The Sage Valley Voices is a 50-member adult choir based at the United Church in Oliver. Alice DeRoche has fearlessly, and with much patience and good humour, led the Voices for the past eleven years as their choral director, selecting the music, writing scripts, sewing costumes, and she has even had a hand in designing sets for the choir’s performances. A busy lady indeed! (The photo at left is from the choir’s early days. The choir now boasts 50 members. Ed.)
The Sage Valley Voices will present their 2012 spring concert, “Here Come the 70s!” which will feature an array of music from the 1970’s (think ABBA, Johnny Cash, John Denver, even some disco) on Saturday May 5th at 7:00 pm and Sunday May 6th at 2:30 pm at the Oliver United Church. Admission is $10 at the door. (Revised dates)
The choir is a non-profit organization and supports such local community outreach programs as the food bank and soup kitchen. The choir welcomes new members – no audition required – and rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Oliver United Church.
At this time, the future of the Sage Valley Voices is in considerable doubt as we are in grave need of a new pianist. If you or anyone you know is interested in playing piano accompaniment for this fun-loving choir, or for more information about the choir, please send a message to Lois Bzdel or Alice DeRoche by writing c/o the arts council: OliverCAC@gmail.com Your message will be forwarded promptly. Don’t let the music stop!
Mark your calendar for Friday February 24th, when the Penderecki String Quartet performs in the final concert of the South Okanagan Concert Society winter season. In the second decade of an extraordinary career, this celebrated chamber ensemble’s performing schedule takes them annually to the great concert stages of North and South America, Europe and the Far East. Making up the prestigious quartet are Jeremy Bell, violin, Jerzy Kaplanek, violin, Christine Vlajk, viola, and Paul Pulford, cello. The quartet has collaborated with many eminent ensembles as well as with artists such as James Campbell and Janina Fialkowska who have thrilled audiences here in past years.
The concert will be at the temporary venue of the Oliver Alliance Church just north of Oliver at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos and at the door. This is the time to use up any remaining admissions on your flex pass and to bring your cheque book to catch the Early Bird prices for next season. Single admissions are $20 and students 17 and under are admitted free. This is a great opportunity to introduce the young musicians in your family to world class live music.
Sometimes people ask me why I love the concert series music so much. I decided to ask members of the audience what draws them. Here is what Brita Park told me:
“I’ve got this image of my recently immigrated parents in the early 50’s. My Dad had been working two jobs (16 hours a day) and had finally earned a bit more than was required for the daily food to feed a family of eight. My mother’s immediate thought was “New shoes for the kids!”. Too late! To her dismay, my father came home without the extra money. Instead he carried a beautiful record player and proudly chose one record from a stack of new LPs. The lively strains of a Strauss waltz filled the house, drifted over the porch and the orchard below. Father gallantly twirled my mother around the living room and we children joined in.
“Later my mother admitted that it was my father who had gauged the family needs correctly, not she. Our old shoes would have to do. It was the beautiful shared music of Strauss, Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Mendelssohn that lifted the family up, accompanying, sustaining, and delighting us through all our years of growing up.”
So come and share the beautiful music of the Penderecki String Quartet with others who love music. Allow yourself to be lifted up, sustained and delighted. Don’t be afraid of winter roads. Call Maureen at 250 495 7978 if you want to arrange transportation in the van. Join us. Come!
The solo guitar performance by Daniel Bolshoy was billed by South Okanagan Concert Society’s executive as an event “not to be missed.” And were they ever right about that! It had been 25 years since the concert society last had a classical guitarist on stage. Last Friday night they made up for that “oversight” by bringing us the brightest and best.
There are always potential challenges inherent in planning any concert. For this one, consider this: 200 people in a “substitute concert hall”, a whole program of music by composers that 99 percent of the audience had never heard of, and a single, quiet, unamplified, acoustic guitar. How would it go over? The short answer: extremely well!
