UUCB’s Casual Concerts aim to share the universal ministry of music and the power of sound with the broader Buffalo community. As we do in our services, these concerts showcase a diverse range of musical styles and sound-based experiences so that there is something for everyone. We hope these monthly offerings help lift our community’s spirits. Events generally occur every third Saturday of the month at 2pm, or at the specific days and times listed below. You can watch the shows in our sanctuary or stream them on our YouTube page. A free-will offering will be taken and proceeds are split between the musical presenters and the church.
If you wish to submit a proposal for our concert series, please contact Dr. Jessie Downs at jdowns@buffalouu.org. Please read our Casual Concerts FAQ for important information about our procedures.
Upcoming Concerts:
Stephen Guerra and Ken Luk: Instrumental Brazilian Choro Duo
Saturday, May 18th 2024 at 2pm
6-string guitarist Stephen Guerra and 8-string bandolinist Ken Luk play vibrant Brazilian choro, a virtuosic and melodic instrumental music related to samba.
Italian American guitarist-composer STEPHEN GUERRA performs and teaches Brazilian choro around the world, often touring with legend Rogério Souza. Stephen’s published multiple albums and scores with Mel Bay, Guitar Chamber Music Press, and independently on Bandcamp and streaming platforms, including his album of originals recorded in Brazil, No Balanço do Choro-Samba (November 2023). Stephen teaches music theory and the choro ensemble at the University at Buffalo.
KEN LUK, born and raised in Hong Kong, frequently appears as a soloist and with the Janus Guitar Duo and Trio Ghidorah. He performs with Rosa Boemia, Forró Estrelas do Norte, Mosaic Foundation, the Eastman Gamelan Ensemble, and the Rochester Mandolin Orchestra. Performance highlights include Experiencing Villa-Lobos Festival, Live from Hochstein, Rochester Fringe Festival, The Great Blue Heron Festival, and Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, among others. Co-founder of Rochester Classical Guitar and the Rochester Mandolin Orchestra, Ken is also an avid arranger, and was a finalist in the 2017 Roland Dyens Arranging International Competition. He also serves on the board of the Classical Mandolin Society of America.
Buffalo Silver Band
Saturday, May 18th 2024 at 4pm
With a history stretching back over one hundred years, the Buffalo Silver Band is a unique presence in the Buffalo-Niagara music scene. As the only British style brass band in Upstate New York, the Buffalo Silver Band continues the band performance tradition that was established before the U.S. Civil War and rose to prominence at the end of the 19th Century. These days, the Band’s repertoire includes jazz, movie scores, classics, and “pops” in addition to traditional British brass band music.
The Buffalo Silver Band has a regular concert series at Slee Hall at the University at Buffalo. In recent years, the Buffalo Silver Band has also played to standing ovations from audiences all over Western New York and Southern Ontario, including the Montante Cultural Center at Canisius College, the Chautauqua Institution, the Buffalo Philharmonic Community Showcase, the Buffalo History Museum, and numerous outdoor parks and churches. The Buffalo Silver Band was selected in a national competition to perform at the 2018 convention of the Association of Concert Bands. In 2014 and 2018, the Buffalo Silver Band received Community Arts Grants to present concerts commemorating the centennial of its founding and of the end of The Great War. The Buffalo Silver Band was awarded 2017 and 2024 Give for Greatness grants by the Arts Services Initiative of Western New York. In April 2014, the Buffalo Silver Band was awarded the coveted Hannaford Cup at the Festival of Brass in Toronto.
The Buffalo Silver Band has run numerous clinics and participated in joint concerts with many of Western New York high schools. Starting in 2018, the Buffalo Silver Band began offering an annual music scholarship award for a talented young brass musician.
Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem, countertenor
Saturday, June 22nd at 2pm
We are delighted to have countertenor Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem performing for our Casual Concert series this coming June! He will be accompanied by Loretta Scherrer on piano.
Andrew is a native of Illah in Delta State Nigeria, and studied Voice at the Adeniran Ogunsanya college of Education, Ijanikin. An award-winning performer, Andrew made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018.
Learn more about this versatile and enchanting singer at https://andrewegbuchiem.com/bio.html
Ravi Padmanabha and David Mussen
Saturday, July 20th at 2pm
Ravi Padmanabha and David Mussen have played music for many years in various groups. The recently formed duo encompasses a new found musical language . The musicians have combined years of various musical styles into the duo. They use Gongs, crystal bowls, tabla, hand pan, clarinet, and ocean drum to create a full musical experience. They create a musical journey that traverses ambient meditation to ecstatic trance music.
Echezonachukwu Nduka, Resounding African Pianism
Saturday, August 17 at 2pm
Echezonachukwu Nduka is a Nigerian-born pianist and poet currently studying at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Nduka specializes in the classical piano music of composers from West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. His program will include piano pieces by composers such as Akin Euba, Joshua Uzoigwe, J.H. Kwabena Nketia, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Christian Onyeji, Innocent Okechukwu, among others, and will include a brief talk of about 10-12 minutes as a way of introducing the pieces to the audience. Mr. Nduka looks forward to showcasing this rarely performed repertoire in classical music.
A piece from Resounding African Pianism, composed by J. H. Kwabena Nketia (Ghana), played by Echezonachukwu Nduka.
Blues on Weck
Saturday, September 21 at 2pm
Blues on Weck will be playing a one-hour set of electric Chicago-style blues covering works by legends such as Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, BB King, and Buddy Guy. Their unique male/female vocal combination, incendiary dual lead guitar attack, Little Walter-sequence harmonica, and a groovin’ rhythm section make this a show not to be missed!
Simple Gifts
Saturday, November 16 at 2pm
According to Dr. James Hicks of The Presbyterian Church in Morristown NJ, “Simple Gifts presented one of the finest concerts I have ever experienced at our church, and I’ve been Music Director here for more than 25 years. They are so accomplished on so many diverse instruments, making it seem effortless.”
Simple Gifts has performed at major venues including the Smithsonian, National Portrait Gallery, National Interchurch Center, Bethel Woods, and Lincoln Theatre, as well as dozens of churches and schools. We play a wide variety of folk and world music using about 12 different instruments, and we also offer hands-on workshops for children and adults on world music and instruments. Our repertoire includes artfully arranged Christian hymns in addition to traditional music from Eastern Europe, the British Isles, Appalachia, Scandinavia, and the Jewish tradition.
http://simplegiftsmusic.com/videos.html – short concert sampler videos
http://simplegiftsmusic.com/listen.html – full-length audio samples