in concerts including the premiere performances of THEY DISAPPEAR for choir and Klezmers and performances of a newly revised HASHKIVENU.
San Francisco Choral Artists presents Prophets, Kings & Klezmer, exploring the heart and soul, the stories and dreams, the grief and joy, the texts and traditions of Jewish life are expressed in psalms, folksongs, prayers and lullabies. Veretski Pass joins SFCA for a wild and wonderful series of concerts.

March 11, 2012, 4:00 PM
Congregation Etz Chayim
4161 Alma St, Palo Alto

March 17, 2012, 8:00 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco

March 18, 2012, 4:00 PM
Temple Sinai
2808 Summit St, Oakland

Great Noise Ensemble in concerts including ONLY THE PIANO WILL GIVE US OUR PEACE

Friday, April 13, 2012 7:30 PM
"Philosophy"
Ward Hall, Catholic University
Washington, DC

Monday, April 16, 2012 7:30 PM
Cutting Edge Concerts
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater
Peter Norton Symphony Space
95th Street and Broadway, NYC
TICKETS $20/$15

in concerts including the premiere performances of AMONG THE REDWOODS
San Francisco Choral Artists presents Poetry on Musical Wings: odes, riddles, rhymes, brilliance, humor, and heart.

June 9, 2012, 8:00 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto

June 10, 2012, 4:00 PM
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland

June 16, 2012, 8:00 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco

in concerts including LULL THE SOLEMN NIGHT
San Francisco Choral Artists presents Company at the Creche, exploring the nativity from the ground up, sharing the wonder of those who were there: the manger animals, peasants, and shepherds.

December 4, 2011, 4:00 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto

December 10, 2011, 8:00 PM
Montgomery Chapel
Bolinas Ave. at Richmond
SF Theological Seminary campus, San Anselmo

December 17, 2011, 8:00 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco

December 18, 2011, 4:00 PM
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland

Continue reading "San Francisco Choral Artists: Lull the Solemn Night" »

Paul Dunkel presents Animalhausmusik, an evening of music for all ages, including Peter and the Wolf, songs by Linda Rogers and Michael Stewart, and a concert version of my mini-musical THE ANIMAL ESTATES HOME BUYERS' TOUR. With Jim BracchittaPatti Goettlicher, George Psomas, and Joelle Lurie.

TICKETS (click to buy)
Family rates available.
Christ & St. Stephen's Church
120 West 69th Street, NYC

Continue reading "Animal Estates @ Christ & St. Stephen's NYC" »

World Youth Choir in concert including the first performance in Europe of WHITE, THOSE THAT STAYED STILL
World Youth Choir
Conducted by Grete Pedersen
Oslo University Ceremonial Hall

... with pianist & composer Martin Kennedy in a recital including my SONGS OF STEPHEN FOSTER.
Little Stage Theater
SoBe Institute of the Arts
2100 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida

performing in Rami Vamos's Melvin Owns the Music. With Nurit Pacht, Amadi Azikiwe & Egil Rostad.

Sommer Center
Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

My GOODBYE SONG is the closing number in 60x60 Dance, a show at Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis.

The outstanding Cantoria de la Merced will give the first performance of piece WHITE, THOSE THAT STAYED STILL at this year's International Federation for Choral Music World Symposium in Puerto Madryn, Buenos Aires.

Ionion Center for the Arts and Culture presents a concert of my music, including KISS THE STARS GOODNIGHT and a set of my musical theater songs. With soprano Fotini Samara.

Ionion Center for the Arts and Culture
Kefalonia Island, Greece

What makes us who we are? When are the moments that we each discover our true abilities? How do we overcome challenges to discover our individual and special powers? From super-heros to Shakespeare, Prospect Theater Company explores questions of character in this new musical revue, performed by the students in the 2011 Summer Intensive Program. Featuring an array of original material by emerging musical theater writers, performed by a cast of 15 talented teens.

... including my song GRAMMAR POLICE.

July 28-30, 2011
ALTER EGO, A Teen Musical Revue
Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd St.)
TICKETS $10
(212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250, or visit the box office, 12pm to 8pm daily

Curated by Dev Bondarin. Directed by Dev Bondarin, Rachel Dart, and Simone Zamore Curbelo. Produced by Prospect Theater Company.

