Today's Birthdays

Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957)
Lauritz Melchoir (1890-1973)
Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997)
Dame Vera Lynn (1917)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918-1970)

and

Ovid (43 BC - AD 17)
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

Extra Pink Martini/Oregon Symphony concert

From the press release:
Because of overwhelming demand from ticket-buyers, the Oregon Symphony and Pink Martini, Portland’s globe-trotting salon orchestra, have added a third performance to their two previously announced joint concerts scheduled for May and June at downtown Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

The newly added concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. It follows two previously announced performances scheduled for Sunday, May 31, and Monday, June 1. All three concerts will be recorded for Pink Martini’s first live album.

Tickets for the added performance will go on sale at noon Thursday, Mar. 19, and are expected to sell quickly. Ticket availability is very limited for the two previously announced concerts, with only a small number of seats – mostly singles – remaining for the May 31 performance.

Tickets for all three performances are $25 to $150 and available at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503)790-ARTS.

David Hattner joins Oberlin Trio in concert at the CMC

David Hattner, the conductor of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, will play his clarinet with the Oberlin Trio in a concert this Friday (7:30 pm) at the Community Music Center. Hattner will perform Stravinsky's L’Histoire du Soldat (Trio Version)
for Violin, Clarinet and Piano.

Also on the program is Brahms' Trio #2 in C Major Op. 87 for Violin, Cello and Piano, Janácek's "Pohádka" for Cello and Piano, and Mendelssohn's "Variations Concertantes" Op. 17 for Cello and Piano.

The CMC is located at 3350 SE Francis in Portland. There's a suggested donation of $5 for this concert.

Today's Birthdays

Max Reger (1873-1916)
Dame Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994)
Nancy Evans (1915-2000)
Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)
Ornette Coleman (1930)
Myung-Wha Chung (1944)
Carolyn Watkinson (1949)

and

Tobias Smollett (1721-1771)
Philip Roth (1933)

24/7 - 24 free classical concerts for a nation at war

From the press release of organist and concert organizer Bill Crane:

By mid-March, the United States will have been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for seven years, yet one hardly hears that fact mentioned. To mark this important, if tragic, anniversary, over 150 of the Portland area's best classical musicians are uniting to make a giant musical gift to the city and region. Event curators Bill Crane and Thomas Lauderdale have recruited an amazing roster of performers. The public is invited.

Titled simply "24/7," it will be a series of 24 dramatic concerts, each starting upon the hour, from 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and continuing through to 7:00 p.m., Sunday, March 22.

All 24 concerts are free and will take place in the auditorium of the Wieden+Kennedy building, 224 Northwest 13th Avenue, between Davis and Everett Streets, in Portland's Pearl District. Wieden+Kennedy join the performing artists to invite sincerely all area residents of good will to these concerts. No tickets are required.

The following schedule is subject to change.

Saturday, March 21
7:00 p.m. - Program 1

Portland Brass Quintet and Friends
Jeff Snyder, Fil Ovando, and Steve Conrow, trumpets
Jen Harrison, Jill Torberson, and Alan Stromquist, French horns; Greg Scholl and Ken Biggs, trombones
John Walling, tuba; Dean Hinkley, percussion
Aaron Copland: “Fanfare for the Common Man”
and music of Gabrieli, Richard Strauss, and Handel

8:00 p.m. - Program 2

Rosa Li, pianist
Johann Sebastian Bach: "Prelude and Fugue in D Major",
"Well-tempered Clavier, Book I"
Ludwig van Beethoven: "Sonata Opus 2, No. 3"
Frederic Chopin: "Ballade No. 4"
Robert Muczynski: "Desparate Measures"

9:00 p.m. - Program 3

The Portland Gay Men's Chorus
Bob Mensel, music director and conductor Robert Seeley, “Brave Souls and Dreamers” (on a libretto of Robert Espindola), a dramatic cantata that explores the repercussion of war on the human experience, with special soloists Jennifer Gill, mezzo-soprano,
Steve Fulmer, bass, Derek Becker, tenor, and Brian Robertson, baritone.

10:00 p.m. - Program 4

Peggie Schwarz, mezzo-soprano
Cycle of Love, a sassy but poignant set of cabaret songs by Aaron Copland, John Adams, and Kurt Weill.

Les Green, tenor
Wonderful French chansons.

