Welcome to our May Newsletter!
Buffet, 1972-75 by Wayne Thiebaud
It is hard to believe that we are fast approaching the end of our very special 2024-25 season, a grand voyage in music that took us across many nations and cultures, giving us a larger picture of the many ways in which music is and has been a daily tonic throughout the centuries. We hope you can be at one of our final concerts the weekend of May 16-18.
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7pm at Brattleboro Music Center, Brattleboro VT (tickets at bmcvt.org)
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7pm at Friends Meeting House, Cambridge
Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 3:30pm at Follen Community Church, Lexington
With Mara Riley, soprano; Elise Kuder, Amy Galluzzo, violins; Mike Kelley, viola; Jennifer Morsches, Timothy Merton, cellos.
Spotlight on emilie mayer
One of the most famous German female composers of her era, it is indeed a rare occasion to hear the music of Emilie Mayer (1813-1883) performed, so Sarasa is especially looking forward to presenting one of her seven string quartets in our upcoming program. Like countless women composers before her, very little of her music was published during her lifetime, which led to her manuscripts losing any visibility or validity by the next generations. The daughter of an apothecary, Emilie began to play the piano at the age of five in her hometown of Mecklenburg, and almost immediately started to dabble in composing. Her piano teacher wisely told her: “Wenn du die Meu gifst, kann ut die wat warden ... If you make an effort, you can become something.”
During a time when very few women assumed they could have ambitions of their own, Emilie pursued her musical passion with devotion, skill and self-confidence, thanks to the encouragement and support of her family. With her brothers, she would tour Europe and search for publication of her substantial body of work, including symphonies, overtures, a Singspiel, piano sonatas and a wealth of chamber music. She moved to Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) to study composition with the well-respected composer and music director of the local orchestra, Carl Loewe. He took her under his wing, and through his steadfast support her orchestral works were premiered “to great applause.” Emilie was born on May 14th, so Sarasa will be sure to sing/play her happy birthday during our rehearsals!
Zeitgeist:
Get a taste of Emilie Mayer’s wonderful talent with her Symphonie No. 1 in C minor (1847)
Another kind of mayer:
Whether you like hotdogs or not, the German immigrant Oscar F. Mayer started one of the most successful franchises in American history in 1883: the wiener hot dog with its catchy yellow band packaging, which later was advertised far and wide with the famous wiener mobile! Above is a photo of their 1950s model.
‘music unlocked’ news: tough UPDATE to share
Sarasa was greatly looking forward to our second year of federal funding for next season (2025-26) through the National Endowment for the Arts with a Challenge America grant. Despite the new administration that came into the White House in January 2025, we were led to believe all funding would remain in place until Summer 2026. However, we have just learned that our purpose "to support music residencies in youth detention centers in Massachusetts" is no longer considered a valid project for funding. Instead, the NEA is seeking "projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”
Now, more than ever, we need to provide music and share humanity with those less fortunate, or with those who were not given a second chance. Sarasa will continue to serve incarcerated teens across the State of Massachusetts through our ‘Music Unlocked' programming, underwritten by individual patron donations and other competitive grant cycles for which we regularly apply. Thank you for your unwavering support with our mission! As one of our featured May composers Sir John Tavener (1944-2013) said: “I believe that music has the power to heal and bring people together."
Sneak peek!
Our upcoming in 2025-26 is in the works, and we’d love to give you a sneak preview of what to look forward to next season! Subscriptions and early bird specials start May 19!
an instant classic!
Tim in his trusty 1932 Model B Ford truck; photo by Jonathan Hillyer
A shout out to Timothy Merton, Sarasa’s founding Director whose 75th birthday was on Wednesday, May 7th. Many happy returns, Tim!
Blast from the past:
Apple Hill participants, back in the day! (Elise Kuder, Jennifer Morsches, middle)
