Music on the Mountain

Sue Anderson

Sue’s career has been full and varied, ranging from Broadway productions to films to recordings. As a conductor and musical director, Ms. Anderson has worked with the Broadway and national touring companies of Pirates of Penzance, Me and My Girl, and Cats. She played in the orchestra pits of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Woman in White and is currently playing in Spamalot. She has conducted Pops concerts with the Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix, Portland and Shreveport orchestras and most recently conducted the London Philharmonia at Abbey Road Studios. Some of the fun and unusual things Ms. Anderson has done were coaching Rex Harrison in the revival of My Fair Lady, teaching Peter O’Toole to play the piano, enjoying the finest chocolates with Katherine Hepburn, and being repeatedly kissed by Kevin Kline.

Cris Groenendaal

After originating the role of Andre in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera, Cris went on to play the Phantom some 860 performances with three major companies: New York, Toronto, and the Canadian National Tour. Other Broadway credits include Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, the roles of George, the Soldier, and Louis the Baker in Sunday in the Park With George, Major Rizzolli in Passion, and Miles Gloriosus in the 1996 revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He originated the role of Father in the National Tour of Ragtime, and he played Jules in the Kennedy Center revival of Sunday in the Park With George. With the New York City, Cleveland, Portland, Tulsa, and Syracuse Opera companies he has played Danilo in The Merry Widow, the title role in Candide, Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore, the Caliph in Kismet, and Ravenal in Show Boat.

David M. Lutken

Originally from Dallas, Texas, David graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. He completed his Acting Degree at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The 92nd St Y, at Cooper Union (with Ted Sperling’s ‘Master Voices’), Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, with the North Carolina Symphony and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, on NPR, Polskie Radio, the BBC, Voice Of America, and The Louisiana Hayride. With his original show, “Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie”, he and his company have toured Europe, the British Isles, the US, the Middle East, and China. David won the Helen Hayes and the Joseph Jefferson Best Actor award for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie.

The Restless Age

This indie rock band is comprised of Will Bryant, Lee Falco, and Brandon Morrison. The members of The Restless Age have been a premier rhythm section throughout New York’s Hudson Valley for the past half-decade. As the house band for Amy Helm’s ‘Oh to be Home Again’ at Levon Helm Studios, they performed behind Donald Fagen, John Sebastian, and Graham Nash, as well as being Kate Pierson’s (The B-52’s) touring band in support of her 2015 debut album ‘Guitars & Microphones’. During that same year they toured the U.S. & Canada supporting The Waterboys and The Gipsy Kings along with fellow Hudson Valley singer-songwriter Connor Kennedy. Lee Falco, Brandon Morrison, and Will Bryant rose to national attention backing Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, as “The Nightflyers” on his 2017 national tour.

Scott Robinson

Scott is one of today’s most wide-ranging instrumentalists and has been heard on tenor saxophone with Buck Clayton’s band, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton’s quintet, on alto clarinet with Paquito D’Rivera’s clarinet quartet, and on bass saxophone with the New York City Opera. His discography now includes more than 190 recordings. Scott has performed in some thirty nations, in such diverse venues as Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, the Library of Congress, and the Vienna Opera House. Scott’s group was selected to be the closing act at the Knitting Factory’s Sun Ra Festival in New York City. Scott has also written magazine articles and liner notes, and was an invited speaker at the Congressional Black Caucus Jazz Forum in Washington, D.C.

Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

Raina is a singer/composer based in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in Jazz and R&B, Raina builds a unique sonic world with harmonic nuance and lyrical poetry. Releasing her four debut singles in 2018, Raina has over 300k streams on Spotify and a budding global audience. Touring locally, her trio has appeared on stage at venue such as Mohonk Mountain House, The Falcon, Unison Arts Center, and has a standing residency at NYC’s famous Rockwood Music Hall.

Gabrielle Stravelli

Gabrielle’s pairing of a jazz artist’s musicianship with an ability to interpret lyrics and connect with an audience has led to a richly varied career. She has headlined international and domestic jazz festivals and regularly leads her quartet in performances at the country’s finest jazz clubs and performing arts centers. As a US State Department “Jazz Ambassador” she has performed and taught throughout Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America. “Dream Ago,” her 2017 release which consists primarily of original material, received a rare 5- star review from Downbeat Magazine and her 2019 release “Pick Up My Pieces: Gabrielle Stravelli Sings Willie Nelson” was featured by noted music critic Will Friedwald in the WSJ and awarded the 2020 Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording.

Dave Stryker

Whether you’ve heard guitarist Dave Stryker fronting his own group (with 26 CD’s as a leader to date), or as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff, you know why Gary Giddins in the Village Voice calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” He was recently voted once again as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2017 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls. Dave has had success on his own label Strikezone Records. His most recent CD “Strykin’ Ahead” received 4 stars in Downbeat and stayed on the top of the radio charts for several months. “Eight Track I and II” both reached #2 on the JazzWeek chart. His tribute to Stanley Turrentine called “Messin’ with Mister T” (Strikezone Records) reached #1 on JazzWeek Radio chart and was picked as one of the top CD’s of 2015 by Downbeat and WBGO.

David Temple

David Temple has performed as a classical guitarist and composer throughout the country. He is dedicated to presenting guitar performances that are full of color and variety, and to making the concert experience as enjoyable for the newcomer as for the experienced listener. Concerts have included the Festival of the Arts at Mohonk, the Ulster Chamber Music Series, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta, NY, and many others. A graduate of the music school at Eastern Michigan University, David is Artistic Director and Vice President of the Mid-Hudson Classical Guitar Society, and teaches both guitar and composition at Bard Conservatory, Preparatory Division, and at his home studio in Red Hook, NY. He has produced four recordings, which include an eclectic selection from the repertoire, as well as original arrangements and compositions.