11:00 p.m. - Program 5

Fear No Music, Inés Voglar, artistic dir.
Joe Waters: "Flamehead"
Reza Vali: "Folk Dance for String Quartet"
Robert McBride: "Jilted"

Sunday, March 22
12:00 midnight - Program 6

Melegari Chamber Players,
Paloma Griffin, artistic director
Pete Townsend: "Love Reign Over Me"
(arr. David Gerow)
David Gerow, mandolin
Paloma Griffin, violin
Joel Belgique, viola
Nancy Ives, cello

Mozart: Oboe Quartet, K370
Karen Wagner, oboe
Paloma Griffin, violin
Jennifer Arnold, viola
Justin Kagan, cello

J.M. LeClaire: "Sonata for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 2"
Gregory Ewer, Paloma Griffin, violins

John Lennon (arr. Evan Kuhlmann with Pink Martini):
"Real Love"
Timothy Nishimoto (vocalist), Melegari String Quartet (Paloma Griffin, Inés Voglar, violins, Joel Belgique, viola, Nancy Ives, cello), and The Flash Choir led by Pat Janowski and Sarah Dougher.

Franz Bibel (arr. Aaron LaVere):
"Ave Maria for 8 Trombones"
Edgar Meyer (arr. Evan Kuhlmann):
"First Impressions"
Nicholas Crosa, violin
Paloma Griffin, violin
Thomas Lauderdale, piano

1:00 a.m. - Program 7

Third Angle, Ron Blessinger, artistic dir.
Chen Yi: "Sprout and Burning"
George Crumb: "Black Angels"

2:00 a.m. - Program 8

Michele Mariana, jazz vocalist with
Reece Marshburn, piano

3:00 a.m. - Program 9

Portland Cello Project,
Doug Jenkins, artistic director

4:00 a.m. - Program 10

Thomas Lauderdale program or
ChadHeltzel, pianist, TBA

5:00 a.m. - Program 11

Chad Heltzel, pianist or
Thomas Lauderdale program, TBA

6:00 a.m. - Program 12

Ron Potts, pianist
Domenico Scarlatti: "Sonata"
Robert Schumann: "Arabesque"
Sergei Rachmaninoff: "Two Preludes"
Maurice Ravel: "Le tombeau de Couperin"
Bela Bartok: "Suite, Opus 14"

7:00 a.m. - Program 13

Drumming and Brahms
Obo Addy, master drummer
Gregory Dubay, cello, Bill Crane, piano
Brahms: "Sonata for Cello and Piano in e-minor"

8:00 a.m. - Program 14

Tamara Still
Johann Sebastian Bach: "Goldberg Variations"

9:00 a.m. - Program 15

Jass Two Plus One, "Hot and Swing Jazz
of the 1920's and 30's"

10:00 a.m. - Program 16

The music of Johannes Brahms
Justin Kagan, cellist
Bill Crane, pianist

11:00 a.m. - Program 17

Jeffrey Payne, piano
Olivier Messiaen: "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus" (selections)

12:00 noon - Program 18

Marie Fiorillo, soprano, Carol Lucas, pianist, Sara Watts, violinist, Irving Levin, cellist, and violin students of Carol Sindell

1:00 p.m. - Program 19

Lisa Mooyman, soprano, Sherry Olson, mezzo-soprano, David Hattner, clarinet Music of Claudio Monteverdi and Franz Schubert's famous"Shepherd on the Rock"

2:00 p.m. - Program 20

Michael and Elizabeth Strickland, piano. A wide-ranging program by a father and daughter team!

3:00 p.m. - Program 21

Ida Rae Cahana, soprano, Abby Mages,
flute, Jerry Deckelbaum and Bill Crane, piano
Music from the historic Sephardim
Claude Debussy: "Syrincx"
Francis Poulenc: "Sonata for Flute and Piano"
Gabriel Faure: "Dolly Suite" for piano, four hands

4:00 p.m. - Program 22

Angela Niederloh, alto; Julie Coleman, violin;
Janet Coleman, piano

5:00 p.m. - Program 23

Carol Sindell, violin; Janet Guggenheim, piano
Cesar Franck: "Sonata for violin and piano"
Claude Debussy: "Sonata for Violin and Piano"

6:00 p.m. - Program 24

Company (All 24/7 artists and other invited musicians: David Hattner, the new music director of the Portland
Youth Philharmonic, will conduct the assembled forces, including many singers from the Portland Symphonic Choir and instrumentalists from the Oregon Symphony and other ensembles)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, finale
("Ode to Joy")

To check the final schedule of all 24 concerts, please consult www.wk.com/radio.

