A group of singers and instrumentalists have been entertaining seniors during the holiday season. The group performs from The Great American Songbook, with all donations going toward student scholarships for the B Sharp Musical Club.

Organizer and singer Peter Costianes coordinates all the appearances among a variety of residential facilities, mostly in the Utica/New Hartford area. “We’ve done this for years with a number of fine local vocalists and accompanying instrumental musicians who love performing for elder audiences because of their appreciation,” Costianes said. He has been a local theater director and performer for many years.

Also featured among the group of seasoned musicians are vocalists Gail Brett and Ted Lenio, pianist Jo Ann Geller, and tenor saxophonist Pete Ruben.

Brett chairs the committee for the Park Coffee House, a live music venue in Holland Patent and performs with the trio Wildflower and Above Standard. “I love singing from the rich history of musicals and having so much fun with our sharp and engaged elder audiences,” she noted.

Lenio, who has been a singer with John Denver and choral director in the U.S. and abroad, as well as a TV and radio host in Aspen, claims he is more entertained and inspired than the group’s audiences. “The power of music to awaken memories is palpable, and there’s nothing more inspiring than watching nonagenarians beautifully sing along with our classic songs, without looking at any music!” he remarked.

The trio’s renditions are brought to life with live instrumental accompaniment. Geller, a graduate of Philadelphia’s Conservatory of Music and the University of Pennsylvania, thinks it is the spontaneity of interaction that makes the magic happen. “Even though we rehearse our music thoroughly, making notes and interpretive adjustments to the written music, something special always seems to happen when you make live music,” she stated.

Ruben, a graduate of the Naval School of Music in Washington, DC, and performer in Orleans, France, as well as a veteran of the Sal Alberico Big Band, feels that you can’t go wrong when rendering the greatest pop, jazz, film, and musical theater repertoire of all time.

“Playing along with these classics and having the chance to improvise something fresh in each measure is a real privilege,” he commented. 

The B Sharp Musical Club is a 114-year-old, non-profit organization which supports music and the arts in the Mohawk Valley community. It presents free concerts and musical outreach throughout the year and awards competitive scholarships to talented young musicians. For more information or to make a booking contact petercostianes@gmail.com