Daniel Bolshoy had us spell-bound throughout the evening. He worked magic on his newly acquired high-tech German-made guitar, of which even the slightest whisper of a strum could be heard at the back of the hall. The audience listened, as with bated breath, not wanting to miss a single phrase, a single note. Rare are performers who perfect the vibrato, slides and changes of tone on the guitar so as to create and maintain a singing quality. Daniel Bolshoy is such a performer.
He drew us into to the lyrical world of Sainz de la Maza, Karmon, and Barrios and, after two hours of pure delight, left us on our feet, asking for more. Daniel’s program began with a musical tribute by the composer, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, to a series of poems by the Spanish poet Juan Ramon Jimenez, “Platero y Yo”. A man and his donkey: the simple joys of life and memories. Daniel’s gift to us, we were soon to discover, was not just his beautiful playing. He also has the ability to set us up for the music by telling us lively little stories about the composers at the time that each piece came into being. We were fascinated. And we listened. The first half continued with five more compositions by Sainz de la Maza, including a variety of evocative titles. When Daniel introduced “Homage to Toulouse-Lautrec” by referencing the recent hit movie, “Midnight in Paris,” the audience nodded and smiled. The first half concluded with Sainz de la Maza’s best known piece: Campanas del Alba, “Bells at Dawn”. The rapid fire guitar-playing technique called “tremolo”, which allows a guitarist to imitate a singing vocal line, came off so smoothly that the audience sat hushed for a moment, not wanting to break the lyrical spell.
The second half of the program began with “Next Year”, a series of 5 short pieces written for Daniel by the American composer Michael Karmon. Each depicts a different aspect of life in Jerusalem, combining a sense of history, awe and modern realities of the 3,000 year-old city. Unusual, fascinating music, creating a taste for more. The program concluded with works by arguably the greatest guitarist of the 20th century, the Paraguayan-Guarani Indian composer Augustin Barrios Mangore. Daniel explained how this composer’s music, so popular among guitarists today, languished in obscurity due to the overarching influence of Andres Segovia—the dominant classical guitar recitalist of the time. Out of jealousy, Segovia bad-mouthed Barrios at every opportunity. Barrios, a poverty-stricken, homeless, musical genius spent a life-time travelling all over Latin America, giving concerts and composing, but never getting the financial backing or promotional support he needed to achieve the success he was due. A full, but in many ways also a tragic, life. Now, just as every pianist knows and admires Chopin, so does every guitarist know and admire Barrios. It feels like a vindication when someone like Daniel shares the music by this genius with audiences far and wide.
The last piece in the program, “La Catedral”, presents enormous challenges to any performer. Daniel, with the exceptional powers of concentration and outstanding technical skills needed for the long and difficult stretches in the piece, did full justice to Barrios. A triumphant end to the program. We were treated to two encores, before the enthusiastic audience finally let Daniel leave the stage. Barrios’ last composition, “An Alm for the Love of God”, was followed by Sainz de la Maza’s arrangement of Steven Foster’s well-known “Swanee River”, which combined shades of Ravel, Django Reinhardt, and Debussy. For me, it was a perfect ending to a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Judging by the strength of the standing ovation and by the record-setting CD sales in the foyer, Oliver concert-goers agreed!
The South Okanagan Concert Society has one more concert lined up for this season. Music lovers, mark your calendars! The Penderecki String Quartet will be playing on Friday, Feb.24th at 7:30 at Oliver Alliance Church, whose support to the temporarily “homeless” SOCS has been tremendous, and is much appreciated by one and all. Early Bird ticket sales for next year will again be available.
The solo guitar performance by Daniel Bolshoy was billed by South Okanagan Concert Society’s executive as an event “not to be missed.” And were they ever right about that! It had been 25 years since the concert society last had a classical guitarist on stage. Last Friday night they made up for that “oversight” by bringing us the brightest and best.
There are always potential challenges inherent in planning any concert. For this one, consider this: 200 people in a “substitute concert hall”, a whole program of music by composers that 99 percent of the audience had never heard of, and a single, quiet, unamplified, acoustic guitar. How would it go over? The short answer: extremely well!