Today's Birthdays

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973)
Willem van Hoogstraten (1884-1964)
Nobuko Imai (1943)
James Conlong (1950)
Jan-Hendrik Rootering (1950)
Courtney Pine (1964)

and

George Plimpton (1927)
Christa Wolf (1929)
John Updike (1932-2009)

Alan Pierce plays Barnacle Bill with the North Coast Symphonic Band

Alan Pierce, former bass trombonist with the Oregon Symphony, recently appeared as a soloist with the North Coast Symphonic Band in Astoria. The conductor is Lee Stromquist, and the piece is "Barnacle Bill, the Sailor" by Carson Robison and Frank Luther, freely adapted and arranged by Steven Frank.

Today's Birthdays

Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729)
Joseph Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Brian Boydell (1917-2000)
Nat "King" Cole (1917-1965)
Stephen Dodgson (1924)
Betty Allen (1927-2009)
John Lill (1944)
Michael Finnissy (1946)

and

Edmund Kean (1787-1833)
Frank B. Gilbreth (1911-2001)

Today's Birthdays

Christa Ludwig (1928)
Sir Roger Norrington (1934)
Teresa Berganza (1935)
David Del Tredici 1937)
Claus Peter Flor (1953)

and

James Madison (1751-1836)
Maxim Gorky (1868-1936)
Alice Hoffman(1952)

Cascadia Composers expand Portland's new music scene

By guest reviewer Aaron Berenbach

If the inaugural concert of the Cascadia Composers group is a sign of things to come, fans of the new music scene in Portland have much to look forward to. Friday’s concert featured a well-rounded selection of composing styles and instrumentation choices. From the shrill, phasing timbres of piccolo and orchestra bells, to the surprisingly pleasant blend of solo violin and xylophone, to the warm, rich sound of a string quartet, each composer stood distinct in his choice of instruments and styles.

Starting the concert with a series of duets, Dan Senn’s Cartwheels displayed the acrobatic skills of both piccolo and orchestra bells as the two instruments vaulted around, and sometimes through the other. Ultramodern, sometimes painful, the differing attacks of each musician would dissolve into an overlapping resonance that echoed in the ear long after the final note had decayed.

Jeff Winslow’s Aftermath displayed Janice Johnson’s soprano voice most favorably as the skilled piano work of Jeffrey Payne shifted, flowed, and wound its way around the words. The fierce, emotional declamation of the text and the surging, wavelike motion of the piano accompaniment brought to life the desperation of the protagonist, trapped between the raging ocean and the catastrophe being fled.

Thomas Svoboda’s Elusive Canon for Violin and Xylophone was a playful duet, engaging the performers in a musical dialogue that displays a sense of humor and whimsy sometimes sadly lacking in modern music. An interesting combination of instruments that lent itself to the tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of the piece.

David Bernstein’s Late Autumn Moods and Images expanded the palette of instruments to three, and the extended form of his piece made great use of that effect. Borrowing material for the first two of three movements, Bernstein wove together the familiar with his own intuitive senses, creating an aural experience that reached far beyond the original material. The third movement displayed a grasp of compositional techniques that brought together disparate musical ideas into a colorful whole.

This being Portland, land of the weird and wonderful, no one thought it amiss that the second half of the concert opened with an oratory. It was only after a few moments of garbled speech that it began to dawn on the audience that this performance art was not planned. Nevertheless the mysterious stranger who seized the spotlight received a warm round of applause. Hooray for Portland.

Without missing a beat, the concert rolled on with Gary Noland’s Schmaltz Fantasy (sorry, that’s Waltz Fantasy). Like an André Rieu opium dream, Noland’s waltz slowly emerged from a morass of sound, solidified into a lush, decadent, Viennese waltz before dissolving and reforming again and again. Like Bernstein, Noland made great use of the familiar, in this case the easily recognized waltz form, but made it personal, unique, and extremely interesting in his interpretation.

