March 2015
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2 March 2015
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features
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ALLISON ELDREDGE An accomplished cellist explains how she switched from piano to cello despite familial pressures and how her experiences have shaped her approach to music.
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DR. ANN LAURENT: CALLED TO BE CREATIVE From dentistry to Contemplative Photography to poetic writing, this local dentist believes in allowing spirituality and creativity to infuse all aspects of her life.
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THE BURNING MAN EXPERIENCE: A CONVERSATION WITH BILL AND AMY HOLLIDAY In a temporary city deep in the desert, two New Orleans artists take part in an experiment in radical self-reliance, self-expression and stunning artwork.
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SACRED ARCHITECTURE: SEEKING PEACE WITHIN We visit a temple, a cathedral, a mosque and a monastery to explore how belief and a desire for peace can influence religious spaces.
WESTWATER ARTS SYMPHONIC PHOTOCHOREOGRAPHY: AN ORIGINAL ART FORM A precisely synchronized blend of music and imagery allows audience members to experience music from a whole new perspective.
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contents 8 OPENING NOTES Jenny Krueger, Executive Director 10 FANFARE Mariusz Smolij, Music Director & Conductor 16 GUEST COLUMN Brandon Hyde, Vice President-Private Banking, Whitney Bank President, Acadiana Symhony Association
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22 SUMMER ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA IN THE BERKSHIRES OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS 24 TERRY GROW: THE MAN BEHIND THE INK 26 THE ART OF PAQUES 32 MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON 44 HAPPY NOTES Aaron Copland 46 MIXOLOGY: DRINK OF THE MONTH Golden Milk Punch 48 SYMPHONY SEAUXCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Heartstrings 50 APPLAUSE ASO Corporate Sponsors
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Overture Magazine
March 2015 Vol. 2, No. 6
PUBLISHED BY
EDITOR Jenny Krueger jenny@acadianasymphony.org
PROJECT MANAGER Rebecca Doucet rebecca@acadianasymphony.org
WRITERS Emily Brupbacher Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux Johanna Divine, Danielle Ducrest John Guidry ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Carolyn Brupbacher carolyncb@me.com • 337.277.2823
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brandon Hyde, Sue Schleifer,Mariusz Smolij Jennifer Tassin, Anson Trahan INTERN Danielle Ducrest MAILING ADDRESS 412 Travis Street Lafayette, LA 70503 EMAIL overture@acadianasymphony.org ON THE WEB acadianasymphony.org
Overture Magazine is published nine times a year and distributed free of charge by Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music. No parts of this periodical may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Overture Magazine. The owners, publishers, and editors shall not be responsible for loss or injury of any submitted manuscripts, promotional material and/or art. Unsolicited material may not be returned. Advertising in Overture Magazine does not imply endorsement by Overture Magazine or Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music. Overture Magazine reserves the right, without giving specific reason, to refuse advertising if copy does not conform with the editorial policies. Overture Magazine does not necessarily agree with nor condone the opinions, beliefs or expressions of our writers and advertisers. Neither the publishers nor the advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. The publishers accept no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers. © 2015 Overture Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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Opening Notes
Being generous in spirit is a wonderful way to live. Jenny Krueger, Executive Director
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How do you find peace? Does creativity and your surroundings play a part in your spiritual and peaceful place? Personally, I think I’m still in the discovery phase. I certainly have my beliefs, I have my creativity, and I know what surroundings I find peaceful, but I’m still exploring my insight and understanding on how they all can work together. The problem is that I am fascinated by almost everything, and I can sometimes get easily distracted exploring a new path. I am hoping that this confusion is a part of discovering “me,” and that the answers will become more distinct as I move further down the journey of life. It is this reason that I am so charmed by the March issue of Overture. I hope you enjoy what we have put together for you. The March issue of Overture explores spirituality and creativity in a whole new way. Read about Dr. Ann Laurent, who I am fortunate enough to call a friend. Her creativity and the way it is so intricately tied to her spirituality is not only fascinating to me but incredibly inspiring. Discover sacred spaces in Acadiana from the comfort of your chair, and learn how the architecture and artwork within each sacred space is personal and deliberate to each belief. You will be fascinated by their differences but moved in their shared vision of peace. Explore the world of the Burning Man Festival, and you will be amazed at the art and powerful spiritual rituals of this one-of-a-kind experience. Whatever your rituals or beliefs, and regardless of what inspires your creativity or what brings you peace, I hope that the March issue of Overture invokes curiosity, happiness and a moment of peaceful enjoyment for you.
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Fanfare
Symphony 101: Musical Landscapes Mariusz Smolij, Music Director and Conductor
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One of the unique powers of music is its ability to evoke images that reflect the beauty of nature, one-of-a-kind imaginaries or pictures we paint in our minds. Any kind of music is capable of stirring our imagination, but symphonic music with its wide variety of instrumental sounds and musical colors can be especially effective in creating musical landscapes. ASO’s March 21 concert will once again host Westwater Art Photochoreography that will present photographs inspired by two symphonic works, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Aaron Copland’s Dances from ballet Rodeo. I hope you will attend this event and see how the music inspired the talented photographers whose images accompany the concert.
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 6 in F – Major (“Pastoral”)
Each of the symphony’s five movements has a unique title pointing our attention in a particular direction. My favorites are the two final musical scenes: Thunderstorm and Shepherd’s Song – Glad and Grateful Feelings After the Storm. The dramatic musical description of the storm will create and color somewhat The photographs are the reflections of their own spirits different images for each of us, depending on our own personal and imaginations and are merely suggested images for experiences. The calm, serene melodies of the final movement the rest of us. I believe that we can each be taken on an individual musical journey based on our own experiences and will most likely inspire tranquil and peaceful impressions. sensitivities and filled with personal musical landscapes. (Recommended recording: Berlin Philharmonic/von Karajan) I would like to suggest three other symphonic works that I believe are particularly effective in stirring our imagination and helping our mind to conjure special images.
