Kids Need Music Benefit Concert: Strings for Spring
Saturday, April 15, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Tickets for Kids Need Music Benefit Concert: Strings for Spring
$10 – $30
Join us in a concert featuring music from around the world to raise funds for Kids Need Music, a unique organization that empowers children and youth with the gift of making music part of their daily life and inspiration. All proceeds will be used to purchase band instruments to be donated to the Hudson City School District.
The concert features violinist Joana Genova and pianist Gili Melamed-Lev playing music by Piazzolla, Beethoven, Scott Joplin, Arvo Pärt, Amy Beach and more.
All are welcomed to the reception following the concert.
Tickets: $10-$30
Gili Melamed-Lev
Pianist Gili Melamed-Lev is recognized for her artistic vision, unique artistry and innovative programing. She is an engaging, multi-faceted pianist who enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist. Ms. Melamed-Lev is the co-founder and Artistic director of Jazz and Classics for Change, a concert series in Columbia County (NY) and the Berkshires (MA) that is dedicated to connect and to heal through music in our changing world.
She is also a member of the Lev-Evans duo with pianist Mark Evans. Ms. Melamed-Lev garnered rave reviews for her collaboration with Australian actor John McManus during their extended tour of The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico. She also partnered with the Actors’ Ensemble and Walking the Dog Theater (WTD).
She has collaborated with Eugene Drucker, Aaron Boyd, Michael Roth, Kenneth Cooper, Jenia Pikovsky, Joana Genova, Joel Pitchon, Gilad Rivkin, William Frampton, Ariel Rudiakov, Dima Ratosh, Roberta Cooper, Ashley Bathgate, Ronald Feldman, Inbal Segev, Nathaniel Parke, Linor Katz, Volcy Palletier, Peter Weitzner, Paul Green, Gili Sharett, Judith Mendenhall, Eugenia Zuckerman, Lior Eitan, Shira Eliassaf, Omri Rave, Michael Slatkin, Uzi Shalev, Amanda Boyd- Grout, Lucille Beer, and composers Philip Lasser, Victor Bloom and Sheila Silver.
She has performed throughout the US, Europe and Canada, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (NY), BPL Concert Series (NY), The Daniel Arts Center (MA), PS21 (NY), The Jerusalem Theater, Jerusalem Music Center, with members of the Israeli Philharmonic at the Eden-Tamir Music Center (Jerusalem), Tzavta 11:11 Music Series (Tel-Aviv), Renewal Conference center (NH), Schenectady College Chamber Music Series (NY), The Goetheanum (Switzerland), Wisteria Chamber Music Society (NY), at Camphill Ghent, Camphill Village Copake (NY), Camphill Triform (NY), Kimberton Hills (PA) and at Taconic Music Series (VT) to name a few.
Ms. Melamed-Lev was the founder and Artistic Director of The Concerts at Camphill Ghent from 2012-2019. A passionate advocate of music education, she has coached, performed, and gave master classes at the Schenectady Community College School of Music, Williams College, Bard College and at her private studio.
Born in Jerusalem, Gili Melamed-Lev studied with Bracha Eden, Susan Swilich-Cohen, Sascha Gorodnitzki, Miyoko Nakaya-Lotto and György Sándor, and was a scholarship student at The Juilliard School, Montclair State College and The Rubin Academy (Jerusalem).
Joana Genova
Bulgarian-born violinist Joana Genova has built a diverse career as a chamber and orchestral musician, soloist, and pedagogue. She is co-artistic director of Taconic Music in Manchester, Vermont and currently teaches as Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, Artist Associate at Williams College and Violin Instructor at Bennington College. Joana is the second violinist of The Indianapolis Quartet, concertizes with Williams and Taconic Chamber Players, and appears as a frequent guest at festivals and concert series. She served as Assistant Professor and Director of string activities at the University of Indianapolis from 2017 to 2022.
Joana has performed internationally in Bulgaria, Holland, Germany, Italy, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and has enjoyed collaborations with the Shanghai Quartet, Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Horszowski Trio, Enso Quartet, Toby Appel, Andrés Cárdenes, Carmit Zori, Nathaniel Rosen, Nathaniel Parke, Michael Haber, Danwen Jiang, Austin Hartman, Renee Jolles, Michael Rudiakov, Tom Landschoot, Sophie Shao, Jon Klibonoff, Ruth Laredo, Gili Melamed-Lev, Davide Cabassi, David Krakauer, Deborah Buck, Willis Delony and Drew Petersen, among others.
Her recordings include Chamber Music of Vittorio Giannini (MSR Classics), Vision: Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries (Eroica Classical Recordings) and Four Seasons x2: Piazzolla and Vivaldi (Manchester Music Festival), Reflections and Whimsies: Chamber Music for Strings and Voice by Frank Felice and Robert Paterson’s String Quartets 1-3. She has appeared live on GNAT-TVand CAT-TV in Vermont, Wish TV Indianapolis, WQXR Albany, Vermont Public Radio-Live, WBAA and WICR in Indiana.
As soloist, Joana has been featured with the Metropolitan, Rockaway, Danbury, and Berkshire symphonies, Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Harlem Chamber Players, Manchester Festival Orchestra, Yonkers Philharmonic, and under the baton of Raymond Leppard with the University of Indianapolis Gala Orchestra. Joana has been principal second violin of the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra since 2007 and was concertmaster of the Amsterdam Bach Consort, a member of Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Brooklyn Philharmonic and New Haven Symphony, and assistant concertmaster of Carmel Symphony Orchestra. In the 2022/23 season Joana appeared as guest concertmaster of Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Sage City Symphony.
Joana made her solo debut at age 12 with the Plovdiv Chamber Orchestra and is a top prizewinner of the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition in Bulgaria. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and her master’s in chamber music at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Joana performs on a Johannes Cuypers violin made in The Hague in 1786.
Spencertown Academy programs are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.