Catskill Symphony Orchestra ‘Le Cabaret’: Another One for the Books

brings!” Micucci added.

By IAN KENYON ONEONTA

Atriumph!” noted Catskill Symphony Orchestra Chair Sarah Patterson, when asked about the 2023 “Le Cabaret” fundraiser at SUNY Oneonta on March 25. The annual event, the second hosted following a pandemic pause in 2020, convened several hundred concertgoers in the Dewar Arena—transformed into a tasteful concert hall, embellished in the CSO’s purple and gold color scheme.

This year’s benefit— emceed by Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek—highlighted the work and mission of the CSO, honored longtime CSO supporter and community member Wendy Brown, included a guest performance from the Brooklyn-based Jeremy Pelt Quartet, and featured the annual Guest Conductor contest, under the direction of Maestro Maciej Żółtowski.

Pelt, recognized as one of jazz’s preeminent young trumpeters, delighted concertgoers with his own adaptation of classic numbers including “For Whom I Love So Much,” “Slow Hot Wind,” and “Blues in Sophistication” among selections from his recent album, “Close to My Heart.” Pelt forged his musical approach through his own journey as a musician, with collaborations including a number of well-known masters, from Ravi Coltrane, Frank Foster, Vincent Herring, Charli Persip, Bobby Short, Nancy Wilson and The Skatalites, to name a few.

One of the evening’s several high points was the annual Guest Conductor competition, a CSO tradition for years. Three newlyinvited contestants took to the stage for their moment to convince concertgoers to vote for them as Guest Conductor and the opportunity to lead the final piece of the evening, John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” This year, the contenders were noted community members Dan Buttermann, Greater Oneonta Historical Society Executive Director Dr. Marcela Micucci and Oneonta St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Reverend Chris Welch. The Guest Conductor race was highly competitive. Appeals to concertgoers began with Buttermann’s nod to the region’s nonprofit gems and their impact on community members—with impressive performances from his daughters, Malena the dancer, 13, Layla the gymnast, 11, and Nadia the vocalist, 8, and recognition of his wife and CSO musician, Dr. Ana Laura González. The audience then indulged in Micucci’s most rousing rendition of “All that Jazz” from the Broadway musical “Chicago.” Finally, with humor in mind, Welch delivered a personally-composed skit showcasing his bespoke talents as a wordsmith and a lack of inhibition to don what was undoubtedly the most noteworthy attire of the evening.

Each Guest Conductor had to craft their own appeal ahead of the fundraiser and over the years no three approaches have been alike. Buttermann, ultimately voted the winner and leading the evening’s final performance, expanded on his strategy.

“This audience, in addition to supporting the CSO, also supports other organizations and activities that promote the arts, like the Decker School of Ballet, Glimmerglass Festival, and the YMCA, so I thought it would be good to show the audience how important it is to continue that support and to show what their support means to families like mine.

I emphasized that supporting the CSO is good for the community, and not just on the CSO stage—its partnerships and connections with other organizations are immeasurably valuable to the richness of this community,” Buttermann explained.

“I was beyond honored to join in and even a little nervous. The competition is for such a good cause and I was happy to do it. I had such a great time, the competition was exciting and I can’t wait to see what next year

Patterson noted, “It was an absolutely phenomenal evening, a true feeling of family filling the room and one of the most successful fundraising events in Le Cabaret’s run over the years.”

An announcement at the end of the evening revealed that the event had raised nearly $44,000.00 for the CSO.

Patterson, together with CSO Executive Director Ryan West Geraghty, also previewed concertgoers on the final concert of the organization’s 69th season, “Music from the Silver Screen.” The May 13 concert will feature a unique collaboration between the CSO and the Catskill Choral Society, with selections from Hollywood classics including “Ben Hur,” “The Mission,” “Da Vinci Code,” “Star Wars” and “Saving Private Ryan.” The final concert of the season will also be the last CSO concert under the musical directorship of Maciej Żółtowski, as the organization prepares to announce a new direction and approach in line with the expiration of Żółtowski’s contract.

