Concert association kicks off 2010-11 season

The Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert’s 2010-2011 season opened on Sept. 25.

Each year, the association adds a little musical fusion to Bellmore and Merrick by bringing talented musicians into the neighborhood for the town’s listening pleasure. This year, the MBCAA will present four concerts, all of which will take place at Calhoun High School in Merrick over the next several months.

The first concert will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m., with America’s Dream Chamber of Artists, “an adventurous chamber music society of superb young musicians who play with individual virtuosity and ensemble sensitivity.”

On Saturday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m., clarinetist Stanley Drucker will perform. Drucker was a member of the New York Philharmonic for 60 years, spending 48 of them as principal clarinet. He has played in more than 10,000 concerts, according to Ann Parry, vice president of publicity for the MBCAA.

The third concert will be on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 4 p.m., when the Capitol Quartet jazz ensemble will perform. The ensemble comprises saxophonists who teach at music schools across America, some of whom are alumni of U.S. military bands.

The season finale, on Saturday, April 30, at 8 p.m., will feature the String Orchestra of New York City. Now in its ninth season, the SONYC is a group whose members are derived from chamber groups as well as winners of international competitions.

“Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association’s audiences have been enjoying a wide variety of professional musicians, singers, and dancers for 57 years now,” said Parry. “Some of my favorites over the decades are Red Priest, Roberta Peters, Duelling Divas, Andre Watts, Alexander Ghindin, and Forbidden Broadway. I started going to the concerts with my family when I was a very, very young child. It’s a great opportunity to see national and international performers right here in Long Island, when those artists often are also appearing the same week at venues such as Carnegie Hall.”

A subscription for the concert series costs $50 per adult and $25 per student. A limited number of tickets for individual concerts are also available at a special per-ticket rate.

Separate from the 2010-11 concert series, the MBCCA will present a special doo-wop concert on Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. at Brookside School in Merrick. Performing will be classic bands such as Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, Danny and the Juniors, and Larry Chance and the Earls. The doo-wop concert requires a separate ticket purchase from the four-concert series. Tickets are $35 each.

Those looking to purchase membership subscriptions, limited individual concert tickets, or doo-wop concert tickets should contact the MBCCA at (516) 868-5366, or visit the website MBCCA.org.

Comments about this story? DWeingrad@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.