Where can you see 100 teenagers in one place at one time all demonstrating perfect posture?

Click to enlarge

Story tools

Comments (0)

E-mail a friend

Print

Share on Facebook

Digg this

Seed Newsvine

Send link via AIM

Follow on Twitter

Font size : A | A | A

At West High Auditorium where, last weekend, the 2009 ASAA/First National Bank All-State Music Festival took place. It was most evident in the choral performances where the performers stood in plain sight and sang from memory, without the music obscuring their faces.

Posture had a back seat to the music, of course, and the music was as good as you would expect from the cherry-picked students, selected from high schools throughout Alaska. Even more remarkable is the fact that, while participants were sent sheet music some time ago, they only rehearsed together for a couple of days.

Judges winnowed through almost 874 audition CDs and cassettes before picking 336 students for the festival.

Highlights for the event, organized by the Alaska School Activities Association, included the return of former Anchorage conductor Russell Guyver to lead the orchestra and Richard Nance leading the Treble Choir (girls' voices) in his own work.

The Treble Choir also presented a choreographed setting of Jenny Joseph's popular poem "Warning" ("When I am an old woman I shall wear purple...") that will stick in our memory for a while.

The Alaska Music Educators Association honored Anchorage area teacher Hal Nonneman and North Pole High School band director Richard Gresham as Music Educators of the Year, and flute maestro Barbara Eberhart as Advocate of the Year.

But the real draw was the young people and their accomplishments. Here is the full list of those who received special "First Chair" recognition at the festival, sponsored by ConocoPhillips:

2009 All-State Band First Chair Awards:

Ingrid Dye, piccolo, Dimond; Kailey Mucha, flute, Kenai-Central; Yixing Shi, clarinet, South Anchorage; Bonnie Scott, alto clarinet, Chugiak; Jen Kohler, bass clarinet, Kenai-Central; Michelle Klaben, contra clarinet, Kenai-Central; Jamey Wicklund, alto saxophone, North Pole; Jay Million, tenor saxophone, North Pole; Burl Tonga, baritone saxophone, Homer; Elika Roohi, oboe, Dimond; Kelly Moran, English horn, Colony; Tyler Thomas, bassoon, West Anchorage; Jon Kaplan, trumpet, Eagle River; Christopher Dennis, French horn, Chugiak; T.J. Agne, trombone, Sitka; Rebekah Peterson, bass trombone, Juneau-Douglas; Robin Stramp, euphonium, Dimond; Alan Young, tuba, Juneau-Douglas; Noah Hagen, percussion, South Anchorage.

2009 All-State Orchestra First Chair Awards:

Bryce O'Tierney, violin I, South Anchorage; Danika Paskvan, violin I, Dimond; Krista Lundberg, violin II, Chugiak; Trevor Adams, viola, North Pole; Nathaniel Knapp, viola, East Anchorage; Margit Jaeger, cello, West Valley; Christian McWorkman, string bass, Service; Brayana Jeannet, harp, Lathrop.

2009 All-State Mixed Choir First Chair Awards:

Irene Fry, soprano I, Palmer; Nancy Means, soprano II, Palmer; Leah Mattfield, alto I, South Anchorage; Monica Vost, alto II, Juneau-Douglas; Matthew Eller, tenor I, Grace Christian; Mason Simmers, tenor II, Grace Christian; Anthony Brown, bass I, North Pole; Cole Chase-Cochrane, bass II, Kenai-Central.

2009 All-State Treble Choir First Chair Awards:

Wendy Brynes, soprano I, Juneau-Douglas; Arriola Kelsey, soprano II, Ketchikan; Megan Letts, alto I, South Anchorage; Hannah Ekblad, alto II, Lathrop.

And finally -- drum roll -- the All-State Music Festival Academic Award, going to the school whose festival contingent has the highest grade point average: South Anchorage, with 3.75.

'Spill' heads for Juneau

Perseverance Theatre is going to produce Anchorage playwright Dick Reichman's play "The Big One: A Chronicle of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill" next year.

The play debuted at Cyrano's Playhouse in September (review posted at adn.com/artsnob) and has since been presented elsewhere on the road system.

Cyrano's producing artistic director, Sandy Harper, said "The Big One" would open March 26.

Art Rotch, artistic director at Perseverance, said, "I think Dick has written the best stage material about the oil spill. The show will run two to three weeks, depending on demand and cast availability, on the second stage, which seats 40."

Second stage projects are "micro-budget," Rotch added, intended to "engage local artists in more demanding roles... and to provide a venue to program work more nimbly. ... In the case of "The Big One," it's the nimbleness element that is helpful, since I want to catch the timeliness of the writing around the (20th) anniversary of the spill."

Whale of a Yule

I can't remember if the Whale's Tale at the Hotel Captain Cook has an open fire or not. But if they do, that's where the chestnuts will be roasting Dec. 8.

That's "chestnut" as in "a well-known piece of music guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser every time." It's the latest installment in the series of intimate concerts presented by KLEF radio at the classy lounge.

This time the talent will feature the golden voices of Marlene Titus Bateman, Tim Fosket, Dennis Goff and Anastasia Jamieson; and the pianistic talents of Juliana Osinchuk.

It's billed as "Christmas Music Like You Remember."

Seating is at 6 p.m. and the music will start at 7, plenty of time to get in the mood with a couple of dirty martinis. Tickets are available by calling 522-1018.

Upcoming highlights

Couple of items to keep your eyes peeled for in the next few days:

• First Friday art openings on Friday will include the Alaska Watercolor Society's Annual All Member Art Show, with a reception from 5-7 p.m. at Borders Book Store, 1100 E. Dimond Blvd.

• After airing on public stations around the country and elsewhere in Alaska, the documentary "For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska" will have its Anchorage broadcast debut on KAKM Channel 7 at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.

ADVERTISEMENT