Monday, November 16, 2015

Carols for Christmas

Friday, December 4, 2015 at 8:00pm
Church of the Ascension, 633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

Takoma Ensemble joins forces once again with the National Philharmonic Singers in a concert to help jump start your holiday season with music from the Baroque to right now. The concert includes an opportunity for the audience to sing along on favorite carols.


Featuring music of Durante, Torelli, and McDowall along with premieres of three works by local musicians; Alistair Coleman, a multi-talented young musician currently attending Walt Whitman High School who has received many awards for his work; Virginia composer and George Mason University alum Peter Gjon Kadeli; and National Philharmonic Singer Ed Rejuney. The concert concludes with favorite carols by the choir, including Stille Nacht and our ever-popular Carol Sing with the Twelve Days of Christmas.

$25 general admission
$15 "young professional" 30 and under
$10 student (17-25)
16 and under free


PARKING is available at East Silver Spring Elementary School located behind the church on Silver Spring Avenue. Street parking is also always available.
 

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Happy Birthday, Aaron Copland! A Celebration of American Music

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 8:00pm

Church of the Ascension, 633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

Two of the Washington area’s finest musicians, Chris Gekker (trumpet) and Mark Hill (oboe, English horn), join the Takoma Ensemble to celebrate the birthday of one of America’s greatest composers, Aaron Copland.

The concert features Copland’s Quiet City, as well as the beloved “Hoe-down” from Rodeo. Gekker and Hill solo in works by other American composers with the same immediate appeal: Eric Ewazen and Tison Street. The ensemble concludes the evening with a repeat of Charlie Barnett’s wildly popular and engaging Three Completely Workable Perpetual Motion Devices, composed for the Takoma Ensemble and premiered last spring.

Reduced ticket prices available, 16 and under are free.

$25 general admission
$15 "young professional" 30 and under
$10 student (17-25)
16 and under free

GET TICKETS


Friday, September 4, 2015

Charlier Parker With Strings - Join us for our Season Opener

We're delighted to announce details of our Season Opener!

Join us on
September 26 at 8 pm,
at Church of the Ascension, 633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring

for Charlie Parker With Strings!


Charlie Parker with Strings, is a collaborative project with saxophonist Vaughn Ambrose that brings the music of this legendary recording to life and reunites listeners with such Standards as April In Paris, Summertime, Just Friends and They Can't Take That Away From Me.  The recording fulfilled a long-held desire to record in a string setting, and used a classical string section and jazz rhythm section rather than Parker's usual bepop band.  The two albums that results were his biggest hits during his lifetime and were admitted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988.

Vaughn Ambrose, a renowned jazz saxophonist and visionary educator, has performed this with the Alexandria Symphony, elsewhere in the US and Canada, and in 2013 presented this music for the North Carolina Music Educators Conference. Most recently, the Smithsonian Institute's Anacostia Museum showcased Mr. Ambrose and this music as a part of the Rhythm Cafe series.

The Takoma Ensemble is excited to be bringing these unique pieces to local audiences who might find their interest in jazz piqued by this innovative setting.  This concert is deal as an introduction to a classical, jazz or simply good ‘ol American music concert.  Join us!

Purchase Tickets Now!

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Join our Board

It is time for us to expand our Board and so we are seeking those interested in the following Board roles:
- Treasurer
- Social media marketing
If you are interested in joining us, please email us at info@takomaensemble.org outlining your experience. Board meetings are held every 6 weeks or so in Takoma Park and they are anything but boring :)
We look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Closing our 2nd Season

Hope you're all enjoying the summer.  We are working on our 3rd season and its funny to be thinking of winter concerts in potential snow storms when we're about to hit 100 degrees.

Closing our second season means one final request.  Please consider making a donation before June 30, 2015.  This will help us as we build our coming season and look for many different forms of funding.

Thank you from all of us at Takoma Ensemble - the musicians, the Board, the founders and the many volunteers who give their time to help build what we hope will be a permanent cultural presence in the area.

Watch out for our 3rd Season Announcement at the end of the summer!

rehearsals for our may concert with composer Charlie Barnett

Donate Now!



Thursday, May 7, 2015

Takoma Ensemble's Season Closing Concert is this Saturday May 9 at 8 pm.  Join us for premieres of new music by terribly cool Charlie Barnett featuring jazz clarinetist Ben Redwine.

You can't beat old favorites so we're pairing this music with classics from the British repertoire (at last!) including Greensleeves, a traditional folk song and Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten. Britten's music featured heavily in the soundtrack to Moonrise Kingdom.

The concert is a gorgeous summer walk from Takoma Park and Silver Spring.  Your choices for before and after are endless...

Tickets are $20 online or $25 at the door.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Our Final Concert of the Season

It is amazing to us that we are near the end of our second season.  It doesn't seem two years ago that we were looking at our first concert.  Thank you for your support over these years - we wouldn't be here without you!

Please save the date May 9 and join us at the lovely Church of the Ascension on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring border to celebrate the last two years with a concert that really defines who we are.

In the first half, we will play some of the finest British music written for strings by Purcell, Vaughan Williams and Britten. In the second half, we will play some of the finest American music written for strings by Charlie Barnett, composer and our very good friend.  Some of you may remember we played some of his works in our first season.

We will be joined by the amazing clarinetist Ben Redwine for the premiere of a work written for us by Charlie.

This auspicious occasion will close with a lovely reception after the concert to which the entire audience is invited.

Our mission is to play music from 'dead white men to living chicks'.  Well, the guys aren't quite chicks but they're definitely living.  This promises to be a great concert so please do purchase tickets early if you can.   We anticipate a crowd.



May 9 2015
8 pm
Church of the Ascension

Saturday, March 7, 2015

PB & Jam Session is Today!

We are excited so many of you are coming to our PB & Jam Session today to hear all about Mozart.

If you can, please bring some indoor shoes or warm socks so we can keep the floor safe from snow boot run off for our smaller audience members.   Thanks!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Come out Come out

Wherever you are!  Tomorrow Tuesday March 3 is our win-win fund-raiser at Mark's Kitchen from 12 to closing time.  Support the Takoma Ensemble while you eat and make us happy! What could be easier?





Saturday, February 14, 2015

Mark's Kitchen Fundraiser on March 3

Please join us at Mark's Kitchen in Takoma Park for a fundraiser in support of the Takoma Ensemble on March 3, 2015.  Proceeds from all sales after 12 noon will provide the orchestra with much needed support.

Thank you!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Join us March 7 for our next PB & Jam Session concert with Becky Linafelt

Spring is almost here and that means our next concert is just around the corner.  Join members of the Takoma Ensemble and master Kindermusik educator Becky Linafelt for another concert for children ages 2 to 7.

The concert will be in downtown Takoma Park at the lovely Seekers Church on Saturday March 7 at 4 pm. The Sanctuary is smaller than our usual venue and we do expect this to be a very popular event so please do purchase tickets early.







Saturday March 7 at 4 pm