January 24, 2012 - February Bach’s Lunch: Recession-Proof Valentines

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CONCORD, NH –   The Bach’s Lunch Series continues on February 2^nd with a lecture by Mark Shilansky entitled “Sing! Vocal Explorations in Jazz.” On February 9^th, Peggo Horstmann Hodes, vocalist, and Kent Allyn, piano, bass and guitar, will present “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love: Recession-Proof Valentines.” Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

Mr. Shilansky’s lecture on Thursday, February 2^nd will feature the music of jazz artists who have wedded vocal and instrumental approaches in significant ways, from the wordless vocals featured in the music of such artists as Pat Metheny and Luciana Souza, to the practice of artists such as George Benson singing along with their solos, to the equally proficient trumpet and vocal improvisations by Chet Baker, to the lyricization of jazz solos engaged in by Jon Hendricks and Kurt Elling. “Sing! Vocal Explorations in Jazz” offers an exploration of jazz vocalists and instrumentalists who sing what they play and play what they sing.

The following Thursday, February 9^th, Peggo Horstmann Hodes and Kent Allyn return for their annual and well-loved Valentine's Bach's Lunch. Their concert, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love: Recession-Proof Valentines,” will include such economic and emotional truths as “Can't Buy Me Love” by The Beatles, the nostalgic “If I Were a Carpenter,” and the sassy “Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.” Join us for a little humor and a lot of love.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.” The Bach’s Lunch Series is sponsored by The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund and The Couch Trusts, TD Bank, N.A., Trustee. Call 603-228-1196 for information, or visit the website www.ccmusicschool.org .

About the speaker/artists:

Mark Shilansky holds a B.A. in Music Performance from UNH (1992), and an M.M. in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory (1994). He is active as a pianist, singer, composer, and producer of Jazz and other popular idioms of music, and has performed and/or recorded in these capacities with such artists as Luciana Souza, Kenny Wheeler, Lisa Thorson, Jerry Bergonzi, Patrice Williamson, and Rebecca Parris. He has two CDs as a leader: First Look (1997), a jazz trio CD, and Different Songs (2000), a collection of original popular songs. Since 1998 he has taught Ear Training and Ensembles at Berklee College of Music. Visit www.markshilansky.com for a complete discography and performance calendar.

Peggo Horstmann Hodes is widely hailed as an extraordinarily versatile performer. She holds masters’ degrees in Elementary Education from Lesley College and in Vocal Pedagogy from New England Conservatory. A member of the Voice Department at the Concord Community Music School where she leads the vocal ensemble Karitas, Peggo has been the soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Concord Chorale and the Musicians of Wall Street. In recital, she has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. In 2009, Peggo premiered “Kaddish,” a new work about the Holocaust by Lawrence Siegel. .Peggo is a founding member of femme m’amie, the seven-woman a cappella ensemble which has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs. Peggo is also half of the duo Peggo and Paul, the New Hampshire recording artists who have gained an international reputation for their original family recordings, two of which won Parent's Choice Awards. Peggo has recorded six CDs with her husband, Paul Hodes, in their groups Peggosus and Peggo & Paul.  Peggo's first solo recording, Peggo: In Love, a striking collection of timeless love songs, will be released by Parma Records. Peggo loves to sing anytime...anywhere.

Kent Allyn is widely considered to be everyone’s favorite sideman by both audiences and performers. In addition to his work with Susie Burke and David Surette, his long list of recording and performing credits includes Ben Baldwin & the Big Note, Paul and Peggo, Cosy Sheridan, Brooks Williams, and The Night Heron Consort, to name just a few. Kent teaches at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine.