The Anchorage Concert Chorus Winners' Recital is dedicated to the late Janet Stotts, longtime director of the Alaska Children's Choir, who died April 26. At least three of the participants in this year's competition are her former students.
The recital, which takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16, in the UAA Arts Building Recital Hall, comes at the end of ACC's annual Vocal Scholarship Competition, which takes place that day, and features the winners of that event as well as the winners of other musical competitions in Alaska.
I can't think of a more rewarding couple of hours in the Anchorage music scene. The unifying feature of the varied program is that every one of the young performers is an excellent musician and they've practiced their championship music until it shines. To top it all off, it's free and includes refreshments at a reception right after the recital. I am always amazed that there aren't more people in the hall, particularly parents with children who may be interested in music.
Meanwhile, the future of the Children's Choir is still being determined. The ensemble will present their previously scheduled concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Eagle River as part of a celebration of Stotts' life.
New collection from Sexton
Former Alaska poet laureate Tom Sexton's latest collection of poems, "A Ladder of Cranes," has just been published by UA Press. In a review for the Kennebec (Maine) Journal and Morning Sentinel, Dana Wilde rightly praised the poems' clarity, simplicity and "astonishing beauty."
Indeed, these newest works seem to be the most elemental writing we've yet seen from the poet, bordering on haiku and often employing the bones of the Western sonnet form. All are breathtakingly brief. Like most of his work, they tend toward the sere (particularly when writing about his derelict hometown, Lowell, Massachusetts). In the new book, however, we note the occasional wink at the humor of life, as in the eight lines of "Cow Moose and Magpie:"
A cow moose is eating the new buds
on the birch trees in our yard
while a magpie strolls back and forth
on its back from rump to neck
just to see how it feels to make
the earth tremble when it walks.
They pass my window heading west
toward my neighbor's tulip bed.
Many other poems in the collection address wildlife, the cranes of the title, swans, wolves (lots of wolves) and a touching tribute to his colleague, the late John Haines.
Moose comes to Anchorage
Tundra cartoonist turned moviemaker Chad Carpenter has revealed that his horror spoof "Moose, the Movie" will open at Anchorage's Regal Tikhatnu cinema on May 22. Speaking on KFQD's "Big Alaska Show" on May 9, Carpenter said the movie will also be shown in Regal's Fairbanks theater and in several Pacific Northwest venues as well.
Two showings took place at UAA on Thursday.
It is rare for a low-budget independent film to be shown in the corporate movie palaces that dominate the cinema market. That didn't even happen with the star-powered "Frozen Ground," shot in Anchorage with much publicity. The local owners of Valley Cinema in Wasilla put it in their venue, however, and had sellout shows. Carpenter noted that the opening in Kenai last weekend also sold out. Someone with the Alaska Regal operation must have contacted headquarters and told them that thousands of people were driving to Wasilla to see the movie. Carpenter thinks the call came from Fairbanks.
Despite its local success, the project is a ways from making a profit, Carpenter told "Big Alaska Show" host Steve Stripling. It may take the release of the DVD and graphic novel later this summer for the ink to turn black.
AQR features Gaza photos
The new edition of Alaska Quarterly Review will have a launch party at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15, in the BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson Blvd. The new edition includes the debut of a photo essay, "Gaza: The Land Behind the Fence" by Eman Mohammed. Mohammed, a Palestinian refugee, is cited as the first female photojournalist in Gaza. Also in the new edition are 10 short stories and 44 poems.
The launch party will include readings by poets Gary Holthaus and Susanna Mishler, both of whom have work in the volume, and music by oboist Sharman Piper and flutist Roxann Selland Berry. The event is free and open to the public, but a donation of $20 is requested.
Artists plan mapping expedition
Expect the unexpected if you use Chester Creek Trail next week. Anchorage artist Jimmy Riordan and seven others are "mapping" the trail each "in their own unique way." Titled "Seeking the Source," the project includes having local folks guide the crew along the creek and casual gatherings each evening (noon on weekends).
The schedule is still being planned, but the group expects to be on the trail between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends, May 17-23. Extensive construction along the trail will start after that and will last the rest of the summer.
Associated events include booths at the Spenard Farmers Market and Anchorage Community Works on Saturday, May 16; a gathering/potluck with historian Aaron Leggett at Westchester Lagoon at noon Sunday, May 17; a potluck with Lanie Fleischer, Vic Fisher and others at Valley of the Moon Park at 6 p.m. Monday, May 18; a community gathering at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, also at Valley of the Moon; and a "Bacon Station" booth on Bike to Work Day in the Eastchester vicinity on Wednesday, May 20.
Find out more by calling Riordan at 216-400-2410, emailing riordanjimmy@gmail.com or visiting northernplacemaking.com/in-search-of-the-source.
Sharks in Seward
The Alaska Sealife Center's "Summer of Sharks" exhibit opened last month, but the grand opening celebration will take place in Seward on Saturday, May 16. Events include a beer garden, a cake cutting with artist Ray Troll at 2 p.m. (Troll having had a significant hand in the exhibit), a sustainable seafood appetizer showdown and music by Melissa Mitchell and the Ratfish Wranglers, which is Troll's band. Most of the festivities take place during the day, but the evening gala will start at 6:30 p.m. Get tickets at www.alaskasealife.org.
Cabin art sought
The Anchorage Centennial Celebration is sponsoring an exhibit of log cabin-related art, scheduled for the Hugi-Lewis Studio in June. There are cash awards at stake, ranging from $100-$500. The deadline to submit images is Friday, May 22. Email Donald Ricker at donaldricker@gci.net for details on how to enter.
Soldotna photographer honored
Kevin Briggs, a landscape fine art photographer who lives in Soldotna, is among the first artists to receive a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in the newly established category of fine art still photography. The foundation, started in 1985 by abstract artist Lee Krasner, the wife of Jackson Pollock, has mostly provided grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to painters, sculptors and printmakers. Expanding the honors to photography is a new development.