Benedetti, Prieto evoke virtuosity from DPO

By Burt Saidel

The Dayton Philharmonic has given clever titles to each of its Classic Concerts.  For March, Melodies & Milestones was selected.  I would have chosen Youth and Beauty instead.

Maestro Neal Gittleman invited a guest conductor, young Carlos Miguel Prieto, to return to Dayton.  Four years earlier, Prieto conducted a Chamber Concert at the Victoria full of new music and seasoned with his personal élan.  

Now, he returned to conduct a Classic Concert and introduce another beaming wunderkind, 19 year old Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti.  Together with the orchestra, these young marvels provided an exciting concert exploring old standards as well as new music.

The concert opened with Benedetti and the orchestra playing the US premiere of James MacMillan’s From Ayrshire.  The work, written for Benedetti, was an evocation of Scotland in a beautiful and delicate combination of violin solo with engaging background from the orchestra.  Beginning with a very slow melody spun from the violin, punctuated by harp and percussion with an almost Webern-like economy, the soloist and the orchestra wove a beguiling web.

The performance continued as Maestro Prieto introduced music of his native Mexico. Redes, by Silvestre Revueltas is a lively two movement work full of native
sound and color.  Both of these debut works demand another hearing.
The rest of the concert dwelled in the works of established masters, Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms. Nicola Benedetti returned to spin the familiar and entirely satisfying sounds of Mendelssohn’s great Violin Concerto.  Her beautiful long line gave the work depth, sheer beauty without the often heard “muscling” of the phrases.

She played her Stradivarius instrument with appealing beauty matching her own youthful glow.  The orchestra responded to the soloist with virtuosic play from every section.  

The finale of the concert was Brahms’ giant Symphony No. 4.  Full of great themes, developed to perfection by the master, the symphony deserves the title “Unforgettable.”  Again, the orchestra and Maestro Prieto made the most of the familiar music but never lost the freshness such a great symphony deserves.  

Loft Theatre’s Harold and Maude

The film, Harold and Maude, burst into the language of the 1970’s unannounced but rapidly became a cult icon for that interesting age.  The plot, an absurd combination of a highly dysfunctional mother, her mock-suicidal son and his relationship with an aged concentration camp survivor, can best be described as “zany but with a deeply conveyed message.”

The inexorably clever lyricist Tom Jones of The Fantasticks’ fame teamed up with composer Joseph Thalken to create a musical stage version of Harold and Maude.  

The Human Race Theatre Company, also well-known for its cleverness, produced the area premiere of the musical play.

Director Kevin Moore asked designer Bruce Goodrich to create a set as kinetic as the action of the play. He did so in a colorful, easily morphing environment perfect for the fast moving action.

Music Director Scott Wooley added the talents of Sean Michael Flowers, Rick Johnson and DPO cellist Jane Katsuyama to create a versatile and very musical ensemble to back the singers.

Now, for the singers!  Director Kevin gave Human Race resident actors Patricia Linhart, Katie Pees and Scott Stoney yet another chance to show off their star qualities.  He brought Justin Schultz back to play the title character, Harold, and invited Susan Lehman to play the other title zany, Maude.

Together, the cast and musicians brought the show to life.  Pat Linhart can do any role, and does, to perfection.  Katie Pees holds the patent on cute and brought each of her half-dozen roles to near convulsions of audience laughter.

Scott Stoney’s myriad of talents has been well-described in these columns, but never enough.  His portfolio of roles, including incredible quick changes, was the essence of successful caricature.  

Harold and Maude, Justin Schultz and Susan Lehman, gave such effervescent readings to their complex and pivotal characters as to justify the nearly sold-out run of the production.

Two unnamed characters drifted in and out providing footnotes to the play and some very elegant furniture moving.  Again, creativity was at its zenith and fun was running rife at the Loft Theatre.

Dayton Music Club benefit April 11

The Dayton Music Club will hold its Annual Benefit Card Party and Luncheon on Wednesday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 3440 Shroyer Road, in Kettering. The luncheon will be followed by the distribution of door prizes.

The  purpose of the card party and luncheon is to raise scholarship funds for area young musicians and a National Young Artist Concert which is presented locally. Cost is $20, payable to Dayton Music Club, and due by April 5. To make a reservation, call 298-3165.

Café Operetta at UD April 14

Café Operetta will commence on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Union Ballroom.

Experience the elegance and ambiance of a European cafe - complete with food, candlelight, and music!  The program features performances by the UD Opera Workshop, directed by Dr. Linda J. Snyder; University Chorale, directed by Dr. Robert Jones;   and the University Orchestra, directed by Dr. Jiang Liu.  Seated at tables, the audience will enjoy the beautiful music of Mozart, Brahms, Elgar, Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar, and Gilbert and Sullivan, among   others.  Appetizers and Austrian apple strudel will be served, along with Viennese coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.  A beer and wine cash bar will also be available.

Tickets are now on sale at the UD Kennedy Union Main Lobby Box Office. Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, and occasional evenings.  The ticket price of $10 covers appetizers, dessert, and warm beverage.  To charge by phone, call 937-229-2545.  Purchase your ticket by April 12 to be assured table seating.  Only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door beginning at 7:15 p.m. on the evening of the performance.  There are no reserved seats.  Doors open at 7: 30 p.m.

Gem City Ballet Spring Repertory April 7

Gem City Ballet presents its Spring Repertory Program on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at Bellbrook High School. The performance is at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12.  All college students are $10 with their college ID. Call 937-222-6880 for information.

This program of four premieres and one classic Balanchine ballet will remove any doubt that ballet innovation is alive and well in Dayton, Ohio.  Opening the program will be Variable Speed, a new ballet by a present member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Kiyon Gaines.  

