe-tapping blend of Acadian-influenced, New England trad music in both a parlor concert and also a special garden concert version—both at the Hand House.
The Fall Line-Up
In September, we look forward to the return of French horn virtuoso Ann Ellsworth, who will bring stunning collaborators to perform one of the most iconic and well-known pieces of chamber music—Johannes Brahms’ Horn Trio in E-flat Major. This work is perennially well-loved and will be masterfully paired with works from Stonybrook composer Sheila Silver.
Our November concerts hail the return of one of our favorite pianists, Joel A. Martin, bringing his unique fusion of classical and jazz threads within yet another brilliant backdrop of folk music traditions called Jazzical Komitas.
And to wrap up 2025, we have an absolute chamber music master-violist Patricia McCarty, who will be joined by acclaimed North Country musicians Rose Chancler and Janice Kyle to present three passionate and powerful lesser-known works of the past by Onslow, Ruthardt, and Clarke.
Concert #1
Sylvia Wang, piano, Ann Ellsworth, horn, and Elizabeth Chang, violin
The Music of Friends
Saturday, September 13th at 7PM and Sunday, September 14th at 3PM
Pianist Sylvia Wang is joined by Ann Ellsworth, horn, and Elizabeth Chang, violin, for an evening of Chamber Music featuring the iconic Brahms Horn Trio with selections by Robert Schumann and Sheila Silver. PBN especially welcomes Ann Ellsworth back to the Hand House and cannot wait to hear the masterful collaborations these incredible musicians will bring to the PBN stage. Their repertoire spans past to present, and these wonderful musicians will awe and delight in this perfectly balanced inaugural concert for our ‘Season of Chamber Music.’
Concert #2
Joel A. Martin (AKA “The Bentley) Returns to the ADKs!
Jazzical—Komitas Passion of Fire
Saturday, November 8th at 7PM and Sunday, November 9th at 3PM
Internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, and creator of the Jazzical sound, Joel A. Martin returns to the Adirondacks with his groundbreaking new project: Jazzical Komitas–Passion of Fire. This powerful concert experience reimagines the haunting beauty of Armenian folk music through the bold, expressive language of jazz.
Blending classical mastery with soulful improvisation, Joel brings the ancient melodies of Armenian composer Komitas into a vibrant, 21st-century light.
Old World spirit. New World fire. Armenian folk music reimagined for the 21st century.
Don’t miss this unforgettable musical journey—where cultural heritage meets fearless innovation.
Concert #3
The Fabric of Time
Patricia McCarty, viola, Rose Chancler, piano, and Janice Kyle, oboe
Saturday, December 6th at 7PM and Sunday, December 7th at 3PM
Violist extraordinaire Patricia McCarty is joined by esteemed chamber music friends and neighbors Rose Chancler and Janice Kyle to present three lesser-known but stunning and possibly surprising composers in George Onslow, known as ‘the French Beethoven’, Adolf Ruthardt, a German late Romantic, and Rebecca Clarke, a British/US early 20th-C virtuoso. All were prolific composers who devoted much of their efforts to writing distinctive chamber music works with powerful and passionate musical expression. And they were all successful in influencing their peers despite being less noticed during their lives, and ultimately have left a legacy of musical treasures for us all. These concerts will be the perfect musical threads to sew-up the year 2025 while introducing remarkable new musical fabrics for the year 2026.
Piano by Nature is thrilled to kick off our eighteenth season with this exciting chamber music celebration and warmly invite you to join us for memorable concerts, tasty refreshments, and scintillating post-concert conversation with our amazing artists.
All of our concerts have an evening and matinee performance, Saturdays at 7PM and Sundays at 3PM unless otherwise noted. Doors will open 30 minutes before the performance, and we recommend arriving early to avoid check-in lines.
Admission for concerts at Elizabethtown’s Historic Hand House is $20, with a special $5 rate for children 15 and under. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and reservations are strongly encouraged due to limited availability. You can reserve your spot via email at pianobynature@gmail.com or by phone at 518-962-8899. We look forward to seeing you there!
Piano By Nature’s programs are made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts. We are also supported by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County. And we’d also like to thank our many patrons and donors for their generous contributions over the past 18 years and counting—you are keeping live music ‘alive’ in the North Country!