Following a performance of FLIP THE SWITCH!, an orchestra drawn from Concordia Conservatory's Summer Chamber Music camp will perform FLOPITOPITOT. (And then I will join them on accordion for Por Una Cabeza.) Part of Concordia's Summer Music Festival Concerts

Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY
FREE

Workshop performances of two new 30-minute musicals with books by Kellen Blair and music and lyrics by MVB. Part of Concordia Conservatory's Summer Music Festival Concerts

PHOTOS

Directed & choreographed by Jen Littlefield.
Music direction by MVB

Program 1 (Grades 5-8)
THE LOUDEST VOICE
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 7:00 PM

Program 2 (Grades 1-5)
FLIP THE SWITCH
Thursday, July 21, 2011 7:00 PM

Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY
FREE

Continue reading "The Loudest Voice & Flip the Switch! @ Concordia Conservatory" »

American Opera Projects and The Walt Whitman Project present The Voice of Brooklyn: Contemporary Opera and Song in the heart of Fort Greene Park
...playing accordion for Caitlin Smith's "Pour Les Enfants" at 4:30pm. With Melissa Hughes
...playing piano and singing for ANIMAL ESTATES at 5:30pm. With Joelle Lurie

3:30-8:00 PM, Free
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn
(at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument)

Manhattan Choral Ensemble presents New Music for New York
including the premiere performance of WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

Mary Flagler Cary Hall at The Dimenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37 Street, NYC

Concordia Conservatory's irresistible chamber music program for young performers will include two pieces of mind: the premiere performance of FLOPITOPITOT, for a trio of beginning violin, piano and percussion students; a new version of TAKE THE BURDEN UPON YOU, for voice, violin, clarinet and piano, and a performance of WASHING MACHINE, for 6-hands piano.

FLOPITOPITOT on 13 May
TAKE THE BURDEN UPON YOU and WASHING MACHINE on 14 May

FREE, Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

The Importance of Being Not So Earnest
Musical Comedy That Will Actually Make You Laugh
Parkside Lounge 317 E. Houston Street, NYC

A concert o new, original musical comedy songs that will actually make you laugh, performed live by funny people. Including Charlie Sohne & my song "If it Wasn't For Me." Also including songs by Drew Fornarola, Eric March, Adam Overett, Matt Schatz, Adam Spiegel and Dan Wolpow, Katya Stanislavskaya, & Jeff Ward. Performed by Sarah Corey, Maggie Finnegan, Amy Justman, Jeremy Morse, Morgan Phillips, Max Spitulnik, & Sarah Statler

DuoSolo (Michael & Mary Kirkendoll) perform a program including DAL DOSAI

7:30pm, FREE
Swarthout Recital Hall, Murphy Hall
University of Kansas

...including the premiere performance of BE MUSIC, NIGHT, an SATB setting of a poem by Kenneth Patchen. (Used by permission of New Directions Publishing)
C4: The Choral Composer / Conductor Collective
also performing works of Dyrud, Rautavaara, Matthew Brown, Allen Menton, Carlos Michans, and Jordan Nobles.

Thursday, March 3, 2011 8:00 PM
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
552 West End Avenue at West 87th Street
$10

Saturday, March 5, 2011 8:00 PM
Church of Saint Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014
$10

Music at Concordia presents THE ANIMAL ESTATES HOME BUYERS TOUR as part of the Musical Adventures for Children Series at Concordia Conservatory.

Schoenfeld Campus Center
Concordia College
Bronxville, NY

BMI Winter Smoker, A concert of new works by BMI Musical Theater Writing Workshop members. Including MVB & Charlie Sohne's "Exciting to Me" performed by Amy Justman.

... including performances of SONGS OF STEPHEN FOSTER, an arrangement for violin and piano of several Stephen Foster tunes. Also including performances of Martin Kennedy's Trivial Pursuits

October 15, 2010 12:00pm
Rockefeller University, New York

October 17, 2010 3:00pm
University of Georgia, Athens

October 21, 2010 8:00pm
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

October 23, 2010 8:00pm
Bishop's University Centennial Theatre. Sherbrooke, Quebec

October 24, 2010 8:00pm
Queen's University, Grant Hall, Kingston, Ontario

October 29, 2010 8:00 pm
Hillfield Strathallan College, West Hamilton, Ontario

November 14, 2010
Troy Chromatics, Troy, NY

January 14 and 15, 2011
The Library Theater, Birmingham, Alabama

...including the USA premiere of MORE DAPPLED THAN COLOR and the premiere performance of an SSAA version of IT'S NEVER THE SAME WITHOUT SNOW.
Concord Women's Chorus
Holiday Concert: "Winter Dreams"
Jane Ring Frank, conductor and artistic director
Also including music by Andrew Carter, Paul Carey, Rebecca Clarke and others.