Ferde Grofé – Grand Canyon Suite
In Grofé‘s own essay, the composer notes, “I saw color, but I also heard it, too.” Grofé describes the features of Arizona that Modest Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel – Pictures at an captured his imagination: “vast areas of eloquent solitudes, towering heights, silent deserts, rushing rivers, wild animal Exhibition. life; . . . health-giving ozone, magic dawns and resplendent After visiting an exhibit of Victor Hartmann’s paintings, sunsets, silvery moonshine, iridescent colorings of skies and Mussorgsky sat down to write a piano suite that gave his rocks, and before all else . . . a stock of men and women who description to the painter’s art. Ravel noticed the great breathe deeply and freely, live bravely and picturesque-ly, speak potential of Mussorgsky’s work and arranged his piano suite their minds in simplicity and truth, and altogether represent into a grand symphonic masterpiece. Ten paintings were as typical and fine a human flowering as this land of ours has turned into musical portraits and landscapes and have served inherited from its pioneer days.” Interestingly, when working as an inspiration to many generations of listeners. From a out the musical images of his descriptions, the composer ballet of chicks to a marketplace, from an old castle to the has chosen a symphonic language full of unique American great gate of Kiev, the large scale of images and emotions lets elements. The score has jazzy rhythms and some colorations everyone experience the music in both universal and personal found in many Hollywood movies including picturesque terms. musical elements typically found in Disney’s movie scores. (Recommended recording: Chicago Symphony Orchestra/C.M. (Recommended recording: New York Philharmonic/L. Bernstein) Giullini) 10 March 2015
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Allison Eldredge Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux
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Cellist Allison Eldredge joins the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra this March for a performance of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B-minor. She spoke with Overture Magazine recently about finding her instrument, music as language, and her hopes for her musical life. We look forward to your performance of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B-minor. How has your performance of the piece developed over the years? What has influenced your understanding of the intent of the composer? I began to play this concerto at the age of 15. As with any great work of music, one’s understanding of it grows through time. It is a heroic piece full of recollections of the past, which explores themes of pain and loss. Within is a melody, recalling a song of Dvorak’s, “Leave Me Alone,” which was a favorite of his sister-in-law, Josefina Kaunitzova, who passed away during the writing of the concerto. It is known that the composer’s relationship with this woman predated her becoming his sister-in-law and was of a romantic nature. We feel this in the music. Of course at the age of 15, my understanding of the deep emotions of lost love was quite limited. Life experiences have expanded this piece greatly for me. You began your musical career on the piano at the age of 3 alongside your mother, concert pianist Yoshie Akimoto. Switching to cello at the age of 9, you soon began winning competitions. With an expansive career between your 9-year-old self and the accomplished musician you are today, what do you remember of your first encounter with the cello? I had the feeling that the piano was too big for me, that I needed an instrument I could get my arms around, not to mention I come from a long line of pianists and the pressure to succeed on this instrument was great. With my mother as my teacher, this added another stressor–I felt like I needed to find my own instrument. I asked my mother if I could play the violin in my school’s orchestra. Her answer was, “No!” So I ran away. I didn’t go too far, just over to the local park where I kicked around for about four hours.
My disappearance scared her. She took me almost directly to the music store to rent a violin. The store was out of violins. “But we have a double bass or a cello!” the clerk informed us. I chose the cello. As I held the instrument it felt so delightful in my arms; what fun it was to have the strings available. For me, it was easier than piano. My mother later played for me the recordings of cellists Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich. I fell in love. I wanted to become one of the greatest cellists in the world. Since then, I have been very fortunate to have had musical encounters with some of the greatest cellists. To name a few, Mstislav Rostropovich with his powerful voice, my teacher at Juilliard, Harvey Shapiro, Eleonore Schoenfeld, my cello mother, as well as the founder of the
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Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and Yo-Yo Ma have all influenced my style. As a mother yourself, what advice do you have for parents trying to guide their children in learning an instrument? Of course there is not only one way, but most important is to remember that music is worth the investment of energy and resources. It’s like helping your child learn a new language, one which they can use to express themselves emotionally–a very empowering ability for a young person. Not only is it a powerful vehicle to touch others through performances, but neurological research shows us that playing an instrument sparks a much more drastic response in the brain than simply listening to music–there are major brain benefits. What would you say to a child just starting out? Have fun. Explore different instruments to see what voice you like the most. I am proof that you don’t have to stay with an instrument just because it is the one you’ve started with. It does take dedication but it is rewarding in the end and even all along the way. What are your hopes for the future? I want to continue to bring music that I love to larger and younger audiences, making use of technologies such as live streaming performances and social media. This was one of the aims of the Foulger International Music Festival which I founded in 2011. Sadly, the festival is no longer going. The upside to this is that it allows me the time to take on more students in my studio. I have been enjoying teaching for 25 years and hope to continue to develop as a pedagogue. I also want to continue playing contemporary music, while I seek ever more true interpretations of the standard works. I look forward to making more recordings as well. What I’m looking forward to in the near future is playing my new cello. I’ve been waiting on this particular cello for six years now and I go this week for my first fitting. It’s being made by Samuel Zygmuntowicz, a world renowned luthier noted for making instruments to please the artist. He only makes 4-6 instruments per year, using wood from the same forest as Stradivarius. He says he should have it finished in time for my performance this March. I’m looking forward to breaking it in.
Join the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra as we welcome Allison Eldredge and her new cello on stage for the Symphonic Embers Masterworks Concert on Saturday, March 21 at the Heymann Performing Arts Center. Tickets available at www.acadianasymphoy.org. To get a preview of her passionate style, visit her website at www. allisoneldredge.com where you can hear her perform classical pieces, jazz tunes and a Japanese folk song with her mother. 14 March 2015
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Guest Appearance
Let’s All Do Our Part
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Brandon Hyde, Vice President - Private Banking, Whitney Bank President, Acadiana Symphony Association
As a parent myself, I can now appreciate the desire to pass down lessons to children that they hopefully will carry with them throughout their lives. From experience I know that some lessons will stick, some will not. My parents successfully instilled in me the lessons to take responsibility, work hard, be involved in your community and pay forward the blessings I have been given.
Acadiana.
I’ve tried to uphold my part of this responsibility through my service on various non-profit boards such as Goodwill Industries of Acadiana and the Rotary Club of Lafayette South in an effort to enhance and better the quality of life for others who are less fortunate. I’ve also chosen to associate with organizations devoted to promoting literacy or education of our youth such as the Lafayette Public Library Foundation and Junior Achievement of
opportunities for anyone to get involved. Remember that old adage about leaving the world in better condition than you found it? I extend a challenge for us all to be an example to the next generation by joining with me in sharing your time, talents and treasures to grow and better our Lafayette community so that our children and their children can enjoy the same qualities of our community that we hold so dear.
I believe it is equally important to work to sustain those aspects of our local culture which speak of who we are as a community, particularly through the Arts. It is a duty and a responsibility, which we all share, to ensure I am sure everyone values aspects of life that organizations such as the Acadiana differently, but my involvement in the Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of community is something I began to take a Music continue to bring entertainment and personal inventory of as I began to mature. enrichment to our community for years I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to use to come. In doing this, we recognize the the talents, skills and abilities God has blessed importance and the joy of art, music and us with to help enrich and positively affect the theater that others before us made available to lives of others. It is not necessary to attempt our community. to accomplish this in large, drastic measures; Therefore, ask yourself, “How am I however, making a positive impact in your contributing to the betterment of this community is perfectly attainable through community?” Our community is blessed small, direct measures when taken by many with numerous non-profit, charitable and people over time. art-based organizations which provide
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Dr. Ann Laurent
Spiritual Creativity
18 March 2015
Emily Brupbacher • Photos by Zoom Photography
Overture Magazine
For many people, spirituality is a facet of life that remains segregated from our day-to-day activities. Oftentimes, spirituality is relegated to Sunday church services, grace before meals or prayers of desperation when times get tough. For Ann Laurent, spirituality and creativity go hand-in-hand, and both are essential parts of her everyday life. Her passion for merging these two aspects of life has been a long, winding, and, ultimately rewarding journey.
As a general dentist, Dr. Laurent infuses the traditional science of dentistry with a highly artistic flair. “Cosmetic dentistry is my passion—I get such satisfaction out of giving form to beauty,” says Dr. Laurent. “My deepest gratification comes when witnessing the freedom expressed when a person is able to smile with confidence; when the outer smile is in harmony with [the] inner one, music happens! I also think healing of any nature is creative energy at work.” For Laurent, this merging of science, creativity, beauty and healing allows her personal sense of spirituality to inform her dentistry practice.
