Kevin Elam, left, and Jesse Ofgang, right, entertained guests at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on March 5 with an array of Irish and Scottish musical fare.
Acclaimed Irish flutist Desi Wilkinson advises musicians to “Play only tunes and songs you’re mad about … Emulate what you like and then do your thing.” It’s advice Jesse Ofgang and Kevin Elam have seemingly taken to heart as part of their “Prelude to St. Patrick’s Day” tour which landed at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on March 5, where the Celtic-flavored duo found themselves playing to a nearly full house on a wet and windy Wednesday.
While neither Ofgang nor Elam is originally from Ireland, their musical souls are firmly connected to both the Emerald Isle and the Highlands. While Ofgang claims partial Irish heritage through his mother and believes his musical partner is not of Irish descent, Elam’s resumé is filled with accomplishments in Irish music. He took top prize in 2019 in men’s English singing at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competition in Drogheda, Ireland and has medaled at both the All-Ireland Fleadh and CCE Mid-Atlantic Fleadh competitions. Despite his Irish roots, Ofgang’s musical focus is actually across the Irish Sea, where he earned a master’s degree in Scottish music and bagpipes. As a student, he performed with the 16-time world champion Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band.
Both musicians are multi-instrumentalists. Elam, the duo’s vocalist, is skilled in tin whistle, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin and guitar while Ofgang, a bagpiper, has mastered uilleann pipes and border pipes as well as the Irish flute and whistles, organ, guitar and piano. In addition to touring — together and separately — Ofgang and Elam both provide instruction to students in musical instrumentation.
“Prelude to St. Patrick’s Day,” which wrapped up on March 9 in Middletown, Connecticut, featured an array of Celtic tunes and songs. According to Ofgang, there’s a difference between the two. By definition, songs include lyrics and tunes consist strictly of music. Ofgang and Elam included both in their hour-long set at the Library Annex, which began with “The Foggy Dew,” a song lamenting Ireland’s political divide and the resulting violence of the Easter uprising, which was followed by a jig, “The Road to Lisdoonvarna.”
“Rocky Road to Dublin” drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd as did the folk song, “The Lakes of Pontchartrain,” which Elam and Ofgang introduced as a song about alligators. The ballad is actually of unknown origin and its subject matter centers on a Creole woman and the unrequited love a drifter holds for her in the Deep South. The duo believes the song may very well have been penned by an Irish immigrant to the United States.
Elam and Ofgang invited the crowd to join them in “The King’s Shilling,” another song exploring the realities of war with its introspective chorus “Come ladies, come. Hear the cannons roar. Take the King’s shilling and we’re off to war.”
The duo then segued over to Scottish fare with the audience joining in once more for “Auld Lang Syne,” traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve, but the song is also used to close out occasions — ver as the evening slowly wound down. Ofgang, assisted by Elam, then wrapped up the night with traditional Scottish bagpipes, a worthy overture to St. Patrick’s Day 2025.
The concert was sponsored by the Ann and Abe Effron Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. Library director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson said the library is looking into additional grants to fund further programming for community enjoyment. For more information, visit nemillertonlibrary.org.
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
