Tag: North Okanagan Community Concert Association

Even More NOYSE – An Absolute Pleasure!

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Even More NOYSE 2020

Review by Jim Leonard

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the NOYSE (North Okanagan Youth Showcase of Excellence) concert at Vernon’s Centre for the Performing Arts at 2 pm. on Feb.1st. Besides providing excellent entertainment throughout the year at bargain prices, NOCCA (North Okanagan Community Concert Association) sponsors the NOYSE concert featuring auditioned talented young musicians. It was a most inspiring afternoon for this reviewer!

The program featured educator and vocalist/actor/performer Paul Rossetti as MC. Paul used his educator skills (he is Principal at St. James Catholic School in Vernon) to interview each performer and/or group. He did this from a comfy chair and couch installed on the side of the stage. His charm and insight brought out the best in each performer.

Teslyn Bates who is only 15, began the program with Debussy’s “Au Claire de la Lune” (By the Light of the Moon). She played the piece with great sensitivity and accuracy. Her second piece- Six variations on a Canadian Folk Song- “Land of the Silver Birch” by Pierre Gallant.(composer not in the program; I hope I heard right!) was mildly modern and very clever. She played it with confidence and rhythmic vitality. I liked it!

Angela Zeng, cellist extraordinaire, thrilled us with her virtuosity on the cello as she played Capriccio by Tchaikovsky. Her intonation was perfect and so was her bowing technique; she showed skills far beyond her 15 years.

Gus Hansen gave us a change in style by playing brilliantly on his guitar; offering: “Over the Rainbow’ ; accompanying himself singing “Running Away” (showing himself as an accomplished vocalist); and a stunning “Corcovado” as a guitar solo. One small reservation from this reviewer: The tone of the guitar was harsh. A much more mellow sound would heighten the listener’s enjoyment. The Line 6 amplifier appeared to have plenty of tone adjustment and the semi-acoustic guitar could be played with the neck pick up. Nevertheless Gus showed wonderful ability!

Noah Wessels, a 17 year old pianist, immediately took charge of things by playing the “Polonaise in A” by Chopin. He brought out the military character of the piece perfectly. The 3rd movement of the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven was played with authority and brilliance. During his interview, Noah revealed that he made string instruments as a hobby!

After the Intermission, we were treated to the lovely ethereal sound of the VCMS vocal quartet. The four young ladies-Zaela Thiessen, Alex Thiessen, Julia Atkins and Ulyana Doerksen- exhibited perfect ensemble, blend and tuning during their renderings of folk melodies “All the Pretty Little Horses, She Walks With Beauty and Windy Nights.”

Craig Matterson, pianist, tossed off a virtuoso yet sensitive version of Bach’s Partita in C minor. There was lots of excitement in his playing; he knew his stuff. Craig then “changed gears” completely; offering his arrangement of the jazz standard “Someday My Prince Will Come”. It was stunning as he whipped up a hurricane of sound after giving us a solid foundation of the tune at the outset.

Holly McCallum, a 17 year old cellist, offered “Variations on a Rococo Theme”, opus 33 by Tchaikovsky as her part of the program. It is a lengthy work full of mood swings- from melancholy to energetic- and urgent runs up to the highest notes on the cello. Her bowing skills and control were evident in the way she played the runs; ending in exceedingly delicate tones.

“Roots and Strings”- a duo comprised of Anna Konrad violinist, and Jackson Buller electric ukulele,- ended the concert in a fun way. They offered “The Fox”- a medley by “Nickel Creek” followed by a lovely original song “You Don’t Know”. They also had very nice voices! To end on a rhythmic and fun note, the entire roster of performers joined the duo onstage to clap along to a lively foot stomper of a tune. What a great concert it was!

The next NOCCA concert is on Saturday, February 29 2020 at 7:30 pm. Featured is internationally renowned pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin who is returning to Vernon by popular demand. Find more information at nocca.ca.

Review by Jim Leonard for the Vernon Morning Star.

Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio

Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven’s Birth

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio
The Sords – Severn – Duvall Trio

Review by Matt Arnott

The Sords – Severn – Duvall Trio: A concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

The Audience attending the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Sunday December 1st was treated to a riveting variety of chamber works (including some well beyond Beethoven’s era) performed by the Violin, Cello, and Piano trio comprised of Andrew Sords of Ohio, Luke Severn of Australia, and Canada’s own Cheryl Duvall (Toronto).

Opening the evening was young artist Craig Matterson with two piano solo selections, the great Nocturne in C minor Opus 48 No. 1 by Chopin, and the favorite “Bells of Moscow” Prelude in C# minor by Rachmaninoff. The 20-year-old pianist, no stranger to both classical and jazz performance, enraptured the audience with his finely-honed dynamics and (especially in the Rach) carefully poised yet punctuated moments of surprise drama. The NOCCA Steinway concert piano responded perfectly to his ultra-sensitive touch.

