Morning Weather Report: Heat Advisory until 8:00 PM
Today - Heat Advisory
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 102. South wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tonight - Heat Advisory
Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 72. West wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 91. West wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
High Tides
6:21 AM / 6:46 PM
Low Tides
12:19 AM / 12:33 PM
Click to enlargeHeat Advisory:
Heat – Max heat indices of 95 to 104 on Thursday. Low temperatures will range mostly in the mid to upper 70s, with mostly lower 70s in the outlying suburbs which will not allow for much cooling off at night.
Timing – Between noon and 8 pm Thursday.
Impacts – There is an increased risk of heat-related illness for vulnerable populations with this event.
Severe Weather Threat on Thursday – There is a chance for scattered to isolated thunderstorms. Any storms are most likely to move through between 12 pm and 6 pm. A few storms may be strong to severe and may contain strong to damaging winds, and hail up to one inch in diameter.
The Heida Piano Competition Returns to MoCA Westport
Press ReleaseMoCA Westport will once again bring four rising stars in the piano world to Westport, CT to compete over the course of three days in one of America’s most celebrated cultural events, the 2022 Heida Hermanns Piano Competition. The competition will take place from August 11-13, 2022.
The competition was originally scheduled to take place in January 2022 but was postponed due to COVID-19.
The four finalists were selected through an extensive international application process that included video submissions of individual performances. Selected candidates include Katharine Benson (U.S.), Nathan Cheung (U.S.), Aaron Kurz (U.S.), and Artem Kuznetsov (Russia).
Judges for the final in-person competition include pianist Frederic Chiu of Beechwood Arts & Innovation and a previous Heida winner (Chairman of the Jury); Sara Davis Beuchner, one of the leading concert pianists of our time; and Argentine/American celebrated pianist Mirian Conti. Video audition jurists included Sahun Hong, Zhenni Li, and the 2019 Heida winner, Priscila Navarro.
The esteemed Alexander Platt will serve as the Artistic Director for the Heida Competition. Platt has built a unique career spanning the worlds of symphony, chamber music, and opera as conductor, music director, curator and host. Based in Chicago and New York, he is Music Director of the La Crosse Symphony, the Waukegan Symphony and the Wisconsin Philharmonic, he serves as the music director of the Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, New York during the summers, and is the Curator of Concerts at MoCA Westport.
Platt said of the Competition, “After a hiatus of over two years we are so thrilled that the Heida is back, and better than ever. In addition to four illustrious finalists, we shall be hosting all their performances at our beautiful MoCA campus, with our vintage Hamburg “D” grand piano now beautifully restored by Ivan Brunner, a skilled technician in the Hamburg Steinway traditions, who actually used to take care of the instrument when it was regularly used at Carnegie Hall.”
The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000, and each of the other finalists will receive a prize of $2,500.
Prior winners include celebrated pianists who have gone on to perform in the world’s most important halls, such as Spencer Myer, Frederic Chiu, Josh Wright, Timur Mustikimov, and Yue Chu.
The 2022 Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition will also spotlight the unjustly neglected music for solo piano of the important African-American composer, Nathaniel Dett. Born in Canada, Dett studied and made his career in the United States, and is one of the great American composers of the 20th century and a trailblazing figure in the history of Black composers of classical music. Clipper Erickson, the distinguished American pianist and a recognized scholar of Nathaniel Dett and his music, will serve as Artistic Advisor to the Heida 2022, and will lead a free lecture on Dett on Friday, August 12 at the Westport Public Library.
In addition to the finalist’s performances, the three-day event also includes master classes at the Westport Public Library and performances by the jury.
Tickets can be purchased for individual events or as a three-day package. Please visit theheida.mocawestport.org to learn more and purchase tickets. Tickets for the original January 2022 date will be valid for the August events.
The competition will take place within the context of MoCA Westport’s visually stunning exhibition, Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse, on view through October 2, 2022.
MoCA Westport deeply appreciates the sponsors of the competition who help to bring the event to fruition. Sponsors for the Heida include Beechwood Arts and Innovation, Kristin Foster, Lance Lundberg and Terry McGuinness, Lux Bond & Green, Laura and Dogan Perese, and Cindy and John Vaccaro. MoCA Westport also thanks WSHU for serving as a media sponsor of the Heida competition.
About the Heida Competition
Heida Hermanns, the founder of the Connecticut Alliance for Music, Inc. (CAM), was a pianist, teacher and philanthropist. She was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1906 and received her first piano lessons from her mother. At the age of 15, she enrolled at the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik. Her teachers included Egon Petri, Artur Schnabel, Carl Friedberg and Isabella Vengerova. She made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at age 18 and toured Europe as a recitalist and concerto soloist through the 1920s and early 1930s.
