Review of the Anchorage Youth Symphony performance (“Autumn Reverie”)
by Emily Klopfer - Dimond High School

“Without great music, education is not complete.” This is the belief of the Anchorage Youth Symphony.

Tuesday, November 17 the Anchorage Youth Symphony gave a joint concert with the Anchorage Junior Youth Symphony, entitled, “Autumn Reverie.”

The seven o’clock performance opened with the Anchorage Junior Youth Symphony. A moment of collective tuning welcomed their conductor, Daniel Whitfield to the stage. With a signal from Whitfield, the orchestra launched into the recognizable “Prelude to Carmen,” written by Georges Bizet and arranged by Casey Kriechbaum, from the play, Carmen. While the one small horn portion of the piece was good, it soon became apparent that the strings were the shining section of this orchestra.

“Contraption,” the following song, changed the mood of the concert to a more dark and edgy feeling. During this piece, written by Brendan McBrien, the string section was still the superior portion of the orchestra. The song ended with the lingering sound of the percussion section.

Eunice Kang led the third song of the evening with a flawless violin solo. “Ashokan Farewell,” written by Jay Ungar and arranged by Bob Cerulli, changed the mood of the night yet again. Kang’s violin solo was joined in increments by the rest of the orchestra, the percussion being the last instruments heard to join this mournful tune.

“Romany Dances,” written by Elliot Del Borgo, was the final song of the night for the Anchorage Junior Youth Symphony. The violinists were the musicians to watch during this piece. Their dedication and rigorous practice was apparent by watching the enthusiasm with which they played. A clarinet solo during the piece added a nice glimpse at the woodwinds, however, the string section provided the more clear-sounding and crisp notes throughout the first half of the performance.

Intermission followed the Anchorage Junior Youth Symphony’s performance and preceded the Anchorage Youth Symphony.

Linn Weeda, the conductor for the Anchorage Youth Symphony, began the performance with a piece from Ludwig van Beethoven titled “Coriolan Overture.” Riddled throughout the song were areas in which the orchestra ceased playing, then began again. In these areas, the orchestra stopped with precision, leaving their last notes resonating and lingering in the ears of the audience, then began again with sharp, crisp notes. The verbato sounds of the string section could be clearly heard, along with the woodwinds.

“Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” composed by Franz Liszt, was the second song of the evening for the Anchorage Youth Symphony. This particular rhapsody showcased the cellos and the string basses, along with a clarinetist who had three separate solos. The low, vibrating sounds of the cellos and string bases accentuated the darker tone of the piece. Half way through the song, however, the mood suddenly changed to a more staccato and upbeat feeling. The cellos plucked at their strings instead of using their bows, which gave the piece a harmonious underlying beat. Towards the end of the piece, the song became more hectic with many notes being played in quick succession.

Arturo Marquez wrote the final song for the evening, called “Danzon No. 2.” The song began with the percussion and was soon followed by a clarinet solo. A piccolo solo could be heard next, followed by a piano solo. A solitary violinist began to play once the piano had ended, the last instrument in the string of solos. After a short focus on the brass, there was a pause in which the audience was unsure of whether or not to clap. Before the audience had made their decision, the orchestra came back with a powerful ending to conclude the performance.

The Anchorage Youth Symphony and the Anchorage Junior Youth Symphony provide a venue for students to improve their skills and further their talent. Their potential and the talent they already possess, combined with their dedication and hard work, was definitely apparent in Tuesday’s “Autumn Reverie.”

* Before they began their performance, Weeda took a couple moments to thank everyone for helping with the Anchorage Youth Symphony program, and to demonstrate the sound of the new donated cello. Zach Atkins of the Anchorage Youth Symphony had the pleasure of playing on the cello that was donated by the Rasmusson Foundation. The cello had longer string length, which allowed Atkins to play deeper notes than a regular cello.

Autumn Reverie

Anchorage Youth Symphony

November 17, 2009 at 7:00pm

The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Discovery Theatre

Bye Bye Bullies Does More than Benefit the Audience
By Dominique Williams - East Anchorage High School

The third annual Bye Bye Bullies benefit brought awareness to a great cause and two Jazz Greats to Anchorage for a close to three-hour concert of great music and fun. The night started late but ended in a standing ovation.

The benefit hosted by Eddie P began featuring Dr. Dorothy Espelage. Dr. Espelage founded the charity and addressed the audience on the charity and the reason for this benefit. The charity started after a seventh grader hung himself because of bullying and didn't die and now is unable to function without assistance.

After Dr. Espelage finished, the opening act, The Veronica Page Band emerged to pump a slightly stiff crowd. Veronica Page used her vocal range to astound the audience by singing old classics such as "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Tell Me Something Good," and "Mr. Big Stuff," to ending with a song unknown to many titled "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James. By the end of the first act, Ms. Page was giving the crowd all she could in terms of her voice and sincerity in her emotions.