Trinity Episcopal Church
81 Elm Street, Concord, Mass.

Lincoln Center Holiday Songbook, A concert of new holiday music presented by Broadway composers and lyricists sung by Broadway vocalists. Directed by John Znidarsic and co-sponsored by Arts and Artists at St. Paul. Including MVB's "It's Never the Same Without Snow" performed by Joelle Lurie.

Premiere performance of CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY, a one-act musical commissioned by Concordia Conservatory of Music & Art.

Book, music and lyrics by Matt Van Brink
Based on a story by William Dean Howells.
Directed by Greg Suss
Music direction by Claire Simard
Choreography by Jen Littlefield
Set design by Eric Zoback
Lighting design by David Pentz
Produced by Kathleen Suss

Featuring a cast and crew of 95 students representing 23 elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Bronx and Westchester County.


TICKETS $25/$10
(914) 337-9300 X2433


Schoenfeld Auditorium, Concordia Colllege
Bronxville, NY

including the premiere performance of MORE DAPPLED THAN COLOR.
Vespera Ensemble: "Winter Song"
also including music of R. Vaughan Williams, and Björk, and paintings by Paula Lind.
with the Cantabile Chamber Singers, Cheryll Chung, Sarah John, Michelle Dussard, Olga Tylman, Jaye Marsh Graham and Nancy Tam
Tickets $15
The Music Gallery
197 John Street, Toronto

Continue reading "Vespera Ensemble: More Dappled Than Color (premiere)" »

Performing on piano and accordion with pianist and singer Claire Simard.

Song Patterns, a genre-spanning concert weaving new takes on old classics, working songs, and songs celebrating life & change.

Osilas Gallery at Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

Sybarite5 will perform my arrangement of Perapaskero's Turceasca on three concerts at The Cell. Also includes music by Deborah Barnekow, Tom Osborne, Led Zeppelin, Dave Brubeck, and Radiohead.

"Explore/Innovate/Advance"
The Cell Theatre
338 West 23rd St. NYC
Tickets $20/$15

...performing C.E. Whalen's Five Pieces for Two Pianos. Empanda benefit.
$10, The Tank, 354 West 45th Street, NYC

...performing on accordion
Tristan Perich's "Elevation Maps" for five accordions and 1-Bit electronics
$10/$5 kids free
Noguchi Museum
3338 10th Street, Long Island City, NYC

NEXT: Now Entering the X-Roads of Theatre
presents AN EVENING OF CHARLIE SOHNE including songs from TOUCHED
The Duplex
61 Christopher St, NYC

THE ANIMAL ESTATES HOME BUYERS' TOUR, a 40-minute musical for children featuring irascible singing animals and kazoos.

With Sam Heldt, Patti Goettlicher, Justin Link, and Joelle Lurie
Directed by Hilary Leavitt
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matt Van Brink
Additional Dialogue by by Jennifer S. Greene
Based on Fritz Haeg's "Animal Estates"

Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, CT
Family Art Adventures

Part of Fritz Haeg's residency at the museum

Including the premiere performance of MVB's ZEPHYR and Martin Kennedy's "Variations on Being Alone," Bach: Partita No1 & No3, and Ysaÿe: Sonata Op 27, No3.
1 August 2010 4:00PM
Maverick Concert Hall, Woodstock, NY

Workshop performances of two new 30-minute musicals.
GET REAL
July 21, 2010 7:00PM

MEMBERS ONLY
July 22, 2010 7:00PM

Book, music, and lyrics by Matt Van Brink
Directed by Heather Petrie
Choreography by Jen Littlefield
Sommer Center
Concordia College, Bronxville, NY
FREE

A set of songs with lyrics by Charlie Sohne including songs from TOUCHED (music by MVB). Also including songs from "The Profit of Creation" (music by Tim Rosser) and "The Re-Hydration of Edith Pilaf" (book by Anton Dudley, music by Keith Gordon).

with Amy Justman (Company, White Christmas), Lindsay Mendez (Everyday Rapture, Grease), Ilene Pabon, Jed Resnick (Avenue Q), and Michael Winther (Songs from an Unmade Bed). Music direction by Micah Young.

