Heathcote Moves Up... Middle School, Here They Come!
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On the bright and sunny morning of June 20th, four classes of Heathcote School fifth graders, joined by their families, gathered in the auditorium for their Moving Up Ceremony. The event marked the end of their elementary school journey and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in middle school.
The program featured joyful choral performances led by music teacher, Ms. Accola. Principal Maria Stile followed with an inspiring message to the Class of 2025. She recognized their hard work, growth, and resilience, and encouraged them to embrace the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
Fifth grade teachers Ms. Cooper and Ms. Lattin, Ms. Duncan and Ms. Burns, Ms. Edwards & Ms. Heffernan, and Ms. Volpi then took the stage to proudly present certificates to their students, each greeted with smiles and celebratory applause.
After the certificates were awarded, Assistant Principal Kathy de la Garza shared her heartfelt remarks and introduced a sentimental video montage that highlighted the friendships, milestones, and everyday moments that defined the students’ time at Heathcote.
Following the ceremony, students gathered to take photos under a beautiful balloon display and enjoy refreshments including special ice cream treats, adding a sweet touch to the celebration.
It was a ceremony filled with joy, pride, and anticipation. Congratulations to the Heathcote Class of 2025! Middle School, here they come!
Photo Credit: Reid Miller
Summer Reading 2025 at the Scarsdale Public Library Begins June 22!
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It's the perfect time to dive into some great books and audiobooks! Whether you're gardening, taking a walk, or relaxing at the park or beach, there are countless ways to enjoy a great read. Dive into a world of literary adventures and fun challenges, earning chances to win some fantastic prizes generously funded by the Friends of the Scarsdale Library.
From babies to toddlers, children to teens, and even adults, there’s a summer reading program for all ages at the library. Read books, attend programs, earn prizes!
Register here:
Children's Summer Reading - June 22 - August 9
Join our Summer Reading Bingo game for Babies & Toddlers, PreK through 1st grade, and 2nd through 5th grade. Complete any one row, column, or diagonal to receive a prize. Finish the entire card and receive a book to keep!
Teenstack Summer Reading - June 22 - August 30
Scarsdale teens in rising grades 6-12: download the free Beanstack app on your phone or tablet. Play a virtual bingo game where you can win prizes by reading books and completing activities that earn you badges and tickets towards grand prize drawings.
Adult Summer Reading - June 22 - August 9
Register to receive your themed pin and earn points toward summer reading prizes. On June 22, begin submitting your book reviews, and plan to attend Trivia, Competitive Puzzling and Paint Night for more chances to win.
New Choral Society Wraps Season
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Dr. John T. King has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of The New Choral Society (NCS) of Scarsdale since he founded it in 1994. But nothing seemingly could have surpassed the finale of its 2024-2025 season, Georg Friederich Handel’s Israel in Egypt, on Sunday afternoon, May 4, in those 31 years.
It was brilliant, strenuous, and a “barn burner” in the eyes, ears and minds of several in the sold-out audience in the sanctuary of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale. The afternoon raindrops didn’t have a chance at spoiling this wonderful oratorio.
Smiling faces were all around for this particular piece.
For the avid students of choral music and/or those just listening for the simple enjoyment of the most professional music, Handel’s work and King’s interpretation of same on Sunday had everything: six soloists for the first time, three of them for their first appearances ever for NCS, Maestro King, who surprisingly had to carefully study the unfamiliar piece to him before introducing it to his singers and orchestra players, and Una Tone, always the energetic Concertmaster and the Elizabeth J. Broyd Chair (in honor of the founding Executive Director for her 25 years of service) playing Violin 1.
Soprano and Tenor Drew Most Applause
Kathryn Lewek, soprano, and Alex McKissick, tenor, drew the most applause from the concert attendees following the conclusion of the event.
From the Playbill for Sunday’s event, it says, “Kathryn Lewek is a born communicator who has been called ‘utterly enthralling’ by the New York Times.’ Combining charismatic stage presence with a voice of sumptuous range, crystalline purity, and rich emotional power, she headlines productions at the foremost opera houses and festivals worldwide.” American Tenor Alex McKissick “has been engaged by the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Irish National Opera, Des Moines Opera, North Carolina Opera, Aspen Music Festival, and a plethora of other musical houses, the Playbill said.
