Fall Lawn Pops & Jazz
Saturday, September 13, 2025, Picnicking at 2:00 pm, Concert at 3:00 pm
TicketsJoin the FVSO with a presentation of pieces from composers such as Unger and Waller. Bring your picnic and blanket and sit back for an afternoon of classic orchestral pops and jazz melodies.
FVSO String Ensemble
Gail Reynolds, director
RESONANT WINDS
Peggy Hartman, coordinator
SYNERGISMUS
Millie & Randy Calistri-Yeh
FVSO Jazz Combo
Bob Abraham, coordinator
First Church, Farmington
Program Highlights
FVSO STRING ENSEMBLE
Gail Reynolds, director
Oklahoma….Hammerstein II & Rodgers, arr. Chase
Ashokan Farewell….Unger, arr. Custer
African Dreamland Two-Step (Intermezzo)….Atwater, arr. Smith
with Caleb Smith, piano
Blue Moon….Rodgers & Hart, arr.Cerulli
Ain’t Misbehavin’.…Waller, arr. Custer
The Entertainer…. Joplin, arr.Massun
with Caleb Smith, piano
FVSO Strings & Guests: Michael Reynolds, piano & James St. Pierre, percussion.
RESONANT WINDS
Alexandra Tucker Slap, flute
Peggy Hartman, oboe
Gwendolyn Winkel, clarinet
Karla Lee, bassoon
Richard Burgess, horn
Entry of the Gladiators – Julius Fucik / arr. Bill Holcombe & Paul Battles
The Roaring 20’s – arr. Paul Nagle
Habanera and Carmen Prelude Act I Georges Bizet / arr. Bill Holcombe
Maria and I Feel Pretty from West Side Story – Leonard Bernstein / arr. Carson Yu
Can Can from “Orpheus in The Underworld” – Jacques Offenbach / arr. James Christensen
SYNERGISMUS
Millie & Randy Calistri-Yeh
Phantom of the Opera Medley … Webber, arr. Calistri-Yeh
Limerock … O’Connor
When I’m Sixty-Four … McCartney/Beatles, arr. Calistri-Yeh
Don’t Stop Believin’ … Journey, arr. Calistri-Yeh
Por Una Cabeza … Gardel, arr. Calistri-Yeh
FVSO Jazz Combo
Pink Panther– Composed & Arranged by Henry Mancini
In a Mellow Tone – Duke Ellington, arr. John Berry
Milestones – Miles Davis, arr. John Berry
New Orleans Favorites, arr. Chris Sharp
St. James Infirmary– Don Redman
Tiger Rag – Nick LaRocca
Bill Bailey – Hughie Cannon
FVSO String Ensemble, led by Gail Reynolds, is the core of FVSO. Gail is principal viola of FVSO. During her career as a music educator, she has led the string program in Glastonbury, CT. and served as District String Coordinator for the Wallingford Public Schools. She has served as an adjudicator and guest conductor for many regional festival orchestras and has been a member of MENC, ASTA, NEMFA and the FVSO Board of Directors.
Resonant Winds is a collective of local professional musicians dedicated to exploring the vast repertoire of woodwind quintet music. A successor group to “Tropical Winds” — a woodwind quintet founded by Peggy Hartman in South Florida — Resonant Winds have performed concerts throughout CT in local libraries, churches, and for various social functions.
Synergismus is the premier violin-cello duo of Southern Connecticut. Its members, Millie and Randy Calistri-Yeh, live in Killingworth CT and have been playing together for over 30 years in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Synergismus offers an intriguing mix of classical and popular music, many of which are our own original duet arrangements.
The FVSO Jazz Combo was formed by Bob Abraham, with members of FVSO in the spring of 2024, for inclusion at FVSO’s June outdoor concert. Initially envisioned as an interlude program during intermission, the combo returned in June 2025 as an integral part of the program. Many of the musicians are long-time members of the orchestra, and enjoy exploring programming beyond the symphonic repertoire.