Next will be Rodney Veal’s new work for GCB entitled Inside.  Describing this work, Mr. Veal said, “I feel like I’m inside the violin” during the von Dohnányi Serenade for Strings that he has used. Inside features three soloists in its nine member cast.

Adam Hundt, GCB alum and now BalletMet Columbus dancer, has also created a new work for the program, entitled Idle Chatter. He has used various works by J.S. Bach to explore different relationships between women and men.

Every year, GCB gives all company members who are high school seniors a chance to choreograph on their peers.  One ballet is chosen and presented on the spring concert, while the others are presented in a studio performance.  This year, Callie Croom, an eighteen-year-old senior at Oakwood High School will present One Last Recess, a look back at growing up and making decisions.

George Balanchine’s masterpiece Concerto Barocco will finish the program with its breathtaking speed and dynamics.  

GCB will be saying goodbye to some favorite dancers this year.  GCB soloists Rachael Bade and Clarissa Carey will be going on to professional company schools in their quests to join the companies; Amy Holihan will be attending the year round program at School of American Ballet for her senior year; Callie Croom will be attending Butler University; and Evan Hewer will be moving with his family to Birmingham, Alabama.  They will all be missed.

Callie Croom

Hot Jazz – Cool Gems benefit for Stivers April 20

One of the most gifted saxophonists in all of jazz, Steve Wilson, and close long-time musical associate and leading pianist of his generation, Mulgrew Miller, return to Dayton for a concert with the acclaimed Stivers School for the Arts Jazz Orchestra on Friday, April 20, 2007, at the Renaissance Auditorium at the Dayton Art Institute.

The performance, which begins at 8:00 p.m., is part of a larger evening event Hot Jazz/Cool Gems, which benefits the seedling Foundation. General admission tickets for the concert are $25 and tickets to the entire benefit are $100. Both are available from the Cityfolk Box Office at (937) 496-3863 and online at cityfolk.org.

The Cool Gems part of the evening will feature a silent auction of jewelry donated by Daytonians as well as national personalities.

The pre-concert hors d’oeuvres buffet and silent auction will be from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Dayton Art Institute’s Gothic Cloister, with students from all Stivers’ arts areas performing from 5:30. to 7:30 p.m. The Hot Jazz concert will begin at 8:00 p.m. in the DAI’s Renaissance Auditorium.

The Cool Gems benefit is sponsored by the seedling Foundation, a non-profit group committed to supporting Stivers’ eight magnet arts areas: dance, theatre, visual arts, choir, piano, band, orchestra, and creative writing. Seedling is planning the April 20 event to be the first in an annual series of “Stivers Presents” programs to support the grade 7-12 Dayton Public Schools. For more information, call seedling Foundation trustee Bill Pflaum at 937-469-2662.

All Cityfolk events are accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities. Available services include audio amplification headsets, large-print or Braille programs, sign interpretation, audio description and wheelchair accessibility. For information about services available for a particular Cityfolk event, please call (937) 223-3655 (voice/TTY) or e-mail cityfolk@cityfolk.org.

Art in the Park spaces available

Riverbend Arts Council and Art in the Park is part of the Dayton Cultural Arts Complex at 1301 Sievbenthaler Avenue in Deweese Park. This is their 40th anniversary show and they would like to expand their exposure of local artisans and craftspersons. Every year, on Memorial Day weekend, which this year is May 26th and 27th, Art in the Park opens the summer season of festivals. This event features local artists in metal, wood and leather, painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, stained glass artists, weavers and much more. The event consists of music, food, free children’s activities, door prizes and also present an art show of student’s work. This year, they are working in conjuction with the garden center and Dayton Playhouse to add more events and include the wonderful new Children’s Garden and a presentation of children’s work from the ARISE program. They would also like to reach a broader base of artists this year and have expanded space so that openings are still available. Local artisans who are interested in presenting their work for sale are invited to contact us for further information about fees and setup. On site security is provided from setup on Friday until 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Show hours are Saturday, May 26th from 11 a.m. til 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon until 5. p.m. Anyone interested should contact Donna at 937-435-8297 or Riverbend at 937- 333-7000 as soon as possible.

Tickets for RENT at Schuster

A limited number of seats in the front two rows of the orchestra section will be made available for $20 for each performance of RENT, the Pulitzer Prize® and Tony Award®-winning musical, at the Schuster Center April 3 and 4. The $20 tickets go on sale at the Schuster Center box office, the day of performance only, two hours prior to the show, and are available to anyone, cash only, with a limit of two tickets per person.

RENT is at the Schuster Center for two performances only, April 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. each night. The $20 tickets may be purchased only at the Schuster Center Box Office, beginning two hours prior to each performance, with a limit of two tickets per person. For more information about tickets, call Ticket Center Stage, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630.

Call for Entries at Rosewood

Rosewood Gallery in Kettering, Ohio, announces a Call for Entries for The View 2007, A Landscape Competition—a juried exhibition created as a showcase for Ohio artists presenting traditional or contemporary views of landscape or land imagery, environmental themes and world issues.

Entries must be original works in any media, completed within the last four years, and not exceeding 60 inches in width. Completed entries will be accepted through May 18, 2007. The exhibit runs from June 25 through July 27, 2007.

For entry forms, please contact Amy K. Anderson, Coordinator, Rosewood Gallery, 2655 Olson Drive, Kettering, OH, 45420, (937) 296-0294, amy.anderson@kettering oh.org; or download the form at www.ketteringoh.org.

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April 3, 2007
Volume 16, No. 14

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