Daniel Bolshoy had us spell-bound throughout the evening. He worked magic on his newly acquired high-tech German-made guitar, of which even the slightest whisper of a strum could be heard at the back of the hall. The audience listened, as with bated breath, not wanting to miss a single phrase, a single note. Rare are performers who perfect the vibrato, slides and changes of tone on the guitar so as to create and maintain a singing quality. Daniel Bolshoy is such a performer.
He drew us into to the lyrical world of Sainz de la Maza, Karmon, and Barrios and, after two hours of pure delight, left us on our feet, asking for more. Daniel’s program began with a musical tribute by the composer, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, to a series of poems by the Spanish poet Juan Ramon Jimenez, “Platero y Yo”. A man and his donkey: the simple joys of life and memories. Daniel’s gift to us, we were soon to discover, was not just his beautiful playing. He also has the ability to set us up for the music by telling us lively little stories about the composers at the time that each piece came into being. We were fascinated. And we listened. The first half continued with five more compositions by Sainz de la Maza, including a variety of evocative titles. When Daniel introduced “Homage to Toulouse-Lautrec” by referencing the recent hit movie, “Midnight in Paris,” the audience nodded and smiled. The first half concluded with Sainz de la Maza’s best known piece: Campanas del Alba, “Bells at Dawn”. The rapid fire guitar-playing technique called “tremolo”, which allows a guitarist to imitate a singing vocal line, came off so smoothly that the audience sat hushed for a moment, not wanting to break the lyrical spell.
The second half of the program began with “Next Year”, a series of 5 short pieces written for Daniel by the American composer Michael Karmon. Each depicts a different aspect of life in Jerusalem, combining a sense of history, awe and modern realities of the 3,000 year-old city. Unusual, fascinating music, creating a taste for more. The program concluded with works by arguably the greatest guitarist of the 20th century, the Paraguayan-Guarani Indian composer Augustin Barrios Mangore. Daniel explained how this composer’s music, so popular among guitarists today, languished in obscurity due to the overarching influence of Andres Segovia—the dominant classical guitar recitalist of the time. Out of jealousy, Segovia bad-mouthed Barrios at every opportunity. Barrios, a poverty-stricken, homeless, musical genius spent a life-time travelling all over Latin America, giving concerts and composing, but never getting the financial backing or promotional support he needed to achieve the success he was due. A full, but in many ways also a tragic, life. Now, just as every pianist knows and admires Chopin, so does every guitarist know and admire Barrios. It feels like a vindication when someone like Daniel shares the music by this genius with audiences far and wide.
The last piece in the program, “La Catedral”, presents enormous challenges to any performer. Daniel, with the exceptional powers of concentration and outstanding technical skills needed for the long and difficult stretches in the piece, did full justice to Barrios. A triumphant end to the program. We were treated to two encores, before the enthusiastic audience finally let Daniel leave the stage. Barrios’ last composition, “An Alm for the Love of God”, was followed by Sainz de la Maza’s arrangement of Steven Foster’s well-known “Swanee River”, which combined shades of Ravel, Django Reinhardt, and Debussy. For me, it was a perfect ending to a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Judging by the strength of the standing ovation and by the record-setting CD sales in the foyer, Oliver concert-goers agreed!
The South Okanagan Concert Society has one more concert lined up for this season. Music lovers, mark your calendars! The Penderecki String Quartet will be playing on Friday, Feb.24th at 7:30 at Oliver Alliance Church, whose support to the temporarily “homeless” SOCS has been tremendous, and is much appreciated by one and all. Early Bird ticket sales for next year will again be available.
