PURCHASE TICKETS
Vocal-guitar duo Kristen Renehan and Jim Mastrianni bring their time and talent to Hill-Stead. Classically trained, musically appealing, and daringly eclectic, the two musicians combine beautiful vocals with tasteful guitar tones. The result is an elegant, engaging musical experience for all ages. This family-friendly performance will include jazz, pop, soul, rock, and folk music with a twist.
Bring a blanket, chairs, and a picnic.
Schedule
6 pm Gates open
6:30 pm Performance begins
Rain Date: Sunday, June 5
Tickets
In-person tickets | $20 per person
Seating is limited and we strongly advise attendees to purchase tickets in advance. Any available tickets sold at the gate will be by credit card only.
See all upcoming From the Porch events in our Calendar.
Kristen Renehan and Jim Mastrianni are a vocal-guitar duo who have been making music together for ten years. Classically trained, musically interesting, and daringly eclectic, Kristen and Jim perform jazz, pop, soul, rock and folk music that’s been a hit at Hill-Stead for the past two seasons. This year, Kirsten and Jim have assembled “The Reneband” to complement their sound featuring Hui Cox on guitar, Brian Melick on percussion, and Mike Cassels on bass.
Hui Cox is a 7-string guitar player and Grammy-nominated producer, has produced music for TV and film; performed/recorded with Richie Havens, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Baba Olatunji, Stanley Turrentine, Chuck Mangione, Mariah Carey, Liza Minnelli, the U.S. Army band in New York City, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; and is the recipient of two NEA grants. Cox has been a music instructor at Bennington since fall 2013.
Brian Melick is a Percussionist, Musician, Educator, Author, and Designer. Brian has been professionally involved in music since the early age of 13. Featured recording artist on over 400 commercially released recordings on independent as well as major labels highlighted by his seven solo projects, “Percussive Voices” Hudson Valley Records (debut at 23 on the World Music Chart), “Diverse Elements”, “uduboy”, “In Motion”, “Diverse World”, “Perpetual Motion”, and ”The Art Of Udu” Gene Michael Productions. The Last three of which were released as sound libraries. Which are now placed with Universal Pictures, MGM Studios, Columbia Pictures, Fox Network, Discover Channel, TLC, and with Disney.
Michael Cassels has been a sought-after sideman and session musician for over 30 years. Originally from upstate New York, he’s toured and recorded with several groups. He’s worked with “Dangerous” Dan Toler (Allman Brothers, Greg Allman Band), Vinnie Amico (moe.) and many Northeast regional artists. Currently, he can be seen performing with Neon Avenue (Grateful Dead tribute). Mike plays Alembic bass guitars.
Jim Mastrianni is a multi-instrumentalist and a 30-year veteran of many well-known Saratoga bands. A music producer and engineer, Jim maintains a professional recording studio in his home engineering and producing recordings for local artists. A songwriter and composer, Jim has released several CDs of original music and was the music contributor for The Saratoga Social website. An honoree of the Business Review 40 under 40 class of 2008, a graduate of Leadership Saratoga class of 2014, by day Jim is a CEO and entrepreneur with ownership in two successful small businesses. Jim has been the chair of the board of directors of the legendary historic music venue Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Jim has been nominated or received Eddie Awards (Capital District Grammys) for Best Small Venue (Caffe Lena), Song of The Year (Producing Honeydew by Carolyn Shapiro) for Best Recording Studio.
Kristen Renehan (Vocals) has been performing most of her life in everything from solo gigs, to choirs, a cappella to musical theater. She has been a featured vocalist on various recordings and performed with bands from the Midwest to the East Coast. Kristen is a classically trained vocalist who received her BA in Music from the University of Richmond. She now teaches voice professionally. Kristen’s main gig is as a busy stay-at-home mom raising a future vocal trio.