NORWICH – The Chenango County Council of the Arts has announced the line up for its 2009/10 “People’s Choice” Performing Arts Series and Chamber Music Series. Patrons during the 08/09 series were invited to vote for their favorite performers from the last nine nine years and the result is a five-show series that represents the best of the best in performing arts.

The 2009/10 Performing Arts Series includes:

The Piano Men II

Oct. 2, 7 p.m.

“The Piano Men II” starts off where “The Piano Men” ended... stuck in the 70s!  Join Jim Witter on grand piano and lead vocals, and his incredible band, on a journey through the 70s and into the 80s! With all new visuals and new songs from Billy Joel and Elton John, “The Piano Men II” is the perfect sequel to “The Piano Men.”  With incredible timeless hits, you will be taken back visually as the news headlines, people, fashion, cars, TV and movies and pop culture memorabilia are displayed on a giant rear screen. Join us for a remarkable evening of nostalgia!

Barrage – Animado!

Nov. 14, 7 p.m.

A high octane fiddle fest that features an international, multi-talented cast performing an eclectic mix of music, song and dance. Barrage has entertained millions of people around the globe with fans in Europe, Asia, the South Pacific and North America. Barrage’s new show “Animado!” offers up a diverse fusion of cultures, musical styles, and incredible performance vitality. “Animado!” pulls its influences from the music and dance styles of “Old World” Europe. Spanish, Celtic, Italian, French, Ukrainian, Russian and Norwegian are the ingredients for “Animado!”- which means lively in Spanish. The young, hip cast delivers the show with amazing energy and musical virtuosity that will take your breath away. Sponsored by NBT Bank.

Moscow Boys Choir

Dec. 2, 7 p.m.

The Moscow Boys Choir is a careful blending of heavenly soprano voices with the rich resonance of bass, tenor and baritone sound that brings a distinct Russian flavor to the choral experience. Founded in 1957, this choral ensemble is among Russia’s most prestigious all-boy choirs. The powerful performance of this Choir consists of seasonal music from around the world including Russia, Europe, the Americas and more. The Choir showcases many beloved Christmas Classics as well as new and vibrant pieces, many sung in their language of origin. Sponsored by The Mid-York Press.

DRUID

Featuring The Three Irish Tenors

March 4, 7 p.m.

DRUID vibrantly captures the essence of the modern Irish spirit. Through the years, Ireland’s people have spread their wings far beyond their island shores, influencing, enrapturing, and changing countless individuals and societies across the globe. DRUID is a salute to their Irishness and to all who have kept this core and substance alive wherever they may dwell. The performers in DRUID each possess an exceptional talent, ranging in scope from Irish traditional to ballad to pop to classical. Brought together, they form a cohesive musical and vocal unit that is mesmerizing and uplifting, a unique concert experience that is as much Irish as it is Global.

Tom Chapin & Friends

May 7, 7 p.m.

Tom Chapin’s music spans styles and generations.  For more than thirty years and through twenty compact discs, Tom has entertained, amused and enlightened audiences of all ages with life-affirming original songs told in a sophisticated array of musical styles.  Tom’s remarkable musicianship, great songwriting and personal warmth shine through whether he’s performing in a concert hall, an outdoor festival, a school, in front of a symphony orchestra or in an intimate coffeehouse. Join us for an engaging, entertaining evening!

THE CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

The Manhattan String Quartet

Feb. 20, 7 p.m.

Described by The Boston Globe as “a national treasure,” the Manhattan String Quartet has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico and South America. The group has been Quartet-in-Residence at Colgate University for the past sixteen years, and has also held similar posts at the Manhattan School of Music, Cornell University, Grinnell College, Western Connecticut State University, the Chamber Music Institute in Racine, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Interlochen National Music Camp. Well known for their performances of 20th-century “classics”, the Manhattan String Quartet has established a significant international reputation as today’s pre-eminent interpreter of the fifteen string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich. Sponsored by The Greater Norwich Foundation.

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet

March 7, 3 p.m.

The contemporary brass quintet, as a chamber ensemble, is relatively new to the musical scene, having its beginnings in the late 1940s with the introduction of the Chicago Brass Quintet and the New York Brass Quintet. As a performing ensemble the brass quintet is quite flexible, with repertoire for the medium as varied as music itself, encompassing arrangements of everything from madrigals to hymns to polkas and marches to jazz and big band tunes. The popularity of the brass ensemble has grown in recent years, and much of that growth can be accredited to the Canadian Brass, a group that has helped to popularize the idiom with thousands of concerts around the world, CD sales and books of music for brass quintet. The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet utilizes the most common instrumentation: two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba.

The Star Trio

March 21, 2 p.m.

The Star Trio was founded in 2007 with Debra Mineo Devine,violin, Stephen Sabin, cello, and Anita Humer, piano. Stephen Sabin trained at the  Crane School of Music with Robert Battey (a student of Janos Starker),  Anita Humer  at the Manhattan School of Music with Artur Balsam(a member of the Heifitz, Rose and Balsam Trio) and Debra Mineo Devine from Fredonia State University with Neil Dufallo (a student of Dorothy Delay).  They will perform the traditional lighter works of the repertoire, including Loillet, Thiome and Reinecke,as well as chamber works that include solos on the cello, violin and piano.

Season tickets are on sale through Aug. 30. Subscribers may purchase either the Peoples Choice or Chamber Music Series separately, or receive a discount if purchased together. Individual tickets for events will go on sale Sept. 1. For more information visit www.chenangoarts.org and to purchase tickets call 336-ARTS (2787).