We were thrilled to introduce two unique pieces at our January 25-26 concerts at Maryknoll Chapel in Ossining, NY: Malhaar: A Requiem for Water by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, and Carols and Lullabies by Conrad Susa. Learn more about the composition of the Malhaar piece from this recent news article and info on our soloists and instrumentation using the below “more” button.

These professional artists were key in delivering the unique sounds to create these lovely pieces.

Apoorva Mudgal – Vocalist

Apoorva Mudgal is a Brooklyn (NY) based Hindustani singer and composer. Her serene vocals, steeped in nostalgia and longing make for transcendental performances of the Urdu Ghazal, Hindavi folk and Punjabi Sufi Kalaam – often minimally arranged to stringed instruments like the classical guitar and Kora (African Harp).

She is currently studying Sufi kalaam under Ustaad Abu Muhammad from the acclaimed Fareed Ayaz Qawwal ‘Delhi Bacchon ka Gharana‘ and Hindustani gaayaki under Pt. Sanjoy Bannerjee. Her musical expression draws further inspiration from Abida Parveen, Begum Akhtar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Farida Khanum, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan and John Mayer.

Cosette  Carlomusto – Soprano

Cosette Nannerl Carlomusto was destined to sing with a first name from Les Misérables and a middle name from Mozart’s sister, a talented musical prodigy herself! Cosette’s parents supported her love of singing from a young age, sending her to “Let’s Make Music and Dance” as a young girl, and voice lessons as she got older. Cosette was the recipient of multiple awards and scholarships for music throughout high school and college career, including the Ten Haagen Scholarship and the Fordham University Boyce Award, and was selected to perform as part of NYSSMA All-State and Citywide Youth Opera. Cosette is a proud alumna of Fordham University, Lincoln Center, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Communications and Media Studies, and a Minor in Music. She also studied at Juilliard as part of her Music Minor.

Cosette has had the pleasure of performing at Merkin Hall in Lincoln Center, several times at Carnegie Hall (including with Eric Whitacre), internationally in South America and Europe, and many stages in between. For the last ten years, Cosette was a member of the Young New Yorker’s Chorus, and she is thrilled to make her debut with the Hudson Chorale this season. Cosette wants to thank her parents for their lifelong support, and her husband for being her #1 Fan. Love you 3000!

Jimi James – Baritone

Jimi James is known for his critically acclaimed energetic characters and vocal integrity in greatly varied works. The Capitol proclaimed, “The vocalism exhibited during the performance of Elijah was excellent.” The Day wrote of the baritone’s Doctor Bartolo, “James’ acting (and his pratfalls!) seemed to inspire those around him. His first act rage aria ‘A un dottor della mia sorte,’ with its breath-defying patter singing, was a high point of the evening.”

Born in Hawaii and raised on Cape Cod, the baritone has a repertoire as broad-ranged as his travels, with staged portrayals of over 30 roles from Scarpia to The Pirate King. Equally at home on the concert stage, Mr. James presents greatly varied works of Bach, Brahms, Fauré, Mozart and Verdi among many. In addition to the requisite skills of singer/actor, this artist adds to his stage arsenal those of juggler and stilt walker, delighting audiences with a juggling Rigoletto, Figaro and Tonio and his 10-foot-tall stilt-walking Papageno.

A strong proponent of arts education, Mr. James is particularly fond of his more than 900 outreach performances, including The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red’s Most Unusual Day, Never Tickle a Mule and Sweet Betsy from Pike.

Richard Trey Smagur – Tenor

American tenor Richard Trey Smagur, winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2017, has been praised by Opera Today for his “attractive lyric tenor” and “vivid presence.”

Past operatic highlights include Opera Philadelphia for his role debut of Adorno in Simon Boccanegra,  Števa in Jenůfa in his debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago, his role debut of Laca in David Alden’s production of the same opera at English National Opera, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Vancouver Symphony. He also made his Metropolitan Opera debut in their Holiday Presentation of The Magic Flute as First Armored Man.

A native of Clarkesville, Georgia, Mr. Smagur holds a Performer’s Diploma from Indiana University. Honors and Awards include the Richard Tucker Memorial Award from Santa Fe Opera and being named the 2016 Georgina Joshi Fellow from Indiana University.

Haroon Samuel – Tabla

Haroon Samuel is a highly talented tabla player from the Punjab gharana, renowned for his skills as both a soloist and an accompanist. Encouraged by his father, Haroon developed a passion for music at a very young age. His training began with Parvez Paras, followed by in-depth studies under Ustad Umar Hayat, where he mastered traditional Punjab compositions and the importance of precise timekeeping.