First on the Sords – Severn – Duvall Trio programme was Brahm’s 6th Hungarian Dance in Db, in which we were immediately struck with the flair and ease that these musicians could portray the energetic jauntiness, quirky nature, and warmly personal characteristic of the third musical B’s happier of peasant dances.

Smoothly hosted by Sords, the listeners were next introduced to a selection from Beethoven’s earlier and easier period of life, his Trio in C minor, the key in which Ludwig “always meant business”. The rendering was clean, tight, and dramatic – the trio movement especially being darkly playful, giving the sense that the Grumpy L.van B. may have often had a twinkle in his baleful eye. The Finale prestissimo was slick, syncopated, satisfying. Overall a superior performance.

A radical change in compositional era followed with Severn’s own “…when the world was young” for cello and piano. In a word, stunning. The drama between a piano played (and masterfully so by Duvall) to its fullest emotive extent, and a cello being nothing short of a personal extension of its owner’s body, carried the audience on a tonal ozone expedition like no other. It wailed, it danced, it whispered from the heart of an 11-year-old child … yet it also proclaimed truth from the soul of an adult who sees things from a new and passionate viewpoint.

Finishing the first half was a suitably passionate display of Romany Freneticism with Ravel’s Tzigane for violin and piano. Pulled off with aplomb and panache by Sords’ and his dramatic posture, the music caught the whole audience up in a trance of drama and delight. The incredible pianistic skills of Duvall left the listeners still panting as the house lights came up for intermission.

The entire second half consisted of an incredibly mature and engaging performance of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio – in Sords’ own words: “If one were to attend church, musically speaking, then let the slow (third) movement be your entrance into worship.” And indeed, it was a long, heartfelt, and deeply transcendent moment of musical reverence. The skill required to play through this whole four-movement masterwork and maintain, to the last chord, its grace, strength, and depth of human portent was not lost on the listeners as they were carried into the very heart of Beethoven’s musical self.

Ending on a splashy note, the Trio elected to give an encore of the Scherzo (musical joke) by Shostakovich. Indeed, a virtuosically fun and fantastic way to end a full-bodied evening of chamber music from the best.

The next NOCCA concert is on Sunday February 29, 2020 at 7:30 pm and will feature the marvellously talented, award winning Quebec-born pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin – more information at nocca.ca.

Tickets are now available from ticketseller.ca for the NOYSE concert showcasing North Okanagan’s young musicians (this is not part of the regular NOCCA subscription series). Audition applications are welcome until January 4th. Auditions will take place at the Vernon Community Music School on Saturday January 11th. For more information please go to the NOYSE page of our website. The Gala Performance will take place at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Saturday February 1, 2020 at 2:00 pm.

Review by Matt Arnott for the Vernon Morning Star.

Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio

Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio – Sunday December 1, 2019

by SillyGilly, posted in Concert
Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio
Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio

Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio
Sunday December 1, 2019 7:30 pm
BUY TICKETS

Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio – American violinist Andrew Sords, Australian cellist Luke Severn, and Canadian pianist Cheryl Duvall present ‘An Evening Celebrating Beethoven’ in honour of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. They will be performing Beethoven’s Archduke trio, as well as works by Brahms, Ravel, and Severn. Old, new, varied, timeless, stellar!

Violinist Andrew Sords has a celebrated career as one of the most prolific soloists of his generation. Having appeared on 4 continents as a concerto soloist and with his piano trio, Sords has been cited for combining visceral virtuosity with a ravishing tone, while international critics endorse Sords as “a fully formed artist” (Kalisz-Poland News), “utterly radiant” (Canada’s Arts Forum), and “exceptionally heartfelt and soulful” (St. Maarten’s Daily Herald). Sords has received numerous awards and distinctions reflecting his career trajectory, including the 2012 Pittsburgh Concert Society Career Grant and the 2005 National Shirley Valentin Award. Andrew Sords

As a cellist, composer, and musical director, Luke Severn possesses a musical voice of great versatility and passion. Noted for his expressive performances and dynamic and engaging personality he is emerging as an artistic tour de force in the Australian musical landscape. As a soloist, Luke is a champion of both the standard concerto literature and new exciting works for cello and orchestra. A highly sought-after chamber musician, Luke has performed in festivals and chamber music series throughout Australia, Europe and North America. Performing alongside duo partner and pianist Elyane Laussade, he performs across Australia throughout the year. He completed a Piano Trio tour of Canada in 2017 with North American virtuosi Andrew Sords, violin, and Cheryl Duvall, piano. He engages in many other chamber ensemble performances as a freelance artist in Victoria, including appearances with the Blackwood Ensemble, Casey Chamber Musicians, and Allotropy String Quartet. Luke Severn

