For over a century, The Presser Foundation has been dedicated to supporting retired music teachers, as highlighted in this blog post. In this update, we’re shining a spotlight on two of them who are still making waves in the music world.
Dolores Cascarino is a noted soprano who has sung in opera, performed as soloist with orchestras and participated in concerts in the United States, France and Italy. She has mainly focused on contemporary American music. Early in her career, she was a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions and studied with that company’s legendary soprano, Licia Albanese. In addition to being a performing artist, she works as Adjunct Faculty at Immaculata University.
Her late husband was well-known composer and pianist, Romeo Cascarino, who wrote the ballet Pygmalion and the opera William Penn, which includes the choral highlights “Prayer for Philadelphia” and “The Treaty.” Written in 1939, at age 16, his song cycle Pathways of Love has just been recorded and recently released on Spotify, YouTube, and several other platforms. Cascarino (piano) and Dolores (voice) often performed these songs together.
Dolores shared her excitement about the completion of this recording “… this has been a long-held dream of mine, and I’m so excited that it has come about. The result is wonderful. The soprano, Jessica Beebe, sings with remarkable insight and feeling; the players are the best of the area’s musicians, and conductor Timothy McDonnell does a masterful job of bringing out the beauty in the music; it’s recorded superbly, too, by Marlan Barry. I want to thank you [the Foundation] for supporting my efforts towards this labor of love.”
Patricia Potter is a free-lance violinist, violist, ensemble coach, community string orchestra conductor, and music consultant in the Rogue Valley. She operates a private teaching studio in Ashland, Oregon, where she specializes in teaching violin and viola lessons, as well as coaching string quartets and other ensembles. She has also performed with the Rogue Valley Symphony, the Oregon East Symphony, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association, the American Band College, Ballet Rogue, and the Ashland Lithia String Trio.
Potter created the Second Street Musicians in 2000 as a space for performers to come together to practice and play. The group – violin, viola, cello, and double bass players of varying ages, backgrounds, and skill levels – meets for classes for ten weeks in the fall and ten weeks in the spring to share the challenges and camaraderie found in playing beautiful and interesting string orchestra music.
The organization is dedicated to providing members with professional instruction and an enjoyable opportunity to learn or refine the art of playing string instruments in a chamber or orchestral setting. This year, they celebrate 25 years, with Potter sharing, “Thank you for helping to create such a cohesive and lovely group of musicians. It truly brings joy to my heart.”
These musicians exemplify The Presser Foundation’s mission through their lifelong dedication to music – Dolores Cascarino through the preservation and performance of American contemporary works, particularly her late husband’s compositions, and Patricia Potter through her community-building efforts that have brought the joy of string performance to musicians of all backgrounds for a quarter century. Their enduring passion continues to enrich our musical landscape and inspire future generations.
