COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES

Anthony Newman

A brilliant conductor and a spectacular virtuoso at the organ, harpsichord and fortepiano, Anthony Newman has been recognized for over two decades as one of the most gifted and versatile performers of his generation. His performances have encompassed recitals in the major music capitals of Europe and North America, conducting engagements with numerous prestigious ensembles and collaborations with such artists as Wynton Marsalis and Kathleen Battle. An exceptionally prolific recording artist with a diverse discography of over 100 releases, Mr. Newman's performances and compositions may be heard on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, CBS Masterworks and Newport Classic labels. He is also the founder of the period-instrument Brandenburg Collegium Orchestra and Chorus, which he regularly leads in performances and recordings of baroque and classical masterpieces. Besides numerous articles for scholarly journals, he is the author of “Bach and the Baroque, a text dealing with 19th-century performance practice.

“Mr. Newman's versatility was stunningly convincing . . .

"His flair for theatrical, propulsive rhythms is exciting.”- NY Times

“Everything he does seems to capture the imagination.” - Chicago Sun-Times

Marjorie S. Callaghan

Dr. Callaghan is an Assistant Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University. In addition to teaching horn, Dr. Callaghan teaches music history courses and classes in sight singing and ear training. She plays regularly with the Ridgefield Symphony, the Fair Winds Brass Ensemble, the Ridge Winds Woodwind Quintet, the WCSU faculty brass quintet and the Nutmeg Brass Quintet, and she freelances in the Connecticut/New York area. Dr. Callaghan has maintained a private studio since 1984. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music, a Master of Music degree in music history from Hartt School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and Spanish from Gettysburg College.

T.D. Ellis

As a bassoon student at the State University of New York, College at Purchase, T.D. Ellis took a course on Baroque Music Performance Practice taught by Anthony Newman. He signed on to be Professor Newman's “gopher”, which entailed tracking down musical examples from the library for the class and mastering the fine art of using a copy machine. After graduating, in addition to a busy performing and teaching schedule, Mr. Ellis began a music-typesetting business with Mr. Newman as his first client. The rest, as they say, is history. Since 1989, T.D. Ellis Music Publishing has been publishing the music not only of Anthony Newman, but also of other composers and arrangers. Wynton Marsalis recorded “The Baroque Wedding Album” and “Music for Trumpet” by Torelli with the English Chamber Orchestra on the Sony label, which quickly became the number one classical recording titled, “In Gabriel's Garden”. Other works have found their way to recordings on the Newport Classic and Albany labels, and in films by Paramount Pictures.

Mr Ellis is principal bassoonist and personnel manager of the Ridgefield (CT) Symphony and Bermuda Philharmonic, and has appeared as a soloist with the Ridgefield Symphony and Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra. He also plays bassoon and contrabassoon with the Greenwich Symphony and Greater Bridgeport Symphony and may often be heard with many of the orchestras throughout the metropolitan New York area. He is a founding member of the RidgeWinds Quintet; has performed with the Quintet of the Americas and was a guest-artist-in-residence at Sarah Lawrence College. He has played off-Broadway with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and the Jewish Repertory Theater, and has been principal bassoon for the Ives Festival Orchestra, the Tamworth (NH) Music Festival, and the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival in Deep Creek, Maryland. He teaches bassoon at Fairfield University and the University of Bridgeport.

In his spare time he owns and operates The Music Source, a classically-oriented music store in Old Greenwich, CT, with the largest selection of printed music between NY and Boston. As a music copyist, he has typeset scores for musicians worldwide, including Tony Bennett, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wynton Marsalis, Yo Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Vanessa Williams, Michael MacDonald, David Sanborn, the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Rob Mathes, the Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, Piglet’s Big Movie and others.

Arthur Kelley

Mr. Kelley studied composition at Yale with Paul Hindemith and later toured as a trombonist with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra. Originally from Portland, Maine, he makes his home in Greenwich, CT with his bassoonist wife, Joyce Kelley.

Gary Schocker

As a flutist, composer and pianist Gary Schocker is an accomplished musician of outstanding versatility. He has performed on the flute with the NY Philharmonic, Phildalphia Orchestra, NJ Symphony, and in leading chamber music festivals and recital halls throughout the world. He has composed a wide variety of music, including sonatas for piano, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, horn and two pianos, numerous works for flute, songs, theatrical works and musicals for children. Mr. Schocker has recorded some of his works on the Musical Heritage label, and may also be heard on his highly-acclaimed recording of baroque music.

Constance Walton

Composer, pianist and teacher, Constance Walton has a long list of awards, including a first place for “Theme & Variations for 2 Violins” from the National League of American Pen Women and a Connecticut Governer's Citation for her musical accomplishments. Her works have been premiered by ensembles such as the Westfair Chamber Singers, Musica Plenti, the Weslyan Singers and the Gregg Smith Singers.