Other soloists for Sunday afternoon included: Ellie Dehn, Soprano; Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano; Daniel Rich, Baritone, and Michael Adams, Baritone. Dehn, McKissick and Adams were performing for the first time for NCS.
American soprano Ellie Dehn “has been praised by critics as a ‘revelation’ (Chicago Sun Times), acclaimed for her ‘great stage presence and a voice combining metallic clarity and sensual richness’ (Wall Street Journal),” the Playbill said. “American mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford has gained a reputation as an exciting and in-demand singer appearing with many of the finest orchestras and opera houses in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Mumford has appeared many times with NCS including the 2020 and 2021 Messiahs and the 30th Anniversary Gala, the Playbill said. Mr. Rich “is a recent graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program,” the Playbill also said. He has previously appeared with NCS for the performances of Messiah and the 30th Anniversary Gala. Praised by Opera News for “brandishing a beautiful, evenly produced, nicely ripe sound, baritone Michael Adams’ engagements in the 2024-2025 season include his return to the Metropolitan Opera as Scarus in Adams’ Anthony and Cleopatra. Mr. Adams was originally scheduled to make his NCS debut in April of 2020, which was postponed.
Ms. Mumford, Mr. McKissick, Mr. Rich and Mr. Adams appeared on Sunday by permission of the Metropolitan Opera.
All six soloists appeared on stage in different configurations during the singing and playing of the piece.
Learned Seminar Before Concert
To provide an educational introduction prior to the Handel concert on Sunday, on Wednesday evening, April 30, also in the sanctuary at Hitchcock, NCS presented Rabbi Jonathan Blake of Scarsdale’s Westchester Reform Temple, who is known to play his guitar often during services at his temple, and the same Dr. King provided a seminar with a closer look at the libretto source of Handel’s Israel in Egypt.
A good crowd showed up for that presentation, too, including a number of members from Westchester Reform Temple, singing members from NCS and the church’s Chancel Choir. It felt very much like an evening college course, only without college credit or an assignment to write an essay on what everyone heard, at perhaps the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, with most professional and interesting comments coming from the two commentators and selected examples of the actual music from the score.
Beautiful and professional music and a lecture on the subject to boot. Not a bad way to spend your leisure time if you’re a music lover. Thanks to Hitchcock, John King, also Minister of Music at Hitchcock, and his dedicated team.
Bad Shabbos: A Home Run from a Scarsdale Director
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It has all the elements of a great film:
-An Upper West side location with scenery you’ll recognize.
-A cameo by Gary Greengrass at his famous restaurant.
-A cast of well-loved actors including Kyra Sedgwick and Method Man – plus some wonderful newcomers you’ll grow to love.
And best of all: A Director from Scarsdale!
That’s right, Daniel Robbins of Scarsdale directed and co-wrote the comedy “Bad Shabbos” that will open in theaters this week. The story follows an observant Upper West Side family, gathering for their weekly Shabbat dinner where the oldest son will introduce the parents of his Catholic fiancée. It lures you in with many known Jewish tropes – a nerdy Jewish father who retreats to the Talmud to resolve family conflict, a Jewish mother who makes biting statements about marrying outside the tribe with a frozen smile on her face and kids struggling to live in modern society while hiding the fact that they drove their car to dinner.
At first you think the film will be a send-up of the clash of the old vs. the new, kosher vs. treif and how to get upstairs when you can’t touch the elevator button on Shabbat. But then the disturbed youngest brother emerges from his bedroom and with a sweep of his barbell sends the plot spinning out of control. The film takes a zany turn, pitting the family’s piety against the will to protect themselves from their own actions. They enlist their black doorman into the tsuris and the outcome is hilarious but disturbing at the same time.
Discussing his movie, Robbins says, “This film is about a family trying to find its place, on a night when they’re meeting the in-laws for the first time. It’s a fun kinetic ride that pulls from the great comedies of the past. The films Meet The Parents and My Big Fat Greek Wedding were constantly playing on my parents’ TV, broken up with whatever commercials TNT decided to include. These two films were comedies with tight scripts, big laughs, some heart and authentic portrayals of their subcultures – Chicago Greeks and Long Island Christian."