But for Dr. Laurent, the blending of the spiritual and the creative exists in every aspect of life, not just her career. And it’s something that anyone can achieve, not just people who consider themselves to be artistic. “I believe we are made in the image of the Creator,” says Dr. Laurent. “That means we are all designed to create. It’s our spiritual DNA! We are all called to bring about a more just and beautiful world, are we not? I think all artists and spiritual mystics will say the same thing…to find that creativity, we must first be ‘open,’ and secondly we must create an inner spaciousness. Only then can our soul truly speak and find expression in the outer world.”
Outside of her dentistry practice, Dr. Laurent expresses her creativity and connects with her spiritual side in a variety of ways. One of her hobbies is Contemplative Photography and poetic writing. “In Contemplative Photography, the idea is not to ‘take’ a picture but to ‘receive’ one,” Dr. Laurent explains. “It requires being still and letting an image speak to your deep center. It’s a window into our inner landscape. What is going on in that moment in time? Joy? Frustration? Sorrow? Receive the image. Then give voice to it through simple poetry or even just a creative title. It’s a form of Soul-Centering through
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Nature—very Holy to me.” Her poem Resurrection: A SelfPortrait is an example of this blending of Contemplative Photography and poetic writing. Laurent received this image while on a silent retreat and then wrote a poem to reflect what the image inspired in her — that even in a season of life which feels dead and dry, new life can bloom in unlikely places.
The season of my long, cold winter is past. Once empty and barren, my dry, aching spirit surrendered to the nurturing breath of God. Beneath the icy surface, a new self struggled to be born. Tender shoots of green broke through a rotting trunk, searching for Light. Because, as the singer writes, “It is from the ashes that new dreams start.” Now, warmth and color, carried by LOVE, I am a garden of golden flowers dancing in the glorious morning breeze. Welcome, my Spring!
was very cathartic and healing…even invigorating!”
In addition to her own creative and spiritual pursuits, living in Acadiana provides Dr. Laurent with plenty of inspiration. “While I am no artist, my personal creativity is certainly inspired by Acadiana’s visionary community. I think —Ann Laurent it’s indigenous in our culture to be creative. Just look at our food, music, art, even our religious customs. All so unique Another part of spirituality for Dr. Laurent is yet inextricably linked,” says Dr. Laurent. “So many building relationships and developing a community artists here breathe their creative gifts back into the that is supportive of one another’s own spiritual world, not just for the sake of beauty but also for the journeys. “I have always loved to throw a great party! sake of cultural, social, environmental and/or spiritual But, as my spirituality has deepened, I have been causes to make a difference. Beauty and Action—we drawn to host social gatherings honoring rites of need both. As I mark the time spent on my spiritual passages or sacred thresholds,” Dr. Laurent says. “One example being a few years ago when my mother and step-father died rather suddenly within months of each other and my youngest child moved out-of-state to attend college. It seemed that every time I stepped outdoors that autumn, I saw a multitude of empty nests in the treetops. I was grieving that change, that loss, and I knew that my soul wanted to speak to that process for healing. I decided to host an Empty Nest Hen Party for a group of women, where we made a ritual of lighting candles and speaking blessings over our last path, I hope and pray that this children as they left our nests. synthesis of artistic expression in We spent the evening talking social action also reveals itself ever about how that felt for each of increasingly in my own practice of us and what was next—what dentistry, in my relationships and in my life!” new thing did God want to birth in us? Being in solidarity with one another and being invited to give To learn more about Dr. Ann Laurent, please visit www.drannlaurent.com. creative expression to our feelings in that sacred space 20 March 2015
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Revel
Moonlight & Music March 14, 2015
Chorale
ACADienne
2014-15
Indulge!
Music in your life
6:00 PM
Immerse yourself in the music this season as Acadiana’s
featuring the music from the hit Broadway musical “Mamma Mia”
premier choral ensemble soothes your mind, spirit, and body with beautiful music.
The Lafayette Petroleum Club 111 Heyman Blvd
Upcoming
Concert
Rejuvenate May 1, 2015
An Evening of Bernstein Chichester Psalms
First Baptist Church Lafayette
www.choraleacadienne.com 337.349.5342
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Summer Arts Extravaganza in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts Sue Schleifer
Picture this: You spread your picnic feast on a colorful cloth on the lawn outside the “Shed” at Tanglewood along with other classical music lovers. Soon, the conductor raises his baton, and the music of the Boston Symphony Orchestra wafts into the air as you and your family enjoy the perfect summer evening. Or this: You sit on a wood bench facing a stage with brilliant blue sky and rolling hills forming the back drop; the forest surrounds you and birds chirp. Soon dancers come on stage and begin their warmup exercises. Just this is enough. But it is not the performance. Soon the dancers come back on stage in costume and begin their free Inside/Out performance at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival. Simply mesmerizing.
And: At MASS MoCA, the enormous contemporary museum of art occupying a former mill, you hear intriguing music coming from a gallery. You are treated to a free concert of the students participating in the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. Their contemporary art music perfectly mirrors the visual art in the large gallery spaces.
for music, dance, theatre, museums, house tours, gardens, antique shopping and gourmet restaurants than are possible to enjoy.
Tanglewood has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937 and presents orchestra concerts by the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and visiting ensembles. Concerts take place in the Shed, an open-air space with seating under a roof as well as on the surrounding lawn, and in Ozawa Hall, a beautiful concert hall (with a back wall that opens for lawn seating). Tanglewood is also the home of the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony
The Berkshires Arts Resources
The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts Tourism and Travel Planning - berkshires.org Tanglewood - Lenox, MA www.bso.org/brands/ tanglewood/features/2014-tanglewood-season/2014season-overview.aspx Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival - Beckett, MA www. jacobspillow.org
MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA www.massmoca.org These are only a sampling of the cultural experiences awaiting you in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. A Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA bangonacan.org/summer_festival two-and-a-half-hour drive from Boston or less than an hour from Albany, NY, the Berkshires of western MA offer visitors from Acadiana a respite from Louisiana’s Orchestra’s summer music academy for the training heat and humidity, hills for hiking or biking, of advanced young professional musicians. If you take quintessential New England towns, and more options 22 March 2015
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a tour of the grounds during the day and spend time in the Visitor’s Center to learn about Tanglewood’s history, you may overhear the sounds of a violin played during a lesson of a talented student. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is a National Historic Landmark and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Each summer season, the festival presents more than 50 dance companies from around the world to perform at one of their two intimate theatres or on the outdoor dance stage. In addition to attending a performance, you may take a dance class, observe a class or rehearsal of the talented students selected to study at their world-renowned school, spend time in the archives and reading room, join a tour of the grounds, dine in one of their cafes, or bring a picnic to enjoy on the exquisite grounds. A wonderful introduction to Jacob’s Pillow is the documentary film, “Never Stand Still: Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow,” available from Netflix. For dancers and dance lovers, Jacob’s Pillow should be at the top of your bucket list.
Be prepared to find inspiration and an awakening of your own artistic aspirations on a cultural vacation in the Berkshires.