Heida Hermanns immigrated to the United States in 1936 and made her New York debut at Town Hall in 1942. In the late 1940s, she moved to Connecticut and helped start the Friends of Music, an organization that presented chamber music concerts. Ms. Hermanns was also a founder of Performers of Connecticut that arranged performance opportunities for young musicians and sponsored the Heida Hermanns Young Performers Competition, known today as the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition. As audiences and memberships grew, the name was changed to Connecticut Alliance for Music, Inc.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 10; State Positivity Rate, Hospitalizations Up
The State Department of Public Health reported 10 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 10.78% while hospitalizations were up to 305 patients.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,488 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 37 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 10.78%
State COVID-19 Hospitalizations: 305 patients [+4 patients]
Morning Weather Report: Heat Advisory as Index Tops 100 Degrees
Today - Heat Advisory begins at 12:00 PM
Sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 100. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tomorrow - Heat Advisory ends at 8:00 PM
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 102. South wind 6 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 71. West wind 3 to 6 mph.
High Tides
5:21 AM / 5:49 PM
Low Tides
11:37 AM
As Heat Wave Continues:“We encourage residents to take precautions”
Westport Emergency Management Office: Temperatures are climbing this week and the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for the region. Public health officials are advising residents to take precautions to protect themselves and their children from heat-related illness as temperatures across the state rise and remain high throughout the week. “The heat index over the next several days will be dangerous,” said Office of Emergency Management Director (Fire Chief) Michael Kronick. “We encourage residents to take precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones and keep a check on elderly friends, relatives and neighbors to ensure they are not showing signs of heat-related illnesses.”
Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to dehydration, overheating, heat illness and even death. Visits to emergency departments frequently increase with spikes in the heat index. It is important to pay attention to the weather if spending time outside working or participating in recreation activities outdoors.
Parents are advised to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, not even for a few minutes; temperatures inside a car rapidly increase and can reach dangerous and fatal temperatures in as little as 10 minutes. In the United States, approximately 38 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle.
Individuals should stay wary of signs of heat-related illness. Symptoms include muscle cramps, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, fainting, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Children, adults 65 and older, those without access to air conditioning, outdoor workers and those with chronic health conditions are most vulnerable.
To reduce the risk of heat-related illness:
Increase fluid intake.
Take frequent breaks in cool and shady or air-conditioned places if spending extended time outside.
Reduce normal activity levels.
Speak with your physician about how to stay safe if you take medicines that make you more vulnerable to heat, such as tranquilizers or drugs for high blood pressure, migraines, allergies, muscle spasms and mental illness.
Check on neighbors, and if working outdoors, check on your co-workers.
Never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles, especially during warm or hot weather, as temperature levels inside a car can reach a deadly level in a matter of minutes.
Heat exposure can be life threatening. Should any of the following occur, get out of the heat, loosen any tight or heavy clothing, and drink plenty of water:
Heat cramps: symptoms include painful muscle spasms, usually involving the abdominal muscles or legs;
Heat exhaustion: first signs are cool, moist, pale or flushed skin, dizziness, nausea, headache and weakness; and
Heat stroke: the most serious sign of overexposure. Symptoms include red, hot, dry skin, weak pulse, rapid breathing and changes in consciousness. Seek medical attention by calling 9-1-1.
The ASPCA recommends that you give your pets plenty of fresh, clean water when it’s hot or humid outdoors. Ensure that your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun, be careful not to over-exercise them and use your best judgment to keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot. Never let your dog linger on hot asphalt. Police Chief Foti Koskinas adds, “During this heat emergency, pet owners must NOT leave pets unattended in vehicles or outdoors.”
If you or someone you know experiences heat-related illness, move to a cool place, drink water, place cold cloths on the body and seek medical attention. For additional safety tips and information, please click here.
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NWS: Heat Advisory Issued as Heat Indexes Top 100 this Week
NWS NYC:
Heat – Max heat indices of 95 to 100 Wednesday and 95 to 103 on Thursday.
Low temperatures will range mostly 75-80, which will not allow for much cooling off at night. Some minor relief is possible on Friday.
Timing – Between noon and 8 pm both days.
Impacts – There is an increased risk of heat-related illness for vulnerable populations with this event.
Additional Information – A few isolated heat indices may reach 105 in parts of metro NE NJ and NYC on Thursday.
Levitt Guests enjoy Ballet under the Stars
As the sun dipped below the treeline, the lawn of the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts became cooler while members of the Connecticut Ballet warmed up to dazzle the audience with dances spanning across time and genres into the evening. WestportLocal.com photo
Hot, Hazy Day to hit the River
A single rower took a break once they reached the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge this evening, enjoying a drink of water as the oppressive heat began to subside as the sun set overhead. WestportLocal.com photo