Arts and artistic highlights of 2006
by Burt Saidel

2007 has made its entry into the world. For many, it is a relief to see its predecessor, 2006, slip noisily into history. War, privation, corruption and the threats these deadly forces hold on the innocent have dismayed our nation and much of the world.

We hope for the re-emergence of peace and optimism. There is no better way to affirm our hope for the future than to celebrate the arts. There is no better place to celebrate the arts than here in the Dayton area.

We are blessed with a richly colored palate of artistic joys. We are a dance center, a boiling pot of theatrical activity. We have great music in all genres. We thrill to great opera, our youth responds to the siren call of the arts through the magic of the Muse Machine, another Dayton invention. The Schuster Center and Victoria are affordable world-class venues.

Looking back on the accomplishments of last year, we can begin with dance. The winter months are always brightened by Dayton Ballet, DCDC, Rhythm in Shoes and the Gem City Ballet.

The post holiday gloom was cheered last January by Gem City Ballet’s remarkable concert at the Victoria. Barbara Pontecorvo invited a pair of professional guests who mixed and matched with her youthful charges in Balanchine’s Who Cares, erasing all age and experience differences.

Dayton Ballet and DCDC shared February. The ballet’s repertory concert, always a favorite, featured two stunning works - Dermot Burke’s Fete des Courtiers and Gregory Robinson’s New Nights. Startling in their emotional differences, they sparkled in performance. This was followed, in March, by the combination of Septime Webre’s Carmen and Gregory Robinson’s Carmina Burana.

DCDC’s concerts in February and December made the claim that they are the world’s finest modern dance company even more provable. Always dancing to handpicked choreographers’ works, the company, handsome, full of energy and talent, makes movement comprehensible and meaningful.

Rhythm in Shoes dances everywhere and rations out a few performances in Dayton. The company, which includes Rick Good’s fantastic band, is always a seminal experience.

The area theaters provided marvelous examples of a wide range of dramatic magic. The Human Race mounted the very best example of Shakespeare’s The Tempest I have ever seen. Bruce Cromer took the role of Prospero into zones of philosophical development which eliminated all dramatic dichotomies. As Ariel, shroud enclosed with multiple heads, Michael Allen gave real meaning to the magic spirit. It was the monster Caliban who was given a persona which justified Shakespeare giving him the most magnificent speeches in our language. On spring stilts, Nathan Kaufman embodied the longing of a cursed monster for life and love.

WSU took their As You Like It and Elephant Man into the same realms. In one magical week, Dayton Theatre Guild’s I Never Sang for my Father, The Human Race’s A Delicate Balance and Dayton Playhouse’s Hollywood Arms made me think I was living on Broadway.

Later in the year, Big River made me certain that Broadway was now a Dayton street. Anne Pesch made her farewell with an indelible one-woman performance of The Belle of Amherst, giving life to Emily Dickinson and to all who witnessed her dazzling performance. Sheila Ramsey and Dreamkeepers did the same with a fine production, Plenty of Time.

The year was also a series of musical triumphs. Dayton and Cincinnati operas both gave stunning performances. I only need mention Dayton’s Cenerentola and Cincy’s L’Etoile and Tales of Hoffman to excite our cadre of opera fans. Madama Butterfly, Dayton Opera’s final production of the season captivated full houses for every performance. Impresario Tom Bankston gathered artistic elements well admixed with great singing and great music to make this “Butterfly” the finest I had ever seen.

The Dayton Philharmonic, blessed with a great orchestra, great conductor and an incredible performance hall reached new heights. Dmitri Shostakovich came to visit and is still hanging around our fair city celebrating his 100th birthday. This is difficult music but Maestro Neal has made Shostakovich one of Dayton’s favorite composers.

He chose outstanding soloists - Jon Nakamatsu, Yakov Kasman, Julie Albers, the legendary Itzak Perelman and the renowned Renee Fleming - to delight and inspire the audiences. He also added other venues with chamber concerts featuring the principal musicians of the orchestra. Chamber music was celebrated. Impresario Don Hageman departed from his piano recitals by inviting Dayton’s international heldentenor, Jon Frederik West, to sing Schubert’s Winterreise, accompanied by Jerome Rose. The experience beggars description. Vanguard Concert audiences continued their love affair with the Claremont Trio for excellent reasons.

The visual arts were celebrated as well. The Dayton Art Institute invited Princess Diana to come, be seen and conquer the hearts of all. She left in time for Rembrandt van Rijn to establish his own home in our spirits.

All this is past history. What is so wonderful is that we are about to embark on a whole new year of arts and artistry.

AIA announces Art in Architecture competition

The American Institute of Architects, Dayton Chapter, announces its Art in Architecture Student Design Competition. This program is designed for college-bound high school students, grades nine through twelve, interested in art, architecture, or design. The competition is open to all students within AIA Dayton’s nine-county geographic region including Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby Counties.

AIA Dayton has sponsored this program for 26 years. Miami University Architecture students serve as mentors and share in the learning activities.

In celebration of the American Institute of Architect’s 150th anniversary in 2007, this year’s program is to create a mock-design for AIA Dayton’s new fictitious headquarters. The proposed site is an empty lot located within the Wright-Dunbar Historic District. Program registration is limited to the first 60 students, and must be received by Jan. 20, 2007. Program information, registration forms, site photos and maps are located on the AIA Dayton website, www.aiadayton.org.

The Art in Architecture Student Design Competition is sponsored by Andersen Windows and Doors and underwritten by Wright Dunbar, Inc. Winners in the competition receive scholarship monies for college.

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January 2, 2007
Volume 16, No. 1

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