Tag Archives: Sam Weiser

Roundup: RTM & Shed, Rotary Orators, Rosie The Riveter …

Posted on March 1, 2025 | 4 comments

Two Representative Town Meeting committees — Parks & Rec, and Planning & Zoning — hold a joint meeting Wednesday (March 5, 7 p.m., Zoom). They’ll discuss the status of the Longshore maintenance shed.

The full RTM meets March 11 (7:30 p.m., Zoom). Two members have asked the body to review and reverse the Planning & Zoning Commission’s negative 8-24 report issued on February 3, regarding the request for a new maintenance building at a new Longshore location.

The P&Z issued a negative report on a request to build a new Parks & Rec maintenance facility off Old Cuttings Lane, near the golf course and Compo Road South.

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Bridgeport’s Bridge Academy junior Aaliyah Marshall took first place in the quarterfinals of Westport Sunrise Rotary Club’s annual 4-Way Speech Contest, held Thursday in the Staples library.

Nine students spoke for 5 minutes each. They could choose any subject that ties into the tenets of the Rotary Club’s 4-Way Test ethic. Aaliyah’s topic was “book banning in schools.”

Aaliyah Marshall, speaking at the Sunrise Rotary Club contest.

She and 3 runners-up — Staples High School freshman Tucker Eklund, sophomore Quinn Fitts and senior Shrish Popuri — advance to the semi-final in Trumbull March 15.

From left: Aaliyah Marshall, Quinn Fitts, Shrish Popuri and Tucker Eklund advance to the next round of the Rotary contest. (Hat tip and photos/Dave Matlow)

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How excited was the Staples boys basketball team — and their coaches — after their FCIAC championship win on Wednesday?

Check out the great video below by Will Stoutenberg (or click here):

The Wreckers begin their quest for the state Division I championship on Tuesday (March 4). They host Kolbe Cathedral. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m.

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Ukraine Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground, aid-where-it’s-needed non-profit founded by Westport brothers Brian and Marshall Mayer — has organized a unique summer trip to that historic nation.

The itinerary does not include Westport’s sister city, Lyman. It’s too dangerous to travel so far east.

But between August 17 and 24, travelers will explore Ukraine’s history and culture; meet frontline heroes fighting for freedom; visit a UAI-sponsored summer camp, filled with children from the battered Donetsk region, and join UAI’s mobile water truck on a mission to deliver clean water to affected areas

Guests will meet key figures, visit sites unavailable to independent travelers, and connect with men and women helping to shape Ukraine’s future.

Click here to register. For questions and more information, email
donormission@ukraineaidinternational.org.

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Spring into spring at Wakeman Town Farm!

Upcoming programs include:

Soil is Alive! Garden lecture with horticulturist Duncan Himmelman (March 10, 7:30 p.m.)

Family Maple Syrup Experience (March 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Cooking with the Minis (ages K-2, 5 weeks starting March 24; grades 2-6, 5 weeks starting March 26)

Farm to Bar Mixology Class (March 27, 6 p.m.; $100)

Spring Cooking Class (March 28, 4:15 to 5:45 p.m.: $55)

Adult Spring Kitchen Dinner Class with chef Laura Weinman (April 6, 6:30 p.m.; $120, BYOB)

Spring Break Playdates (April 14, 15, 10 a.m.; ages 1-3)

Eggstravaganza (April 19, 10:30 a.m.).

NOTE: Registration for kids’ summer programs begins March 10.

Click here for details, and registration information.

Easter, at Wakeman Town Farm.

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Happy Women’s History Month!

To celebate, the Weston History & Culture Center presents “Rosies of World War II: Learn About Real ‘Rosie the Riveters.'”

The free March 29 event (2 p.m.) focuses on the role and legacy of women factory workers in World War II — and the women in Weston who contributed to the war effort. Click here for more information.

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Y’s Men of Westport and Weston have been around a long time, and seen and done a lot.

But most had never gone behind the scenes at the Westport Country Playhouse.

This week, they enjoyed a fascinating, up close and very personal tour. Archivist Bruce Miller led members all over the historic playhouse, from the stage and costume rooms, downstairs to the dressing rooms and green room.

The tour was preceded by lunch at Gabriele’s, the steakhouse next door.

Bruce Miller leads the Y’s Men’s Playhouse tour.

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Last month, “06880” posted a story about Sam Weiser.

The 2012 Staples High School graduate was headed to Carnegie Hall, with his Columbus, Ohio-based Carpe Diem String Quartet.

Lauri Weiser — a well-known “06880” photographer, and (more importantly, for today) Sam’s aunt — could not make it to the famed theater.

So Sam did want any loving nephew would do: He and his ensemble gave Lauri and her mother a private concert, at her Westport home.

They say the way to Carnegie Hall is “practice, practice, practice.” Or you can take a detour to Westport, to “perform, perform, perform.”

Sam Weiser (left) and the Carpe Diem String Quartet, at Lauri Weiser’s home.

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Second graders may not know how far Los Angeles is from Westport.

But students in Elena Wetmore’s class have learned one thing: They’re never too far to help.