Excitement ! Delight! A tiny bit of smug pride! Glee! That’s how the South Okanagan Concert Society executive is feeling as they announce Daniel Bolshoy, solo guitarist, will be on stage at the interim Oliver Alliance Church venue Friday, January 27th at 7:30 pm. Daniel has been a mega hit with his charismatic stage presence, his charming ability to communicate with the audience and the ability to coax utter magic from his guitar. The lucky coincidence that he has recently been appointed to head the guitar department at the newly created Vancouver Symphony School of Music means he is living for one year in Vancouver and close enough to be lured to the Okanagan.
The intimate atmosphere and acoustics of the Alliance Church venue are perfect to showcase a fine musician known for the expressiveness of his style. Critics say Daniel “immerses himself in his music, physically projecting the depth of its emotion while his virtuosity flows as if it were an instinctive force.”
Tickets are on sale at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos and at the door. The best buy is a flexible pass for four admissions for only $60. The admissions can be used separately or in combination. Single admission is $20 and young people age 17 and under are welcome to attend concerts free.
Call Maureen at 495-7978 to arrange for transportation by van if you are worried about winter driving conditions and know you can’t miss this performance.
Daniel Bolshoy is a Russian-born, Israeli-raised Canadian and a renowned guitarist who is regularly praised for engaging the audience between pieces with biographies to introduce composers, and more importantly, with the story behind the piece itself. He has an uncanny intimacy with his instrument and an aggressive multi-layered quality to his style so that with closed eyes it is easy to imagine more than one player on stage.
Daniel’s recitals are frequently broadcast on the CBC. He appears on four CD recordings and he teaches guitar at Concordia University in Montreal and offers master classes internationally. He will soon be touring Russia and he continues to perform in Canada’s most prestigious venues, including the Glenn Gould Studio, the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts, the National Art Centre and Vancouver’s Chan Centre.
One warning. There will only be one performance. When the Kallisto Trio held the audience breathless at their performance before Christmas and the word of that incredible concert spread through our towns, those who missed out lamented their loss. Daniel Bolshoy is capable of creating another magical evening to refresh the soul. Be careful. Don’t be one of those who only wishes they had been there. Be one of those sitting enthralled as his music works its magic.
Editor’s Note: This talented young performer is sure to appeal to the child or teen in your life. Planning to go? Bring along your favourite young person (s) for free! Let them catch the excitement of a live concert!
Three women in perfect and effortless harmony, all with glorious voices, all capable of covering a diverse repertoire and all equally capable of sharing undeniable musical abilities in a way that keeps an entire audience in their thrall. That was the gift the extraordinarily talented a cappella group, The Kallisto Trio, gave South Okanagan Concert Society goers last week. It was evening not have been missed!
From the first intriguing moment at the start when the light tinkle of a temple bell filled a darkened candlelight room until the last notes of “Auld Lang Syne” faded away at the end, the audience was in awe. It was a very special evening. Not surprisingly, words fail to do justice. It was all about hearing and an evening filled with glorious sounds. The artistry, the presentation, the music choices, the Trio’s own obvious enjoyment with the music and each other filled the room. It often left us in awe. Many times as the last clear notes of a piece faded away, the audience was utterly silent before the room filled with audible sighs and then enthusiastic applause. Comments like “amazing and joyous voices”, “they were born to sing”,“what a treat!” “they sparkle, ” filled the room at the Oliver Alliance Church both at intermission and when the evening closed. No one wanted it to end.
Lead soprano Catherine Laub, soprano Karen Mang and mezzo soprano Fabiano Katz all bring extensive and formal training to their craft. They are writers, composers, conductors, teachers and soloists as well. What is not so easily acquired, however, is the passion, good humour, friendship and musical curiosity that underlines what they do so well. Their varied program demonstrated those rarer qualities, ones that result in true audience engagement. It was also inspirational.
