Music

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march12

(March Issue available 2/24/12)

Tree Tales Especially for Kids Spanish Stories Kick-off Tower’s Family Room Series

Enjoy a morning of family-friendly story telling Saturday, February 18 at 11am when the Tower Theatre Foundation presents Cuentos Del Arbol (Tree Tales). This bilingual musical is recommended for children ages 9-15, and produced by the acclaimed Pushcart Players. The play is designed to bring Spanish to life for students studying the language, and make the performing arts accessible to families for whom English is a second language.

The live, one hour performance is about a tree (Arbol), its caretaker (Arbolita) and the characters they have sheltered and nurtured over the years. Stories and songs are drawn from Spanish and Latin American folklore, including: The Garden of the Golden Oranges, Brothers Who Were Both Wise and Foolish, Juan Bobo (Silly John) and Caperucita Roja (Red Riding Hood).

Over the past 38 years, New Jersey’s Pushcart Players have established themselves as one of the nation’s premiere touring children’s theatre groups. Described by the New York Times as “a polished and knowing theatre company,” the Pushcart Players previously staged Cinderella and Peter and the Wolf at the Tower.

“This is a fiesta of Latino and Hispanic themes, yet universal to the human experience,” said Ray Solley, the Tower’s executive director. “The stories are about dreaming dreams, setting goals, meeting challenges and keeping commitments. Young audiences will be enchanted by colorful costumes, inspiring stories and spirited beats as Arbol lifts her branches and grows each day,” Solley concluded.

541-317-0700 or www.TowerTheatre.org.

Portland Cello Project Perform at Friends of Music Benefit Concert

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Summit High School Friends of Music announce its third annual Silent Auction and Benefit Concert For the Love of Music featuring The Portland Cello Project on Saturday, February 11, 7pm in the Summit High School Auditorium.

The featured headliner The Portland Cello Project are a unique group of cellists who perform everything from serious art music to Lady Gaga and have wowed audiences all over the country with their extravagant performances, mixing genres and blurring musical lines and perceptions wherever they go. Since the group’s inception in 2007, they have tried to perform an entirely new program on every series of performances.

Almost all of the music performed by The Portland Cello Project is arranged by members of the group and their repertoire has over 800 pieces.

This year’s Friend of Music fundraising campaign will focus on the Summit Auditorium Stage Enhancement Fund which will improve the lighting and sound quality of the Summit High School auditorium stage. The Friends of Music are passionate about keeping music education alive in the schools and believe that investing in the arts not only improves community quality of life, but further empowers, energizes and educates the students in the enjoyment of the arts.

www.BendTicket.com. $15 plus fees or at Bend area locations: www.friendsofmusic-shs.org. A silent auction and raffle will start at 6pm. Donations may be mailed to Summit HS Friends of Music, PO Box 1887, Bend, OR 97709. Info: Marilyn Elliott, 541-322-9590 or Carrie Hardie, 541-408-7216.

Highland Quartet at the Oxford Hotel

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High Desert Chamber Music presented by Bank of America continues their fourth season featuring the Highland Quartet – the group was featured as a string trio in the 2008-09 opening season, but returns this year as a string quartet. The members of the group have collectively received BM and MM degrees from prestigious schools such as the Juilliard School of Music, Oberlin and St. Louis Conservatory and Rice University.

They hold positions with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. The members perform regularly in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas, in addition to St. Louis, Cincinnati and New York City.

This concert will take place on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 7:30pm at the Oxford Hotel. The program includes the well-known The Hunt string quartet by Mozart, and the String Quartet No.2 in D Major by Russian composer Alexander Borodin, one of his most popular chamber works.

Tickets: www.towertheatre.org, www.HighDesertChamberMusic.com or by phone 541-306-3988.

Bella Acappella Harmony – A Crescendo of Voices

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By RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor

Harmonious sounds fill the air as the 14 women of Bella Acappella Harmony weave their voices expertly around favorite Christmas carols. The audience at Bend Country Club is enjoying a winter afternoon concert, and by the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, the entire audience has joined in the singing, laughter filling the room as the song is pantomimed in hilarious moves.

Bella Acappella Harmony has been growing since July when Connie Norman, a well-known face and voice in local musical theatre and broadcasting, came together with several other women to form the Central Oregon group. With the immanent goal of becoming a chartered member of the Sweet Adelines organization, Bella Acappella hopes to increase their numbers to 60 – 70 women. The four part acapella harmony creates opportunities for women of all voices to hone their musical abilities while learning the art of performance and of course having fun in the process.

Jazz at the OXFORD Continues in December

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Jazz at the OXFORD features two full sets of jazz in a very special intimate club setting in the hotel’s lower level. Sound quality, staging, lighting and atmosphere are on par with other great jazz clubs. Seating capacity is limited to 105 people and performances are open to all ages. 10below, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, will offer a special food and beverage menu during each show.

Each jazz artist coming to Bend has a significant following on an international level, both via recordings and live performances.

Christmas Week - December 22-23 Tom Grant Christmas, featuring Shelly Rudolph & Jackie Nicole