By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
This summer, the Society for New Music is presenting “The Arts in Uncommon Time(s),” a modified version of the 22nd annual Cazenovia Counterpoint: Festival of Expressive Arts.
Typically held throughout the month of July in downtown Cazenovia, the festival features performances by accomplished high school musicians, the works of young composers, poetry readings, workshops with regional writers and composers, art exhibits and more.
“The Society for New Music Executive Committee had many long discussions about whether or not to have a festival this summer,” said Neva Pilgrim, SNM program advisor and Cazenovia Counterpoint presenter. “Because of the encouragement we received from the Cazenovia community, we decided to have a modified version of the festival, designed to abide by all NYS guidelines during the pandemic.”
Founded in 1971, SNM is a Syracuse-based organization dedicated to fostering the continued growth of the Central New York musical community.
To further its mission, SNM commissions new works, produces recordings, and promotes composers through “Society News” — the organization’s in-house publication — and the “Fresh Ink” radio show on WCNY-FM. The organization also provides regional musicians with opportunities to perform music by their peers in front of live audiences and on television and radio.
According to Pilgrim, the Cazenovia Counterpoint festival evolved from SNM’s Cazenovia Summer Series, which began 40 years ago at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQHAP).
Eventually, the music series was expanded to highlight the many distinguished visual artists in the Cazenovia area.
“The art exhibit component continues to grow,” Pilgrim said. “Before it was a festival, SNM performed a three concert series in historic homes in and around Cazenovia. Dorothy Riester, founder of SQHAP, was the mastermind of that and always lined up the houses. Then it grew into a festival.”
While the event- and performance-based components of this year’s festival are wrapping up, the 2020 Invitational Regional Art Exhibit will continue through Aug. 15.
The exhibit features works by 12 artists from within a 60-mile radius of Cazenovia.
The artwork is on display at The Key, Cannon Park, Common Grounds, the Lincklaen House, HUNT Real Estate, Community Bank, N.A., the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce (GCACC), Allure, Cazenovia Artisans, Key Bank, Cazenovia Jewelry, and 20East.
Images of the artwork are also streaming on a large screen outside the gallery door at the Cazenovia Public Library.
“Normally, the exhibit is spread out from Caz Library, St. Peter’s Hall (a beautiful space for art), Common Grounds, and windows along Albany Street,” Pilgrim said. “This summer, due to the pandemic, we couldn’t use St. Peter’s Hall, and the library gallery is too small for social distancing, so we reached out to more businesses and the banks in Caz in order to have the art exhibited in their windows. The response was amazing.”
The following artists are represented in this year’s exhibit: Peter Allen, Sherry Spann Allen, Constance Avery, Lydia Benscher, Linda Bigness, Dona Flaherty, Penny Santy, Eric Shute, Ken Stoneburg, Richell Castellon Ferreira, Tom McCobb and Carol Adamec.
“Initially, I was invited to show five or six of my larger outdoor sculptures at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park as part of Caz Counterpoint,” Adamec said. “Then the virus hit and things changed at the art park. I was invited to show my work in Caz windows and then permission came from the [Village of Cazenovia] Board of Trustees to put some in the park in Caz. I was delighted.”
Adamec is a Camillus-based sculptor who works primarily in steel, bronze and clay.
Over the past 30 years, her work has been displayed in a variety of venues, including the Rome Art and Community Center, the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, The Wilson Art Gallery at Le Moyne College, the Art in the Heart sculpture show in Ithaca, Sibley’s Ward Gallery in Rochester, and the RedSky Gallery in Charlotte, N.C.
She has received numerous awards, including first prize mixed media and overall best in show at the 2019 New York State Fair.
Adamec holds a bachelor in fine arts from the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University and has completed graduate work in sculpture at Syracuse University. She has worked as an art teacher at several Rochester and Syracuse area schools.
The 2020 Invitational Regional Art Exhibit features seven of Adamec’s creations: “Metamorphosis” and “Concentric Circles lll” at The Key; “Inventive Spirit” and “Gentle Waves” at Cannon/Memorial Park; and “Fall Foliage,” “Unwavering Goals,” and “Champagne Bubbles ll” in the GCACC window.
According to Adamec, Inventive Spirit was inspired by the opening of Lipe Art Park on West Fayette Street in Syracuse.
“It is in an area that was the hub of new inventions and manufacturing [during] the 1800s . . .” Adamec said. “So it was about the celebration of inventions, the spirit of inventions. My husband, Neville Sach is an engineer who does failure analysis of large machinery, and [he is often] sent broken parts to analyze why they broke. I always thought they were beautiful. The bronze shining in the sun. And there is the inspiration. Materials from machines and meaning.”
Other 2020 festival events
A central focus of Cazenovia Counterpoint is the introduction of “Rising Stars” — award-winning high-school musicians who premiere works written by young regional composers.
This year, the “Rising Stars Lunch Hour” programs were held on July 21 and July 28 at the First Presbyterian Church.
Another key aspect of the festival is the Young Composers Corner (YCC), a free mentoring program designed to help middle- and high-school musicians develop as composers. The program culminates in performances of the music written during the week of daily sessions.
“A goodly number of previous participants have won scholarships to music schools and gone on to graduate school and careers,” Pilgrim said. “This summer we had the YCC online, with eight very dedicated young musicians participating.”
Two of the participants — a graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School and a graduate of Fabius-Pompey High School — are going on to major in composition at Boston University and the Mannes School of Music in New York City.
The composers premiered their works during the “Rising Stars Pop-Up Concert and Young Composers Corner Performance” on July 22 in Lakeland Park. The concert was presented in collaboration with the GCACC.
All performances are available for viewing on SNM’s YouTube channel.
Additional Counterpoint events include the July 21 “Writers’ Corner” with poets Phil Memmer and Georgia Popoff, a July 29 SNM Players concert, and a Aug. 1-2, 9to 5 p.m., debut of “Paradise,” an interactive sound installation at SQHAP featuring the sounds of birds and animals from around the world.
For more information on Cazenovia Counterpoint and the Society for New Music, visit societyfornewmusic.org.