When they heard about an opportunity to send gratitude to firefightters for their work battling wildfires, a parent helped the youngsters create beautiful cards, and write heartfelt letters.

Their drawings and messages were greatly appreciated.

Los Angeles firefighters, with Kings Highway cards and letters.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature honors a visitor on Fillow Street:

(Photo/Merri Mueller)

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And finally … we made it to March!

And what better way to celebrate than with the March King, John Philip Sousa.

(Here’s another way to celebrate March: Support “06880,” with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. And thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Local politics, Longshore, Westport Country Playhouse

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Personal Zoom Concerts: A Classic COVID Response

Posted on June 19, 2020 | 1 comment

One of the great, unexpected consequences of the coronavirus is that musicians around the world are performing — live, for free — on very accessible media platforms. You can’t attend a concert, but concerts can sure come to you.

One of the downsides of this great, unexpected consequence is that it’s not exactly a real concert. Musicians get none of the usual feedback from audiences, who feel equally disconnected from performers.

The Hidden Fabric Music Project plays a different tune.

The premise is simple. A website connects young, classically trained musicians — graduates of Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Yale and other top schools — with anyone, anyone who wants to hear beautiful music. In a personal, one-on-one concert.

After filling out a brief form — answering preferred time and “strings,” “piano,” “wind/brass” or “surprise me!” — users are paired with an artist. The musician performs for 15 minutes via Zoom; the audience of one watches. There’s eye contact, energy — and the option, on signing up, for conversation too.

Hidden Fabric (the name comes from a Virgina Wolff quote) is the brainchild of Sam Weiser. At Staples High School he played violin — superbly — in every group, and every chance he got. He earned a dual degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and Tufts University. (The latter is in computer science. “I might use it one day,” Sam says.)

After grad school at the San Francisco Conservatory, he joined the Del Sol String Quartet. He has lived in the Bay Area ever since. (They performed in Westport last October.)

When the pandemic hit, Sam — and musicians around the world — suddenly lost all their gigs. Many pivoted quickly to livestreaming.

Sam Weiser

“There was an outpouring of creativity, even in the classical music world,” he says. “But as good a replacement as that is, the symbiotic relationship between the performer and listener gets lost. You’re playing to a camera. You don’t know who is on the other end, or how many people are there.

“For the audience, it feels sort of real. But there’s no sense that you’re sharing the music with the performer.”

He and his friends had an idea: short personal performances and conversations.. They recruited musicians from across North America. Their ability to connect personally was as important as their musical expression.

“The pandemic highlighted needs in our community — the need to create, but even more than that, the need to be heard,” the website says.

“HFMP is our way to engage with audiences, old and new, and to reaffirm our belief that to be human is to be connected.”

The idea has taken off. But even Sam was surprised by its power.

“It’s incredible how much doing 1-on-1 concerts changes my day,” he says.

“I’ve never been an extrovert. But it’s so touching to meet someone, and share something so personal. It’s just 15 minutes, but it feels really special.”

Listeners agree: Hidden Fabric brightens their day.

Enjoying a 1-on-1 concert, via Zoom.

There is no charge, though the website encourages tips. Sam says a set fee would “undermine the idea of giving our time to people who are struggling far more than we are.”

Across the country, restrictions are being lifted. Americans are going back to work and play. Concerts — with shared spaces, and musicians blowing into instruments — will be one of the last forms of entertainment to come back.

Until then, the Hidden Fabric Music Project plays on.

(For more on the Hidden Fabric Music Project — including sign-up information — click here.) 

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Posted in Arts, Organizations, People, Staples HS

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The Wayside: You Heard Them Here First

Posted on August 1, 2012 | 7 comments

Back in his “Highway 61” days, Bob Dylan could have written “Searching for My Twin.”

But he didn’t. Dustin Lowman did.

The lyrics, voice, intonation, guitar, harmonica, rhythm — all evoke Dylan, when he played Greenwich Village coffeehouses in the early 1960s.

In 2012 Dustin does Main Street, right here in Westport.

But he’s not alone.

The Wayside (from left): Dustin Lowman, Danny Fishman, Devin Lowman, Sam Weiser. (Photo/Eric Essagof)

Longtime friend and fellow guitarist Danny Fishman, drummer/brother Devon Lowman and violinist/bassist/musical genius Sam Weiser join him, forming The Wayside.

Remember the name.

The folk-rock — really, folk-to-rock — group is tearing up the area.

They’re all over Facebook and YouTube, too.

It took more than 40 years for Dylan to do that.

Dustin Lowman (Photo/Gabe Schindler)

The Wayside goes way back. Dustin and Danny were friends at age 7. They played on the same Little League team (the Huskies), but gave up baseball for music.

By 8th grade at Coleytown Middle School, Dustin was writing poetic lyrics — a nod to his musical hero, Dylan.

Dustin and Danny — he’s more of a John Mayer fan — went to the National Guitar Workshop together. Their playing and songwriting attracted attention from the likes of Livingston Taylor.

