Neighbor Jesse Stacken On This Saturday’s Beverley Concert Series, Bringing Out A Different Side Of Musicians & How Ditmas Park Has Changed Him

We are super lucky to live in a neighborhood where there are so many talented musicians – and where so many incredible performers come to us, and this Saturday night is a fantastic merging of the two!

The next Beverley Concert Series event will be this Saturday, January 24, at 7pm. The house concert series, which is held once every four to six weeks in one of our neighborhood’s Victorian homes, is curated and hosted by pianist Akiko Sasaki and pianist and composer Jesse Stacken. This weekend, there will be performances by cellist Laura Metcalf with pianist Matei Varga, and the jazz quartet Ideal Bread, which performs the music of the great Steve Lacy.

If you’d like to attend, please email Jesse at jessestacken@gmail.com, and he’ll tell you the exact location of the performance, for which there is a suggested $15 donation (all of which goes to the  musicians).

To further rev ourselves up for Saturday, we wanted to learn more about the concert series, which Akiko and Jesse have been holding at their house since 2012. We recently got the chance to interview Jesse about the event that’s chock full of music, drinks, food, and, of course, amazing neighbors.

For neighbors who haven’t been to a Beverley Concert Series event yet, what can they expect the musicstravaganza to be like? People should come bearing food or beverages, right? Any suggestions for what kinds of delicious things people should bring?

Upon arrival guests can expect a kitchen table full of delicious food, wine, and beer. They are encouraged to bring a beverage to share, or if they want, some food to add to the spread. We cook vegan macrobiotic food, but we don’t have a problem with people bringing other types of food. We especially love it when people bring homemade stuff. At about 8pm the first music group plays. There is a “refill” break before the second group plays around 9pm. We collect a $15 suggested donation in a cute little box which goes entirely to the musicians.

People can expect an wide variety of musical styles. We’ve featured singers from the Metropolitan Opera, musicians from the DeCoda Music collective (which is in residence at Carnegie Hall), singer-songwriters, modern jazz, freely improvised music, Indian classical music and more. We try to keep it as broad and varied as possible.

Now that you’ve been doing this series for several years, how have you seen it evolve? Has anything surprised you about it? Do you have a favorite memory from over the years?

To our delight, the series has evolved in that we’re getting a much wider audience than we were at the beginning. The word is getting around in the neighborhood and we love meeting other Ditmas Parkers. They’re attentive, appreciative, and wonderful to play for. We’ve also started to attract other people who practice macrobiotics, and we also love connecting with them and building that community.

There are so many great memories, it’s hard to narrow it down. My wife, cohost, and co-curator, Akiko are filled with joy when our living room is full of well-fed guests enjoying top quality music. Musicians sound great at our house. I think it’s largely because they love to play for the audience we attract.

One memory that stands out: We had Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) and Mark Feldman (violin) play a duo show. One of my students, Aria Martinelli, attended with her family. Their performance was completely mind-blowing! They are truly some of the world’s best – super inspiring. Aria, who was 12 or 13 at the time, met and talked with Sylvie after the concert, and even played a piece for her. Sylvie was super nice and encouraging to Aria. It was a beautiful moment.

What does it mean for musicians to be able to play in this more relaxed environment? How do you think that changes the music?

Classical chamber music was written for spaces like our living room. It’s magical to hear those pieces in the environment they were meant for.

I think the intimate environment of our series brings a different side out of many musicians. The audience is so close to them, and they’re so appreciative and I think the performers really open up to them. Many musicians don’t talk on other stages, but at our series they’re often telling stories and cracking jokes. The music feels more human and personal.

Ditmas Park has so many amazing musicians living here! What do you think it is about the neighborhood that draws people like you to it? Why did you move here?

We moved here over 8 years ago. When we got off the Q train that first time we were amazed at the beautiful houses and tall trees! It was like, “Where are we?!” After living in Manhattan for awhile, a neighborhood like that feels so refreshing. That was before a lot of musicians were here. Now when I get off the train I’m still amazed, and I run into my collaborators and musician friends all the time. Finding our spot on Beverley Road has really shaped our lives. I’m now a gardener, I’m now a surfer, we have a great group of piano students from the neighborhood, and my family builds us bird feeders, bird baths, and bird houses for crying out loud. It’s like we get the best of both worlds here. We’re just a short train ride from Manhattan, which is always there when we need it.

What are you hoping the next several years of the Beverley Concert Series will bring?

Well, I hope we can continue on just as we are. I hope that we can continue to expand our audience, especially getting more neighbors coming. I hope and I’m confident that we can keep providing a great experience for the audience and the performers alike.

If a musician is interested in playing at one of your concerts, how can they get in touch with you?

The best thing they can do is come to a concert or two and meet us and talk to us about their projects and ideas.

To learn more about the Beverley Concert Series, you can visit their website and Facebook page. To be placed on the series’ email list, email Jesse Stacken at jessestacken@gmail.com.