Founders of “Music for Farms” Emmanuel Vukovich (violin) and John McDowell (piano, percussion, composition), as well as special guest, young violinist Nicholas Frei, will perform a benefit concert  at Green Meadow Waldorf School’s new auditorium, Rose Hall in Chestnut Ridge, NY. The program for this concert, to be held May 4th at 8pm, will include Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D featuring Nicholas Frei, and the Solo violin Partita No. 1 in b, BWV 1002; Sonata No. 3, Op. 27 – Ballade, by Eugene Ysaye; Chant by Ana Sokolovic; Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25, by Pablo de Sarasate; and an original work by John McDowell.

Rose Hall is located at 307 Hungry Hollow Rd., Chestnut Ridge, NY. Advance tickets are $20 for general admission; $15 for college Students & Seniors; and $10 for students Grade 1-12 Tickets will be available for purchase online or in person at the Hungry Hollow Co-op, 841 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Chestnut Ridge. Day of show tickets at the door will be $5 extra per ticket. This event is sponsored by Threefold Educational Foundation. Proceeds will go to the Green Meadow Waldorf School, the Rockland Farm Alliance, and the Pfeiffer Center.

The Green Meadow Waldorf School is an independent day school, nursery through grade 12, located 30 miles from New York City in Chestnut Ridge, NY. Founded in 1950, Green Meadow is one of America’s oldest and largest Waldorf schools. From the young child’s imaginative experiences of discovery and play in their Early Childhood program to the intellectual challenges presented in their High School, Green Meadow students approach their education with interest and joy. The school also opened an Early Childhood Center in Tarrytown, NY in July 2011.

Rockland Farm Alliance is a community coalition that was founded to facilitate local sustainable agriculture in Rockland County, NY, and to provide educational resources to the community to promote awareness of the need for local food resources. RFA has been called “cutting edge” by state farming authorities in its innovative approach to preserve and revive farming in the lower Hudson Valley and greater NY metro area. Through hands-on learning programs and new community-supported small farms, RFA is striving to raise awareness around local food issues while increasing access to organic, locally grown produce.

The mission of the Pfeiffer Center, located in Chestnut Ridge, NY, is to practice, teach and spread awareness of the biodynamic method of agriculture and land care. This work takes the form of educational programs for adults and children, agricultural production, work with draft horses, beekeeping, and research.

Canadian Violinist Emmanuel Vukovich has played for audiences around the globe with artists such as Ida Haendel, Anton Kuerti, and Matt Haimowitz. Recipient of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music Golden Violin Award and The Canada Council for the Arts Orford String Quartet Scholarship, he was a member of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet, winner at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. Emmanuel began playing the violin with Danuta Ciring and left his native Calgary at sixteen to pursue studies with Masao Kawasaki and Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School in New York City. He completed his undergraduate degree with Denise Lupien and André Roy at McGill University. During this time he also pursued studies in Environment, subsequently devoting four years to work in organic agriculture. Having returned to music in 2011, Emmanuel is currently completing a graduate performance degree and teaching at McGill University, and has founded an international chamber music collective called The Parcival Project. He plays a violin made in Montreal by Denis Cormier.

Musician and film composer John McDowell achieved worldwide recognition with his soundtrack to the Academy Award winning documentary Born Into Brothels. Winner of Best Musical Score at the Bend Film Festival, the score blends Western and Indian music in a mesmerizing mix. Known for much more than just his film scores, McDowell is also a highly gifted pianist, percussionist, producer, commissioned composer and conductor. His work over the past 25 years draws on classical, jazz, pop, and world music. McDowell served as founder, artistic director and leader of several musical projects including The Born Into Brothels Ensemble and the world music band Mamma Tongue. He has toured and recorded with Rusted Root and Krishna Das and has produced several albums including his solo CD Speaking the Mamma Tongue. McDowell’s formal education and subsequent informal global training has made him a largely self-taught ethnomusicologist of widely-ranging scale. John is co-founder of Music for Farms.

Nicholas Frei, a 2011 graduate of Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, NY, began his violin studies with Anna Teigen, then continued with Bernard Zeller and Laura Seaton. During high school, Nicholas played with the New York Youth Symphony, several string quartets and chamber groups, and studied with Ann Setzer of Mannes and Juilliard. His senior year, he attended Mannes-Prep and was a Rockland County Morning Music Club Scholarship Finalist. Nicholas has spent his last three summers at the Meadowmount School of Music, founded by Ivan Galamian and has played in chamber master classes for musicians such as: Joel Krosnick, Paul Neubauer and Kazuhido Isomura. He is currently in a string quartet coached by Matt Haimovitz and studies with Emmanuel Vukovich at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

For further information contact Katie Ketchum at [email protected]