One could go on forever about their technical capabilities, perfect balance and blend, excellent diction, controlled phrasing and more. I will focus rather on their ability to have the audience go beyond just hearing a well presented note but going one step further enabling us to “feel” that note and the story behind it. We heard the ice crack in “Frobisher Bay”. We shared the emotion underscoring “Love Is Not All”. We struggled to stay in our seats with the rollicking French Canadian “Reel a Bouche”. I’d be remiss if I also didn’t note the extra dimension provided by their instrumentation. It brought more delicious sounds into their vocal mix – singing bowls, temple bells, a child’s xylophone, a celtic drum, recorders, clarinet, guitar and, best of all, the kazoo. As kazoo players they are unparalleled! Equally interesting is that fully one half of their program featured Canadian content including premiering two touching pieces by Vancouver born cellist Stefan Hintersteininger.
One particular piece continues to resonate with this reviewer. Titled “Remember” with words by late Victoria poet Christina Rosetti and lyrics by Canadian Stephen Chatman, the song entreated the listener to “remember me”. Ladies of the Kallisto Trio, be assured we certainly will remember you. Thank you for truly lovely evening.
A Down Home Christmas to get you in the spirit! The Sage Valley Voices are known locally for their lively programmes, zany humour, colourful costumes, and … surprises! Their sense of fun and love of singing comes across in every performance. A true “community choir” that knows what its audience likes, and delivers.
You can also “sample” the choir in performance at Oliver’s downtown LightUp celebration on the evening of Friday December 2 and at the Community Christmas Concert on December 4 at 2:30 p.m. on the Oliver Alliance Church stage. But you’ll want to get the full show “Down Home” on December 10 & 11 at Oliver United Church (see poster for details).
The choir is hunting for a new director to carry on the tradition. Are you interested? Find out more by contacting the arts council and we’ll pass your inquiry along olivercac @ gmail.com Don’t let “A Down Home Christmas” be their last concert! These folks are just having way to much fun to stop!
Three beautiful women have joined their voices and spirits to create Kallisto – an incomparable a cappella trio experience on stage Friday, November 25th in Oliver.
Presented by the South Okanagan Concert Society, the performance will be at the new time of 7:30 pm. As a result of the fire which destroyed the Venables Auditorium, the temporary venue for this concert season is the Oliver Alliance Church, 36853 99th Street, just off Highway 97 at the northern ‘Welcome to Oliver’ sign.
Kallisto draws inspiration and brings music to life from the Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic periods and then shifts effortlessly to jazz standards, pop hits, world music and gospel. The varied programme November 25th will include a few musical Christmas treats as well.
Fabiana Katz, Karen Mang and Catherine Laub let their personalities play off each other on stage. They captivate audiences with their flawlessly tuned voices and their passion for creativity and showmanship. Their trio, named after a lovely girl in a Greek myth, leaves room to explore through words and music a world of gods and goddesses, love and pathos, all served with a dollup of humour.
Argentian-Canadian mezzo-soprano, Fabiana, has a Masters degree in Choral Conducting and sings with the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Her expertise is in Baroque music as well as Spanish and Latin American music. Catherine, the lead soprano, has a Masters degree in Voice Performance and was on stage in New York before moving to Vancouver in 2006. She sings with the Vancouver Chamber Choir and is a published composer, author, voice teacher and yoga teacher. Karen Mang delights in theatre, entertaining and excellent musicianship. A soprano, she is the assistant conductor of the Vancouver Children’s Choir and is active as a soloist in the Vancouver area.
Tickets are on sale at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos and at the door. The best buy is a flexible pass for four admissions for only $60. The admissions can be used separately or in combination. Single admission is $20 and young people age 17 and under are welcome to attend concerts free.
If you are feeling tired by the time Friday rolls around and wondering if you can gather the energy to appear at the concert, think of our SOCS President, Janet Marcotte. She often feels exhausted at the end of a demanding week of teaching. She also notes that by the end of a concert of fine music, she is rejuvenated and floating on air. Try it. It just might work for you too!!
Concerts just don’t get better than this. The South Okanagan Concert Society chose a world class accordionist, Alexander Sevastian, to open their four-concert season on Friday evening, October 28th.