“We’re absolutely grateful for the degree of talent and the many beautiful, musical moments Maestro Żółtowski has brought to us over the years and we wish him the best. The more music, the better!” noted CSO Board Member Wendy Hunt. While the 2023-2024 CSO season—the organization’s 70th—has not yet been formally announced, concertgoers were teased that a full season will be unveiled at the May 13 concert. The next season, to be led by interim Music Director Glen Cortese, will bring to Oneonta a mixture of new faces and legacy tributes to the CSO throughout the banner year, with slated concerts including “Heroes and Legends,” “Musical Portraits,” and a powerful program in store for Le Cabaret 2024: “The Golden Age of Broadway.” Cortese is no stranger to the Upstate New York classical music scene, as artistic director to the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra and the Western New York Chamber Orchestra.

At the end of the evening, it was evident throughout the Dewar Arena that Le Cabaret

Palm Sunday, April 2, 9:15 am: Worship in the Sanctuary

Maundy Thursday, Thursday April 6, 6 pm- Worship, share a simple meal, and join in Holy Communion

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The Results Are in

As many of our readers are aware, we recently sent out a survey in an effort to get a better sense of what readers are thinking as we prepare to launch a new—and much improved—website. We were pleasantly surprised to have heard from more than 200 respondents, the vast majority of which were quite enthusiastic about recent improvements in our print and digital publications, and also expressed a true and invigorating interest in our efforts going forward.

As expected, our readers are older, and perhaps wiser, than the general demographic; nearly half (47%) are 65 years old and above, with another 27% between the ages of 55 and 64. Twenty-two percent of respondents are aged 35-54, and 5% are between the ages of 18 and 34. it is a well-educated group, with 43% having obtained Master’s or Doctorate degrees and 34% a Bachelor’s degree. Nineteen percent have some college and/or professional qualifications, while 4% have no post-secondary experience.

Not surprisingly, 74% of respondents are full-time Otsego County residents but include former residents (10%), part-time residents (7%) and regular visitors (4%). Sixty-four percent read our print editions (78% each week and 22% occasionally); 86% visit our AllOtsego.com website. Forty-two percent receive the editions by mail; 25% pick them up at our retail locations. Fiftyone percent visited the website on a daily basis, with 10% visiting several times a day and 32% once or twice a week. Twenty-six percent of website visitors “often” read entire articles; 33% do so “occasionally;” 28% “skim” articles and 13% browse headlines without clicking through to the story itself.

Respondents overwhelmingly seek to access news; 98% seek out news daily, and 75% check for news “several times per day.” Local news topped their interest (79%) along with regional news (62%) and national news (74%). Somewhat less popular with respondents were international news (42%), health and education news (31%), arts and culture news (30%) and political news (26%).

When asked where they access news, a majority of respondents cited newspaper websites (62%) and print newspapers (51%) as their primary source. Less utilized sources included network news (47%), 24-hour news channels (38%), radio (35%) and that notoriously questionable news source, social media (32%).

When asked what their primary sources for local news and information were, 85% cited local newspapers and their websites; an additional 15% accessed local news through the Facebook postings of the local papers.

in terms of what is of most interest to respondents either in print or online, local news tops the list at 87% followed by obituaries (59%), people and human-interest stories (52%), Editorials (45%), Letters to the Editor (42%), event listings (41%) and columns (36%). Only 4% tackle the weekly crossword puzzle. Asked what type of articles they’d like to see more of, respondents cited arts (39%), business (28%), photography (14%) and sports (14%).

When asked whether they had a paid subscription to either the print or digital editions, 60% of respondents said they do not, while 40% said they subscribe to one or the other, of which 14% subscribe to both. Oddly, when the whole group was asked if they would recommend a subscription to others, a full 94% said that yes, they would.

Those who do subscribe tend to be faithful; 18% have held their subscriptions for 20 years or longer, with 13% subscribing for 11-20 years, 15% for six to 10 years, 40% for two to five years and 14% with new subscriptions of a year or less.

These results have been extremely helpful in our drive to improve our relevance in the community and in constructing our new website, and we most sincerely thank all respondents for their engagement and insightful comments. it really does take a village to make a local newspaper a meaningful community resource, and as we continue our efforts at improvement we are eternally grateful to know that so many have our future success at heart.