Finally expanding to a full string quartet, Jack Gabel’s That Old Song And Dance took the audience by surprise as the obligatory tuning period of four musicians flowed seamlessly into the written piece. What at first appeared a musical game of two-on-two solidified and moved smoothly through ancient song and dance forms. As with all the composers working with borrowed material, Gabel displayed an understanding of traditional forms but brought them fully into the present with imagination and flair. Devolving back into the chaos of musicians tuning at cross-purposes, this piece in particular seemed to delight the audience with its sense of completeness.

Bringing the concert to a close, Greg A. Steinke’s Expressions on the Paintings of Edvard Munch had the definitive final say in the Cascadia Composer’s inaugural concert. A hard act to follow, Steinke explored his personal reactions to three of Munch’s famous paintings and managed to bring those images to life quite forcefully with his compositional style. The first movement brought to mind George Crumb’s Black Angels, particularly the movement, Night of The Electric Insects. More personally, it reminded this reviewer of almost every horror scene that has plagued his nightmares. Surprising, mesmerizing, and engaging, the entire piece seemed to draw the performers in as much as the audience. Both the freedom and the form of this composition was a powerful way to end the concert.

As usual, the work of the fEARnoMUSIC performers was professional, honest, and a delight to experience. It was heartening to see such a large crowd as well as an ever-growing number of younger listeners in the audience. The Cascadia Composers are a welcome addition to the Portland new music scene with a healthy blend of compositional styles and individual takes on musical forms. Future concerts are presumably being planned, so stayed tuned.

-----

Aaron Berenbach is studying music composition with Bob Priest at Marylhurst University and pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter/composer/teacher.

Oregon Symphony delivers full brunt of Svoboda's Vortex

Whether we sank into an abyss or blew up the debris of our ruined nation, the final notes of Tomas Svoboda’s “Vortex,” signaled the end of a wild ride that grabbed everyone’s attention at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday (March 14). Svoboda wrote his latest work for orchestra as a reaction to the economic and social turmoil that has dominated our country recently, and “Vortex” received a stunning world premiere by the Oregon Symphony under the baton of Carlos Kalmar in a program that included scintillating performances of Brahms Symphony No. 3 and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with guest artist Freddy Kempf.

Svoboda’s music took us on a journey that began with light pizzicatos in the strings, which created a pleasant mood. But the wiggle-waggle sounds from a group of “meckering” horns commented on situation with growing discontent, and within a short period of time the entire orchestra was caught up in a mass of tones that seemed to swirl out of control. Soon the whole sonic enterprise collapsed on itself until all that remained was the sad wailing, played evocatively by principal cellist Nancy Ives. The musical forces, supported by the lower strings, gathered themselves once more and a beautiful brass and woodwind choir seemed to emerge and then march into the distance. Ives played a second melancholy passage and gradually other voices of the orchestra stirred but with a bit of harshness. The xylophone, played crisply by principal percussionist Niel DePonte, commented on the circumstances with seemly random notes that began to fall into a recognizable pattern when the cello cried out once again. This gave way to the plucking of strings, which was then taken over by a restlessness (signaled by pulsating trumpets), and a descent into the final vortex was underway.

The audience responded to this work with genuine enthusiasm, and Svoboda out on the stage to receive loud applause and a standing ovation. Although the current times are tough, it would be great to see the Oregon Symphony record “Vortex” sometime in the near future, because it is such a superb work.

And Svoboda’s orchestral piece was just one part of a concert in which the orchestra delivered two other outstanding performances. Before intermission, the orchestra collaborated with Kempf to create a vibrant interpretation of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. Kempf adds a lot excitement in the way that he pounces on the keyboard and takes off like a purebred racehorse at the Kentucky Derby. The music has a debonair, catch me if you can, quality, but Kalmar and the orchestra are right with Kempf, accenting notes together, and creating some of the most thrilling music in the repertoire. Kempf and the orchestra also excelled in the slow, languid passages, which helped to release all of the pent up energy and let our minds drift aimlessly. The tonal colors that they concocted added to the overall enjoyment of this piece, and the bravos that broke out after it concluded were full of joy and amazement.

The evening began with Brahms’ Third Symphony, which is not nearly as well known as his other symphonies probably because he did not end it in a grand way. As Kalmar noted to the audience before the symphony began, this work reflects “Brahms looking inside himself,” yet even this inward reflection was given a terrific performance by the orchestra. Kalmar and his forces dug into every nook and cranny of this piece. I loved how the music would surge ahead and then fall back in the first movement. Highlights from the second movement included the sonic blend from the bassoon, clarinet, and horns with supportive commentary from the lower strings. The elegant theme of the third movement and the horn solo by principal John Cox were delicious to the ears, and the full-bodied sound of the fourth glistened. I loved the way that the strings eagerly delved into this music and also how principal Yoshinori Nakao coaxed velvety soft sounds out his clarinet.

