Page A16 Arts & Entertainment
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era to the present, and she has been privileged to champion the work of living composers. Her recordings are featured on Naxos, Albany, Zimbel, and Elmgrove. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Mattox has performed leading roles with major opera companies across the country and has appeared as a soloist four times at Carnegie Hall. Tenor Ross Hauck has sung numerous times with the Seattle Symphony, the National Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and the Phoenix Symphony. He has been heard live in broadcast recitals on PBS, and received mention in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Opera News. Bass Charles Robert Stephens has appeared nationally and internationally in a wide variety of roles and styles in opera and concert music. He has performed leading roles with New York City Opera and with Opera Orchestra of New York in Carnegie Hall and is now active in the Seattle area. Bainbridge Chorale and Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra present Verdi’s “Requiem” at the Bainbridge High School Commons at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12 and
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cast up to my waist for an entire summer. I had to learn how to walk again, which I did. I wasn’t allowed to compete in sports and take PE classes, what every other regular kid could do. [Then], immediately after seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, I asked for a guitar.” He got what he wanted, and starting playing the guitar on his 12th birthday. Years later, 50 of them to be exact, Wheeler is returning to his hometown of Bainbridge Island for a free anniversary homecoming concert event Saturday, April 12. “It feels so good to be home,” he said earlier this week. “I originally left in 1972, this [past seven years] has been the longest period of time I’ve been away since then. I usually make annual trips home, sometimes more often.” The road has kept him away as of late, and between his personal music projects and work with educational outreach programs like “Raising the Blues,” and his own program “Hope, Heroes and the Blues,” Wheeler’s calendar has been largely consumed. Saturday’s show, however, is comparatively lighter fare. “I’ll be 62 [on] April 16,” Wheeler laughed. “This is my jubilee concert. I started playing the guitar 50 years ago based on, and inspired by, the Beatles.” Now, just as the Fab Four
4 p.m. Sunday, April 13. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early for a pre-concert chat at 3 p.m. Sunday. Advance ticket purchase is available online at www.bain bridgechorale.org/content/ bainbridge-chorale-tickets/tick ets.php; $22 for adults, $18 for seniors (62 and older), $15 for students/military/teachers, and $5 for children (under 13). Tickets at the door are $25 for adults, $21 for seniors (62 and older), $18 for Students/ military/teachers, and $5 for children (under 13). BAINBRIDGE CHORALE
Enrollment begins for Young Singers program Enrollment has started for Bainbridge Chorale Young Singers. Bainbridge youth are invited to come share their love of singing and performing with other young singers. Enrollment is now open for youth in grades 1 through 3, and 4 through 8 for a new session. The singers, led by music director Jeremy Rothbaum, will meet on Thursdays beginning April 10. For more information or to register, visit www.bain bridgechorale.org or call 206-780-CHOR.
CONCERT FOR A CAUSE
BHS student musician to play at Benaroya Hall Bainbridge High school student Shelby Sundquist will be one of only three dozen talented young musicians from 11 high schools who will perform in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall as part of the seventh annual Ten Grands Seattle “Concert for a Cause” musical variety showcase at 7 p.m. Friday, April 4. Selected musicians will appear both onstage with the featured Ten Grands professional pianists, as well as in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby for a special early concert event starting at 6 p.m. Student musicians at the Ten Grands concert are from seven counties in Western Washington. They were among award winners at regional competitions at the Washington State Solo & Ensemble Contest, a program of WIAA/WMEA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association/ Washington Music Educators Association). On stage performers are from Bainbridge, Camas, EdmondsWoodway, Ellensburg, Issaquah, Juanita, Kamiak, Shorewood and Stadium high schools. Each musician will be showcased during brief solos, and then be part of a group performance. Lobby performers include a string sextet from Ellensburg
inspired him once upon a time, as well. Wheeler is bringing music to “I think it’s totally important,” he tomorrow’s rock stars through pro- said of music education. “I think it’s totally under used and under appregrams like “Raising the Blues.” “Shortly after I came back from ciated. [Music is] underutilized for Bainbridge the it’s ability to teach last time I started and bridge education “The blues was, in a working with for a lot of students to them,” he said not only [the subject] way, like gravity.” of the nonprofit of music, but to use TJ Wheeler group. “Their misBlues musician and educator music as a means of teaching history, sion is to bring social studies, lanmusic especially to kids who have guage arts.” a special need for It’s an irony it, maybe they’re in hospitals or Wheeler is well aware of, using maybe they’re somewhat at risk, or what is traditionally thought of a in an alternative school. [It’s] the seedy and darker musical genre to uplifting message of the blues, and educate children. However, it’s an the cathartic renewing and healing irony based on an image that he