Places to go and things to see by Gypsy Bev

Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Opole, Philharmonic of Poland

Always a delight to sit back and listen to the sounds of a fantastic orchestra.  Thanks to the Cambridge Concert Association’s reciprocity with the Zanesville Concert Association, this evening was possible for classical music enthusiasts.

Opole, Philharmonic of Poland filled the stage of Secrest Auditorium with ninety members.  All were talented musicians on their first transcontinental tour of the United States.  They arrived in three tour buses with a large semi to carry all their precious instruments.

This group traces their beginnings to 1947, shortly after WWII.  Opole is the permanent home for the Orchestra in Poland in this beautiful Performing Arts Center built in 1952. Opole was originally a Slavic settlement but passed to Poland in 1945.

They performed a Vienna Gala featuring light Viennese classics composed by Johann Strauss, Johann Strauss, Jr., and Fraz Lehar. There was an enjoyable mix of orchestral, vocal, and violin music that included waltzes, arias, and even polkas.  What a fantastic collection of outstanding musicians!

Soprano Izabela Matula is the star soloist and has so many prestigious awards that they would fill pages.  Her most recent first place award was at the International Vocal Competition at the Oper Schloss Laubach.  She was the sole performer chosen to represent Poland in the recent BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Music Director and Conductor, Boguislaw Dawidow is internationally renowned for his musical knowledge and extraordinary stage presence.  He has conducted leading Orchestras all over the world.  Maestro Dawidow was resident conductor of the Polish Chamber Orchestra as well as Principal COnductor of teh Russian National Acadmic Symphony Orchestra.

In 2002, the American Biographical Institute in New York bestowed Maestro Dawison with the title “Man of the Year,” due to his musical accomplishments on both sides of the Atlantic and well-beyond.  He brought immense enthusiasm to the stage and even brought some laughter from the audience.

This was an enjoyable evening and the concert association should be commended for their excellent selection of music for the community to enjoy.

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Music, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Cambridge Concert Association Presents Michael Sonata

One of the best entertainment values for your dollar can be found in Cambridge, Ohio through the Cambridge Concert Association.  For Senior Citizens, it is a real bargain at $25 per year.  This includes four concerts at our home theater, Scottish Rite Auditorium, plus four reciprocating concerts at each of three other locations: Zanesville, Lancaster, and Alliance.  What a deal!

These concerts are varied and appeal to many types of music lovers varying from classical music to vocal and dance.  Usually at least once a year, an old favorite will appear such as recent appearances by the Osmonds and Tony Orlando.

One recent concert was given by Michael Sonata, who does a very life-like presentation of Frank Sinatra, “Ol’ Blue Eyes.”  He played to a full house and the crowd loved him.  Michael is from Canton, OH and graduated from University of Notre Dame as well as earning his masters degree from Kent State University.

Auditioning for a role in a local murder-mystery, The Contraltos,  Michael developed his entertaining  re-creation of Sinatra’s music and unique style of singing. He does such a meticulous job of matching his voice as well as his movements to those of Sinatra that several people said they couldn’t tell the difference, especially if they closed their eyes.

Over the years, he has expanded by including different Sinatra moods: young innocence of The Columbia years, swinging revival of The Capitol years, and confidence of the Chairman during the Reprise years.   He now uses over 90 songs that Sinatra has recorded and constantly adds new ones to his repertoire.

Backed up by a great 12 piece band, there was lots of variety along with some excellent instrumental solos by different sections of the band. Included were such hits as: “Stranger in the Night,” “My Way,” and “Night and Day.”

Cambridge was indeed fortunate to have the “Ol’ Blue Eyes” experience through the presence of Michael Sonata, one of the most sought after Frank Sinatra tribute artists in the country.

Join the Cambridge Concert Association at any of their programs as they are always enjoyable and filled with a variety of musical styles that are sure to satisfy music lovers in the area.  Concerts are sponsored in part by the Ohio Arts Council and Pennsylvania Arts on Tour.

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Cambridge, Music, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Small Town with a Big Heart

The Spirit of Christmas was alive and musical in downtown Cambridge, OH.  The occasion was The Cambridge City Band 2010 Holiday Concert at the Scottish Rite Auditorium.  This is an annual event in conjunction with the Christmas parade and the arrival of Santa Claus.

The band was in full force this Sunday afternoon dressed for the season.  Santa hats were plentiful as well as elves, lighted costumes, shirts and ties, as well as a beautiful holiday gown. Band director, Dr Berk Jones, always enjoys the chance to wear a costume or festive hat to help brighten the performance.

The backdrop caused comments  throughout the day and even later in the week.  It was a beautiful scene of a Victorian style village covered in snow and made the perfect setting for the Christmas music that was performed by the band. The question was: Who did that backdrop? or Where did they get it?

This small town still has old fashioned values and makes a person feel good at this season of the year.  The courthouse has a manger scene, which is easily accepted by all.  No complaints!  Well, last year some youngsters took Baby Jesus and moved his figure to a nearby place, but it was not done in a mean manner, and was recovered without damage.

Today’s concert was in memory of Melanie Jones  Bolyard,  longtime band member and music enthusiast in the community. She left this world during the late summer after a long illness, and a video tribute was shown on the walls of the theater at intermission.  Many tears were shed as family and friends watched the touching life of Mellie relived before their eyes.

All the band concerts are opened with a prayer and followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, ‘under God’ is still included in the pledge.  During the day the audience also participated in singing some popular old Christmas songs and finished with singing old familiar Christmas carols, closing with “Silent Night”. The sing-a-long was led by Mellie’s Friends and Family.  Makes a heart feel good to know that this small town has kept traditions alive with no negative community feedback.

During the second half of the show an appearance was made by Maynard, the Loveable Lush pushed in a wheelchair by Santa Claus.  His bottle was quickly removed by the audio team as there is no drinking allowed in the theater!  Santa had a present, which he wanted a band member to open.  He called down one of the girls, who was dressed like an elf.  She was a bit leery of opening the present and approached cautiously.  These guys are always pulling jokes on each other. Well, this time it wasn’t a joke.

Maynard got down on one knee and with mike in hand, proposed to the young lady in the band.  That is a proposal she will long remember and she proudly showed her new ring to fellow band members.  She did have a difficult time playing her flute for the next song, as it truly did take her breath away.

The band played an outstanding selection of Christmas music with several specials.  “Santa Claus Comes to Dixieland” added some special liveliness to the afternoon.  There were special instrumental and vocal solos to give it lots of variety.

The show was excellent and closed with the traditional theme song of the band, “Thanks for the Memory”.  The Cambridge City Band has provided musical entertainment to the area for 169 years.   Cambridge should be proud of the fantastic musical ability that abounds in this area and gives so much enjoyment all year long.

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Cambridge, Music, Ohio

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