John W. Sears Memorial Service on Thursday, December 18th

We are saddened by the loss John Sears, who was the Managing Director of the Board of Trustees for Christ's Church Longwood, our home performance venue. Mr. Sears believed in us, attended a good number of our performances and became our first ever donor. Thank you and you will be dearly missed.

On Thursday, December 18th, we will be performing at John W. Sears' Memorial Service at Christ's Church Longwood in Brookline. We look forward to paying tribute to a dear friend of Fusion String Ensemble. This event is open to the public.

Read his legacy here from Bostonherald.com: http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/obituaries/2014/11/john_w_sears_83_of_boston_politician_trustee_lawyer

Fusion String Ensemble performs at the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA) Holiday Gala on Thursday, December 4 2015

We are looking forward to performing classical and pop hits at the 14th Annual BIMA Holiday Gala on December 4th. Some of the auction proceeds from this event will benefit Birthday Wishes which provides birthday parties for children who are homeless.

Abe Dewing, violin
Jennifer Lyons, violin
Kim Etingoff, viola
Nate Haggett, bass

Fusion Founder featured in Strings Magazine: December 2014

See the full article here: http://www.allthingsstrings.com/Gear/MORE/Tis-the-Season-for-Mahler-Sentimental-Memories

Favorite Gift

Vice president of marketing at Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and Fusion String founder, violinist Abe Dewing recalls receiving an instrument as a favorite gift. “My violin was a gift purchased during my sophomore year in high school and paid for by my grandmother. I had just completed my first season in repertory of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Each year we had to re-audition, so I was really nervous. I made friends whom I really connected with, so I looked forward to another season of playing with them. For added pressure, my parents had a musical plan for me when I joined BYSO: spend two years in repertory and two years in senior orchestra during high school. My memory of the audition was nonexistent. “Mail day came, I remembered opening a thick envelope, which was usually good news back then, and saw I had been accepted for the new season. I jumped for joy and read on about a tour that summer. I thought to myself, wait repertory is going to tour? Only the senior orchestra tours. My a-ma (grandmother in Taiwanese) was so proud of me that she set aside $1,000 to pick out my very own violin and bow. This signified my first real commitment in something I would enjoy in life, whether if it was professional or not. My a-ma recognized that and showed her support by allowing me to own my violin. To this day, I use it forpracticing, rehearsals, and concerts. My violin has traveled with me to five different countries on two continents. It hasn’t changed much in these years but how much I appreciate it has. Thank you, a-ma!”

Wish List
Dewing is hoping to receive a viola this year. “The tone of this instrument is so rich, like sweet molasses. My connection to it has grown over the years. It would be great to own a viola. Each time I play, it would quickly remind me how much music has influenced my life and my family in more ways than I ever would have imagined,” says Dewing, who created a chamber group just to get to know his now-wife better (he boldly volunteered to play viola, when he never had before).

Supporters

Jane Chen
John W. Sears

MEDITATING MOZART AND THE CHRYSANTHEMUM GOLDFINCH Digital Concert Program

Fusion String Ensemble

Kadar Qian, Music Director

presents:

MEDITATING MOZART AND THE CHRYSANTHEMUM GOLDFINCH

UnityBoston (formerly Christ Church Unity)

70 Colchester Street

Brookline, Massachusetts 02446

Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 8:05 PM
Suggested Donation of $8

CONCERT PROGRAM

Meditation from Thais by Jules Massenet

Janet Martins, violin

Concerto in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3, "Il Gardellino (The Goldfinch)" (RV 428) for Flute and Strings by Antonio Vivaldi

Allison Lacasse, flute

Crisantemi, Elegy for Strings by Giacomo Puccini

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I. Allegro 

Kadar Qian, piano

FUSION STRING ENSEMBLE IS:

First Violins

Janet Martins, concertmaster

Jane Esterquest

Flora Lee

Second Violins

Miriam Raffeld

Abe Dewing

Molly Shira
Jeff Bezanson

Viola

Kim Etingoff

Sarah Izen
Erika Shira

Cello

Amy Nolan

Kevin Hedrick

Katherine Miller

Bass

Nate Haggett

Flute

Allison Lacasse

Percussion
Doug Jacobs

Music Director, Conductor, Piano
Kadar Qian

SPECIAL THANKS 

Ashley Sullivan, Craig & Kyle Dewing, Mom & Dad, Jane Chen, Kadar Qian, Rev. Evrol Officer, Fritz Winegardner, UnityBoston, the fabulous soloists and our wonderful audience!

Janet Martins, Violin

JANET MARTINS

Following the lead of her two older siblings, Janet began playing the violin at the age of 5. Currently a software programmer by profession, she is still an active musician in the community. The list of orchestras she's played with include the NH All-State Orchestra, Tufts Symphony Orchestra, Cambridge Symphony, and the Melrose Symphony Orchestra. An avid lover of chamber music, she has performed with the Tufts chamber players, Lexington Music Club, CSO Chamber Players, Fusion String Ensemble, and the Brockton Symphony Chamber Players. She also serves as a music minister at the Paulist Center in Boston. She currently studies violin with Zoia Bologovsky.

Allison Lacasse, Flute

ALLISON LACASSE

Allison Lacasse has been a music teacher in the Chelmsford Public Schools for five years. She maintains an active flute studio of over a dozen young flutists and continues to advocate for new student ensembles and performing opportunities. Recently, her teaching career has brought her to the Peabody Conservatory, where she was invited to be a guest lecturer for a music education course.

Allison is an active orchestral flutist and chamber musician in the Greater Boston area. She has performed on flute and piccolo for a number of local orchestras, including the Boston Civic Symphony, North Shore Philharmonic, Arlington Philharmonic, Fall River Symphony, Newton Symphony, New Hampshire Philharmonic, Lowell House Opera Company, Brockton Symphony, and the South County Chamber Orchestra. She has performed in notable performance halls such as Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall. Her chamber ensemble participation include concerts with the Fusion String Ensemble, the New York University Summer Chamber Music Institute in 2010, and the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival at Juilliard in the summer of 2012. 

Allison received Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Performance from the University of Rhode Island (2007) and a Master of Education degree from Cambridge College (2009).

Founder Abe Dewing featured in an article in Strings Magazine

Founder Abe Dewing shares memorabilia he keeps in his violin case in the January 2014 (No.225) issue of Strings Magazine.