Letters To The Editor Policy

“The Freeman’s Journal” welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper. They must include the writer’s name, address, e-mail and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own. Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. The length must be no more than 250 words. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.

Reminder To Bassett: ‘Do No Harm’

i’m a long-time area resident and, for the past two-plus years, a FoxCare Fitness member. FF is a unique, thriving presence in area healthcare and well-being.

“Do no harm” has been a foundational concept of healthcare for 2,500 years, and i’m confident it underlies Bassett’s mission. Closing or otherwise compromising FF will clearly do harm to hundreds of people—people who, like me, are not only more healthy owing to their membership but also have realized and actualized the agency we all have in maintaining our health. Shouldn’t that also be a foundational concept of healthcare?

Closure would, in fact, be a retreat toward reactive rather than proactive medicine, a 19th-century model and presumably not a desirable aspect of Bassett’s teaching mission. i’d like to think that only an outside consulting firm might see closure as a productive move for Bassett.

The fitness industry is projected to grow by more than 30 percent annually throughout this decade, generating hundreds of billions in revenue nationally fueled largely by the 20-45 age bracket local government claims they want to attract. Multiple sources list poor marketing and poorly trained staff as the biggest obstacles to the success of fitness facilities. FF has an excellent, experienced, proactive, and friendly staff—and no marketing plan that i’m aware of. With proper marketing, from both Bassett and the Chamber of Commerce, FF should be a money-maker for Bassett, in addition to furthering their mission and providing a vital service to this community.

Ben Aldridge Oneonta

Cannabis Tax Revenue Crossroads Solution

To borrow a headline from a recent news report, we here in rural Otsego County are indeed “at the crossroads,” with a growing shortfall in emergency medical services across our county and the reported decline in volunteer EMS workers. New York State itself is at the crossroads and state government must be urged to seize the opportunity to apply cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed, as has been done in other states where recreational cannabis is now legal. in states across our nation, cannabis tax revenues have reached a high of more than $3 billion in one year. in many states these tax windfalls are being applied to fire districts, public safety, health professions, police and public service, and veterans’ programs, in addition to the disbursement of cannabis sales tax revenues to county, city, and town governments.

exercise program and a cup of coffee with your workout buddies—really?

The cardio/pulmonary and physical rehab centers are already in place and will continue to run. No problem— there are insurance codes and money for it. Building community at its deepest level? investing in wellness, not illness? No insurance code for that.

Keeping the FoxCare center open is not in line with Bassett’s mission statement? How can that be? “Bassett’s mission is improving the health of our patients and the well-being of our communities.”

Closing the fitness center feels like a slap down to those who work hard to stay well and prevent illness. Will the FoxCare Fitness center be chalked up as yet another COViD fatality? Looks like it.

The threads of marketing, mission and money are clear. FoxCare Fitness is not broken. Bassett’s decisionmaking process could use some medical attention. Perhaps there’s a holistic doctor in the house?

Diane Gallo Gilbertsville

Trump May Prevail In Spite of Charges

Donald J. Trump’s indictment and possible conviction and imprisonment in New York—as well as possible future federal or other state indictments, convictions and imprisonments for violations of the criminal statutes of those jurisdictions—will not prevent him from running for president in 2024 even while incarcerated. There is precedent in our history for just that circumstance.

in the election of 1920, Eugene V. Debs, a perennial presidential candidate, was in prison for sedition. He remained on the Socialist Party ballot and received 3.4 percent of the popular vote for president. Mr. Trump’s supporters, therefore, should not fret. if he continues to run, they will be able to vote for him whether he is in prison or not. They, and all other Americans, should stand by and let the legal process in all jurisdictions run its course. Who can say? Trump may ultimately be found not guilty on all counts in all jurisdictions.