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Terry GROW the man behind the ink by emily brupbacher, photos by terry grow & lucious a. fontenot
Creating art of any kind is rarely a solo journey. Even artists who are alone when they create are influenced by others, whether they are inspired by others in their field or they are considering, in the back of their mind, what they want the public to take from their work. Art, by its nature, is meant to make connections with others; it’s meant to be shared. For Terry Grow, who works as both a painter and a tattoo artist, the creative process can alternate between something that is deeply individual and often introspective to a collaboration with a client, which requires give and take and a listening ear. “With tattooing, creativity begins with my client’s vision,” says Grow. “In most cases I ask them to bring me reference materials which help me understand the client’s style and expectation. I take these images and create, in my own style, a design that pleases my client and me. It can sometimes be a challenge to leave my own mark on someone else’s idea.”
Grow began tattooing in 2001 and works at AAA
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Tattoo on Johnston Street. It’s an environment that allows him creativity and inspiration. “My coworkers at AAA Tattoo inspire me every day with their drive to be the best artists they can be—for every client who walks into the shop,” says Grow. “When you see someone next to you working hard to be the best, it’s hard not to feed off of that.” His talent for inking has given Grow the opportunity to earn money as an artist while still allowing him to focus on his love of painting. And while tattooing allows Grow plenty of room to be creative, he notes that it is different than the artwork he creates on a canvas. His work at AAA Tattoo keeps him busy, but he still makes it a priority to paint. “Being creative can be a very difficult and rewarding process,” Grow says. “Finding time in an already busy schedule is the hardest part. Sometimes I work better under pressure, but in most cases I work best when I allow myself a few hours to create at a more relaxed pace. Painting is usually a far more internal and personal process [than tattooing.]”
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“I get inspiration to paint from different experiences that drive me,” explains Grow. “I grew up here in southern Louisiana. I’ve always loved to fish and be surrounded by nature. This environment has definitely influenced my artwork. In fact, my most recent art show in the Mallia Gallery at the AcA was a majority of landscapes inspired by those surroundings coupled with memories from my childhood on the Gulf Coast. Usually an overwhelming feeling—whether good or bad—will trigger the desire to create. I begin seeing images in my mind that I tried to piece together on paper as it was in my head. It’s a great feeling to watch a painting come together on canvas knowing that you are the mind that moves the hand that creates something new. It’s an even better feeling to feel as though it’s something else that moves my mind and hand to bring to life something great.”
Whether the finished product is a lush painting of a Louisiana landscape or an intricately detailed tattoo displayed on a person’s skin, creativity is essential for Grow. “I hope that my work inspires others to find their own creative outlets. I think it’s important for everyone to find something that acts as a release. Creativity is therapy.”
To learn more about Terry Grow’s fine art, please visit TerryGrowArt.com. For a tattoo portfolio, fishing trips and family portraits, search or follow Terry Grow on Instagram @TERRYGROW. For tattoo consulting or to book an appointment, contact terrygrow@gmail.com.
“It’s rice & gravy, all day long.” -Denise Landry, Landry’s Café
Discover the people and stories behind some of Lafayette’s oldest plate lunch houses at LafayetteTravel.com/PlateLunch
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Paques the art of Danielle Ducrest
Photos by Mandy Migues
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Call it “egg knocking,” “egg pocking” or “pacques pacques”— no matter the name, the Easter tradition of knocking eggs together can be found in Acadiana and elsewhere in the world. The game is simple: competitors knock the pointed ends of decorated hard-boiled eggs against each other until one egg cracks. The winner holds the unbroken egg. Pâques may be the French word for Easter, but it also inspires names of the game because, when the eggs knock together, they make a “pock” sound.
Egg knocking has roots in Germany, Romania and Armenia. Today, expatriates spread the game to new locations. A former Cottonport, Louisiana resident has introduced the game to his fifth grade class in Québec, while immigrants share the game with descendants in the Pittsburg area. Avoyelles Parish is home to annual egg-knocking competitions with official judges, rules and prizes, and in 2011, the Louisiana House of Representatives designated the parish as the “Egg-Knocking Capitol of the World.” Contests in Cottonport and Marksville, which began in 1965 and 1956 respectively, accept chicken eggs and guinea eggs. In the months leading up to Easter, competitors may search for the hardest eggs among dozens of yard eggs. When boiling the eggs, competitors may cushion the eggs in rags or cardboard to prevent cracking. Contestants interested in cheating their way to victory can try a few methods to harden their eggs. In Durham County in England, entrants in their “egg-jarping” championship are not allowed to coat eggs in nail varnish or beer or warm eggs against radiators. An illegal tactic in Louisiana is to fill eggs with concrete. Lafayette doesn’t have an official contest, but last year, French teachers Mandy Migues and Lindsay Smythe held a 26 March 2015
contest among their Lafayette High School students. Migues, originally from Vermilion Parish, had heard of the game but never played it. Then she attended natural egg dye workshops at Vermilionville and learned more about egg pocking, and she decided to bring the contest to her students. Migues and Smythe spent several hours on a Sunday afternoon boiling hundreds of chicken eggs in gumbo pots. They also made natural dyes for the eggs. Students used the prepared dyes to dye the eggs. The students were surprised by the colors that vegetables like cabbage could produce, and they started mixing colors.
After the eggs were dyed, it was time to knock some eggs together. “…Teenagers are very competitive, so they really liked the contest aspect of the whole thing,” says Migues. She and Smythe plan to hold the contest again this year. No matter where egg knocking games appear, the idea is to bring a bit of fun, excitement and creativity to family or community Easter celebrations.
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The
Burning Man Experience A Conversation with Bill and Amy Holliday
Rick Johns, Mini-Man in the Dust, ricochet.shot@gmail.com
By Johanna B. Divine
28 March 2015
Overture Magazine
About two hours from Reno, deep in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, Burning Man draws over 60,000 participants each year. Artists, performers, musicians and travelers from every corner of the world dedicate themselves to a week-long experiment in radical self-expression and self-reliance, literally building a city on the “playa”—an ancient lake bed—that gives birth to enormous art installations, innovative sculpture, performance, theme camps and costumes of every size, shape and color imaginable. The festival culminates with the burning of dozens of effigies, selected by festival organizers then carried from around the world and constructed on-site. While the ashes are still smoldering, Burning Man’s elusive Black Rock City (complete with street grid, emergency services, a department of public works, recycling center, municipal airport, newspaper, radio station and Center Camp Café) is dismantled, leaving no trace of its formidable presence in the high desert. The annual festival caught the attention of New Orleans firespinner and marketing director Amy Holliday, a Lafayette native who ventured to Burning Man for the first time over a decade ago, only to return years later with husband and woodworker Bill Holliday. Bill’s 20-foot tall driftwood sculpture “Mama Nola” was chosen as a featured piece for the 2011 Burning Man festival, and he and Amy attended along with a core group from New Orleans. Overture caught up with Bill and Amy to ask about their Burning Man experiences and discuss how the festival has affected their lives and their work.
Overture (O): Could you describe your first experience at Burning Man? Amy Holliday (AH): I was living in Atlanta at the time and went with friends. First of all, it’s way, way out in the desert–literally the middle of nothing. It’s not an easy place to get to. You’re living for a week in pretty extreme conditions–very hot during the day and cold at night. You have to bring everything with you and take everything when you go, including water, food, shelter, everything. It’s a lot to absorb at first, but it’s beautiful, it’s radical self-reliance. The art installations are some of the most aweinspiring I’ve ever seen. It’s certainly not an easy place to get to, but I would definitely make the trip again.”