Post-intermission the true benefit began. Rick Braun started the set in the audience dancing while playing the trumpet. In the first song, each band member did a solo. The crowd instantly started bobbing their heads to the jazz grooves,

Jeff Golub and Rick Braun alternated songs for the rest of the night. Both accompanied on all songs and interacted with the crowd. The highlight songs of the night were "Notorious" and "Green Tomatoes" by Braun and "Always There" and "I'll Play the Blues For You" by Golub.

By the end of the hour and a 45-minute set, with killer bass solos, hearing a guitar purr and a trumpet sing, people were up dancing and singing when asked. It was a remarkable concert. Jeff Golub and Rick Braun ended up receiving a standing ovation and came out for one last jam with the audience.

After the concert, the artists signed autographs and went to an after party at the Whales Tail. This concert left the audience ready to dance and feeling good about contributing to a fine cause.

Jazz Greats: Bye Bye Bullies Benefit
Blues Central Productions
November 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Atwood Concert Hall

Anchorage Opera's Dark Night Series - The Audition
by Anthony Sallows - Alaska Pacific University

Remember, remember the 10th of November, the Kaladi cup, Carharts, and arias.

By incorporating modern, local elements, and a splash of humor, Anchorage Opera's The Audition was an engaging thrust into the world of opera. November 10th marks the night of this performance, the first Dark Night series, as well as my virgin experience with the art form.

Toting a Kaladi cup and wearing worn Carharts was Andrew Sweeney, playing the part of The Worthless Accompaniast. An ironic role for him, as he was the show's music and stage director. His appearance resonated with my Alaskan roots and replaced my ignorant skepticism with a smile and anticipation. The smile remained as more Alaskan grown stereotypes and script were revealed.

Little Bo Peep, Jack and Jill, and Humpty Dumpty are titles usually found in the children's section, not a night at the opera. By blending childhood rhymes and smooth singing, I found myself impressed with the creative talents of the cast and crew. The familiarity of the young prose washed away whatever skepticism was left within me.

My most memorable character was Martina Nevertoloveyou, played by Martin Eldred - in drag. Coming to the stage squeaky and high pitched, the audience was shocked as Eldred showed his true talents as a bass-baritone when his character went into her "audience piece."

The storyline is a mock (hopefully) for an audition for the Anchorage Opera. Banking on outrageous characters that are exaggerated versions of what most directors would find in their nightmares, the show was entertaining and punny - a word derived when you combine funny with pun. While short in length, the script was able to fill the time with arias from across the gamut. Deepening my positive preview of what opera has to offer. I couldn't imagine a better introduction to the art, this performance has certainly made an opera fan out of me.

The Dark Night Series
Anchorage Opera
November 10, 2009
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Discovery Theatre

Anchorage Symphony's Opening Night
by Terradawn Laughton - West Anchorage High School

The diverse program of the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra’s Opening Night on Saturday, October 24th deserved much awe and celebration. The symphony began with Verdi’s Overture to I Vespri Siciliani, successfully played from its delicate, percussive beginning to its bombastic finale.

It set the stage for the next piece, to feature world class PercaDu, an Israeli percussion duo. As the Atwood’s orchestra pit rose, we stared in disbelief at the array of percussion instruments to be played by only two men. Up came two marimbas, a vibraphone, drum sets, saw blades, and various cymbals and bells. And yet through Avner Dorman’s Spices, Perfumes, and Toxins! Tomer Yariv and Adi Morag traveled between instruments with spirit, grace, and speed. But even more impressive than their rendition of Spices, Perfumes, and Toxins! was PercaDu’s second (yes, second) encore. They played a piece called Flight of the Bumblebee: a lightning fast battle featuring both percussionists on a single marimba, as they circled around the instrument and crisscrossed each other’s mallets without ever missing a stroke.

After intermission, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra achieved one of the chief characteristics of romantic music, expressing the powerful emotions of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor. They provided a faithful rendition of his image-provoking symphony, with precise pizzicato and a well-played cymbal explosion in the fourth movement, a finale that beats all records for the number of cymbal crashes per minute. It was an Anchorage Symphony Orchestra evening to be remembered, exciting us all for the season to come!

Opening Night
Anchorage Symphony Orchestra
October 24, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Atwood Concert Hall

Intersections
by Hannah Swanson - West High School

Two amazing companies, Alaska Dance Theatre, along with James Sewell Ballet, came and intersected at Discovery Theatre on Saturday the 25th. These two ballet companies put a spin on ballet, and even added a little comedy. Alaskan students danced along side company dancers from Minnesota and they collaborated beautifully.