John A. Rudy Cooperstown

Cutting of Trees Was ‘Ugly Thing to Do’

To Oberacker: Please Oppose Bus Mandate

i am a long-time member of the Cooperstown Central School Board of Education but writing this letter as an individual. Please reconsider the mandate for electric school buses placed on public schools. it imposes an impossible burden on annual operating finance, transportation management and long-term debt to taxpayers. it is detrimental to classroom education in the threat it poses of losses to staffing and programs from the inordinate increase to yearly bus and related costs. Spending constraints for rural schools are already harming staff and program viability from existing state regulations and the 2 percent tax-cap.

it can be concluded that this mandate was drawn with little or no input from public school business and administrative professionals as follows:

(1) Bus purchases can only be made, per New York state regulations, as an annual operating expense and the difference in cost of each EV bus is more than $200,000.00 higher than the present cost of a diesel bus, creating an annual budget and tax increase to exceed the 2 percent cap for just two of Cooperstown’s 19-bus fleet;

(2) What is your estimate and plan to pay for (other than local school taxes) the total increase for replacing all public school buses?

(3) Schools have round-trip sports runs that exceed the battery capacity of an EV school bus;

(4) Charging stations do not exist in every school and neither does full debt-free financing to construct them; additionally, there are specific charging specifications and devices have not been standardized for all EV makers;

(5) it is unknown if the state has (or will have) enough power production to enable all the buses in our 700 districts to charge simultaneously.

Then, in addition to these immediate obstacles to New York schools, the following bigger-picture unanswerables remain:

1) How will the future power demand be met when planned mandates of EV cars and commercial vehicles, homes, appliances, and businesses are put in effect, and;

2) When/how will nationwide manufacturing capacity, new power generation, and power distribution for any/all of these ambitions (even for New York alone) be attained?

Maureen Culbert, Richard deRosa, Caspar Ewig, Daniel Francis, ian Kenyon, Joel J. Plue, Tom Shelby, Dr. Richard Sternberg, Dan Sullivan, T. Stephen Wager, Teresa Winchester, Jamie Zvirzdin

Web Architect ivan Potocnik Historian Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Legal Counsel Jill Ann Poulson

Editorial Board

Tara Barnwell, Faith Gay, Michael Moffat, Elinor Vincent, Darla M. Youngs

We urge Otsego County residents to support the initiative to bring about the application of cannabis tax revenues where it is most needed: rural emergency medical services. Please contact your county representative and County Board Chair David Bliss, urging them to petition the state for such revenues. Also, please write state Assemblyman Angelino, state Senator Oberacker, Congressman Molinaro, and U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand asking for same. it will take many voices raised in unison to bring about this beneficial application of cannabis tax revenues.

Maureen Dill Morris

Will FoxCare Fitness Be a COVID Fatality?

Several months ago, i began taking weekly strength-building sessions with a FoxCare Fitness trainer. He’s so professional and so good and i saw results quickly. i immediately understood how the fitness center benefits the Oneonta community.

Seniors meet there to exercise, keep fit, and also create the connections that combat loneliness and depression— serious medical and mental health issues. The one place you can have an

A stately row of shade trees was cut down on the Leatherstocking Golf Course at the entrance to the Cooperstown Country Club. The trunks look sound, but the reason given was that the trees were “sick” and that one of the trees had shed a limb recently. All of the trees were removed based on the assumption that they were all dying and presented a hazard. Maybe so. Or maybe not. Some tree species, including these trees, shed limbs as a natural survival mechanism. By shedding limbs, they are trying to live. if that was the case, then cutting them down was an ugly thing to do. if they were stressed, they should have been pruned, not removed.

Chip Northrup Cooperstown

in summary, where are the shortand long-term financial plans to initiate and sustain this grand vision, and why does it fall so severely on public schools whose taxpayers are already over-burdened by everincreasing state regulations?

This mandate meets no educational goal for students. Neither is it a strategy or plan, but is a visible guarantee of financial chaos and crippling of public education. Please share these easy-tounderstand obstacles with other legislators and correct your miscalculation with erasure of this impossible imposition on local public education. it will be far more sensible to begin with a statewide infrastructure initiative necessary to carry out a large-scale reduced emissions goal by proposing statewide voter proposition/s.

