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On Sunday October 19, at 4 p.m. at the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society opens its 2008-2009 season with the world premiere of “Johnny Appleseed,” a work for chamber ensemble, children’s choir and narrator celebrating the life and times of one of Longmeadow’s legendary residents, John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed. The concert is part of the celebration of the 225th anniversary of Longmeadow’s incorporation into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“Johnny Appleseed” is the second collaboration (after last season’s “Encounter,” commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra) between author Jane Yolen and composer Clifton J. Noble Jr. Based on Yolen’s recent book Johnny Appleseed with illustrations by Jim Burke, the piece chronicles Chapman’s life from his birth in Leominster, MA in 1774, his youth in Longmeadow, and his years spent bringing bags of apple seeds from the eastern cider mills to cultivate apple orchards in the open lands of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana to his death in 1845.

Performers will include flutist Ellen Redman, violinist Marsha Harbison, cellist Boris Kogan, and banjo player Kevin Fontaine, and the Joyful Noyse children’s choir of the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, directed by John Gerry-Karajanes. Clifton Noble will play the piano and his wife, Kara L. Noble, will narrate.

Jane Yolen and Jim Burke will be in attendance at the concert and will sign copies of Johnny Appleseed for concertgoers. Also included on the program are Peter Schickele’s “Spring Serenade” for flute and piano, Noble’s “Little Lamb” (featuring the children’s chorus), and his Piano Trio. Redman, Noble, and Fontaine will conclude the afternoon with a set of Irish jigs, reels, and hornpipes.

Longmeadow Chamber Music Society concerts last about ninety minutes, include words about the pieces and composers, and are followed by receptions. Upcoming concerts this season take place on Jan. 16, 2009 and Mar. 6, 2009. Memberships for all three concerts are: Family $60, single $30. Donations of $15 will be accepted at the door for non-members. The Longmeadow Chamber Music Society, a volunteer non-profit organization is sponsored in part by generous donations from Mr. Harold Grinspoon, D.J. St. Germain, the Longmeadow Cultural council, local area businesses, and members. For more information please write to LCMS, 76 Viscount Rd., Longmeadow, MA 01106.

BIOGRAPHIES

Jane Yolen is an author of children's books, fantasy, and science fiction, including Owl Moon, Devil's Arithmetic, and How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? She is also a poet, a teacher of writing and literature, and a reviewer of children's literature. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. Jane Yolen's books and stories have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award. This web book presents information about her over two hundred books for children. It also contains essays, poems, answers to frequently asked questions, a brief biography, her travel schedule, and links to resources for teachers and writers. It is intended for children, teachers, writers, storytellers, and lovers of children's literature.

Jim Burke's celebrated artwork brings to life many Americana stories, events and characters. Most recently, "Naming Liberty" (Philomel Books) and "Johnny Appleseed" (Harper Collins) both written by Jane Yolen have been accepted into "The Original Art Show" in NYC, the premiere exhibition for the year's best illustrated children's books. Their collaborative "My Brothers' Flying Machine" (Little, Brown, 2003) won an Oppenheim Children's Portfolio Gold, as well as a Parents' Choice Gold Award. The New Hampshire native has also authored "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Little, Brown) coinciding with Jack Norworth's original lyrics, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Jim's artwork was shown in The Royal Academy of Art's Summer Exhibition 2008 in London, and has been included in the Society of Illustrator's forthcoming "Icons & Images: 50 Years of Illustration." He is a Gold Medal recipient from the Society of Illustrators and has also received accolades from Communication Arts, and Print. Jim has lectured at The Norman Rockwell Museum and The National Baseball Hall of Fame, among others. He lives in Beacon, NY with his wife and their young daughter.

Clifton J. Noble, Jr. was born in 1961. His father taught him to play piano and guitar at age 5, and encouraged him to write music shortly thereafter. Educated at Amherst College (B. A. 1983) and Smith College (M.A. 1988) his composition teachers included M. Lewis Spratlan and Donald Wheelock. Since 1987, he has served as pianist for Smith College choral ensembles, and currently holds the position of Staff Accompanist in the Smith Music Department. Many of his compositions and arrangements of folk songs and spirituals have been written for Smith choirs, and have been performed by Smith and other women’s and children’s choruses throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has been commissioned by (among others) the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Assabet Valley Mastersingers, the Holyoke Civic Symphony Orchestra, Music in Deerfield, the Florentine Trio, saxophonist Lynn Klock, the Canticle Singers of Baltimore, the Bel Canto Singers of Nevada, the Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield, and the Western MA Young People’s Philharmonia. “Encounter” for orchestra and narrator, commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with author Jane Yolen, was premiered on April 28, 2008. Noble writes classical music reviews and features for the Springfield Republican Newspapers. He resides in Western Massachusetts with wife Kara and daughter Samantha.

Kara Noble, narrator, has played guitar and bass since childhood. She trained as a classical guitarist at the Hartt School of Music with Richard Provost and has performed a range of musical styles from classical to jazz to folk to rock throughout the Pioneer Valley. However, at most performances she is more likely to be found backstage. She spent seven years as the Events Coordinator for the Smith College Music Department and regularly works as a freelance producer and stage manager for concerts. This is her second foray into narration; she was also the narrator for Commonwealth Opera's 2006 Gala Guild Concert, "A Night After the Opera."

Marsha Harbison, violin, is the assistant concertmistress of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in NYC, Montreal, Aspen, Jackson Hole, Spoleto, Italy, Salzburg, Austria and in the Berkshire Choral Festival in Sheffield, MA. She is a founding member and performer of the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society. She earned a B.A. from Carleton College, Northfield, MN, and a M.S. from the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with Ivan Galamian and Sally Thomas.

Boris Kogan, cellist, emigrated from Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Russia, to Springfield, MA in 1991. He currently performs with the Springfield Symphony and teaches in Springfield, Deerfield Academy, and Amherst College. He also performs in the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, Central Massachusetts Symphony, and previously in the New England Symphony as principal cellist. Boris is a graduate of the Leningrad College of Music and Conservatory of Music and was a former Assistant Principal cellist with the Leningrad Symphony and the Television and Radio Symphony Orchestras. He was also a teacher and solo performer in the former Soviet Union. He has performed in recitals in MA, Yale University, in Jordan with the Washington D.C. Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall in NYC.

Ellen Redman, flutist, has established herself in both solo and orchestral roles. She studied with John Krell, Carol Wincenc, Harvey Sollberger and Thomas Nyfenger. She has been the piccoloist with the Springfield (MA) Symphony since 1985 and has also concertised extensively in Italy, with appearances in Rome at the American and British Academies, the American Embassy and the Vatican. She has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including being a finalist in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, and a winner of both the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition and the WFLN (Philadelphia) Young Artist Competition. She has performed with the Boston Symphony, Boston Classical Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony and the Nashua Symphony. She is an Adjunct Instructor of Flute at Smith College, teaches flute at Deerfield Academy, and maintains a thriving private teaching studio in Westfield, MA.

Kevin Fontaine started playing guitar in 1984 at the age of 8. His early influences were Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, and Eric Clapton. He has studied with Robert Ferrier of HCC and Doug Blair of WASP. He started playing the Irish Tenor Banjo in 2006 after a family trip to Ireland. He has been active in the Irish traditional music community since then, playing with the likes of Jimmy Meara, Joe Gerhard, and John Whelan. An avid vidoegamer, Kevin is currently enjoying Mario Kart for the Wii. He is eagerly awaiting the release of Gears Of War 2 for the XBOX360. He lives in Springfield Massachusetts with his Shih Tzu, named after the Legend Of Zelda protagonist, Link.