North Cheektowaga Courier/ Friday, January 2, 2015
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Concert rescheduled for January at Villa Maria By Debra Kelly
COURIER CORRESPONDENT
Back in November, Villa Maria College was forced to cancel the performance of Parvenue, the unique new duo of cellist Katie Weissman and oboist Megan Kyle. They have rescheduled the performance for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29 at the Recital Hall, Main Building of the college, located at 240 Pine Ridge Rd. in Cheektowaga. The two musicians are well-known faces in the Buffalo music scene. In addition to their duo, they are also both members of the new music group Wooden Cities, formed in July 2011 with the goal of promoting the work
of new and underrepresented composers. Weissman is also a member of Tiny Rhymes, a local Chamber folk band. A parttime professor of cello and philharmonia section leader at Buffalo State College, she’s also featured in the recordings of English Rose Orchestrations, a Buffalo recording team. Kyle is originally from Chicago, where she performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and now with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She recently spent a month touring Japan and China and performing there, and now teaches at Houghton College and SUNY Geneseo. As Parvenue, Kyle and
The performance is rescheduled for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 Weissman will be performing a wide range of music from classic Baroque to works by Aho, Stadelman and Crawford-Seeger. The performance will be more
than just an opportunity for the audience to listen, but they’ll also be taking the time to give some background on each piece and explain context with the goal of enriching the
listening experience. Any listener can tell when performers have a true passion for their music and their craft, and that’s certainly the truth about Parvenue. “I personally cannot envision a life for myself in which I am not performing, and spend most of my professional life doing so,” says Weissman. “I have the opportunity to play with many groups in many styles of music, and am constantly pushing myself to be a better musician.” For Weissman, their performances across the area are such a part of her life that to it’s impossible to think of it any other way – and for her, it’s always been like that.
“I started playing the cello when I was three, so when it became time to decide that I wanted to do in college, there really wasn’t any doubt in my mind I wanted to study music,” she says. It was a lifelong love that was encouraged by her parents, both amateur musicians. Her father was a student of the piano at UB before going on to become a doctor, and her mother played the recorder and is an artist. Surrounded by a lifetime of artistic encouragement, she’s grateful to be able to share her gifts with her audience. For more information on their performance schedules, visit woodencities.org.
Senior center gives thanks to its volunteers By Debra Kelly
COURIER CORRESPONDENT
It’s not just in times of crisis – like the recent storm – that has Cheektowaga residents reaching out to lend a helping hand. Whether or not help is asked for, it’s often given, without hesitation and without a need for recognition or repayment. Senior Center Director Kerry Switalski and her staff see it every day, and they’re taking an opportunity to give thanks for the people that make the community the wonderful place that it is. “We have hundreds of
volunteers that help deliver Meals on Wheels every day,” she says. “But when we really need help, or we’re short on volunteers, we count on Bonnie Nowicki and Floyd Thomas. We know they’ll always be there in a flash to cover a route or more than one if needed.” Chet Michalski is also one of their go-to Meals on Wheels volunteers, and he’s more than that. A friendly face to countless people, when it’s needed, he does much more than deliver meals. When the snows come and the storms hit, that’s when
he packs his snow blower in his van and makes his rounds again, cleaning out the driveways, sidewalks and steps of the people he knows could use the help. There are many people who volunteer for the Senior Stay Fit Dining Site, and every one of them provides a valuable service. It’s Betty Zajac and Mary White who take on all the chores that no one likes to do, without a word of complaint. They’re the ones washing the dishes, polishing appliances, wrestling with the big pots and cleaning up the spills. “They’re they quiet, on-
call ladies who will do whatever it takes,” says Switalski. She also looks to Nancy Wilson, for her dedication and volunteer work with the Sunshine Group; she attends all the social outings and helps wherever and whenever she can with the homebound elderly, doing so for no other reason than she truly just loves to help. The center’s Senior Choral group is a group of musicallyinclined residents who travel the area entertaining others at nursing homes. It’s all thanks to volunteer coordinator Micki Clark, who works
with 40 different members to not only get everyone on the same page, but to select a variety of music that everyone not only loves to hear, but loves to perform. Wednesday nights would be much, much different without the help, guidance and supervision of Linda Lemke. She’s the one who organizes the weekly Pinochle Tournaments, keeping score and handing out the prizes. “She is always doing something extra for the players,” Switalski says. “She’s always making baked goods, or bringing in treats,
or doing something extra special for the holidays.” They would also like to recognize Penny Ellis and Harold Toulson, long-time volunteers in the Telephone Assurance Program. Both make weekly and sometimes daily phone calls to homebound seniors in the community, checking in on them, making sure their needs are met and also making sure there’s a friendly voice on the other end of the telephone. “They go above and beyond with their concern for their clients and the friendships they have fostered,” says Switalski.