Our opening concert, “Blue October” combines some very new music written by Cape Cod composer Michael Donovan with some venerable works that form the basis of the symphonic band repertoire. Pianist Susan Saposnik will perform Donovan’s “Blue Rhapsody”, a work that alludes to Gershwin with various samples of the blues throughout. Eric Whitacre’s masterpiece “October” follows as we all reflect on the beauty that surrounds us in these autumn days. The concert concludes with a somber and serene bluesy statement evolving into a pressure cooker of ebullient screaming blues that is Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades.”

Susan Saposnik moved to Cape Cod after 33 years teaching middle school music in New Jersey. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music and Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Connecticut and a Masters of Fine Arts in Piano Performance from Montclair State University. She is the seasonal organist for summer services at Union Chapel in Hyannis Port, a school and Church accompanist and plays the French Horn in the Cape Cod Concert Band and Cape Community Orchestra. An accomplished pianist, Susan has been the performance pianist for the Falmouth Theatre Guild, Monomoy High School, Cotuit Center for the Arts and the audition pianist for Cape Playhouse in Dennis.
In 2018, Susan accompanied Broadway performer, Dodie Pettit at a fundraiser for the Kara Kennedy Foundation and the following year, Susan accompanied Soprano, Larisa Martinez and Violinist, Joshua Bell at a private fundraiser for AOK Arts. Susan lives on Cape Cod with her husband, Stuart and Old English Sheepdog, Sydney.