Cheryl Duvall is a multifaceted pianist with a penchant for musical risk taking and adventure. Equally comfortable in many different musical roles, she regularly appears as a soloist, collaborative pianist, adjudicator, teacher, producer and panelist, and has toured and performed throughout Canada, Europe, Argentina, the U.S and Japan. Cheryl’s strong affinity for boundary-pushing and innovative music making led her along with friend and violinist, Ilana Waniuk to co-found the Toronto-based Thin Edge New Music Collective, “One of Toronto hottest and bravest new music collectives” (Michael Vincent – Musical Toronto). Under the leadership of both Cheryl and Ilana, TENMC has commissioned and premiered over 60 new works for chamber ensemble to date with 9 more slated for their upcoming season and have garnered an exceptional international reputation through tours to Japan, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina and across Canada. Cheryl Duvall

Concert Program:

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Hungarian Dance No 6 in D Flat Major
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Trio in C Minor, Op 1 No 3
Luke Severn When the world was young
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Tzigane
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Trio in B Flat Major, Op 97
“Archduke Trio”

Click on the images/links below to view short videos of the artists performing:

Andrew Sords – violin

Luke Severn – cello

Cheryl Duvall – piano

SINGLE CONCERT TICKETS
Adults – $40  Under 18 – $20
Students on the 8to12 program – $5

Purchase tickets at:

TICKET SELLER
Phone: (250) 549-SHOW (7469)
E-mail: boxoffice@ticketseller.ca

– or –

Visit The Performing Arts Centre Foyer
3800-34th Street, Vernon
All concerts are held in the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.

Fire & Grace

Fire & Grace – Thursday November 7, 2019

by SillyGilly, posted in Concert

A Co-Production of NOCCA & Creekside Theatre

Fire & Grace

Fire & Grace
Thursday November 7, 2019 7 pm
Creekside Theatre, Lake Country
BUY TICKETS

Fire & Grace – an eclectic collaboration between guitarist William Coulter and violinist Edwin Huizinga. This unique duo explores the connective musical elements of classical, folk, and contemporary traditions from around the world. Fire & Grace’s repertoire is vast, ranging from Bach to Vivaldi, tango to Celtic tunes, traditional Bulgarian to American fiddle tunes and waltzes, all played with a sense of discovery and commitment to the elements of passion and virtuosity found in these diverse traditions. Tickets are $34.95 available from KelownaTickets.com or phone 250-862-2867.

Click on the link below to view a short video of them performing:

 

Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets

Octet Gives Twice the Sonic Pleasure!

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets
Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets

Review by Jim Leonard

October 26th’s NOCCA concert began with Angela Zeng; a 14 year old grade 9 student at Kalamalka S.S. and a member of the OSYO since the age of 9. She showed confidence and skill as she produced a large bold tone on her cello for three unaccompanied Bach pieces – Prelude, Saraband and Gigue. Pianist Alex MacArthur joined her as piano accompanist for a lively Tarantella. She has come far after only 7 years of study.

The combination of the Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets proved to be a very successful venture. Their sound was very rich and full, never harsh even in the loudest sections.

First on the programme was the octet by Danish composer Niels Gade (1817-1890). Gade was influenced by Danish folk tunes and an older contemporary, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). The four movement String Octet in F op.17 may have been a tribute to Gade’s friend and mentor Mendelssohn.It was played with great precision and energy. Incidentally, an Octet isn’t just an expansion of a quartet. It changes texture randomly from any number of parts up to and including eight different parts. There were solos which randomly appeared in any of the parts. They were all brilliantly played.

The String Octet in G minor “The Letter” by Airat Ichmouratov (1973- ) was a type of tone poem following the story of a woman of poor birth and exceptional beauty, who spent her childhood living close to a well off older man and eventually falling in love with him. After an encounter with him she conceived a son who died in childhood.The letter describing her unrequited love is delivered to the child’s father after her death.This piece was commissioned by the Saguenay Quartet and based on Stefan Zweig’s novella “Letter from an Unknown Woman”. It was full of anguished and rich harmonies appropriate to the story, but the long intro by one of the cellists before the piece disturbed the flow of the evening, and what he said was stated in the program anyways.

Actually at this point I would like to mention that there were too many announcements before and during the program- plus a presentation. All this added a half hour down time to the evening and detracted from the flow of the concert. After intermission, The String Octet in Eb major op.20, written by the 16 year old Felix Mendelssohn, was presented. The playing of this piece was excellent but this reviewer (through no fault of the performers) found the first movement overly long, maybe a young man trying to show off his skills? The next 3 movements were brilliantly played, bringing the evening to a sparkling ending.There was no encore, but the audience seemed satisfied with the bountiful musical offering from this stunning group.

The next NOCCA concert is on Sunday December 1, 2019 at 7:30 pm and will feature the Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio performing Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel and Severn. More information at nocca.ca.

Review by Jim Leonard for the Vernon Morning Star.