From Broadway to Hollywood
Melissa Errico, Broadway star vocalist
Randy Waldman, guest pianist
Melissa Errico is a Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress, singer, and author. Touring the world with her inimitable thematic concerts, from Singapore to Paris to San Francisco and beyond, she has built a unique niche in the world of theater and jazz – so much so that when Steven Reineke, principal conductor of the New York Pops, introduced her Carnegie Hall debut, he announced that “Melissa Errico is a unique force in the musical life of New York City: a Broadway star, a concert artist, and an author who regularly contributes essays to The New York Times. There’s really no one like her!” The Times itself summed up her appeal simply: “Any chance to hear Melissa Errico sing is a chance worth taking.”
Randy Waldman is a frequent music collaborator who has worked with Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Beyoncé
Going Baroque: Music of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
José Cueto, violin
JosĂ© Cueto received his early musical training in his native Puerto Rico. He studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he earned two degrees. Cueto is in great demand as a chamber musician, having performed at music festivals around the world. He is artist-in-residence at ÇďżűĘÓƵ and a lecturer at the Peabody Conservatory.
Zachary Silberschlag, trumpet
Zachary Silberschlag is principal trumpet of The Iceland Symphony since 2025 and assistant principal trumpet of the Israel Philharmonic since 2024. Previously he was principal trumpet of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in Honolulu for five seasons. He performs regularly at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In summer 2023, he performed on Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Bad Cinderella."
Kathryn Farenish, flute
Kathyrn Farenish made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 16. With degrees from The Juilliard School, she is an active orchestral and chamber musician as well as a music educator throughout the Northern Virginia area. She also maintains her own active private studio.
Canceled: Brazilian Night with DĂ©bora Watts
“Brazilian Night with Débora Watts”
DĂ©bora Watts, Brazilian singer/songwriter
DĂ©bora Watts grew up near Rio de Janeiro believing she was going to be a scientist. She moved to New York City in 1993 to become a pharmacist and ended up, influenced by her future husband (musician John Watts), becoming a vocalist and solo artist. Her first album was released in 2010. A second collection, this one of all original compositions, was released in 2017.
John Watts, pianist
John Watts is a composer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, producer, educator, and musical director whose work spans Brazilian jazz, musical theater, classical, sacred, and contemporary popular music. His degree in theory and composition is from Brown University. He co-founded The Off Wall Street Jam, a groundbreaking New York musicians' organization featured in The New York Times, Forbes, New York Magazine, the BBC and ABC News.
A Classic Finale
Music of Mozart, Rossini, Haydn and more
Jeff Silberschlag
About the Director
Jeffrey Silberschlag has distinguished himself in the world of music, performing as a conductor and trumpet soloist throughout Europe, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and Israel. His performances have been described as “compelling” by Germany’s Kölnishce Rundschau; “extraordinary” by Italy’s L’Arena; and “outstanding” by Fanfare magazine.
Mr. Silberschlag is music director and conductor of the Chesapeake Orchestra and River Concert Series and co-director of the Alba spring festival held in Northern Italy. On November 15, 2011 at a performance in Prague, Mr. Silberschlag received the Prize for Artistic and Cultural Activities from European Union of the Arts for his lifetime achievement in classical music as a conductor and trumpeter. He serves as artistic director and head of music performance at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and is the Steven Muller Distinguished Professor in the Arts. He has been a faculty member since 1988 and served as chair of the Music Department. He is also director of St. Mary’s College Alba, Italy program; and he has created a partnership between the College and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is also artist-in-residence with the Maryland Youth Symphony.
Mr. Silberschlag has appeared as guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Soloists, Orchestra Filharmonici di Torino, Symphony Orchestra of Rumania, Bulgarian Philharmonic, La Scala Virtuosi, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, and the Moscow Academy Chamber Orchestra. He also collaborated which such soloists as José Cueto, Anne Akiko Myers, Mikhail Gantwarg, Hilary Hahn, Yi Jia Hou, and Lara St. John (violinists); Maria Kanyova (Mimi in NYC Opera’s “La Bohème” as seen on “Live from Lincoln Center”); Tonna Miller (Metropolitan Opera soprano); Maxym Anakushin, Bruno Canino, Brian Ganz, and Boris Slutsky (pianists); Giuseppe Nova and Yoshimi Oshima (flutists); Giampiero Sobrino and Jon Manasse (clarinetists); Catrin Finch (harpist); Judy Blazer (Broadway vocalist); Hillary Kole (jazz vocalist), Vonda Shepard (blues vocalist); and Ethel Ennis (Jazz vocalist).
In addition, Mr. Silberschlag has combined musical genres by blending orchestra performances with such artists as Blues guitarist Linwood Taylor, the Paul Reed Smith Dragons, the No Class Today Bluegrass Band, and the Brazilian band, Grupo Saveiro. A recording of Boris Blacher’s chamber opera “Romeo and Juliet” with Mr. Silberschlag as conductor was released on Albany records to much acclaim. He has directed premieres of works by such composers as Morton Gould, Lorenzo Ferrero, Ludovico Einaudi, Paul Chihara, Chou Wen-Chung, David Froom, Kenji Bunch, Judith Shatin, Scott Wheeler, Nathan Lincoln-DeCausatis, Lou Karchin,Vivian Aldenberg Rudow, and William Thomas McKinley.
Mr. Silberschlag recorded William Thomas McKinley’s “And the Presidents Said” with narrator Ben Bradlee and the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studio. In a recent Fanfare review of the recording, Mr. Silberschlag was lauded as “a virtuoso trumpeter par excellence (whose) conducting is equally praise worthy.”
He has presented master classes at the Kyoto University of Performing Arts, Japan; the Prague Conservatory, Czech Republic; the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK; the Beijing Central Conservatory in China; the Aosta Institute for Music, Italy; and he has directed in performance the orchestra of the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Jeffrey Silberschlag is also a prominent trumpet performer on the international music circuit and has recorded as trumpet soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Czech Radio Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Maryland Bach Aria Group. He held principal trumpet positions with the Italian National Symphony RAI-Torino; Jerusalem Symphony; and the New York City Opera-National Company. Recently he recorded as trumpeter and conductor with celebrated Scottish trumpeter John Wallace; Italian National Symphony-RAI trumpeter, Ercole Ceretta; Principal Trumpeter of the Baltimore Symphony, Andrew Balio; Principal Trumpet of the Mid-Atlantic Orchestra, Michael Adams; and Ross Wixon and Zachary Silberschlag with Scottish soprano, Marie Claire Breen. During 2011 and 2012 Mr. Silberschlag will be performing in Washington, D.C., Prague, Valencia, Salerno, and Sicily.