MAY 2024

The Percy Grainger Society

Mourns the Loss of our
Distinguished and Beloved Friend

Sir Andrew Davis made a profound impact on the work of the Percy Grainger Society, regularly performing Grainger's works throughout his career. A notable (and hilarious!) performance was given in the 1988 Last Night of the Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall with Grainger himself (via piano roll) playing Grieg's Piano Concerto. Another noteworthy Prom extravaganza was his 2000 performance of Tribute to Foster.

In the Covid outbreak of 2020, Sir Andrew volunteered to be the society's first virtual presenter. His good nature, his pioneering spirit, and his wide knowledge of Grainger made for a fascinating presentation, which can be viewed here.

The society extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends. A true pillar of the music community, his presence will be greatly missed.

Membership Happenings

Composer Michael Markowski Presents Reimagining Grainger Through Composition

Grainger Reimagined is a three-part series of online presentations exploring the ways in which Grainger’s outputs as composer, arranger, and performer have been recast in the contemporary moment.

The third and final presentation in the series, "Reimagining Grainger Through Composition", will be given by composer Michael Markowski on Thursday, May 16 at 4:00 PM (Eastern US) via Zoom. Of this presentation, Markowski writes:

In this presentation I will explore Grainger’s love for folk songs and share how his philosophies have affected his own compositions. In particular, we will take a deep dive into Desert Sage, a four-movement suite inspired by field recordings of early American “cowboy songs".

Visit the "Reimagining Grainger Through Composition" event listing on our website for additional details. Follow this link to learn more about the complete Grainger Reimagined series. 

At the Home & Studio

Annual Open House Recap

Pianists Łukasz and Małgorzata Wilga filled the Percy Grainger Home & Studio (PGH&S) with live music once again as our featured guest artists at this year's Annual Open House. Their program included a selection of Grainger’s masterpieces, showcasing the duo’s exceptional skill and artistry: “Klavierstück in D”, English Waltz, My Robin is to the Greenwood Gone, the enchanting paraphrase on Tchaikovsky’s Flower Waltz, “Klavierstück in E”, Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part, and Grainger’s beautiful adaptation of Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. The duo closed the program with an exciting performance of Edvard Grieg’s Four Norwegian Dances.  

Following the performance, PGH&S volunteer docent and Westchester Symphonic Winds (WSW) Conductor/Music Director Curt Ebersole led a tour of the home to visitors from the community and WSW! If you missed the recital, follow this link to view the video recording on our Facebook page.

PGH&S Welcomes Carmel (NY) High School Band and Orchestra Students

Pictured above: instrumental students from Carmel (NY) High School stop for a group photo on porch steps at the Percy Grainger Home & Studio in White Plains, NY.

On Friday, April 12, 2024, twenty-eight students from Carmel (NY) High School traveled just over thirty miles south to White Plains for an immersive exploration of the Percy Grainger Home & Studio (PGH&S). Located in Carmel, New York, the high school operates within the Carmel Central School District, which has been recognized for the past four years as a "Best Community for Music Education" by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). For the 2015–2016 academic year, Carmel High School was also selected as a GRAMMY Signature School Semi-Finalist.

Visiting Percy Grainger's White Plains residence offered students the opportunity to view Grainger's scores, letters, and memorabilia and gain a deeper understanding of his life and work. Peter Ballantoni, a Carmel High School music faculty member and chaperone on the visit, commented, “This type of visit is so different from their day-to-day studies of music and composers...they are each able to form their own impressions of Percy Grainger’s life based on how he lived.”

We would like to thank Carmel Central's District Director of Music, Meghan Cabral, for arranging the visit and her colleagues Donald Griffith, Peter Ballantoni, and Erin Mineri for joining the students on the tour. Follow this link to read more about the students' PGH&S experience.

Save the Date

July 12, 2024: Annual Meeting

We hope you will be able to attend this year’s Annual Members' Meeting, which we have scheduled on Friday, July 12, 2024, at 4 pm, Eastern Daily Time. The meeting will be recorded and placed in the members' area of the website for those who cannot attend the live meeting.

The meeting will cover the following key topics:

• Review of activities in 2023–24
• New programs and initiatives for 2024–25
• Presentations of members' activities
• Opportunities for you to participate

We expect the meeting will last between 1 to 1.5 hours. As is our practice, we are happy to answer any questions you may have during the meeting, and to allow time for open discussion. Of course, you can also email me before the meeting at paul@percygrainger.org.

Event Key

The Percy Grainger Society is pleased to offer both live and virtual events. You can easily determine if the events listed in this newsletter are live or virtual by the color of the registration button:

  green for live events  

  blue for virtual events. 

The Percy Grainger Society

7 Cromwell Place | White Plains, New York 10601

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Our mission is to promote the work and legacy of Percy Grainger with a membership community that preserves his historic house, encourages appreciation performance of his music, and promotes a deeper understanding of the cultural, social, and economic context of his life and work.

info@percygrainger.org

(914) 281-1610

www.percygrainger.org

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