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O: Could you describe the piece you created? What was your inspiration? BH: It was a wicker-man type construction, very rough and rustic. It wasn’t a smooth, polished, painted design like many you see there. She represented all aspects of the Gulf region–the slow rivers and driftwood, raging storms and fallen branches, pieces of old homes lost and found again. As a voodoo doll, she felt mysterious and a little scary–kind of primal. We ended up naming her ”Mama Nola.” AH: So, Mama Nola came all the way from New Orleans and lived in the desert for a week. When it came time to burn the effigies, the pyrotechnic guys didn’t gauge the amount of fuel required to light and burn her, so when they lit her, she exploded! Everyone ran back from the 100-yard perimeter and watched her go. It was incredible. Needless to say, Mama Nola burned very bright! O: So, what’s life like at Burning Man? AH: When I first went, I really experienced that radical selfreliant sense of living. You are very conscious the entire time that when you leave, you leave nothing behind. They have a concept called “MOOP”–matter out of place. MOOP is anything that doesn’t fit in the desert–a bottle, a wrapper, even grey water from bathing. Creating MOOP is a huge faux pas and you make absolutely sure that you remain conscious of everything you do so that you don’t deface the playa in any way.
O: Could you describe some of the art installations you saw there? BH: Some projects you could tell had big budgets, very active core groups. The Austin group was able to spend in excess of $35,000 to create this incredible effigy with really ornate cutouts and super engineered construction. Other core groups, like Brooklyn, just had a pizza truck, a food truck, and they were serving drinks out of it. There was an effigy from Ireland in the form of an ancient Irish god, which was kind of ominous-looking. Some of the installations were things you could get up and crawl around on, while others were representations, something to just observe. There were a lot of light installations, too, like giant chains of lighted balloons that rose 1,000 feet in the air and moved with the wind. AH: There were also theatrical groups, camps with a theme or game you play along with. I remember in one camp was a “baggage claim,” and you’d go there to drop off or pick up your “baggage”–you know, something you’ve been holding onto in your life, like an old grudge or concept or something intangible that you’re looking for. It’s very inventive. There was another camp where all the participants were private investigators. So, some people at the festival who were legitimately lost would come to this camp, and the private investigators would help them find their group. Other folks had heard of an installation or event, and the private investigators would try to figure out where it was or if it really happened. The actors had storyboards, and everyone was in costume and playing along. It was really hilarious. O: Did your experiences at Burning Man affect your work? Your way of living? AH: Like Bill said, you can’t exchange money except for ice and coffee, so there’s a lot of giving and sharing. I remember
Dan Zoller, A Nights Embrace, zollercoaster13@gmail.com
Bill Holliday (BH): Amy and I went together in 2011. A bunch of people from New Orleans started a NOLA “core group” [many major cities have organized Burning Man core groups], and they were asked to come up with an idea for an art installation, an effigy, to represent the Gulf state region. I submitted a piece— basically a 20-foot-tall voodoo doll made out of a combination of driftwood and scraps from old houses—and it won the group vote, so we went. I was able to get there about a week ahead and saw the city being built, and we also got to participate in the NOLA group camp. It was interesting to be a part of that, to go out there and make friends, not just from New Orleans but from all over the place.
That said, there’s never a dull moment. I roamed the city every day for a week and still didn’t see everything. It’s huge, and there is something for everyone. People work year-round to put it together. Some participants fly in, others bring huge tour buses, some people skydive in. There are people there who are really taking it to a different level—the installation pieces, the camps, the costumes, the theatrics. There’s lots of play—people playing and participating—and that’s my favorite part about it. BH: We were at a group camp, which, in our case, provided water and shelter for over 100 people. Ours was pretty basic—except that it had a bar!—while other camps were really elaborate, with huge oversized food trucks and showers and everything. There were lots of porta-potties, and I was amazed how clean everything was. There’s no trash—only recycling—and there’s no money exchanged, except for coffee and ice. So you’re basically just sharing and bartering. It’s a very different way to live. 30 March 2015
walking around one day and we ran out of water, and this older man noticed and came up and offered us his water. That kind of thing happened all the time. So, I guess the random acts of kindness really stuck with me, and the shared experiences affected me as well. At Burning Man, they build a huge temple every year, and after they burn the effigies, they burn the temple. So Overture Magazine
BH: There were a lot of new artistic and architectural concepts that changed my work–new ideas and new ways to build things. It was also very interesting to get away from using money. I was there for 12 days, so to come back home and wonder, “Where’s my wallet?” and get used to paying for things again was a real eye-opener. The whole thing was pretty overwhelming– there’s so much happening that, by the time you experience an entire week of it, your brain just kind of melts. A lot of people think it’s a weeklong party, but that’s not the focus. At some point during the festival, everyone takes the time to interact on a spiritual level—something shared and soulful. For me, it was really just about going out there and having what you need in order to participate. It made a big impression on me in terms of participating in life with the people around me. We met people
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
Trina Medina, Playa TV, trinamedina@trinamedina.com
all week long people go there to pray and to let things go–urns of ashes, photographs, handwritten letters. You saw every emotion in the temple. That aspect of sharing such deep, emotional experiences with others was really intense and interesting to me.
from all over the world that we really connected with, and we’ve all made the time to get together over the last few years. Most importantly, we made lifelong friends.
Bill is owner/operator of Holliday Millworks and restoration, specializing in custom millworks and reproductions. www. hollidaymillworks.com. Amy Holliday is Marketing Director for Word of Mouth Restaurant Group, www.wordofmouthrestaurantgroup.com. For information about Burning Man, visit www.burningman.com.
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By Emily Brupbacher
One of the most anticipated events hosted by the Acadiana Symphony Women’s League (AWSL) is their annual Mad Hatter’s Luncheon and Style Show. Every spring, the ASWL puts on an entertaining and exciting event including delectable food, a style show and a silent auction with unique items from some of Lafayette’s most prestigious and innovative retailers, as well as surprises from outside of Lafayette. One of the most sought-after live auction items is the “Full Day of Rejuvenation for Six” at the Lake Austin Spa Resort, voted #4 Destination Spa in the World by Condé Nast Traveler. It includes a round-trip flight on a private jet from Lafayette to Austin, choice of two fifty-minute package treatments, choice of one eighty-minute package treatment, lunch in the Aster café and a gift from the spa! All proceeds from the Mad Hatter’s luncheon will go towards the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra’s educational offerings both on and off the stage.
goods to the Mad Hatter’s Luncheon and Style Show, the event is sure to live up to its theme and be Haute! Haute! HOT!