Haroon’s tabla is distinguished by the clarity of his bols, which are crisp and melodious. He displays maturity and restraint when accompanying other musicians, excelling in supporting them without overshadowing their performances, reflecting his collaborative spirit. His deep understanding of Punjab’s classical compositions adds depth to his performances, while his accuracy in timekeeping is a significant aspect of his playing.

Additionally, he achieves a harmonious sound through a perfect balance between the dayan (right hand drum) and bayan (left hand drum), relying solely on his hands and fingers and not on modern-day acoustic contrivances. Haroon has collaborated with numerous artists and is celebrated for his virtuosity.

He performs internationally, on a regular basis, and has received multiple awards for his contributions to music and culture. His dedication to preserving the Punjab gharana tradition solidifies his status as one of Pakistan’s most respected tabla players, actively enriching the art form through performance and teaching.

Andrew Thomson – Percussion

Andrew Thomson, ASCAP, (b.1988) has earned an international reputation as a composer, performer, and educator, and has collaborated with a variety of organizations, ranging from the internationally acclaimed choirs of Joyful Noise, Inc. to the United States Marine Corps.

Andrew began music at age four with voice and piano, adding percussion shortly thereafter. In 2006, Andrew enlisted into the U.S. Marines as a musician (and rifleman), and became the youngest member of the composition and arranging staff at the Armed Forces School of Music at age 18.

Following his enlistment, Andrew earned a Bachelors of Music in composition and percussion with a minor in anthropology from Ithaca College, under the tutelage of Gordon Stout. Andrew currently teaches percussion in northwestern Connecticut, and continues to give clinics, recitals, and masterclasses around the country. Andrew is a proud artist for both Marimba One and Grover Pro Percussion.

Daniel Lippel – Guitar

Guitarist Daniel Lippel, called an “exciting soloist” by the New York Times and “precise and sensitive” by the Boston Globe is active as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and collaborator in diverse contexts.

Recent solo performances include the University of New Mexico, National University of Colombia in Bogota, Sinus Ton Festival in Germany, Le Poisson Rouge (New York), University of Texas at San Antonio, UC Davis, Lawrence University (Wisconsin), the Cleveland (CIM) and Connecticut guitar festivals, and the New York, Triangle (N.C.), and US Classic Guitar guitar societies.

He has been the guitarist for the counter)induction ensemble since 2019 and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) since 2005. As a chamber musician, Lippel has performed at the Macau Music Festival (China),  Teatro Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil), Dutch National Opera, Ojai Festival, AchtBrücken Festival (Cologne, Germany), Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Guitar Foundation of American conference, and as a guest with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York New Music Ensemble, and Talea Ensemble, among others.

Lippel is co-founder, owner, and director of New Focus Recordings, releasing several recordings as soloist, chamber musician, and producer on the label, and has also recorded for Sony Japan, Bridge, Kairos, Wergo, Innova, Albany, Starkland, and Tzadik.

Alyssa Reit – Harp

Alyssa Reit is an independent composer, arranger, performer, teacher, and storyteller. Her main body of work has been creating theatrical-musical settings of myths, classic stories, and fairy tales. Her settings have been performed at such venues as the Caramoor Center for the Arts, and NYU Steinhardt’s storytelling series, as well as throughout the US; five were featured in a critically acclaimed tour at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Highlights include several commissions of H.C. Andersen fairy tale settings for the New York Scandinavian Summer Music Festival, and a production based on the life and work of Botticelli (The Triumph of Love), for which she wrote, arranged and performed the music at its premiere in Italy. Alyssa’s compositions and arrangements have been played at events sponsored by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Greenwich Symphony, as well as at festivals all over the world, most recently at the Encontro International de Cordas in Brazil and the Ottawa Chamberfest in Canada.

As a harpist, she has performed with institutions ranging from the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera, to contemporary music groups and Irish bands. In collaboration with flutist Sato Moughalian she arranged and recorded traditional Armenian folk music under the auspices of the Perspectives Ensemble (Oror). She has given concerts with John Cage, toured Europe with the legendary Martha Clarke, and traveled the U.S. playing with the world famous vocal group, Anonymous 4. Alyssa was on the faculty of Hunter College and the Pre-college division of the Manhattan School of Music for over twenty years. She currently teaches from her private studio in upper Westchester.