D-Lounge (Downstairs at the Daryl Roth Theater)
Union Square, NYC

Performing on accordion and keyboard with Gamelan Galak Tika.

January 8, 2010 7:30 PM
Cleveland Museum of Natural History

March 5, 2010 8:00 PM
Bowker Auditorium
UMass Amherst

June 27, 2010 4:00 PM
Bang on a Can Marathon, NYC
World Financial Center Winter Garden, New York, NY

in concerts including THE LOWER LEAVES OF TREES

May 18, 2010 8:00 PM
Old First Church
1751 Sacramento Street
San Francisco / TICKETS

June 13, 2010; 4:00 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco / TICKETS

June 19, 2010; 8:00 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto / TICKETS

June 20, 2010; 4:00 PM
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland / TICKETS

Performing with Polkastra at IdeaCity10
Toronto

Noah Getz will perform my SONATA FOR SAXOPHONE AND PIANO at the University of Oregon.
Beall Concert Hall
Tickets $10/$8

The students of Concordia Conservatory's chamber music program will premiere a new song cycle of mine commissioned by the Conservatory with support from the ASCAP Foundation's Charles Kingsford Fund. The cycle includes ten song settings of poems by Karla Kuskin, Mary Britton Miller, Deborah Chandra, Carl Sandburg, Douglas Evans and Charlie Sohne. The texts weave a story of discovery and whimsy in the day of the life of a child: waking up, going to school, daydreaming, playing, and saying good night. Each instrumental and vocal part was tailored to the level of the student who will perform it, making the experience challenging, achievable, and fun!

VIDEO from the concert (YouTube)

Tickets $10/$5
Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

Performing with the Sinfonietta of Riverdale on accordion in Hindemith's Kammermusik No1.

Riverdale Temple
4545 Independence Avenue (at 246th Street)
New York

...music directing a reading of Ryan Langer and Jon Weissberg's Everything is Fine at ASCAP.

THE ANIMAL ESTATES HOME BUYERS' TOUR, a 40-minute musical for children featuring irascible singing animals and kazoos.


With Eric Harper, Justin Link, Dana Craig, and Joelle Lurie
Directed by Hilary Leavitt
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matt Van Brink
Additional Dialogue by by Jennifer S. Greene
Based on Fritz Haeg's "Animal Estates"

Shortened Attention Span Musical Festival
Tickets

The Players Theater
115 MacDougal St, New York

"Celebrating Lukas" a concert of 5 works by Lukas Foss and a collection of short pieces written by his students, including my 60-second piece GURU

ALEA III, Boston University Chamber Chorus
Theodore Antoniou, conductor, Ann Howard Jones, conductor, Kathleen Boyd, flute, Yukiko Shimazaki, piano, Justin Blackwell, piano

Elegy for Anne Frank, Echoi, For Toru, The Prairie, Behold! I Build an House
plus Eighteen Epigrams (a new work written by Lukas Foss’ students in honor of their teacher
Mark Berger, Ramon Castillo, Michalis Economou, Sunggone Hwang , Jakov Jakoulov,
Panos Liaropoulos, Ivana Lisak, Pedro Malpica, Margaret McAllister,
Apostolos Paraskevas, Mauricio Pauly, Matt Van Brink, Jeremy Van Buskirk, Paul Vash,
Ronald G. Vigue, Julian Wachner, John H. Wallace, Po-Chun Wang.)

FREE
Tsai Performance Center
Boston University

Music at Concordia Gala Concert. Matt Van Brink & George Francois, pianos.
Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville NY

The indomitable Polygraph Lounge perform with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, using my orchestrations of their songs and medleys.
Severance Hall, Cleveland

... music directing and playing Joelle Lurie's Christmas cabaret "The First Joelle.'
with Sean Hackett, guitar & Connor Meehan, drums
The Metropolitan Room
34 West 22nd St., NYC
Reservations: (212) 206-0440

Performing on accordion with flutist Paul Dunkel. Program includes arrangements of Bach's (attributed) C Major flute sonata and Piazzolla's solo flute sonata. With pianist Peter Basquin.
Christ & St. Stephen's Church
120 West 69th Street, NYC

Three of my songs from A SINGLE WINTER'S DAY feature in Concordia Conservatory's musical review "Ten Years of Holiday Magic."