“This is one of the only events in Lafayette that is a fundraiser with an upscale fashion show and has unique silent auction items,” says Jeanie SimonDomingue, style show coordinator and member of the Acadiana Symphony Women’s League. “Last year, the Mad Hatter’s raised over $30,000 for the Acadiana
The 2015 Mad Hatter’s Luncheon will take place on Monday, March 2, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at La Marquise on Kaliste Saloom Road. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., and the lunch and style show will begin at 11:45 a.m. This year’s style show will feature retailers such as Lemon Drop, Little Town, Partners’, Rafaelle Fur & Boutique and many more local favorites. With such fashionable retailers offering their support and their 32 March 2015
Overture Magazine
Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music. This will be the 24th year for the Mad Hatter’s Luncheon and Style Show. It has grown bigger and better each year.”
And while attendees who have experienced the fun of Mad Hatter’s in years past have an idea of what to expect, each year brings new surprises. “We are so excited about our move to La Marquise, generously donated by Glenn Stewart,” says Simon-Domingue. The generosity of local sponsors like Dr. Ann Laurent, Dianna Rae Jewelry and Misti Trahan Real Estate also make this entertaining event possible. Individual tickets to the 2015 Mad Hatter’s Luncheon and Style Show are $60 and tables can be reserved for $480-$600.
To learn more about the Acadiana Symphony Women’s league, please visit www.acadianasymphony. org/get-involved/womens-league.html or call the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra at 337-232-4277, ext. 1. To learn more about the Mad Hatter’s Luncheon and Style Show or to purchase tickets, please visit www.acadianasymphony.org/events/mad-hattersluncheon.
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Water Oak Farms . inc
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Com erine
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34 March 2015
Overture Magazine
In an effort to discover the influences of belief on local religious spaces, we visit a temple, a cathedral, a mosque and a monastery with an eye to the architecture, both grand and powerfully simple. Humbly realizing that the beauty and mystery contained within each of these spaces takes a lifetime to appreciate and perhaps an eternity to comprehend, we will touch on the history of how these works of architecture came to be and how they were influenced by the beliefs which inspired them.
Temple Shalom 1889
“Shalom,” is the welcome we hear as people gather for Shabbat. Vivian and Joe Katz, members of this congregation for 25 years, greet us out front, flipping on the low flood lights that illuminate the large stylized menorah on the flat stucco facade of Temple Shalom on Lee Avenue in downtown Lafayette. They bop around the building, readying the place for the evening services. “Here’s a picture of the original entrance,” Vivian shows me, a wooden structure with a gabled roof and an enclosed portico with plain double wooden doors and simple gothic style windows. Built in 1889 on land donated by former Louisiana Governor Alexander Mouton, it could have passed for a small Protestant chapel. Vivian tells me that in the era before local baptists had their own place of worship, they made use of the temple for their services.
Vivian and Joe lead us through the twentieth-century additions—the social hall, kitchen and library—into the temple sanctuary, a small minimally decorated meeting room with four tall windows. From the outside, the windows are just above eye level–a typical architectural feature of Jewish temples, originally to
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deter gawkers from looking in on a congregation which was often considered a curious minority.
The focus of the temple is on the word of God, the Torah, contained within the ark situated on the east wall, the wall closest to Israel. Joe cracks open the geometric-patterned wooden doors of the ark. “The rabbi won’t be here tonight, so typically we would leave the ark closed, but as Religious Vice President, I am able to share this with you.” With the door to the small elevated closet open, a brilliance of color is revealed. Within are several large scrolls dressed in bright velvet fabrics with ornate silver finials atop, each adorned with a decorative “breastplate.” Joe hefts a large volume up onto the podium, unrolling it to reveal the beauty of the handwritten Hebrew on parchment. Vivian points to the light hanging over our heads. “We have an eternal light, like the Catholics. Here it’s called the ner tamid. It stays lit continuously above the ark. Pre-electricity, it would’ve been the lamp used to light the menorah whose purpose is to spread the light of Godliness to the world.”
Local artist-thinker Alfred J. Stahl sums up the architecture of the temple, “Its dullness is in counterpoint to the beautiful word held within. The greatest teachings are not meant to be alluring, they are the most veiled!” he exclaims with an inviting enthusiasm. All are welcome to hear these teachings at the temple each Friday at sundown. To learn more about the history of Temple Shalom and the congregation who supports it, visit the Lafayette, Louisiana page of the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish
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Communities at www.isjl.org, and for a broader picture, read The Story of the Jews by Simon Schama.
The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist 1916
Standing in front of the cathedral, let your eyes travel upward. For decades this was the highest building in Lafayette—a symbol on the horizon to guide Catholics to this sacred space. At the very top sits a rooster. “Has there always been a chicken at the highest point of the Cathedral?” I ask museum curator Janice McNeil, whose father and grandfather both worked on the building of this church.
Notice, each one is slightly different throughout the church. There is said to be a code within the seemingly inconsistently rendered crosses. I’ve never been able to figure it out!” The interior is a feast for the eyes with colorful story-telling stained glass windows, larger-than-life paintings of saints, and serene statues all seeming to echo the common greeting of the mass, “Peace be with you.” The eternal light, like the ner tamid of the temple, marks the holy presence of God. However, God’s presence here is the word made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ present in the consecrated bread held within.
Explore the cathedral yourself, attend a daily or Sunday mass, and try to decipher the code of the Jerusalem crosses. For a lively account of how Father Teurlings led the wagon trains of building supplies through Lafayette, cracking his whip at the head, read his memoires titled, One Mile an Hour.
Islamic Center of Lafayette 1995
From the exterior of the mosque nestled in the live oaks on the corner of Tulane and Taft near the university, we see what looks like a sprawling brick home with a simple tower-like structure on the northeast corner. “As-salamu-alaykum,” is the greeting we hear as we remove our shoes at the door. Dr. Ghayas Qureshi, the President of the Islamic Center, leads us to the prayer room where we are served hot, deliciously strong tea with a bit of sugar.
“Ah, yes!” She smiles. “It serves as a reminder of Peter’s denial of Jesus. When the cathedral was finished in 1916, the rooster was originally a weather vane. It was continuously being knocked off by hurricanes until it was welded in place facing east—as does the Church—towards the rising sun, the place of resurrection and new life.” “Why would the faithful want to be reminded of Peter’s denial?” I ask, still not understanding why such a place of prominence on the church would be given to a rooster.
She’s quiet in wonder herself but only a short while before she responds, “When we think about Peter’s rejection of Jesus, we are reminded that even if we doubt, even if we fall from grace, God can use us to bless the world as he did Peter.”
McNeil guides us into the church, climbing several steps to enter this massive brick edifice built with no metal infrastructure that sits seven feet above ground, an accommodation made out of respect for the original St. John’s cemetery below. Father Teurlings, the priest charged with its building, was home visiting his parents in Holland when he serendipitously ran into an architect in need of a job. “Father Glenn Provost always said this church was a happy adaptation of several architectural styles. It’s considered Dutch Romanesque, but here we have Gothic windows and Byzantine capitols on the major columns.” She further points out, “You see the Jerusalem crosses on the capitols? 36 March 2015
Within, we can see that the tower contains a mihrab or niche defined by an arch with a point at the top, and within this is a minbar or podium from which the sermons are delivered. “This is the room where we join shoulder-to-shoulder, heel-to-heel in prayer, facing Makkah, where the Kaaba is situated. Our focus in prayer is on freedom from suffering, asking for guidance, peace and heaven.” Qureshi goes on to clarify, “Here in America, our prayer room faces 45 degrees northeast, the direction of Makkah, the direction we always pray to from all over the world. If I am out and about in Acadiana, I use I-10 going east to west to find my direction towards northeast for prayer.”
