Amherst Chamber Ensembles

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Amherst Chamber Ensembles

Sharing chamber music of all styles in Western New York since 1995

09/03/2026

Join ACE for our first Orchestra Concert of the Season on October 18, 2026 featuring Guest Flute Soloist, Gina Izzo, a Williamsville native who will be performing the beautiful French work by Cecile Chaminade, Concertino for Flute and Orchestra. Gina is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. Based in New York City, she is equally accomplished as an Orchestral Flutist, Recitalist, and as a performing artist in Contemporary, Jazz and Electronic Flute. Gina has also studied with Ms. Carol Wincenc, the guest artist for upcoming ACE's September 13, 2026 Chamber concert.

Recipient of the 2023 Artistic Projects Grantee from Chamber Music America, 2023 Innova Recordings Spring National Call Awardee, and named one of "2021 Women to Watch" by BuzzFeed, Gina Izzo’s accolades underscore her impact in the music world. She was a Finalist for the SAVVY Chamber Competition presented by Southern Exposure, and received the 2016 New Music USA Impact Award. Izzo also earned recognition as a 2015 New Music USA Project Grant recipient and as a 2015 Semifinalist for the Concert Artists Guild.

More on Gina here:
https://www.ginaizzo.com/

What an amazing start to our concert season, We cannot wait to see you there.

08/25/2026

Thank you to everyone who was part of the concert this past Sunday at St. Stanislaus RC church. Special thanks to our music director Dr. Tom Witakowski for planning the All-Polish Composers Concert at a beautiful historic venue.

08/24/2026

ACE's first chamber concert for the 2026-27 season "Homecoming for Flutes" promises to be very special, featuring internationally known flutist and Juilliard professor Carol Wincenc, principal flutist of the BPO Christine Bailey Davis, and three of their former students.

More on Ms. Wincenc here:
https://www.juilliard.edu/music/faculty/wincenc-carol

More on Ms. Bailey here:
https://bpo.org/staff-members/christine-bailey-davis/

We look forward to seeing you there!

08/14/2026

Check us out in action as we rehearse for the upcoming All-Polish Composers Concert on Sunday August 23. We look forward to seeing you soon.

08/05/2026

Our 2026-27 season is now posted. Very excited for the music!🥳

07/17/2026

This week we are featuring Yvonne Verplanke from our cello section. Yvonne has played with Amherst Chamber Ensembles for 14 years since 2012 and is also on the Board as the Publicity Chair.

1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up on Longview Island, New York and came up to Western New York for college. Growing up on Long Island allowed us to go into NYC to Carnegie Hall to hear Leonard Rose and to Lincoln Center. I went to SUC Fredonia for Music Education.

2. How did you choose your instrument? Who helped you?
I started cello in 3rd grade in school and private lessons in 4th grade with Aaron Shapinsky (he was a cellist at the NYC ballet). My Dad was the person who suggested the cello for me.
I played in several community orchestras when I was in high school.

3. Who is your favorite composer?
My favorite composers are Mendelssohn , Dvorak and Mendelssohn. Dvorak’s cello concerto is my favorite and I like Mendelssohn and Smetana’s music

4. What do you do (or did) for a living?
I taught Strings in the public schools for 36 years.

5. What do you enjoy about playing in ACE?
I enjoy all the different chamber orchestra literature. Dr. Witakowski chooses music I have never played . Each rehearsal I learn more about music and how to improve my playing.

07/10/2026

Animals love a good violin concerto as well!

07/06/2026

Dan RiceMiller is the musician we are featuring this week. Dan is our current ACE board member and plays the trumpet with ACE.

1. Where did you grow up?
Plainfield Vermont, a small town outside of Montpelier

2. How did you choose your instrument? Who helped you?
I do not remember how I chose the trumpet initially, but I took a long hiatus (25+years) from it after my 1st year of music school. What drew me back was the feeling that I had more to say through the instrument. I am in the process of relearning, refining skills and exploring my voice through the trumpet.

3. Who is your favorite composer?
I always thought it was Dvorák because I loved playing his music in orchestra during my youth. Now, I have grown fond of Vaughan Williams after playing his Norfolk Rhapsody recently. There is something special in the way he captures the feel of the natural world and translates it musically.

4. What do you do (or did) for a living?
I work as a speech-language therapist in the Buffalo Public Schools.

5. What do you enjoy about playing in ACE?
-The unity I feel when creating with such an amazing group of musicians. It is like a flock of birds moving as one.
-The inspiration, as well as technical/experiential knowledge, that I gain from sitting next to our principal trumpeter Fred.
-Tom as our conductor. He always surprises me with his depth of musical awareness, background knowledge and ability to extract the best from the orchestra.

06/22/2026

Have you ever wanted to know more about our ACE musicians? Starting this week, we will be featuring a musician with a series of interview questions. Leslie Bahler is our section violist.

1. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Annapolis MD and grew up outside of Philadelphia PA.

2. How did you choose your instrument? Who helped you?
My mother, a community cellist, put me on the viola in fourth grade. She thought viola would be a good social way to make friends.

3. Who is your favorite composer?
Always Brahms

4. What do you do (or did) for a living?
I have been a professional musician my entire adult life.
I was a member of the Richmond Symphony, Wheeling WV Symphony. Florida Philharmonic, Palm Beach Symphony, Ars Nova and played as an extra with the Buffalo Philharmonic for several years.

5. What do you enjoy about playing in ACE?
I enjoy my friends in ACE, the music we get to play, our conductor and that where we play is only five miles from home.

06/15/2026

The Polish Arts Club of Buffalo and the Aleksander and Walentyna Janta-Polczynski Endowment cordially invite you to a special All Polish Composers Concert on Sunday August 23 at 2.30pm, performed by Amherst Chamber Ensembles.

We are very honored and excited to be playing at this concert. Music program forthcoming!

Address

711 Niagara Falls Boulevard
Amherst, NY
14223

Website

http://acemusic95.org/

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