Schoenfeld Hall
Concordia College
Bronxville, NY
Tickets $20/$10
(914)-337-9300 x2431

Sharilyn Spickall, violin and Irina Albig, piano performing UP, UP, and UP
Indiana State University New Music Festival
Center for Performing and Fine Arts

An evening of songs with lyrics by Charlie Sohne. Including "I've Got Hope" and "Shine" two songs from TOUCHED. Also music by Chris Wade, David Gaines, and Tim Rosser.

Cast includes Celina Carvajal (Tarzan, Toxic Avenger and Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods), Sevan Greene (Betrayed), Amy Justman (Company, White Christmas), Jed Resnick (Rent Tour, Avenue Q), Jodi Stevens (Urban Cowboy, Jekyll and Hyde), Mariand Torres (Giant). Music Director: Micah Young, Associate Producer: Donald Butchko

Laurie Beechman Theater, 407 W 42nd St NYC
Tickets $10 + $15 food/drink minimum.
Reservations 212.695.6909
LINK (Broadway World)

With Eddie Whalen, guitar and vocals, I'll be singing and playing accordion in a set filled with
bluegrass, old-time and Appalachian songs, gospel songs from Kentucky Harmony and songs by American songwriters from Stephen Foster and Henry Clay Work to Lead Belly and Hank Williams.
Osilas Gallery at Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

Noah Getz's competition repertoire will include the first movement of my SONATA FOR SAXOPHONE. Good luck, Noah!

Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition
Haverhill Arts Centre, Haverhill UK

Faculty Flute and Clarinet Duo Dr. Lisa Jelle and Dr. Gail Zugger perform SHABU SHABU
Huntington Recital Hall, Capital University
Columbus Ohio LINK

Polkastra’s debut album Apolkalypse Now (iTunes LINK) includes my polkafied arrangements of Strauss, Smetana, Beethoven, Wagner, and a traditional Romanian tune. And yes, there will be contrabassoon. $20, Le Poisson Rouge, New York
New York Times Review

... music directing and playing Joelle Lurie's show "This Time Tomorrow."
The Metropolitan Room
34 West 22nd St., NYC
Tickets: Thursday, Saturday.

Including the premiere performances of LOST! and LOOK BEFORE YOU EAT, two new 25-minute musicals for kids written in collaboration with Claire Simard. FREE, Sommer Center, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY

Previously: 2008 Workshops | 2007 Workshops | 2006 Workshops.

The Ansonia Trio performs my arrangement of LE TOMBEAU de COUPERIN
Greenwich House Music School
46 Barrow St., New York
Tickets

Nancy Reycraft became the music teacher at Bellerose Avenue when I was a student there in 3rd grade. So I am tickled that in her last concerts there in this year of her retirement, she will lead the Chorale (which I sang in, too, of course) in performances of SPRING MORNING. They will perform at the Bellerose Spring Concert II on May 20

FREE, Bellerose Avenue Elementary School, East Northport, NY

Robert and Vladimir had the notion of my turning J.S. Bach's aria ICH HABE GENUG into a piece for cello and piano.  The arrangement works very well, and they will give its first performance in their recital at Mannes. Also on the concert: BEETHOVEN Sonata in D Major, Op. 102 No. 2 | BARBER Songs | BARBER Sonata Op. 6. FREE, Mannes College of Music, 150 W 85th St., NYC

Lydia Miller will perform my arrangement of LE TOMBEAU de COUPERIN for violin and piano on...
Saturday, May 16, 3:00PM, Macalester Plymouth United Church, St. Paul, MN
& Sunday, May 17, 3:00PM, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN

The extraordinary Educational Bridge Project hosts cultural exchanges for artists in USA & Russia. My SARABANDE (for six guitars), and PRELUDE MINIATURES will be performed in St Petersburg on May 13 & 14, and I will sing and play two songs from my musical A Single Winter’s Day on May 15 at a reception and concert at the US Consulate. The festival also features music by Ramon Castillo, and music by Russian composers Svetlana Nesterova, Anton Tanonov, Nikolay Mazhara, Ekaterina Blinova, Olga Bochihina, Nikolay Khrust and Vladimir Gorlinsky.

Continue reading "Sarabande for 6 guitars, Prelude Miniatures, Songs from A Single Winter’s Day" »

CSUN Symphony concert... including the premiere performance of Sic Semper Nobis (“Ever Thus to Us”).  Northridge Composition Prize performance. Plaza del Sol, Tickets $10/$7/$5