Qureshi points out, “There are four typical components of mosque architecture-the dome, the minaret, the mihrab and the minbar. These components are not commanded by Allah; they are creations of humans–in many cases an extravagant way of luring people in or proclaiming one’s presence in a place. Here, we are a community mostly of students; we choose to use our resources to be able to give alms instead of having a showy mosque.” Concluding our visit, we pass into the halls hung with art. Dr. Qureshi notes, “You will not find images of living creatures in sacred Islamic art. We do not want to assume the power to create life which belongs only to Allah. You will find beautiful calligraphy, patterns and shapes. Here is a piece with the ninetynine beautiful names of Allah.” He reads the names artfully written in Arabic. “As-salaam—that means peace.” The holy day of the week for Muslims is Friday with prayer time starting in the afternoon. For details on attending, call the Islamic Center at 337-232-7700. For more information about the Islamic community in Lafayette, check the website www. islamiclafayette.com.
>> Overture Magazine
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March 2015 37
Wat Thammarattanaram 2005
Heading east on Highway 90, making a couple of turns just after crossing into Iberia Parish, we come to Lanexang Village, a small enclave of Laotian Americans. Approaching our destination, we see a standard diamond-shaped street sign notifying us of a “CHURCH” nearby. Just beyond the bright yellow sign are the even brighter reds, oranges, blues and golds of the Buddhist temple-monastery known to locals as Wat Thammarattanaram. We meet Phanat Xanamane, a young urban designer living in New Iberia. Born of Laotian parents in a refugee camp in Thailand, he took his first steps on Louisiana soil–growing up not far from the monastery, his parents were major supporters of the building
of the temple. He considers himself a steward of Lao Culture in south Louisiana and has agreed to be our guide.
We follow Xanamane to the sermon hall with its expansive multi-tiered roof. Taking our shoes off at the entrance, we enter a large open room half-covered in rugs leading to an elevated section that spans the side of the building with a myriad collection of Buddha statues. The other half is somewhat bare in comparison, with necessities of social gatherings placed here and there. High up, the walls are decorated with framed art–colorful, dramatic interpretations of Buddhist parables. This is where the community will come to chant, listen to sermons, partake in ceremonies, socialize and meditate. Meditation, being a key focus of Buddhism, is seen as the way to a peaceful mind and eventual freedom from suffering. Xanamane approaches the head monk, who is quietly busy; he bows in greeting and asks permission for us to visit in this space. Xanamane has trouble keeping up his impromptu translation with the eager flow of information from the Lao-speaking monk.
“The architectural style with its ornate flower patterns and carved deities along the rooflines is Thai, dating back to the 14 century with the Khmer Empire,” Xanamane explains. He points out the naga as typical of Laotian Buddhist temple architecture. We see both realistic and stylized versions of this serpent-like creature adorning rooflines and gateways throughout the property. 38 March 2015
The naga so enjoyed the sermons of the Buddha that he wanted to become a monk. Being nonhuman, he was denied monkhood and forbidden to enter temples, but he maintained fidelity to Buddha–and is depicted as forever trying to enter the temple.
The newest building on-site, completed in 2012, is a small hall used for ordination of the monks–considered the most holy structure, it is also the most ornate. Bright blue glass mosaic tiles adorn the front gable, and stylized golden naga protrude from the roof along with two lifelike fanged naga soaring along either side of the entrance stairway. The sloping gabled roof is multi-tiered, its pitch adorned with seven tower-like structures symbolic of the levels of enlightenment. “This attention to beauty is seen as a way of cultivating positive thoughts and energy in this life, so good karma will be with us as we pass to our next life,” explains our guide.
“The community pooled resources to ensure they could provide a place to serve the monks, since taking care of a religious community is a very important part of Laotian Buddhist practice,” Xanamane notes. “Monks with experience in temple building and adornment travelled from all over to help build the structures, paint the murals and carve the ornate details. They lived here temporarily and were taken care of by the community as they worked.” For a tour of the Laotian Buddhist temple-monastery, contact cultural liaison Phanat Xanamane at 337-378-9469. To learn about upcoming events at Wat Thammarattanaram, visit their Facebook page. From the ark within the Jewish temple to the niche at the northeast wall of the mosque, we hear the word, “Peace.” From the Gregorian chants high in the cathedral’s choir loft to the seated monks meditating on the floor of the Buddhist temple, a striving for peace resonates.
Having only briefly entered into these sacred spaces with me, you are invited to return or go beyond and find your own. Peace be with you. Overture Magazine
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Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
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Westwater Arts
Symphonic Photochoreography AN ORIGINAL ART FORM
By Emily Brupbacher • Photos ©Westwater Arts 40 March 2015
Overture Magazine
Nicholas Bardonnay, who is the Creative Director at Westwater Arts, has collaborated with symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras and music festivals to bring the medium of symphonic photochoreography— an innovative and precisely choreographed blending of music and imagery—to audiences across the world. “The medium of photochoreography is essentially the choreography of hundreds of interrelated images across a 440-square-foot panoramic screen that’s placed above the orchestra while it’s playing live,” explains Bardonnay. “It’s not just a symphony playing to a recorded set of images or a film; we are guest artists performing with the symphony. We’re out in the middle of the audience with the projectors, live cuing the image transitions. Just like a musician, I have to watch the conductor to anticipate what’s happening. The pacing and timing are essential with photochoreography—a lot goes into that synchronization.” Audiences have had overwhelmingly positive
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
Photo by Fernando Jimenez Herrera
Listening to a piece of beautiful symphonic music can often be a multisensory experience—not only do we hear the music, but we can often feel it or see it, as well. When it comes to combining visual arts and music, Westwater Arts stands at the helm, creating stunning photographic essays which allow the symphony audience to encounter music in a whole new way.
responses to symphonic concerts that have photochoreography woven into them. Bardonnay says that members of an audience often approach him after a performance to tell him that the photochoreography helped them experience symphonic music that they’ve heard plenty of times before in a new and meaningful way. “Nowadays, people are used to multisensory experiences, and a symphonic concert with photochoreography can be totally immersive,” explains Bardonnay. “The images, along with the music, can create strong emotional responses in people—sometimes it can evoke memories or create a mood that really moves people, whether it’s something beautiful or tragic. The images combined with the music engage the senses in a different way.” Bardonnay works closely with his wife, Erin, who is Westwater Arts’s Operations Manager. Together, they oversee everything on projects—from traveling to photograph scenic locations in far-flung destinations such as Iceland, Mexico or the Czech Republic
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Photo by Fernando Jimenez Herrera Photo by Fernando Jimenez Herrera
to collaborating with conductors on what the live merging of music and imagery should look and sound like. They even handle setting up and tearing down the photochoreography equipment at symphony performances.