But the Wayside didn’t come together until a couple of years ago, when Devon and Sam joined. Sam’s crazy-good fiddle-style violin playing adds a special twist on folk-y, introspective-type numbers; he switches to bass for more rock-y stuff. Danny and Dustin write most of the material. The other 2 guys grab it, and make each song their own.

Danny Fishman (Photo/Gabe Schindler)

Their 1st gig was the 2010 EcoFest. Their tight, crisp, mature-beyond-their-years sound and clever lyrics drew immediate attention (and comparisons to not only Dylan and John Mayer, but the Avett Brothers and The Tallest Man on Earth).

In Dylan’s early days, the Wayside would have played local clubs, attracted attention from promoters, signed with a label, cut a 45, been heard on radio stations, hit the big time, gathered groupies and gone on from there.

But the music industry has changed. There are fewer venues, no 45s or radio stations. Groupies are looking for the next Mark Zuckerberg.

So the Wayside does things the new way. They play for free on places like Main Street. They make EPs. Their music is on ReverbNation. Their Facebook fan page draws plenty of attention. They’ve got a YouTube channel.

They’ve also got a manager — Staples grad Michael Mugrage (who toured with Orleans and Ronnie Spector, and worked with James Brown and Bruce Hornsby).

The Wayside not only plays smart; they are smart. Dustin is a rising sophomore at Middlebury College. After a year at Vassar, Danny is transferring to Tufts. Sam is entering his first year at the New England Conservatory, while Devon has one more year at Staples.

They’re not sure what’s ahead after college. But they love what they do; they love playing with each other. They’re heartened by their very enthusiastic fans (including Tommy Byrne, who made guitars for Steely Dan).

Keep your eyes — and especially your ears — open for The Wayside. Catch their raw videos on YouTube, and like them on Facebook.

And check them out on a Main Street near you. It may not be Bleecker Street, but everyone starts somewhere.

(Click below for 3 Wayside YouTube videos.)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, People, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Jake Landau: The Next Leonard Bernstein?

Posted on June 2, 2012 | 2 comments

After you’ve composed a piece for the New York Philharmonic, what’s left in life?

How about writing writing choral music for the Conservative Synagogue?

That’s Jake Landau’s latest feat.

Of course, much more lies ahead. Jake is only a Staples High School junior.

Jake Landau

A multi-talented junior, that’s for sure. A student at the Juilliard School pre-college program, a member of the New York Youth Symphony and a national PTA “Reflections” award winner, he’s been playing piano — and composing — almost all his young life.

Classical music is his favorite. But Jake is equally comfortable writing opera, musical theater, soundtracks — and now, a piece for his synagogue.

His work will be performed tomorrow (Sunday, June 3, 7 p.m.) as part of the “On a Chai Note: A Musical Celebration of Israel” concert. Accompanying Jake on piano are 2 other nationally recognized young musicians (and temple members): cellist Danielle Merlis and violinist Sam Weiser.

Amazingly, this is Jake’s 2nd world premiere this spring. Last month, the New York Philharmonic performed a piece he wrote for their School Day concert. That one, he says, was “adventurous, aggressive and knotty.” Tomorrow’s piece is “simpler.” A synagogue is not a concert hall.

Working from a text, Jake composed this work for the “up-in-the-stratosphere soprano” cantor.

Jake Landau, rehearsing at the synagogue’s piano. (Photo/Marcy Juran)

He calls the process “very rewarding. It’s not just that it will be performed by my choir. Most of my pieces are done in high-pressure concert halls, and everyone is rushed for time. This is a much more personal environment.”

Conservative Synagogue Chorale member Marcy Juran is “blown away” by Jake’s talent.

“He understands how to create a beautiful piece of music,” she says. “But the way he explains his work to the choir — how it’s constructed, how he envisions it to sound, how his music matches the liturgical text — is unparalleled.

“It reminds me of hearing Leonard Bernstein explain music — but Jake is only 16! It is a joy to listen to play his piece on the piano, direct us, and understand from him what this is all about.

Still a teenager, Jake understands the long tradition he’s part of. “Music is a craft that’s existed almost as long as man,” he notes. “Music is practical, emotive and evocative. Music is everywhere. I’m proud to help continue that legacy.”

Danielle Merlis and Sam Weiser will also perform at the Conservative Synagogue tomorrow. (Photo/Marcy Juran)

Though Jake also studies piano at Juilliard, his playing is secondary to  composing. In fact, he says, “some of the pieces I write are too difficult for me to play. Someone plays my stuff for me.”

He hopes to make a career in music — writing film scores, operas, commercial soundtracks, “whatever.”

So — after spending the past 2 summers at Interlochen and Tanglewood — this year Jake will stay home. He’ll write orchestral and chamber pieces for his conservatory and music school applications.

Oh, yeah. His college essay, too.

(“On a Chai Note: A Musical Celebration of Israel” free concert takes place Sunday, June 3, 7 p.m. at The Conservative Synagogue, 30 Hillspoint Rd. The program also includes The Western Wind, a renowned a cappella sextet, and Jewish choral singers from throughout Fairfield County. For more information, click here.)

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Posted in Arts, People, religion, Staples HS, Teenagers

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