power of the blues, which we find says isn’t true. is good for kids in those types of “The original mission [of his situations.” program] was to dispel the negaThe uplifting power of the blues tive stereotypes that exist about the is a passionate subject for Wheeler, blues,” Wheeler said. “And blues and though the group is active else- musicians, and the people who liswhere in the country, the two conten to it, and really kind of take the mask off of it and reveal that [this] certs he performed in Seattle earmusic is the music of hope.” lier this week are the first Raising “You sing the blues not to get the Blues events in Washington, the blues, but to lose the blues,” Wheeler said Tuesday. Wheeler laughed. “So much of our diverse canon Saturday’s solo show offers a of musical genres in this country respite from the otherwise hectic stem directly out of the blues,” he said. “The original pioneers, mostly schedule of events that dominate African American men and women, the rest of his time at home, Wheeler said. can be looked at as heroes.” Beginning Monday, April 7, Discussing musical education in Wheeler will be the featured musithis country today, Wheeler says that it’s critical for educators to take cian of the Experience Music advantage of the storytelling abiliProject’s Artist in Resonance “Blues Roots to Hendrix” eduties of the medium in other classes
Friday, April 4, 2014
High School, a flute quartet and trombone trio from Juanita High School, a flute quintet from Kamiak High School (Mukilteo), and three duets. The duets include instrumentalists from Sehome High School in Bellingham and vocalists from both Issaquah and Bremerton. Sundquist is a clarinet player. Her teacher is Chris Thomas. She is the only student musician from Bainbridge participating in the event. A limited amount of tickets remain available. Proceeds support the Seattle Symphony’s education programs and other select nonprofit music education organizations. Tickets, starting at $42, may be purchased at www. seattlesymphony.org, by calling the symphony ticket office at 206-215-4747 and by visiting Benaroya Hall. DEADLINE NEARS
BAC offers visual art scholarships for students Bainbridge Arts & Crafts is now accepting applications for its 2014 visual art scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors who plan to study art in college. The deadline to apply is 6 p.m. Friday, April 18. Application details, eligibility requirements, and other information are at bacart.org/education/scholarships.
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“Every class is taught a piece for the recital. I just limit the teachers to only so many minutes for specific age groups.” Cramer said that the younger student performances are thus shorter than the older dancers, but every student and every type of dance is featured in the showcase. “Every single class has a performance,” she said. “We also have a competition team, and their pieces will be featured in the recital.” Also included in the performance will be modern dance, contemporary and hip-hop, which Cramer said she believes most people do not know the island ballet school teaches. “I think I’m one of the few schools in the area that offers hip-hop,” she said. “I think that a lot of people don’t really know what [contemporary dance] is. I’d describe it as a mix of ballet and modern dance, with some acrobatics in it.” Tickets for the showcase recital are on sale now, the cost is $20 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.bainbridgeballet.com, call 206-842-1205 or email info@ bainbridgeballet.com.
work closely with participating cational program where he will youth and classroom teachers, will instruct students from several area impart experiential lessons about schools throughout the week. the unique roots and culture of Artist in Resonance invites blues music and expose new audiselected professional musicians and gifted teaching artists to work ences to Jimi Hendrix’s place in in tandem with American music talented local history.” youth and The entire their stated program culmission is minates with What: TJ Wheeler solo anniverto promote concerts at sary concert. a deeper each school and When: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5 understanda final perfor(pre-concert potluck dinner at ing of music 6 p.m. Bring something to share). mance in EMP’s and perforrenowned Sky Where: Island Center Hall (8395 Church at 3 p.m. mance, offer Fletcher Bay Road). Saturday, April collaborative Admission: Free, donations 12 featuring opportuniaccepted. the early music ties, and of Hendrix a unique performed by insider’s view Wheeler, his of the music hand-picked guest artists Ted industry. Wheeler’s curriculum as the lead Enderle and Tom Svornich, and the participating students. instructor will include the weekThe EMP concert is free and long residencies in guitar instrucopen to the public. tion and ensemble music classes Regardless of the stage, be it at Sedro-Woolley High School and the EMP’s Sky Church or the Cascade Middle School, instruction on historical topics such as the Bainbridge Island Center Hall, Wheeler is adamant that the star influence of the blues and various of the show is the blues, and the blues artists as well as the evolving history. style of blues and jazz guitar and “The blues was, in a way, like Jimi Hendrix’s own impact on gengravity,” Wheeler said. erations of musicians. “I gravitated to the blues because “EMP is delighted to provide this it was the realist music I ever opportunity to our local students,” heard. The blues is the feeling, the said Bonnie Showers, EMP’s curablues is truth,” he said. “I was basitor of education and interpretive services. “T.J. Wheeler’s artistic cally pretty lost and the blues was credentials, and proven ability to the glue that held me together.”
A Blues Homecoming