What's New at GEMS...

Midtown Concerts, the annual series of FREE weekly mini-concerts of early music, gets underway at 1:15 pm on Thursday, October 11, at Saint Peter's Church on Lexington Avenue at 54th Street (Citigroup Center).  NOTE the new venue and day. 

The series was founded by ARTEK director Gwendolyn Toth in 1998.  After fifteen years of managing the series, Gwen was ready to transfer the project to a service organization like GEMS. It’s a perfect fit with our mission, as the series is intended to showcase a wide variety of early music ensembles and educate as well as entertain the general public. The celebrations surrounding our fifth anniversary year will focus new attention on the expanded series on Thursdays in a beautiful new venue.

We'll be adding a new section to Notes on the Scene beginning with the next issue on October 4 listing the upcoming Midtown Concerts performances.  A printed brochure is being mailed next week-- if you do not receive one by October 11, please email us and we will mail one to you.  We're also creating a new website, www.midtownconcerts.org, which should be available within the next few days.

GEMS is pleased to support the efforts of Early Music America (EMA, the national service organization for early music) by presenting the EMA Baroque Performance Competition finalists’ concert on Wednesday evening, October 10.  The Competition offers New Yorkers an unusual opportunity to hear, in one evening, six of the most promising new young groups from around North America.

The finalists were selected from a pool of applicants by an independent panel of three judges. Each ensemble will each present a 20- to 30-minute live performance. The Grand Prize winner will be selected after the concert by a panel of five judges, selected by EMA: Andrew Appel, harpsichord (New York, NY); Judith Malafronte, mezzo-soprano (Redding, CT); Sandra Miller, Baroque flute (New York, NY); Michael McCraw, Baroque bassoon (Bloomington, IN); and Rachel Barton Pine, violin (Chicago, IL). Members of the audience will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite ensemble at the end of the competition.

From the beginning, there have been close connections between the national organization and the New York community. EMA was founded in New York City, and many New Yorkers, including Valerie Horst, Robert Mealy, Sandra Miller, Larry Sutter, and GEMS Executive Director Gene Murrow, have served on the EMA Board of Directors.

Other Upcoming Events... (click on the date for more info)

Friday, September 21 at 8 pm - Sonnambula Viol Consort, Church of St. Luke in the Fields, NYC

Saturday, September 22 at 7:30 pm - Sebastian Chamber Players, All Angels’ Episcopal Church, NYC

Saturday, September 22 at 7:30 pm - Khorikos, St. Anthony's Shrine, NYC

Thursday, October 11 at 1:15 pm - Weekly free Midtown Concerts series begins at Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, NYC

Friday, November 9 at 7 pm - GEMAS – Early Music of the Americas inaugural concert with Paul O'Dette, Americas Society, NYC

Thursday, December 27 at 7:30 pm - Parthenia with Julianne Baird, Trinity Church, NYC

Saturday, December 29 at 3 pm - A Christmas Concert for all Ages with Sinfonia New York, Trinity Church, NYC

January 11-13 and 18-20, 2013 at 1 pm and 3 pm, The Play of Daniel, The Cloisters, NYC