The Oregon Symphony plays the music of Svoboda, Prokofiev, and Brahms this evening, and I heartily recommend that you experience it.

Portland Opera's La Calisto swings for the stars

Portland Opera hit a home run into the celestial skies with its new production of “La Calisto,” an opera written by the Venetian composer Francesco Cavalli in 1651. Exquisite singing by the entire cast (most of whom belong to the Studio Artists program), stellar playing by the Portland Baroque Orchestra under conductor Robert Ainsley, and an evocative set, designed by Curt Enderle, combined to make this “La Calisto” a charming experience. The near capacity audience at the Newmark Theatre on opening night (Friday, March 13) enthusiastically embraced this fanciful retelling of two myths (Calisto and Giove plus Diana and Endimione) that came from ancient Greece and Rome.

Sharin Aposolou sparkled in the role of Calisto, a young follower of the goddess Diana. Her clear and supple soprano was thrilling, especially in the way that she impeccably dashed off numerous runs as if they were the easiest things in the world. Apostolou conveyed the naiveté of Calisto with spot-on acting as well.

Jonathan Kimple created a convincing Giove, using his resonant bass to underscore his stature as the king of the gods. His seduction of Calisto was tempered at the end of the story when he promised her and her son a place in the heavens (hence Ursa Major and Ursa Minor). Baritone José Rubio artfully greased the wheels of Giove’s intentions as Giove’s sidekick Mecurio.

Mezzo Hannah S. Penn embodied two characters so convincingly that she could consider a second career as a double agent in the secret service. In the role of Diana, goddess of the moon and the hunt, Penn created a young woman who was torn between her pledge to chastity and her desire to love Endimione, a young shepherd. In the role of Giove disguised as Diana, Penn marvelously captured the swagger and chauvinistic pride of the top god in his pursuit of Calisto.

Gerald Thompson in the role of Endimione displayed his countertenor to stunning effect, dispatching all sorts of tricky passages with breathtaking control. Yet his tender duet with Penn was one of the many high points in this production.

Wearing a gown hemmed with the image of peacock feathers, mezzo Angela Niederloh as Giunone (the wife of Giove) strutted around the raked stage in high heels as if she owned it. The flinty wrath of her voice and the fire in her eyes could’ve torched the landscape a second time (it had already been burnt to a crisp when the story began).

Mezzo Kendra Herrington’s Linfea, a zealous follower of Diana, provided additional comic relief when she revealed her desire for a lover. Laughter reached an apex after the eager young satyr, Satirino, sung by soprano Anne Mckee Reed, impulsively kissed the astonished Linfea.

Tenor Brendan Tuohy sang superbly and reaped plenty of laughter as Pane, the god of the shepherds, who can’t really carry out any dastardly deeds no matter how much he threatens to do so. Baritone Bobby Jackson’s Silvano, a young satyr and cohort in Pane’s posse was terrific also.

Ainsley conducted a period orchestra of Baroque specialists with élan, shaping the music with sensitivity and purpose. A unique collaboration with Portland Baroque Orchestra helped to assemble these instrumentalists (playing violin, viola da gamba, lirone, theorbo, lute, guitar, recorder, dulcian, cornetto, harpisichord, and organ) and created a musical experience that would have been very similar to what Venetians heard 350 years ago.

Stage director Ned Canty made the story easy to follow. The minimalist set design by Curt Enderele and the lighting by Don Crossley enhanced the opera perfectly. Sue Bonde’s colorful costumes added wonderfully to the mix.

All in all, Portland Opera’s production of “La Calisto” is a knock out. I encourage you to get a ticket if any are available. Two remaining shows run on March 19 and 21.