How was he influenced by growing up in Scarsdale? Robbins, who attended Westchester Day School, said, “I grew up on Heathcote between Crossway and Stratton and my dad coached me in Little League through the years. We had one of the worst teams but always had a good time.
My parents (Marc Robbins and Rise Robbins) met at the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and both worked there for around 20 years. I attended the synagogue Young Israel of Scarsdale.
I think Scarsdale influenced the film because it was such a warm place to grow up. As a person and also as a Jewish kid. I think that warmth shows on screen. And many of my parents' friends happen to be funny and may have influenced the jokes in the film.”
Watch a trailer here and reserve tickets at Mamaroneck Cinema for the opening on June 6 here.
Hoff-Barthelson Hosts Music of Our Time Festival, May 16–18
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Shaping the Sound of Tomorrow: Hoff-Barthelson Music School Hosts Music of Our Time Festival, May 16–18: Three Days of Contemporary Music Celebrating Innovation, Collaboration, and Creativity
Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s acclaimed Music of Our Time Festival returns May 16–18, 2025, with a vibrant lineup of student and faculty performances, world premieres, and a deep commitment to the music of the present moment. Under the artistic direction of renowned cellist and HBMS faculty member Peter Seidenberg, the festival celebrates works composed from 1975 to the present and underscores the school’s ongoing dedication to fostering creative expression and innovation in music education.
A centerpiece of this year’s festival is the world premiere of All the Sounds Around Her by acclaimed composer Kian Ravaei, commissioned by Hoff-Barthelson through its Wilma Machover Residency and Commission Program. Inspired by the life and legacy of beloved children’s musician Ella Jenkins, the piece incorporates call-and-response singing, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and Jenkins’s signature multilingual counting games. It will be performed by the HBMS Vocal Ensembles, the Westchester Children’s Choir, and the HBMS Festival Orchestra under the baton of Leandro Gazineo at the Large Ensembles Concert on Sunday, May 18, at 3:00 pm, to be held at the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation in White Plains.
Another festival highlight is the debut of the Micro-Commissions Project, an innovative collaboration between HBMS and the Manhattan School of Music. Co-directed by Peter Seidenberg and Reiko Fueting, MSM Chair of Composition, the initiative pairs ten HBMS students with ten MSM undergraduate composers, resulting in brand-new works written specifically for each student's instrument and level. These world premieres will be presented at a special recital on Saturday, May 17, at 8:00 PM.
“The Micro-Commissions project has been a truly music-of-our-time experience,” says Peter Seidenberg. “It’s been inspiring to see how much the students have learned from one another through the collaborative process of bringing these new works to life.”
A full schedule of recitals rounds out the festival, all taking place at Hoff-Barthelson Music School, located at 25 School Lane in Scarsdale:
• Friday, May 16 at 6:30 pm – Contemporary Works (1975–Present)
• Friday, May 16 at 8:00 pm – Women Composers at the Millennium
• Saturday, May 17 at 1:00 pm – Young Composers Recital, featuring works created in HBMS composition classes under the direction of Dr. Derek Cooper
• Saturday, May 17 at 2:00 pm – Contemporary Works (1975–Present)
• Saturday, May 17 at 4:00 pm – Our Mentors in Modernism (featuring works by Schoenberg, Ives, Stravinsky, Bartók, and Britten)
• Saturday, May 17 at 8:00 pm – Micro-Commissions Project
In addition to the world premiere by Kian Ravaei, the festival finale on May 18 will include performances by the HBMS Flute Club Ensemble (directed by Donna Elaine), the Chamber Orchestra (directed by Robert Schwartz), and individual student performers. The event will also feature the announcement of the 2025 recipient of the Wilma Machover Creative Development Fund, which supports emerging composers in their artistic development.
“The Music of Our Time Festival represents the forward-thinking spirit that has always defined Hoff-Barthelson,” says Executive Director Gabriella Sanna. “Through these concerts, commissions, and collaborations, our students become active participants in shaping the future of music while honoring Wilma Machover’s visionary legacy.”
All recitals at the School are free of charge. The Large Ensembles Concert on May 18 requests a suggested donation of $20, with free admission for HBMS students.
For more information, visit www.hbms.org, email hb@hbms.org, or call 914-723-1169.
