ENTERTAINMENT | TRAVEL SECTION Sunday, April 14, 2013
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Muskegon Chronicle
Classy Jackie Robinson: ‘42’ looks at baseball and racism. PAGE D3
‘Women as Muses’
Female conductor, violinist lead West Michigan Symphony concert BY LISHA ARINO LARINO@MLIVE.COM
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USKEGON — Music director Scott Speck will rest his baton and let the ladies take the stage for the West Michigan Symphony’s “Women as Muses” concert. The event is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, 425 W. Western Ave. Guest conductor Teresa Cheung will lead the orchestra through a program that explores how women have influenced male composers while featured soloist Elena Urioste will play Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Op. 64 in E minor. Cheung, who put together the evening’s program, will visit from the East Coast, where she is the orchestra director and lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as the music director and conductor of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. She is also the resident conductor for the American Symphony Orchestra and the Bard College Orchestra in New York. Speck described Cheung’s conducting style as lyrical. She is also smart and personable, he said. “She’ll bring a smile to everyone and probably make them laugh as well,” he said. According to Cheung, the symphony will play three pieces: § “Clair de Lune” by George Tsontakis, who will join the symphony for rehearsals and performances. § Concerto for Violin, Op. 64 in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn. § Symphony No. 2, Op. 61, in C Major by Robert Schumann. Although the program’s music was written by men, Cheung said, each of them was heavily influenced by the women in their lives. Mendelssohn was close to his older sister, Fanny, and both were considered musical prodigies, she said.
Schumann’s wife, Clara was also an accomplished pianist and supportive of his career. Cheung said she encouraged Schumann to start writing orchestral as well as piano pieces. And Tsontakis’ piece “Clair de Lune” is dedicated to his mother, Cheung said. “So you’re looking at a concert that has a relationship elationship of a mother and son n (with Tsontakis’ piece); with Mendelssohn’s piece, a relationship nship between n siblings; and (with) Schuumann, a clear .... dedication on he and love to his wife,” she said. o The concertt also will feature violiniolinnoste ist Elena Urioste, e, e who will join the s y m p h o ny f o r the Mendelssohn hn n lt”” piece, a “difficult” song that ree-n quires precision and “technical all control,” Speck k said. Urioste is a critically ac-claimed performer merr who is known forr “her lush tone, e, the e nuanced lyricism cism off her playing and her commanding stage presence,” ac-ws release. cording to a news selecte ed She recently was selected Generatio on as a BBC New Generation Artist and hass been bee en featured on the covver of “Symphony” ny” y” magazine. Urioste f irst rstt th appeared with h hia a the Philadelphia en n Orchestra when arss she was 13 years old and has since nce e he played with the e New York Philhil-harmonic, the d Boston Pops and the London Phil-mong g harmonic, among other renowned symphonies. Between Urioste’ss playing and the e program, m, the audience is in for a treat, Cheung said. aid. “It’s a lot packed cked into thiss little concert, so o I think the au-dience will really, lly, really enjoy he atmosphere the color and the and the emotion n that’s involved in the performance nce of the pieces,” she said. Tickets range e from $15 to $45 and can be purchased chased online at westmichigansymphony.org; ymphony.org; in person at the WMS MS ticket office
at Suite 409 on the fourth floor of the Frauenthal, or by calling 231-726-3231. Student tickets are available for $5 each, but cannot be purchased online. College students must present a valid I.D. to purchase student tickets. For more information about the concert, visit westmichigansymphony.org or call 231726-3231.
Elena Urioste, above, will perform at the West Michigan Symphony’s “Women as Muses” concert Friday and Saturday at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts. Teresa Cheung, at left, will guest conduct the West Michigan Symphony. COURTESY PHOTOS
Mrs. Lemon’s Opus Frauenthal concert to celebrate music teacher’s career BY LISHA ARINO LARINO@MLIVE.COM
Shirley Lemon
GRAND HAVEN — Nine Grand Haven High School choir alumni from 1982 to 2007 are looking for other former choir members to perform with them at 7 p.m. on May 25 at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts. The concert, “An Evening with Shirley,” is part of a series of events organized by the alumni to celebrate the career of the school’s beloved choir teacher, Shirley Lemon, who will retire after 35 years of teaching. The events are a way for alumni to show their appreciation, said Alex Montgomery,
one of the nine choir alumni who are planning the retirement events. He described her as a thoughtful and approachable teacher who cared about her students. “She is very, very passionate about her students,” Montgomery said. “She loves working with her students.”
Inspiring teacher
He said Lemon is a popular teacher and that students turn to her for advice. Often, he said, she also inspires students to live up to their potential. Montgomery said he and the other eight alumni decided to organize the concert and other events “to give back, even if just in a small way, simply because
she gave us so much.” The concert will mark the first time choir alumni from 1981 to 2012 will perform together, he said. “The concert itself has been a longtime dream of hers,” Montgomery said.
Big numbers
So far, there are 133 members in the choir, he said, but the planning team is hoping to include as many alumni as possible. Interested alumni can sign up to join the choir by visiting lemonretirementcelebration. com by 11:59 p.m. on April 25. That way, the planning committee can figure out how much music it will need and
what pieces to perform, Montgomery said. The group will sing songs from its past repertoire, so it will be familiar to many former students, he said. Alumni also are welcome to attend the concert instead of singing. The event will be open to the public. Those who wish to attend can purchase tickets at the Frauenthal’s box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are also available at startickets. com. Ticket prices range from $5 to $25. Following the concert, the group will host “Shirley’s Gala Reception” at 9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Spring Lake.
Tickets to attend the postconcert gala are $20 each. The event will feature musical entertainment, food and a cash bar. Cocktail attire is suggested and space is limited. Proceeds from the two events will benefit the Grand Haven High School Choir Endowment Fund, which provides support in perpetuity to the various financial needs of the school’s choral program, Montgomery said. Former students can find out more information about Lemon’s retirement festivities at lemonretirementcelebration. com. Updates about the events will be posted at facebook.com/ LemonRetirementCelebration, Montgomery said.