The Sitka Summer Music Festival has announced that cellist Zuill Bailey will take over from Paul Rosenthal as artistic director of the festival when violinist Rosenthal steps down in 2012.
Rosenthal, who founded the festival in 1972, pointed out in a press release that his retirement will come on the eve of his 70th birthday.
Rosenthal called Bailey "a magnificent cellist, known for having the highest artistic integrity, imagination, vision and leadership skills" and promised that he would prove to be "an invigorating inspiration for the Sitka Summer Music Festival and series."
As part of the world-famous Perlman/Schmidt/Bailey Trio, Bailey has performed at least twice in Anchorage, once in an Anchorage Concert Association recital and, in February, with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's Triple Concerto.
His recent CD titled "Russian Masterpieces" has spent weeks on the Classical Billboard Charts. His upcoming CD of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for Cello and Piano will be available this summer in addition to the complete Bach Cello Suites coming out early next year.
In addition to his recording and touring career, he is the artistic director of El Paso Pro Musica and professor of cello at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Bailey will be in Sitka for most of the summer festival this year, June 10-21. The full festival runs June 5-26. Additional information is available at www.sitkamusicfestival.org.
Shutterbugging in the Badlands
Pity Anchorage photographer Carl Johnson, who has been spending this month as the artist-in-residence at Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
He has free rein to shoot the landscape and wildlife. Johnson previously had a stint as artist-in-residence in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve but seemed particularly enthusiastic about his current assignment.
"It's a bit like going home for me, since I grew up in the Black Hills area of South Dakota and I have photographed this area throughout my career," he said in an e-mail. "It's an area I already know and love."
In fact some of his winter photos from the Badlands are featured in the January/February issue of South Dakota Magazine.
The national park residencies are becoming familiar for Johnson.
He has been accepted for yet a third artist-in-residence spot in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado later this summer.
Meanwhile he's showing some of his work and talking about his experiences online at www.carljohnsonphoto. com/blog/.
If our local spring isn't coming fast enough for you, take a look.
Alaska films at Bear Tooth
On April 5, the Daily News ran a story about Gwen Bradshaw who, as a child, was thrown into a campfire by her mother, and the documentary about her life made by local director Mary Katzke. "About Face" will be screened at Bear Tooth Theatrepub at 5:30 p.m. Monday; admission is $3. Katzke will be in attendance.
Following "About Face," at 8 p.m., Bear Tooth will show an independently produced drama titled "Wendy and Lucy" as their "Art House Monday premiere."
The premise involves a woman driving to Ketchikan to get summer cannery work, but breaking down in Oregon. We're not sure from the glowing reviews whether any part of the film was actually filmed in Alaska. We do know, however, that you can't drive to Ketchikan. It's ferry or fly.
Youth Symphony performs Tuesday
The Anchorage Youth Symphony will present its final Anchorage concert of the season at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Discovery Theatre. Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2 will be on the program. Tickets are $15 at centertix.net. Their next performance will be this summer in Sidney, Australia -- another place you can't drive to.
Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.
By MIKE DUNHAM
mdunham@adn.com