From the moment he began Bach’s magnificent Toccata and Fugue in D-minor, filling the Alliance Church with organ resonance, consummate musician Sevastian held the full-house audience in rapt attention. His technical mastery of the bayan, the chromatic button accordion, allowed him to produce music now of sublime subtlety or now flooding the hall in magnificent splendour. Johann Sebastian would himself have marvelled at the colours Sevastian’s fleet fingers pulled from his instrument. Astonishing!
The three Scarlatti sonatas which followed, opened a window onto a crisp Italian morning as fresh it must have been three centuries ago, then transported us out into a glorious day, our hearts filled with the simple joys of being alive. Sevastian’s radiant playing of this delicate, transcendental music was a remarkable gift to his spellbound listeners.
The beautifully balanced program then took us into the unexplored territory of music from Sevastian’s Russian homeland, music composed for the accordion. The six movements of Vladislav Zolotaryov’s Chamber Suite evoked the coming of evening, then moonlight, a snowfall at night that you could feel as well as see, mysterious visions that tingled your spine and then the dark colours of gloomy sorrow, and closing with a romping Old Fairy Tale. A gallery of emotions, musical paintings, superbly played.
The first half of the program concluded with another Zolotaryov piece, the final movement of his Sonata No. 3—seemingly a musical setting of your worst pursuit nightmare, you frantically running to escape the relentless and terrifying phantoms at your heels. Amazing music magnificently played.
The second half of the program opened with another contemporary Russian piece, Semenov’s Don Rhapsody. Here, while drifting down the Don, the Russian countryside is brought to life much as Smetana did in The Moldau using evocative folk music to paint the scene. Beautiful shifting rhythms and moods.
The evening held much more of this enrapturing music that flowed through the medium of this sensitive artist. He inhabited the very soul of Tchaikovsky, transforming the written notes of October into the nostalgia of a summer love lost, lost. Sevastian swept us into a ballroom, swaying to the rhythms of von Weber’s Invitation to the Dance. He carried us to the haunting loneliness of the Russian Steppes and sent us to witness the swirling colours of Cossack dancing.
Who would have thought that accordion music could ever cast such a spell? Well, it did, and we have the Concert Society and its generous sponsors to thank for bringing such an outstanding event to our community. There are three more series concerts to come, and tickets are still available. Get one if you haven’t already. Your soul deserves it.
Tickets: $20 single ticket, $60 four-way flex pass (saves $5 per seat!), 17 yrs and under FREE. Available at Beyond Bliss (Oliver), Imperial Office Pro (Osoyoos), and at the door.
Upcoming Concert: Kallisto Trio, a cappella, Friday November 25th
Concerts just don’t get better than this. The South Okanagan Concert Society chose a world class accordionist, Alexander Sevastian, to open their four-concert season on Friday evening, October 28th.
From the moment he began Bach’s magnificent Toccata and Fugue in D-minor, filling the Alliance Church with organ resonance, consummate musician Sevastian held the full-house audience in rapt attention. His technical mastery of the bayan, the chromatic button accordion, allowed him to produce music now of sublime subtlety or now flooding the hall in magnificent splendour. Johann Sebastian would himself have marvelled at the colours Sevastian’s fleet fingers pulled from his instrument. Astonishing!
The three Scarlatti sonatas which followed, opened a window onto a crisp Italian morning as fresh it must have been three centuries ago, then transported us out into a glorious day, our hearts filled with the simple joys of being alive. Sevastian’s radiant playing of this delicate, transcendental music was a remarkable gift to his spellbound listeners.
The beautifully balanced program then took us into the unexplored territory of music from Sevastian’s Russian homeland, music composed for the accordion. The six movements of Vladislav Zolotaryov’s Chamber Suite evoked the coming of evening, then moonlight, a snowfall at night that you could feel as well as see, mysterious visions that tingled your spine and then the dark colours of gloomy sorrow, and closing with a romping Old Fairy Tale. A gallery of emotions, musical paintings, superbly played.
