Onteora musician performs at Carnegie Hall
Onteora High School violinist Joey Driscoll recently traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she performed as a guest soloist for the charity organization Music for Change. Driscoll, a senior at Onteora High School, performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita #2 in D Minor for solo violin. The performance took place on October 9.
According to High School Orchestra director Erica L. Boyer, Driscoll submitted an audition video in early September. On the basis of that audition, she was among the lucky students selected to perform on the legendary Carnegie Hall stage.
Driscoll, who is one of Boyer’s students, was thrilled to be chosen. “I didn’t fully believe that I was actually going to have this amazing opportunity to perform until receiving my backstage entrance pass!” exclaimed the young musician, adding that she was happy with how her performance went. “I was able to play confidently without making any mistakes,” she said. “And walking onto the stage alone felt so surreal!”
The Carnegie Hall experience, Driscoll believes, was the culmination of her musical journey thus far. “That’s because ‘younger Joey’ would have been amazed that she even had the confidence to audition, much less set foot onto that stage,” she explained. “I am very proud of how confident I have become as a violinist.”
Driscoll is currently the concertmistress of the Onteora High School Orchestra and Onteora Chamber Ensemble. She will also be performing at the 2021 Area All-State Festival in Newburgh on November 20, and the Conference All-State Music Festival on December 5 in Rochester.
Woodstock seniors meet
The Woodstock Senior Citizens’ Club will meet for its installation luncheon on Thursday, October 21 at 12:15 p.m. at The Pub in Woodstock.
The Club’s next meeting will take place on November 3.
Shandaken couple arrested on drug charges
After receiving multiple complaints from residents in the Big Indian area, the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) and the Town of Shandaken Police Department opened a narcotics investigation related to the sale and distribution of methamphetamine. Working with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Superior Court warrants of arrest were obtained for Chrystal Sylvester, 34, and Jeffrey Tubbs, 37, both of Big Indian. They were arrested on Tuesday, October 12 and charged with the felonies of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the third degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the fifth degree. URGENT was also assisted by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office with the arrest of Sylvester, who was found to be in possession of a quantity of methamphetamine, a scale and US currency during her arrest. Both Sylvester and Tubbs were remanded to the Ulster County Jail and were subsequently arraigned in Ulster County Court on October 13.
Woodstock Halloween parade
The Woodstock Chamber of Arts and Commerce and The Secret City are partnering to bring the annual Woodstock Halloween celebration to life. A staple of the Mid-Hudson Valley Fall cultural calendar and a hallmark of the small town’s many annual celebrations, Woodstock Halloween takes place Sunday, October 31, 5 p.m., on the Village Green in the Town of Woodstock at Tinker Street/Route 212 & Rock City Road. With a costume parade, prizes for best homemade costumes, free candy from participating merchants and the streets filled with costumed locals, Woodstock Halloween invites people of all ages to gather in the streets of the village to celebrate this ghoulish, interactive and joyful holiday.
A workshop for the public will take place on Saturday, October 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street. We’ll be making streamer polls for the parade. All are welcome to attend, the workshop is free.
On Halloween, the roads will close at 5 p.m., with the costume parade beginning on The Village Green at 5:15 p.m. with the costume contest and prizes immediately after. Special guests this year include Rock Academy drumline, leading the costume parade and Center for Creative Education’s Energy Dancers leading a flash mob to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
There will be an after party at the Bearsville Center beginning at 7 p.m. with Halloween treats like candied apples and hot chocolate, a woodland walk with paper lanterns in the trees, a cash bar and a bonfire with s’mores.
Luthier’s Showcase canceled; Free concert Sunday
With “great regret” organizers have cancelled the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, originally scheduled for October 22 – 24, 2021. They blame “the continuing coronavirus pandemic situation in the United States” for making it “obvious that to try and hold the Luthiers Showcase in October would be ill-advised. The health and safety of all must be our primary concern, and we would be unable to offer the full experience and quality presentation that the community has come to expect from WILS.”
But the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase has teamed up with the Bearsville Theater to offer a musical brunch: Gospel and Spirituals with Hubby Jenkins, Sunday, October 24, 2021, from 12 to 3 p.m. in the lounge of the Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY, 12498.
The concert and presentation with free admission is funded by the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, with additional funding from a generous grant by the Bluestein Family Foundation, administered by the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild. A brunch menu will be available for purchase. Registration is requested: www.bearsvilletheater.com
Hubby Jenkins is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn he delved into his southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through America’s traditional music forms. As an integral member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later Rhiannon Giddens band, Hubby has performed at festivals and venues around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. Today he spreads his knowledge and love of old-time American music through his dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.
Baker Rorick, WILS founder and producer, says about the event, “In lieu of the cancelled 2021 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, and our cancelled String Sampler Concert that would have featured Hubby Jenkins as one of the artists, we are proud and happy to give a little something to our town and surrounding communities by presenting this free event in conjunction with the Bearsville Theater.”
For more information, see http://www.woodstockinvitational.com or sign up for their mailing list at www.woodstockinvitational.com/contact.shtml
Join the family! 