Over the years, Westwater Arts has created photographic essays for a variety of events. “Just recently, we created tributes to commemorate the 100th and 75th anniversaries of World Wars I and II,” says Bardonnay. “Those pieces are different in that I used archival photography. We also just shot in Iceland for a new piece called Sagaland, which showcases the dramatic landscapes of that location—you’ll see everything from fire to ice and earth to water.” Such stunning photographic images beautifully illustrate these most basic elements of beauty. In fact, Water, Fire and Earth were selected as the ASO season themes for the 2014-2016 symphony seasons. Last season’s ASO performance of Water Music was strikingly brought to life with the help of photochoreography. This year, Westwater Arts will return as a guest artist for the March 21 performance Symphonic Embers, which follows this year’s Fire theme.
MASTERWORK NO.6
Fully Staged Musical Presented by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
ARTISTS: ASO, UL Lafayette Opera Theater Students; Mariusz Smolij, Conductor Presented by special arrangement with the Music Theatre International, New York, NY
PROGRAM: Claude Michel Schönberg – Les Miserables
TICKETS: www.acadianasymphony.org
Saturday, April 25, 2015 /// 6:30 pm University of Louisiana at Lafayette Angelle Hall
Symphonic photochoreography can bring a new sense of emotion to a piece of music—whether you’re viewing images of a lush rainforest accompanied by the music of Vaughan Williams or seeing larger-thanlife photos of behind-the-scenes happenings at a rodeo while a symphony performs Aaron Copland’s ballet Rodeo—you’re sure to be astounded by the blending of music and photography. “It’s a very visceral experience to see some of the images, especially the landscapes, on such a massive scale,” says Bardonnay. “It can be totally immersive; it’s almost like being there.” For more information about Westwater Arts symphonic photochoreography and to view their repertoire of photographic essays, please visit:www. westwaterarts.com. Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
March 2015 43
Happy Notes
Aaron Copland
November 14, 1900-December 2, 1990 Jennifer Tassin, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra Education Director
Editor’s Note: Jennifer Tassin, ASO’s Education Director and longtime educator, will provide a new feature to our publication starting this month. Happy Notes is a great educational guide for parents and teachers and anyone else who is interested in learning more about classical music.
W
When you wonder what “American” music sounds like, you might listen to the music of Aaron Copland. He studied composing with one of the most incredible female music educators of all time, Nadia Boulanger. She taught Aaron Copland at the American Conservatory in France. Copland’s most famous pieces are his ballets: Billy the Kid, Rodeo and Appalachian Spring. Rodeo is a ballet about the Wild West. It is a story of a girl who dresses up like a boy to impress the boss on a ranch. One of the pieces from Rodeo is called “Hoe-Down.” A hoe-down is a barn dance for a party on a ranch where friends and family all gather together and dance. When you see Rodeo performed on stage, all of the actors and dancers are in full cowboy gear! Here are some ideas of activities you can do with children while listening to Copland’s Rodeo. While listening to “Hoe-Down,” have your son or daughter listen to the patterns in the music. Have them decide if the beats are in groups of twos or groups of threes. This is a great opportunity to let your child be a conductor (A group of two beats is right!). Another great listening activity is to listen and
44 March 2015
“Hoedown” from Rodeo Map by Aaron Copland Tapping Page/Listening grades K–2 Introduction
A Section (repeat)
B
Section
(repeat)
C
Section
(repeat)
Coda 1 (False Ending)
U pause… K. Edwards
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clap the patterns that you hear in “Hoe-Down,” and then have your son/daughter echo you in return.
HUBBELL CHAMBER SERIES NO.3
Try listening to which instruments in the orchestra have the rhythm pattern that you hear (Usually the violins or the string section).
Draw a picture of what you hear while listening to Rodeo and who is playing the melody or rhythm you enjoy the most. Talk about why you like it.
While you are listening to “Hoe-Down,” you can explore what type of dancing you think would be done at a barn-dance (Square dancing is right, but all answers are acceptable!).
This is a great opportunity to teach your child some basic square dancing moves like circle right, circle left, swing your partner and do-si-do. You can also share ideas about what kind of music “Hoe-Down” sounds like (Country music, Old West, square dancing or fiddle music are all correct). There are other pieces by Aaron Copland, as well, that include sounds of the American West like “Billy the Kid” and “The Red Pony.” There are lots of books about the Wild West that cover the topics of several of the folk songs you may hear in this concert. Several choices on your child’s reading list may talk about Billy the Kid and Jesse James. “Get Along Little Doggies” talks about the Chisholm Trail in 1878. “Red River Valley” is about the Red River Valley in the 1830s. Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
FIRE OF LOVE Sunday, April 12, 2015 3:00 pm Acadiana Center for the Arts
GUEST ARTISTS: Virginia Warnken, Mezzo-Soprano ASO Chamber Orchestra Mariusz Smolij, Conductor
PROGRAM: Arias, Songs and Dances by H. Purcell, A. Vivaldi, G.F. Handel and B. Britten
TICKETS: www.acadianasymphony.org
March 2015 45
Mixology
Golden Milk Punch Article and Photos by Anson Trahan
Welcome to March and the return of spring! Time to tighten the belt, strategically sacrifice, and envision where we want to go this year. This month we have a traditional drinker’s St. Patrick’s Day holiday right in the middle of Lent, known as a time of sacrifice and self-discipline. If you still want to enjoy yourself, imbibe and be able to spare yourself a little guilt, serve up this extremely healthy cocktail at your St. Patty’s Party or save yourself the work and head to Dark Roux, where it stands on the cocktail menu. This dairy-free drink contains ginger and turmeric for circulation and immunity and is sweetened with local honey that helps fight allergies. This is your punchbowl at the end of the rainbow, Cheers!
Golden Milk Punch
1.0 oz Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka .25 oz Lillet Blanc
4.0 oz Golden Milk Method:
(Hot) Measure Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka and pour into clean pre-heated mug. Add Lillet Blanc and ladel in Golden Milk that’s been pre-heated to 148 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve. (Chilled) Pre-chill Golden Milk. Measure Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka and Lillet Blanc and combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake gently, aiming to froth without watering down. Strain into Stemware.
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Golden Milk
1 Gallon Coconut Milk 12 oz Honey
10 Dashes White Pepper 6.0 oz Fresh Ginger
6.0 oz Fresh Turmeric Method:
Prepare Fresh Ginger and Turmeric: Peel with spoon, wash with cold water. Dice with sharp vegetable knife. It’s important to use a sharp knife to avoid skips in the cut. Safe prep makes for happy cocktails. Once the Ginger and Turmeric are ½ inch square, chop them finely with a food processor. Add to a deep saucepan. Pour in Coconut Milk and season with White Pepper. Heat evenly over medium heat until mix reaches 200 degrees, stirring every minute. Remove from heat and cover. Steep for 15 minutes. Use a fine strainer to filter your golden milk. Keep covered until ready to serve warm, or bottle in sanitized glass and chill until ready to serve.
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Symphony Seauxcial
Heartstrings
February 8, Acadiana Center for the Arts ASO Maestro Circle members gathered for an early Valentine treat of bubbly and sweets before the Heartstrings concert featuring the ASO Chamber Orchestra and GRAMMY nominated marimba player, Greg Giannascoli. This annual romantic concert is a hit among concertgoers and the reception a home run!
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March 2015 49
Standing Ovation
The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra is so grateful for its corporate sponsors that value ASO’s role in the community by supporting this important cultural gem. Without their generosity, ASO would not have the robust Masterworks and Chamber concert series that it does with such high quality productions. Bravo!
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