A relative piece to Alaska, as well as Minnesota, was Winter. This piece started with each dancer putting on scarves, hats, mittens, and legwarmers. Then they depicted throwing snow down each others back, making snow angels, all winter activities. Each piece was inspired from a small poem, shown in the program. One piece gave the idea of the dancers being like Bambi and slipping and sliding on the ice. The whole piece ended with dancers opening like a snowflake and snow falling.

James Sewell came and did a solo with these small metal rings. He was a gymnast which showed in his amazing flexibility bending his body thru these tiny rings. Chopin Studies was amazingly hilarious. The dancers fought over an imaginary crown in which case, the janitor who had to clean it up got to keep it! In the third movement they used a foam mat, which showcased amazingly leaps and flips.

The piece choreographed for the ADT dancers was named, There’s So Much to Do, which in this case was completely true. The dancers never stopped moving for a second. They lifted each other, ran from one side of the stage to the other.

All of the movements were very contemporary ballet. It was interesting to see another style of dance come out of these students, and as well an opening experience for the audience.

Intersections
Alaska Dance Theatre
April 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Discovery Theatre

The Velveteen Rabbit
by Hannah Swanson - West High School

Stuffed animals really do come to life in this play, performed by Alaska Theatre of Youth on Thursday night. These aspiring actors ranged from the age of 7-11 years old, and put on a mildly entertaining show. It was the classic story of the Velveteen Rabbit who found his heart in his sawdust inside, to save the boy from the scarlet fear, or the scarlet fever. Full of morals and a happy ending, there was a little more love in the Sydney Laurence Theatre.

The main characters included the Velveteen Rabbit played by Jacob Gershel who was at least 6 feet tall, and towered over all the other actors. His four friends included the Skin Horse, Wind-up Mouse, Bulka the Puppy, and Timothy the Lion. Each character had their own little quirk through ought the play. Timothy sneezed at Bulka’s dust collecting ears. Bulka fainted at any scary moment. The Skin Horse was known for being wise and having all the answers. Each child portrayed their personalities well thru emotions on their faces, as well as body language.

The set was beautifully made and painted, from volunteers listed in the program. The stage was split in half. On the right was Alex‘s bedroom, the sick boy. On the left was the garden on the outside of the house. All trees were painted with great detail, and the bedroom had great colors. The costumes were also very nicely constructed and fit well into the play.

The acting done by the children was very impressive for the age. None forgot their lines, or even so much as fumbled a word. For as many lines as some of the main characters had to memorize, that was a great feat to have accomplished. They kept the energy going, even involving the audience of verbal participation helping Alex’s nanny. We all got to yell, “Find the rabbit! Find the rabbit!”

It was a very sweet performance put on by this theatre. Although it was one of its last shows for the season, next season should be pleasing as well. With a classic, Winnie-the-Pooh, and a thriller, Frankenstein. So keep an eye out for this local group that would love the support!

The Velveteen Rabbit
Alaska Theatre of Youth
April 23, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Sydney Laurence Theatre

Anchorage Symphony
by Terra Laughton – West Anchorage High School

The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra’s performance on Saturday, April 11th in the Atwood Concert Hall was engaging and well-executed. The evening featured guest conductor Robert Moody and Anchorage’s own Juliana Osinchuk on piano.

Saturday’s program was diverse to say the least, beginning with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez rendition of a Danzon. Then came Handel’s Suite No. 2 from Water Music, Hinemuth’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber and finally Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Guest conductor Moody describes the selections as some of the “most popular works in all of music”, and it’s quite clear why.

The first piece burst with engaging passion and rhythm, and was clearly enjoyed by the musicians and audience alike. Inspired by a Cuban salon dance, Marquez’ seductive and image-provoking melody was one of the evening’s highlights to be sure.

Overall, the Symphony gave a compelling performance. There were only a few moments when one part of the piece came off slightly sloppy, such as the horn solo in Handel’s Suite. However, this passed so quickly it was almost as if it hadn’t happened at all.

Juliana Osinchuk’s performance of Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 was magnificent. Her hands brilliantly sped up and down the keys, expressively offering everything from percussive piano to delicate trills. Osinchuk received three degrees from Juliard before coming to Alaska, where we now proudly claim her as our own. The Symphony Orchestra effortlessly blended with Osinchuk, providing string swells and intense musical climaxes. Each component of the Concerto’s performance served as an appropriate complement, neither overpowering the other.

At the end of the performance, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra left us satisfied and appreciative. Through the conductor’s energy, the elegance of the orchestra’s performance and the talent of the guest pianist, our minds and hearts were opened to the music of Marquez, Handel, Hindemith and Tchaikovsky in a way that we rarely have the privilege to enjoy.

Showmanship
Anchorage Symphony Orchestra
April 11, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Atwood Concert Hall