09/08/2026
From our alumnus, Benjamin Pomerance:
As we enter Labor Day weekend, the calendar tells us that the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration Weekend is just one week away -- which means that next weekend will bring four special period music programs to downtown Plattsburgh for your listening pleasure!
As a reminder, here is the extraordinary music that awaits you:
Bach's Brandenburg Concertos By Champlain Strings. Sept. 12, 4 p.m.
The Plattsburgh-based string orchestra that delighted you last year with The Four Seasons returns to present three of Johann Sebastian Bach's masterpieces: the immortal Brandenburg Concertos No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6! Likely the first time that all three of these melodious works have been performed in the same program anywhere in the North Country! Featuring Champlain Valley-based soloists Marilyn Reynolds (violin), Robin Cameron-Phillips (flute), and John Curtis (harpsichord).
Beethoven's Chamber Music For Wind Instruments By The Adirondack Wind Ensemble. Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m.
Ludwig van Beethoven's Octet for Winds and Sextet for Winds were popular classics at the time of the Battle of Plattsburgh, and both works remain gems of the wind instrument repertoire today. Daniel Gordon leads musicians from the Adirondack Wind Ensemble in presenting these two compositions by a composer who was still dazzling the Western world when the turning point of the War of 1812 occurred in our community.
McCarty & Macdonough: The Violist & The Commodore. Sept. 13, 1 p.m.
Violist Patricia McCarty, whose professional credits range from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to an impressive globally celebrated array of solo recordings, presents a program of solo viola classics by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Sebastian Bach, Alessandro Rolla, and more.
Joining her will be award-winning actor and playwright Steven Mumford, who is traveling from Delaware to present his original monologue in the character of Commodore Thomas Macdonough, the hero of the Battle of Plattsburgh, telling this dramatic story through spoken episodes that will intertwine with the music!
Battle of Plattsburgh Vespers. Sept. 13, 3 p.m.
Helen Demong, Artistic Director of the Northern Lights Choir, leads a chamber chorus of North Country vocalists in a program of choral classics, joined by beloved collaborative pianist Jennifer Moore. Sacred and secular works by Mozart, Palestrina, William Billings, Michael Haydn, Tomas Luis de Victoria, and many more -- plus some stunning vocal solos -- will bring this commemoration weekend to a deeply moving conclusion.
All of the four concerts will take place at the Trinity Episcopal Church of Plattsburgh (18 Trinity Place), just as they did last year. All four concerts are free for all who purchase a Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration button ($15 for inclusion in all activities during the weekend, including these concerts)!
We would be honored by your presence at any -- and, ideally, all! -- of these special performances showcasing the talents of North Country artists presenting the music that would have been heard in the Battle of Plattsburgh's era. Seating is first-come, first-served for all performances, so bring your friends, come early, and have a wonderful time enjoying these memorable programs presented by the community and for the community.
If you have any questions about these concerts, please let me know, and I will gladly answer them.
Looking forward to seeing you on September 12 and September 13! Thank you for your steadfast support of the arts in our region.
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