Today's Birthdays

Eduard Strauss (1835-1916)
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935)
Colin McPhee (1900-1964)
Cecil Taylor (1929)
Jean Rudolphe Kars (1947)
Lynda Russell (1952)
Isabel Buchanan (1954)

and

Richard Ellmann (1918-1987)

Today's Birthdays

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Pierre-Louis Couperin (1755-1789)
Johann Strauss I (1804-1849)
Lawrance Collingwood (1887-1982)
Witold Rudziński (1913-2004)
Philip Joll (1954)

and

Albert Einstein (1879-1955
Sylvia Beach (1887-1962)

Today's Birthdays

Michael Blavet (1700-1768)
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Alec Rowley (1892-1958)
Lionel Friend (1945)
Julia Migenes (1949(
Wolfgang Rihm (1952)
Anthony Powers (1953)

and

Janet Flanner (1892-1978)

Salieri recommends Mozart concert with Portland Symphonic Choir

Antonio Salieri, if he were alive today, would heartily recommend the upcoming performance of Mozart's Requiem on March 20th at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Portland Symphonic Choir, under the direction of artistic director Stephen Zopfi, will sing this great work. Northwest Reverbers Lorin Wilkerson (in the bass section) and yours truly (in the tenor section) will be part of the action.

For more information about this concert, click here.

Today's Birthdays

Thomas Arne (1710-1778)
Hans Knappertsbusch (1888-1965)
Norbert Brainin (1923-2005)
Philip Jones (1928-2000)
Helga Pilarczyk (1935)
Liza Minnelli (1946)

and

George Berkeley (1685-1753)
Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950)
Edward Albee (1928)
Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)
Carl Hiaasen (1953)
David Eggers (1970)

Cascadia Composers inaugural concert with Fear No Music

The Fear No Music ensemble, guest pianist Alexandre Dossin, and several other guest artists will present a concert of chamber music by composers who belong to the newly formed Casicadia Composers group. The concert takes place at The Old Church this Friday at 8 pm. Here's the program:

Late Autumn Moods and Images by David S. Bernstein

- Inés Voglar, violin
- Nancy Ives, cello
- Alexandre Dossin, piano

Cartwheels by Dan Senn
(world premiere)

- David Buck, piccolo
- Joel Bluestone, bells

That Old Song and Dance by Jack Gabel

- Inés Voglar, violin
- Paloma Griffin, violin
- Joël Belgique, viola
- Nancy Ives, cello

Waltz Fantasy by Gary Noland
(world premiere)

- Inés Voglar, violin
- Jeff Payne, piano

Aftermath by Jeff Winslow

- Janice Johnson, soprano
- Jeff Payne, piano

Elusive Canon for Violin and Xylophone by Tomas Svoboda
(world premiere)

- Inés Voglar, violin
- Joel Bluestone, xylophone

Expressions on the Paintings of Edvard Munch by Greg A. Steink

- Inés Voglar, violin
- Paloma Griffin, violin
- Joël Belgique, viola
- Nancy Ives, cello

A-WOL Dance Collective stays on the ground part of the time in 3-6-9 show

Guest review by Michelle Johnson

What a show! It has 9 choreographers, 6 minute pieces, with 3 dancers in each dance. Each work was choreographed and danced by exceptional artists who draw you into their fusion of dance styles with intricate dancer interplay and wit. Although A-WOL dance collective is known for its acrobatic movements that suspend the artists in the air, this show had just a bit of above-ground movement in a few pieces. Guest performer Keph Sherin suspended his body upwards on his hands in turns and contortions and balances which amazed the audience. He choreographed his own dances because no one else can do what he does. He said “Hand Dancing is European” and the A-WOL Aerial Without Limits philosophy accepted and highlighted his dance passion.

A-WOL’s performers make every detail of their performance clear, precise and intricate. They use classical dance lines, but you need to look quick because they morph into emotive body movements between human beings pushing someone away or turning someone aside or frantically twisting aground. The costumes are simple and effective for showing the A-WOL style and professional abilities of all of the dancers.

Many of the dancers are also choreographers. Co-Director and performer Brandy Guthery says they will have in house choreographers this summer. The company will be performing its amazing feats in upcoming shows including “Art in the Dark V - Left of Center” in the trees at Mary S. Young Park on August 28th and 29th at 8pm.

---

Michelle Johnson is a classically trained dancer who dances and teaches at the Laurelhurst Studio.

Today's Birthdays

Carl Ruggles (1876-1971)
Henry Cowell (1897-1965)
Xavier Montsalvage (1912-2002)
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Sarah Walker (1943)
Tristan Murail (1947)
Bobby McFerrin (1950)

and

Douglas Adams (1952-2001)