Press Releases

Press Release: October 30, 2007

East Branch Friends of the Arts, a non-for-profit arts organization in Keene Valley, New York, is sponsoring a Bagpipe and Organ Concert on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at the Keene Valley Congregational Church at 7:30 pm. Suggested donation is $10 per person, students no charge.

Tim Cummings, piper, and Betsy Stinson, organist will be performing Celtic hymns and reels as well as traditional songs from around the world. Betsy will also be performing pieces from the classical piano repertoire, including works of Chopin, Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff.

Tim Cummings has been piping for nearly 25 years, and holds a Bachelor's of Music Education from the College of Wooster (OH), and a Master of Arts in Musicology from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Prior to post-graduate studies, he taught music at Havelock North High School (NZ); following his Masters, he spent a year as the Artist in Residence at The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada (Summerside, PEI), and later studied briefly at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) and National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Last year he self-published The Piper's Hymnal, a collection of over 100 traditional hymns arranged for the pipes. The Appalachian Collection, featuring over 60 traditional Southern ballads, hoedowns, and shape-note hymns, all arranged for pipes, is slated for publication this month. He currently works part-time at Shelburne Farms, and part-time as a teacher, performer, arranger and composer of piping music. Tim is also an avid hiker, and has relished nearly 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail (with shuttle pipes in the pack).

Betsy Stinson, organist at the Keene Valley Congregational Church for 22 years, has a life-time of organ, choir and piano experience. Originally from Long Island, Betsy has worked variously as a church organist, choir director and church musician since she was 15 years old. Currently teaching as well as performing, Betsy is involved in many community activities in the Keene Valley area.