The first half of the program concluded with another Zolotaryov piece, the final movement of his Sonata No. 3—seemingly a musical setting of your worst pursuit nightmare, you frantically running to escape the relentless and terrifying phantoms at your heels. Amazing music magnificently played.
The second half of the program opened with another contemporary Russian piece, Semenov’s Don Rhapsody. Here, while drifting down the Don, the Russian countryside is brought to life much as Smetana did in The Moldau using evocative folk music to paint the scene. Beautiful shifting rhythms and moods.
The evening held much more of this enrapturing music that flowed through the medium of this sensitive artist. He inhabited the very soul of Tchaikovsky, transforming the written notes of October into the nostalgia of a summer love lost, lost. Sevastian swept us into a ballroom, swaying to the rhythms of von Weber’s Invitation to the Dance. He carried us to the haunting loneliness of the Russian Steppes and sent us to witness the swirling colours of Cossack dancing.
Who would have thought that accordion music could ever cast such a spell? Well, it did, and we have the Concert Society and its generous sponsors to thank for bringing such an outstanding event to our community. There are three more series concerts to come, and tickets are still available. Get one if you haven’t already. Your soul deserves it.
Tickets: $20 single ticket, $60 four-way flex pass (saves $5 per seat!), 17 yrs and under FREE. Available at Beyond Bliss (Oliver), Imperial Office Pro (Osoyoos), and at the door.
Upcoming Concert: Kallisto Trio, a cappella, Friday November 25th
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself writing the following words, but here they are! I just heard an exquisite performance of Mendelssohn’s Scherzo played by Alexander Sevastian on the accordion. Yes. You read it right. The accordion. And yes. I said exquisite.
Sevastian, born in Minsk, Belarus, and a Canadian citizen since 2005 is a three time first prize winner of the world International Accordion Competition. He has the dexterity worthy of a concert pianist and a Masters degree (performance) from Moscow. Over the past five years he has toured Italy, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Estonia and Guatemala. Now he will perform on Friday, October 28th in Oliver under the auspices of the South Okanagan Concert Society.
Many of you are aware the Oliver school and auditorium burned down recently. Sevastian will perform at the new time of 7:30 pm at this season’s temporary venue, the Oliver Alliance Church , 36853 99th Street which is just off Highway 97 at the northern ‘Welcome to Oliver’ sign.
Tickets are on sale at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos and at the door. The best buy is a flexible pass for four admissions for only $60. The admissions can be used separately or in combination. Single admission is $20 and young people age 17 and under are welcome to attend concerts free.
If you are one of those who can’t associate “exquisite” with “accordion” I invite you to visit www.stationbleue.com/artistes.e/sevastian_al.php and see how Sevastian can create a whole orchestra in one instrument. Whether it is Rossini’s La Danza or Mozart’s Organ Fantasia, Sevastian is able to delight with his music as well as his stage presence. His program exhibits a broad versatility some of it perhaps inspired by Quartetto Gelato. He has been touring internationally with this group since 2002. They also were on stage in Oliver in the past. If you missed them and want to explore their style, check out www.quartettogelato.ca.
Sevastian has performed concerts in 30 Russian cities as well as concerts in Belarus, the Ukraine and other parts of Europe. His Kossak Variations by Victor Gridin will bring anyone with a drop of Russian blood to their feet in a standing ovation.
Don’t be shy. Try something unusual in the world of music and discover the appeal of a champion accordionist
submitted by Marion Boyd, South Okanagan Concert Society
When the recent massive fire consumed the Oliver Venables Auditorium, citizens felt bereft. So much was destroyed and many wondered if the South Okanagan Concert Society would be able to bring world class concerts to the community this year. The answer to that question is YES! YES! YES!
The Concert Society knew that the renovations started at the auditorium before the fire would not be completed for this season. There was time to plan and to arrange for a temporary new venue at the Oliver Alliance Church. A concert series was designed specifically to take advantage of the acoustics in a smaller, more intimate setting . As the series took shape we knew we had a winner to bring delight to a community suffering a grievous loss.