Anthony Scalici Cooperstown

Zebra Mussel Control May Be Possible

Chip Northrup stated that there is no way to control zebra mussels infesting Otsego Lake. Yes, there is, but the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will not allow the introduction of predatory species. Their reasoning is they consider the introduction of other species as being invasive. Take for example the drum fish, which feeds on zebra mussels. The drum fish is good to eat and is prized by sport fishermen. Also, the shellcracker bluegill, found in southern lakes, may be adaptable to Otsego Lake. Perhaps freshwater clams, which are filter feeders, are viable as well?

Gerry Welch Cooperstown

210 Years Ago

The lyrics to a song sung by American sailors titled “Constitution lane”—“Yankee sailors have a knack, Haul away! Yeo ho boys! Of pulling down a British Jack, ‘Gainst any odds, you know, boys. Come three to one, right sure am i, if we can’t beat them, still we’ll try, To make Columbia’s colors fly, Haul away! Yeo ho, boys! Yankee sailors, when at sea, Haul away! Yeo ho, boys! pipe all hands with merry glee, While aloft hey go, boys! And, when with pretty girls on shore, Their cash is gone, and not before, They wisely go to sea for more, Haul away! Yeo ho boys! Yankee sailors love their soil, Haul away! Yeo ho, boys! And for glory ne’er spare toil, But flog its foes, you know boys! Then while its standard owns a rag, The world combined shall never brag, They made us strike the Yankee flag, Haul away! Yeo ho, boys!” April 3, 1813

185 Years Ago

large pig – Mr. Uri Jackson of Butternuts, killed a pig on the 3rd of January last, one year and nine months old, which weighed when dressed, 530 pounds, and produced 60 pounds of tried lard. The pig was fattened only three months.

Mssrs. l. & N. Deming of Edmeston have a four-year-old Devonshire Cow which this spring produced a calf weighing, when 12 hours old, 117 pounds. Edmeston, March 8, 1838. April 2, 1838

160 Years Ago

Judge Nelson is soon to break ground on the lot on the corner of Main and Chestnut streets, for the erection thereon of two three-story brick stores which will be completed during the approaching summer. The Mssrs. Cory are to remodel their stone store, which will be enlarged and modernized. The front will be of brick. About every available place of business in the village is now occupied, and perhaps a few more stores could be rented without leaving others tenantless; still, trade cannot be increased beyond a certain point; some think it has nearly reached its limit, unless manufacturing be introduced – and it remains with those owning available land to determine where it shall be done. location on a business street of but two squares is not of so much importance as convenient accommodations and limited fire risk.

April 3, 1863

135 Years Ago

Beer is retailed, especially in the country, at too high a price— five cents for a small glass, or ten cents for a little less than a pint; about $25 a barrel. if reduced to six cents a pint, it would be about $15 a barrel—a sum large enough to give an ample profit to both the brewer and the dealer. if the beer drinkers would “strike” for that price, doubtless they would effect the change. There are a great many laboring men who buy a pint of beer a day on average; and a difference of four cents is a matter of about $14 a year to them, enough to buy a common suit of clothes.

April 6, 1888

85 Years Ago

The sportsmen of New York are financing the purchase of hundreds of miles of streams in order that permanent public fishing rights may be preserved, says C. Monroe Dailey, secretary of the New York State Conservation Council. The money is coming from the Conservation Fund, into which go all of the license fees paid by the anglers and hunters of the state. in the past two years, $150,000 has been appropriated and largely spent on this project, with the result that more than 400 miles of stream fishing rights have been acquired. With an increasing population, the advent of the automobile and a greater interest in recreation, the problem of preserving the traditional American system of free public hunting and fishing becomes yearly more difficult.

April 6, 1938

35 Years Ago

With the approval of a $47,000 matching grant the Higgins Cottage will be relocated from 131 lake Street to 31 Chestnut Street to serve as a tourist information center and headquarters for the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. The Higgins Cottage was rescued from demolition in April 1986 when the village board acted to preserve the structure after the leatherstocking Corporation proposed to demolish it. The Higgins Cottage is one of two remaining structures in Otsego County which were used as tenant buildings for farm laborers.

April 6, 1988