Flex pass tickets are on sale now at Beyond Bliss in Oliver and at Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos. A four admission pass costs only $60. The four admissions are entirely flexible and can be used together or in combination. Single admission is $20. Young people 17 and under are welcome to attend the concerts free. All the concerts will begin at the new start time of 7:30 pm.
So this is what we have in store for you! On Friday, October 28th, Alexander Sevastian, who hails from Belarus and became a Canadian citizen in 2005, will make you believe his accordion is a whole orchestra in one instrument. His dexterity is worthy of a concert pianist. It is hardly a surprise that he has captured first prize three times at the International Accordion Competition.
On Friday, November 25, 2011, the Kallisto Trio of Fabiana Katz, Catherine Laub and Karen Mang will perform a cappella with flawlessly tuned voices blending into one. They are known for classical mastery, Pop personality and Latin spice. Kallisto draws inspiration from every era of music history. The trio brings music from the Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic periods to life and then shifts effortlessly to jazz standards, pop hits, world music and gospel.
Solo guitarist, Daniel Bolshoy, will be on stage Friday, January 27, 2012. He has been a mega hit with his charismatic stage presence, a charming ability to communicate with the audience, and the ability to coax utter magic from his guitar.
The critics say this young man “immerses himself in his music, physically projecting the depth of its emotion while his virtuosity flows as if it were an instinctive force.”
He has recently been appointed to head the guitar department at the newly created Vancouver Symphony School of Music.
The series will conclude on Friday, February 24, 2012 with a performance by the Penderecki String Quartet. In the second decade of an extrordinary career, this celebrated chamber ensemble’s performing schedule takes them annually to the great concert stages of North and South America, Europe and the Far East. Making up this prestigious quartet are Jeremy Bell, violin, Jerzy Kaplanek, violin, Christine Vlajk, viola and Paul Pulford, cello.
This is a series with the transformational power to turn the grief of a community into joy through music.
Get an early start to THE premier arts and culture weekend in Oliver!
Let yer cowboy boots go walkin’ down to Rustico Estate Winery for the Nashville Rocks Rustico concert this Friday September 30 from 5 – 9 p.m. Take a gander at the Quail’s Roost gallery, lay down some dollars for some real purty artwork, sip some lip-smackin’ wines and treat yerself to a bottle. Linger for the great country music, including Andi Zack’s current Billboard hit! This whole she-bang supports the gallery and the Oliver Sagebrushers Art Club, so make yer donation as big as yer ten-gallon hat!
Hit the hay after all yer foot-stompin’ and hee-hawin’ cuz the weekend ain’t over! Don’t fergit the Fall Art Show and Sale at the ol’ Oliver Community Centre Saturday October 1 from 3 – 9 pm. The show and sale just keeps on a-comin’ the next day as part of the Festival of the Grape held at the same venue: Sunday from 12 – 5 p.m. See details below. Git along now, just scroll on down the page…
Get an early start to THE premier arts and culture weekend in Oliver!
Let yer cowboy boots go walkin’ down to Rustico Estate Winery for the Nashville Rocks Rustico concert this Friday September 30 from 5 – 9 p.m. Take a gander at the Quail’s Roost gallery, lay down some dollars for some real purty artwork, sip some lip-smackin’ wines and treat yerself to a bottle. Linger for the great country music, including Andi Zack’s current Billboard hit! This whole she-bang supports the gallery and the Oliver Sagebrushers Art Club, so make yer donation as big as yer ten-gallon hat!
Hit the hay after all yer foot-stompin’ and hee-hawin’ cuz the weekend ain’t over! Don’t fergit the Fall Art Show and Sale at the ol’ Oliver Community Centre Saturday October 1 from 3 – 9 pm. The show and sale just keeps on a-comin’ the next day as part of the Festival of the Grape held at the same venue: Sunday from 12 – 5 p.m. See details below. Git along now, just scroll on down the page…
by Heather Fink
